In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
By their nature human beings, require and are eager to worship God and to show humility before Him, God who is the Creator of all goodness and beauties. And prayer fulfills this need. By making prayers obligatory, divine religions quench the thirst of human nature and save it from confusion and misguidance concerning the quenching of this thirst. Repeating prayers every day and night is an opportunity and a blessing which saves human beings from drowning in lack of vigilance. It gives human beings the opportunity to have a conscious presence of the heart before God. It polishes their hearts and makes their inner gem shine.
When divine remembrance, prayers and worship combine with the fabric of social life, they reveal the miracle of Islam in the constellation of divine commands. The mosque is a manifestation of this combination. Congregational prayers in the mosque with other believers, is taking part in a divine celebration and this makes the rain of divine mercy heavier and more pleasing.
The blessedness of prayers imbues and enlightens the atmosphere of mosques. And speaking righteous words and teaching religion, ethics and politics in that atmosphere pleases one's heart and soul more than any other atmosphere and it gives a divine orientation to the life of the individual and society.
This is how the mosque should be viewed. The spirit of the mosque instills dynamism and motivation into the body of life. Wherever there is organized life, the mosque is the main center. In the structure of cities and villages, in schools and universities and in other places - from marketplaces to airports, roads, terminals, nursing homes, hospitals, parks and holiday resorts - the mosque should be the pole and the pivot.
Everywhere the mosque should be clean, beautiful and calming. The material and spiritual management of the mosque, which is shouldered by the clergy in charge of the mosque, should be wise, responsible and even affectionate. It is the natural responsibility of Islamic seminaries to train clerics who are at this level.
If the mosque achieves the quality it deserves, a lot of material and spiritual burdens will be removed from the shoulders of society, the people and government officials.
In the hope of reaching that day and greetings be upon the one remaining with Allah on earth (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake)
Wa salaam alaykum wa rahmat Allah
Sayyid Ali Khamenei
October 11, 2011