On the occasion of Eid al-Ghadir and on the eve of the 5th of Azar, the anniversary of the establishment of the Basij, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met today with over one hundred thousand basijis. Speaking at the meeting, the Leader said that staying a basiji and strengthening one's sincerity, insight and resistance are the secret behind the fulfillment of the divine promise of victory. His Eminence said that the essence of Eid al-Ghadir belongs to all Muslims and all those who care about the welfare of humanity.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the Shia faith in the appointment of Imam Ali (a.s.) as the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) successor is based on strong and indisputable reasons.
Explaining the meaning of Imamate, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "Imamate means that a person or a group takes on the leadership of a society and specifies the direction of its movement in worldly and religious matters. Therefore, in this sense Imamate has been the main issue of all human communities throughout history."
His Eminence cited verses from the Holy Quran and said that Imamate can be divided into two different categories. "In one kind of Imamate, a perfect example of which is the leadership of the divine prophets, just leaders lead the people towards the ultimate goal of human life. In the other kind of Imamate, which is exemplified by the leadership of the Pharaoh, the people are lead towards corruption, fire and destruction."
Explaining the comprehensiveness of the meaning of Imamate, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution added: "Even in the most secular governments of the world, in spite of all the claims that political centers are separate from religious and spiritual centers, the life of the people both in this world and in the hereafter is in the hands of the rulers, and the positions adopted by the rulers shape the life of the people of those societies in this world and in the hereafter."
His Eminence said that big cultural organizations of the west and global bullies are among the leaders that act like the Pharaoh and lead the people towards corruption and destruction.
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) establishment of an Islamic community as a proof of the fact that Islam is not limited to verbal admonishment and that it is after implementing divine rules in society.
His Eminence said that appointing a successor for the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) in Ghadir Khumm was an effort to continue this path. He added: "Although the history of Islam went off in a different direction, this standard and this auspicious thought remained in history until it was finally fulfilled in another part of the world thanks to the faith and resistance of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and the Iranian nation. And by Allah's grace, it will be promoted in the entire world of Islam on a daily basis."
His Eminence referred to the Basij as a prominent and brilliant truth and added that the presence of all Iranians from diverse ethnic and occupational backgrounds in the Basij is a sign that shows the inclusiveness of this impressive and unique organization.
His Eminence described as futile the efforts made by the enemies of the Iranian nation and their followers inside the country to humiliate and insult the Basij. He reiterated: "They treat the words God and the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) in the same way, but this humiliating behavior will not diminish the inherent greatness and brilliance of the Basij."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the Basij as a disciplined and systematic organization and reiterated: "There is no organization in the world that can match the Basij in terms of quantity, but the important point is that the Basij relies on beliefs, faith and emotions. And this reality can help resolve the problems of the country and the nation during hard times."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to sincerity and insight as the essential foundations of the Basij and added: "These two determining factors contribute to one another. That is to say, the more one's insight increases, the more one's sincerity will be. And the more sincere a person is, the more God will increase the light of insight in him."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that passions are the most important obstacles to insight. He referred to the behavior of certain people in the fitna of the year 1388 and added: "During those events, certain elements of the fitna ignored the interests of the country in order to achieve power. They turned their back on the clear righteousness of the path in a way that the number one enemies of the nation were excited by their actions and started to support them. But some people did not and do not see these clear truths. Of course in spite of the fact that some people understand these truths, they are not prepared to act on the basis of this understanding due to their passions and the darkness of their heart."
Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei said that being a basiji is something auspicious but added that staying a basiji is more important. "And staying a basiji requires continued vigilance."
His Eminence said that the great Revolution of the pioneering Iranian nation was an effort to change the path of a world submerged in materialism. He added: "A large portion of the world's population has realized the essence of the auspicious Revolution of the Iranian nation, but global powers have deployed their forces against the awakening yell of the Iranian nation."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the fulfillment of the divine promise of victory is the ultimate result of the Iranian nation's confrontation with the camp of global tyranny and arrogance. He reiterated: "Until that bright future is achieved, the enemies will continue creating problems for our nation. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve and strengthen our preparedness."