The following is the full text of the speech delivered on July 23, 2010 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with the staff of his office as well as members of Sepah-e Vali-e Amr (a military unit responsible for protecting the Leader of the Islamic Republic).
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
First of all, I would like to welcome all you dear brothers and sisters and the esteemed families of martyrs. I wish to congratulate you on this holy and auspicious Eid, which has been ordained by God to coincide with the holy month of Sha'ban. Dear people, the month of Sha'ban is itself an Eid, with or without these auspicious birthday anniversaries. The month of Sha'ban is the Eid of closeness and attention to God and spiritual reliance on Allah the Exalted. It is a great opportunity to enlighten one's heart and soul and to prepare oneself to enter the celebration of the auspicious month of Ramadan. This is how we should consider the month of Sha'ban: An opportunity to engage in worship and self-education.
The issue of motives is what I would like to discuss in this meeting. Great work and righteous deeds are only done with exceptional motives that are rooted in the depths of one's heart. It is not possible to do great work through orders and bureaucratic procedures. Things that are done through orders and regulations will not produce extraordinary results. This is while prominent and exceptional achievements depend on spiritual motives. Those who give up resting and spend a lot of time to increase the quantity of their work are highly motivated. This is something prominent. I have been witness to this kind of spirit before. I have served in different places during the past thirty years - both during my presidency and before that in the Armed Forces and other places. I have seen some people who do not take any breaks or vacations. They are willing to spend all their time on the responsibility that they have taken on. Of course I would tell you that I am not in favor of this kind of working. I believe people should manage their time in a way that they can also make some time to attend to their families, children and emotional relationships. I believe people should not be weighed down by their workloads. But there are some people who are like this. They either have the capability to quickly attend to all other aspects of life and spend the extra time on their work, or they sacrifice other things and spend their time working.
Doing a huge amount of work is something prominent, and it requires motivation. In the absence of spiritual motivation, nobody would work very hard just because they have been required or ordered to. And sometimes nobody even realizes what a huge amount of work has been done. In my meetings with government employees, I have repeatedly said that sometimes you have a file, a project or some other thing to finish, and you decide to finish the job. Although you are working overtime and you are tired, you are determined to finish the job before you leave. You work overtime without your boss's knowledge, without getting any extra money for the work or without anyone knowing that you finished the job outside your normal office hours. But you finish the job anyway. This is very valuable, and it will be registered among your good deeds. The angels who are responsible for recording our good and bad deeds make such actions particularly prominent. This is one kind of exceptional work.
Another kind of exceptional work is to increase the quality and finish the job in a flawless manner. It is possible to do something in two different ways. Sometimes you can take the easy way out, but you decide not to do so in order to increase the quality. This, too, requires motivation, and it is a kind of exceptional work.
Another kind of exceptional work is one that involves finding innovative, new and efficient ways and methods to do the work, both in small-scale and large-scale endeavors. This requires thought and action. Some people say, "Forget about it. We will just do what other people are doing." But some other people force themselves to engage in innovative work. This requires motivation. In the absence of internal motivation, it is not possible to engage in the kinds of work that are prominent in terms of either quantity or quality. What is this motivation? It is a combination of faith and knowledge. These two factors can give you motivation.
Imagine that you are suffering from an illness. When you do not know that your physical problems are rooted in a common illness, or when you do not know that there is a person who can cure your illness, you act in a certain way. But what do you do when you know that there is an effective medication for your illness and someone who can administer this medication to you and make your illness go away? In such a situation, you do not hesitate. You go to that doctor regardless of the distance and the difficulties. This is motivation. You have the motivation to go to the doctor. This is an internal factor that forces you to take action. If you have identified the need and have faith in the result - faithful people should also be aware that they are being watched by God - you have perfect motivation. Some people have the knowledge, and they also have faith in the result, but they do not believe in God. Such people are less motivated. But we are perfectly motivated when we know that what we are doing, or intend to do, is for the sake of God and the Islamic system. We are perfectly motivated when we know that God is watching and will reward us - even though we are fully aware that other people will not learn about our work and will not praise us.
On the day of Ashura, Imam Hussein (a.s.) said, "That is in front of God's eyes." He said he knew he was being watched by God. With this kind of attitude, one would never stop working. Islam and the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) strengthened this motivation in a perfect manner. They identified its instances and utilized them to further the goals and ideals in a perfect manner. When you take a look at the history of Islam, you realize that what Islam and the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) did in this regard was near-miraculous.
I would like to refer to one instance of this. As you know, in the Battle of Uhud, Muslims gained a victory at first, but then they were defeated due to the greed of certain people in their camp. Some of the Muslims - such as Hamza and other people - were martyred and the rest fled to the mountains. At the end of the battle, the enemies left the battlefield happily, and Muslims were left with a sad memory. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) told his companions to collect the bodies and take them to Medina. They left Uhud for Medina - Mount Uhud is near Medina. There were wounded people and bereaved families among those who returned to Medina, and they were carrying the immaculate bodies of the martyrs. Medina was in chaos partly due to weeping and sad elegies for the martyrs, and partly due to the defeat in the battle. These things were all bitter to the Muslims.
On the night following that bitter event, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) was informed that it had occurred to some of the polytheists that they could totally annihilate the Muslims before going home. This news spread to the people of Medina. A number of people who could not control their tongues started to spread the news. There are always some spiteful or ignorant people who spread bad news like a flash. As soon as such people hear something, they start to spread it, regardless of whether it is accurate or not. There were such people at that time, just as there are today. They started to spread the news in Medina. They started saying such things as, "We are done. These people are going to attack us. We should be scared." They began to dishearten the people of Medina. This was where the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) stepped in. It is necessary to utilize the spirit of prophethood in such circumstances.
The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) told the people to gather in a mosque, and they did so. He said, "I have received reports that the enemies have gathered in a place. They are waiting for you to let down your guard so that they can attack. You should go and kill them all tonight." The people said they were ready. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) said, "No, only those who took part in the Battle of Uhud today should go." He asked only the tired and wounded soldiers to go and fight the enemies, nobody else. Some people were surprised at first, but then they realized what a good order it was. Those who had fought in the Battle of Uhud - and had been exhausted and slightly wounded -gathered there immediately. Then the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) ordered them to go and eliminate the threat.
Those who had been wounded in the battle and were willing to retaliate by attacking the enemies were the ones who were directly involved. They had not just heard second-hand accounts of the battle. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) mobilized them and told them to go and fight the enemies. These people - who were limited in number - mounted their horses and left for the place where the enemies were lying in ambush. They took the enemy troops by surprise and crushed them. Then this holy ayah was revealed: "Those to whom the people said: Surely men have gathered against you, therefore fear them, but this increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for us and most excellent is the Protector" [The Holy Quran, 3: 173]. They said God was sufficient for them, and they left everything to Him. Just see the greatness of this understanding: You are the one who is doing the work, it is your muscles that are working, it is your thought that is directly involved, it is your hand that is writing, but the work that is done is an act of God - everything is left to Him. Leaving something to God does not mean that we should stand by and say that God will take care of everything. No, this is not how God works. It is equally wrong to think that it was you who did something prominent or made an achievement and feel proud as a result. If Allah the Exalted does not bestow assistance, guidance and grace on you, you cannot do anything, and you will not achieve any results.
When these two elements come together, your work becomes the right kind of work. That is to say, if on the one hand, you rely on God, seek assistance from Him, believe that He is watching you and accept that what you are doing is in fact being done by God, and on the other hand, you invest all your energy in the work you are doing, then you are moving in the right direction. "And they said: Allah is sufficient for us, and most excellent is the Protector" [The Holy Quran, 3: 173]. This Ayah is a description of such people, and the outcome of their work is mentioned in the next ayah. "So they returned with favor from Allah and (His) grace. No evil touched them, and they followed the pleasure of Allah." [The Holy Quran, 3: 174] They went and crushed the enemy without receiving a single wound or blow. They managed to annihilate the enemy and seize their possessions. Not only did they manage to foil the enemy's plot, but they also managed to create a source of wealth for Medina and the government of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) in the third year of his rule - that is to say, the year when the Battle of Uhud took place.
We are supposed to keep these things in mind. These are not just some historical details. They are not memories. They are lessons. We are supposed to keep these realities in mind and make use of them in our daily lives. Four ayahs have been recommended after morning prayers - you can refer to Mafatih al-Jinan and see for yourselves. Each of these ayahs is followed by a certain consequence. "So you will remember what I say to you, and I entrust my affair to Allah. Surely Allah sees the servants. So Allah protected him from the evil (consequences) of what they planned" [The Holy Quran, 40: 44-45] and "There is no god but You, glory be to You. Surely I am of those who make themselves to suffer loss. So We responded to him and delivered him from the grief and thus do We deliver the believers." [The Holy Quran, 21: 87-88] Another ayah is the one that I recited earlier today: "Those to whom the people said: Surely men have gathered against you, therefore fear them, but this increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for us and most excellent is the Protector" [The Holy Quran, 3: 173]. And the fourth ayah, which is about the two brothers, is: "It is as Allah has pleased. There is no power except in Allah." [The Holy Quran, 18: 39] These are lessons for us. When you feel that you are doing a great and valuable task that has far-reaching social consequences, your motivation increases.
In any case, the events that happen in our daily lives will not remain with us. Every one of them - be it good or bad - will pass. Annihilation is an inherent quality of the world: "The world is in a state of flux." What is registered in the divine record of our actions is what will remain with us for ever. "Not the weight of an atom becomes absent from Him" [The Holy Quran, 34: 3]. The angels who are responsible for recording our deeds consider and evaluate everything we do, just like closed circuit television. What is more disturbing is that they even have our hearts under surveillance. Devices like closed circuit television are not just for buildings, work place, homes and other such places. There are similar things even inside our hearts. Whatever that passes through our hearts and minds and whatever we do in private will be recorded in detail, and we will learn about them on the Day of Judgment. "So he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it, and he who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it." [The Holy Quran, 99: 7-8] This ayah apparently means that actions will appear in material form and that one will be able to see them on the Day of Judgment. The implication is that our actions will remain with us, and they are what we should be concerned about. Daily events in our lives will pass. They are not permanent. We should not get attached to good events because they are not permanent. Similarly, we should not complain excessively about bad events because they will pass too. What will remain with us is divine reward and punishment and the results of our actions - these are what we should think about.
It has been a pleasure to meet you dear brothers and sisters, especially the dear youth who have thankfully attended this familial meeting. I hope Allah the Exalted will bestow success on all of you. I hope you will move on in the right direction and will continue treading the straight divine path.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings