The following is the full text of the speech delivered on June 10, 2008 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in the first meeting with the members of the 8th Majlis.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
First of all, I would like to welcome the dear brothers and sisters who are the members of the eighth Majlis. Welcome to the very sensitive and glorious arena of wisdom for the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic. I hope that by Allah's favor, you can achieve the Book of the Righteous - "Verily the Book of the Righteous is preserved in 'Illiyin" [The Holy Quran, 83: 18] - in this very important, sensitive and rewarding arena and during your four-year term. I hope that you will leave a fruitful and glorious record for the angels who record our actions. I thank Dr. Larijani, the Speaker of the Majlis, who made expert and valuable statements.
In my opinion, what is of primary importance in this meeting and in similar meetings is that in this position as officials, we feel that we are worshipping God, that we are present before Him and that we are responsible towards divine responsibilities. This is the essence of the issue.
It is possible that all differences of opinion, different tastes and different reasonable motivations that anyone has are different from other reasonable motivations. This is like the different currents which enter a calm and safe sea and which meet at one point. If we can create this safe and spiritual environment in the arena of our work and if we achieve this spiritual paradise for ourselves, then other issues will not be so important and they will not create many problems for us. This is the essence of the issue. This is the issue that should be resolved.
Basically, the Islamic Republic has been established to respond to the prophets' invitation whose main pivot was helping human beings achieve spiritual perfection. This is not possible except in the shade of creating a world which enjoys those virtues and qualities that make life endurable and enjoyable for human beings. One of the main virtues is justice. Therefore, creating a just society is a goal, but this goal is a middle goal.
We want to achieve a just, divine and Islamic society so that we can achieve perfection in the shade of this divine society and so that we can reach a safe and secure point.
The issue of the hereafter and the real life - "Verily, the home is in the hereafter and that is life indeed" [The Holy Quran, 29: 64] - plays a great role in coordinating our actions, our behavior and our work. The real life is the life that we have after passing through this stage. The ayahs that were just recited - "Say: ‘Truly, those in loss are those who lose their own souls and their people on the Day of Judgment'. That is indeed the real and evident Loss!" [The Holy Quran, 39: 15] - tell us that this is the real loss.
Losing money, losing one's life, losing one's dear ones and losing worldly pleasures are losses that one may suffer in this world, but these are not the real losses. Sometimes, the things that we consider to be a loss and the things that we lose are a means to protect us from that great and real loss. This is why in the material world and in the world in which we are responsible for carrying out our responsibilities and showing diligence, the issue of winning, losing, moving forward, falling behind, achieving or losing dignity, becoming popular or notorious and other such issues are considered to be secondary and peripheral issues. The main issue is that reality which is achieved by observing divine obligations.
During my presidency, I asked a great personality, whom we always respected and believed in, to offer us a word of advice, a guideline and a recommendation. What he wrote to me in response was, "Look and see what you are obliged to do and do it. Look and see what is haraam to you and refrain from doing it. Look and see what is doubtful and be careful about it". This seemed to be a very simple, easy and straightforward piece of advice. In the beginning, when we looked at it, we said to ourselves, "Well, we already know these things". But when we paid careful attention, we saw that this was not the case. We found out that this is everything that we should know and that this is the most fundamental guideline.
If we look carefully, we see that the most difficult task for a person who cannot control his self and who cannot resist temptations is this. We should see what our responsibility is. We should really look for our responsibility. When we identify it, we should carry it out with courage, with decisiveness, with open arms, with complete satisfaction and without fear of worldly consequences. We should not think, "If I say this, if I adopt this position and if I behave like this, what will such and such a person say? What position will such and such a person adopt? What will become of my future?" We should carry out our responsibilities without these considerations.
Having control over our self and resisting temptations is one of the most difficult tasks. These are the difficult tasks that help us reach the highest peaks. This is the essence. This is the main issue.
Sometimes, one has the responsibility of teaching at a school. Take me as an instance. Imagine that I, a seminarian, am studying or teaching in a chamber or at a school. Imagine that I am at a university, workshop or that I am the manager of a company or the Imam of a mosque. This is one kind of responsibility that falls on one's shoulders. Sometimes, one has such responsibilities and sometimes, one has the very sensitive position of passing laws for a country and a people.
As I said, the laws that you are passing are, in fact, the software of the great movement of a country and a 75 million people. This is a very sensitive and great thing in itself. It is a great responsibility wherever in the world it exists and whomever it addresses. However, in our conditions, the issue is more significant than such things. The issue is that your country, your Revolution and your Republic have introduced a new path to humanity today. These are not formal gestures and ceremonies. These are the depth of the thought on whose basis the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic have been established.
Take a look at today's world and today's economic systems. Today's world has not been formed on the basis of saving human beings. Today, this is not something that requires reasons and proofs. Take a look at today's high peaks of civilization and today's common and well-known democracies and see what the main contentions are. See around whose crests systems and governments are moving and revolving. See how much value they place on the dignity of human beings as they are. See if they care about them. See how much value they place on the rights of nations. See if it is possible to limit one's rights in order to avoid transgressing the rights of other people. See to what extent the activities and thoughts of people revolve around such issues. There is no trace of such issues in today's world.
Once, Imam (r.a.) said, "Some people are waiting for the world to become full of oppression and cruelty so that the Imam of the Age (a.s.) re-appears". Then he said, "Today, the world is full of oppression and cruelty. Do you not see what is happening in the world? Do you not see how nations are treated? Do you not see how human principles are treated? Do you not see that justice is completely isolated?" One can see numerous instances of such daily and pervasive oppression and cruelty in the world. The Islamic Republic is a loud and clear shout - one that relies on a philosophy - that has gone up against this great, savage and blind movement. The Islamic Republic is such an issue.
Some people correctly say that we have a problem with the dominant system in the world. This is a fact. This is the nature of Islam: "Whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks" [The Holy Quran, 2: 256]. This is the meaning of Islam. It means that faith in Allah alone is not enough. Rejecting taghut is a prelude to the truthfulness, honesty and acceptance of faith in Allah. What does rejecting taghut mean? It means rejecting the current dominant systems in the world.
This does not mean that the Islamic Republic of Iran is carrying a gun to go here and there and fight against global systems. This is not the case. This is a simple-minded thought. The issue is about introducing a new thought and a new path to humanity. This is like the prophets' invitation. Their invitation is similar to this: "It is the practice of those who preach the Messages of Allah" [The Holy Quran, 33: 39].
The essence of the issue in the prophets' invitation is promotion. There are different ways for promotion. One of the best ways is that a system is created which is based on a philosophy and which can collect the clear signs of this philosophy and hold them up in front of people all over the world. This is what the Islamic Republic intends to do.
We should create an Islamic and just system, one that is based on Islamic thoughts. We should hold it up and show it to the world. It is not at all necessary to dispatch our troops somewhere or to confront different systems with different kinds of military movement. If we show this system, then it is enough.
Notice that the day Imam (r.a.) let out this clear cry, it penetrated and attracted the hearts of Muslim and non-Muslim nations in a way that no promotion - such as books, writings and speeches - could deliver his message to people's hearts in such a way. The nature of this cry, this slogan and this exhibition is that it attracts hearts. We want this.
In carrying out this great task - that is to say, forming such a system with such characteristics - different branches have a role. These branches include the executive, legislative and judiciary branches. And as I said, the legislative branch is the provider of the software of this great movement. Notice how important the issue is.
The issue is not that we competed - in such and such a city - with people like ourselves, that we launched certain campaigns and that we finally won and entered the Majlis and this arena and this seat. The issue is not this. The issue is far beyond such things.
The person who enters this arena is accepting a responsibility which is divine and deep. It is a responsibility in the real sense of the word: "Then on that day, you shall most certainly be questioned about the boons" [The Holy Quran, 102: 8]. You will be questioned because you have a responsibility. This is the main thing that I wanted to discuss with you dear brothers and sisters. And I ask God to help you succeed in this responsibility.
We offered some pieces of advice in the message that we issued to you so that this goal can be achieved. These pieces of advice are based on our experience with different majlises and different MPs during these long years. In my opinion, the points that were raised in that message are fundamental points, some of which I will discuss with you to the extent that you do not become tired and lose patience.
Let us raise one infrastructural point which is the fact that the issue of being people's representatives has deep roots in Islamic thoughts. The issue of being people's representatives is not about following the common norms in the world. The issue is not that we do not want to fall behind the world because there are elections and democracies in it. As you can see, some countries fabricate a democratic government and a parliament which is not real at all. The same situation exists in the countries in which some elections are held.
Our ideological basis is not this. We have a clear basis. According to the Islamic outlook, Wilayat belongs to God. No other person has Wilayat on others. It is not the case that I order you to act according to my wishes. We do not have such a thing in Islam.
No one has Wilayat over others. Wilayat belongs to God. If Allah the Exalted specifies some guidelines for this Wilayat, then these guidelines become divine and acceptable and we can follow them. And Allah the Exalted has specified these guidelines. They have been specified in Islam.
Passing and implementing laws should be based on divine standards and rules. That is to say, it should be compatible with - not contradictory to - Islamic obligations, with specific and general rules and with what know about Islam. As for those who implement laws, they have certain characteristics. They should be just and they should not be immoral. These are the characteristics that have been reflected in our Constitution. And the Constitution is the manifestation of and the passage to what divine Wilayat has illustrated for us.
Well, the issue of majority and minority is a necessity although in Islam, we do not have a specific rule saying that we should prefer majority to minority on those issues which are a point of contention. However, this is an axiom that occurs on different issues. When five people want to make a decision about an issue, if three of them reach an agreement about this issue which is related to the fate of five people, then the other two should naturally give in. This is a clear and reasonable thing that Islam has specified and sealed.
Therefore, the Wilayat that you have today - passing laws is Wilayat - is a divine Wilayat. It is rooted in divine Wilayat. It has originated from divine Wilayat. This is the meaning of the religious democracy that we speak about. That is to say, according to the laws of the Constitution about acting on this divine Wilayat, the members of the Majlis have a certain Wilayat which is a responsibility. Therefore, what is passed in the Majlis should be followed by people. We should act according to these laws. This basis is the Islamic basis.
From the viewpoint of those people who do not believe in this Islamic outlook, when you look at this issue, you will see that there are many contradictions in it. From their viewpoint, if one day the votes of the people are to the advantage of a certain group, the people's votes and the issue of a republican system become important: "But if the right is on their side, they come to him with all submission" [The Holy Quran, 24: 49]. If the right is on their side, they accept it.
If one day, the votes of those people who are the owners of this right - that is to say, the people who want to submit this Wilayat to a person, according to the Constitution and what has been derived from the Book and the Sunnah - are against their wishes, then these public votes and this Republic will be called populism. And they begin to offer a detailed analysis about why the opinions of the masses of the people are wrong.
As you can see, in their writings, they use the opinions of other writers, ranging from such and such an author in the third, fourth centuries of the Hijri calendar, such and such a Muslim writer in our own times to Bertrand Russell and Gustave Le Bon. They use the opinions of such and such a writer to say that the opinions of the masses of the people are completely wrong. That is to say, they completely change their position: "When they are summoned to Allah and His messenger, in order that He may judge between them, behold some of them decline to come. But if the right is on their side, they come to him with all submission" [The Holy Quran, 24: 48-49].
If they are told to act according to standard of the Book and the Sunnah - the same basis that I spoke about - they turn back, but if it is to their advantage, then they accept it. After this, the Holy Quran says, "Is it that there is a disease in their hearts? Or do they doubt, or are they in fear, that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly with them?" [The Holy Quran, 24: 50] They are sick. According to this Quranic word, disease - "There is a disease in their hearts" - means the same temptations that dominate one's willpower.
This is different from hypocrisy. "There is a disease in their hearts" is different from the issue of hypocrisy. Of course, it sometimes leads to hypocrisy. "Is it that there is a disease in their hearts or do they doubt?" They doubted Islamic principles. "Or are they in fear, that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly with them?" They fear that God and His messenger may oppress them. Now, why do you not accept the truth and truthful statements?
There is not such a thing in the Islamic philosophy. Islamic philosophy is founded on a firm basis, one that originates from Allah's Wilayat. It enjoys certain methods that have been specified in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic according to which, Allah the Exalted has given people the right to entrust a right to someone. According to this philosophy, it has been determined that people can ask someone to do something for them. Through their votes, the people give this right to individuals in the Majlis, in the executive branch and in those organizations which are dependent on people's votes. Therefore, this is the basis of religious democracy. It is an original and deep basis which the people really believe in.
In my opinion, what is very important is that the friends in the Majlis should put a lot of time on the law and supervision. These two fundamental issues are the responsibilities of the Majlis. The law should be comprehensive and long-lasting. It should be based on expert opinion, it should solve problems and it should reflect people's problems. I am not saying that a law which temporarily solves a problem is not necessary. There are a number of laws that solve a problem temporarily. There is no other way and such laws should be passed.
We have such laws as well, but the nature of most laws is that they are long-lasting, that they are adaptable to different situations, that they are useful, clear and well-defined and that they are not open to interpretation. This is within the limits that the Constitution has specified for the Majlis. If there is an argument about these limits, it should be put forward outside the Majlis and in an inter government branch environment.
We have witnessed certain cases in which the Majlis considered something to be one of its rights, but the executive branch did not think so. Well, there is a solution for this. We have a constitution. The Constitution itself has determined its interpreter. We also have certain legal experts. They should sit and determine these things.
The law should be passed within this framework. It should be long-lasting. One of the important points about the law is that it should not change every day with different events. That is to say, legislators should think of their addressee's - who are the people - peace of mind. Those who want to carry out a task, invest in something, make a move and choose a job should be confident that this law is not one that comes today and goes tomorrow with certain motives.
The law should not be under the influence of such and such people either. We have heard that in different parliaments in the world, some people have hurriedly passed a law in order to safeguard the interests of someone or some people. But when the purpose is fulfilled, that law is changed in a short time - in a matter of a few months. Perhaps, such cases have been witnessed in our country as well. We cannot say that such cases have never existed in our country. We have had such cases.
Great care should be taken so that the law will not be influenced by influential people. This is the reason why it is said that it is good for the honorable representatives in the Islamic Republic to reject the financial assistance of some greedy centers in their election campaigns and activities. This is because their greedy help will be followed by such problems. The independence of the members of the Majlis originates from the Constitution, but in fact, it originates from God. They should place a high value on this power to make decisions and to choose. This is a very important and great issue which cannot be exchanged with such trivial things.
On the issue of supervision too, as I said, the supervision of the Majlis is a very necessary issue. This supervision can be exercised either by supervisional tools - such as the Audit Court and other such commissions - or by the direct supervision of MPs themselves in the form of questions, warnings and other such things which are tools for the Majlis to exercise supervision. Supervision is a very necessary and important issue. However, this should not become a tool for two forces to confront each other.
And you should know - of course, you know and it is not necessary to say that - there are many people who are trying to create discord among the three branches of the country and among decision-making organizations. Creating a rift in the structure of the general directorship of the country - that is to say, the three branches of the country which are commanding and ruling over the issues of the country - is one of the great desires which the enemies of the Islamic Republic have been pursuing for many years in order to defeat and deal a blow to it.
Of course, sometimes they say this openly. For example, as you remember, one day they used to openly bring up the issue of dyarchy. Foreigners used to say this and some people inside the country used to repeat what they said in parrot fashion. The essence of the issue originated from the outside, but the people inside the country repeated it out of ignorance. It should really be said that for the most part, what they said was out of ignorance. They repeated the same statements that foreigners made.
And sometimes, the enemies do not openly state what they plan to do like what they are doing in the present time. In the present time, they do not openly speak about their goal, but the goal is this [creating discord]. We can clearly witness the trace of this goal in the reports that we receive about foreigners, about intelligence services and about the plots that are being hatched by political elites in the world. Their goal is to create discord. You should not allow them to do so.
And one of the issues for which I should thank the brothers in the 7th Majlis - particularly, Dr. Haddad Adel - is that there was really an effort to prevent some people from creating discord between the administration and the Majlis. There was really an effort to do this. Of course, it is possible that in certain cases, the opposite is true according to what has been reflected in the outside, but we have been in the middle of the events, we have heard about the events from different sides and we have witnessed their efforts.
Some media networks, newspapers and political personalities make unfair statements. But the truth of the issue is this. The truth is what we ourselves witnessed. Of course, there was really an effort by both sides - both the Majlis and the administration - to cooperate. Some people did and do not want this. You should place great emphasis on this issue. You should place great emphasis on cooperation with the administration as a principle.
The administration belongs to you. It belongs to you. The executive branch and the administration is the executor of the task that you want to carry out. To be fair, the current administration is a diligent one. Among the administrations that have emerged after the Revolution until today, I have seen few ones which have made so many efforts and which have carried out so much work and so many activities with good intentions. Of course, there are different opinions in different areas. There are different opinions on political and economic issues. The gap between these differences of opinion should be narrowed - as much as possible - in an environment which is free of uproar, tumult, turbulence and propaganda.
It is really possible to organize one-day, two-day and compact seminars between the major officials of the Majlis and the administration in order to find common points. And it is alright if some areas remain unresolved: "Everyone acts according to his own disposition" [The Holy Quran, 17: 84]. As I said, when turbulent currents enter the calm sea of saying divine dhikr and carrying out divine responsibilities, they will cooperate with one another.
Another point that I deem necessary to discuss with you brothers - I stressed this point in the message that I issued to you friends as well - is that the brothers and sisters in the Majlis should try to remain populist. Being populist does not mean paying a visit to election campaigns once in a while. Of course, this is very necessary. You should go to such places and meet with the people. You should not be separate from them and there is no doubt about this. But being populist is not only this. We in the Islamic Republic should not help create a new class, one that is privileged and aristocratic. We should not allow this to be done. And this is not achieved with edicts, commands and orders. Rather, it can be achieved with a pure heart, with faith and with motivation.
Sometimes, we enter an arena while we are pure, but God forbid, we may not get out pure. Material motives are attractive and dangerous. My dear ones, money is a dangerous thing. Notice that in the Dua of Border Guards, Imam Sajjad (God's greetings be upon him) prays for border guards and soldiers in the front lines. One of the prayers that he says is this, "Oh God, erase the fitna of money from the hearts of these soldiers". In this dua, fitna only refers to money. "Money instigates fitna" [Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Dua 27]. Fitna does not always mean fitna in social arenas. Worse than this is fitna in ones' heart. If you open to your hearts the path of attachment to money, welfare, aristocratic lifestyle and the like, then this will have no limits.
And as I said, the essence of the issue is taking care of oneself. Self-edification is the basis of all these tasks which can, by Allah's favor, guide all of us. Allah the Exalted should help us. We should ask and beg Allah the Exalted for help and we should seek refuge in the Holy Quran, dua and supplication. One of the pieces of advice that I offer to the friends in the Majlis and to executive officials - I have offered them this piece of advice in the past as well - is that you should not allow reading the Holy Quran to be eliminated from your lives.
You should definitely read the Holy Quran every day. You should read it even if you read a few pages or one page a day. And you should read it carefully and with deliberation. We stress that the friends in the Majlis and in the administration do not break off their relationship with the Holy Quran. You should not be satisfied with the 10 minutes that is recited in the beginning of Majlis sessions.
Although a good tradition has begun in the 7th Majlis according to which the translation of the Holy Quran is read as well, you should not be satisfied. The Holy Quran is a lesson. The Holy Quran is advice and all of us need advice. Advice does not mean that we listen to things that we do not know. Sometimes, advice is about things that we already know, but hearing exerts an influence that knowing does not. We should listen to the Holy Quran and the Holy Quran helps us listen: "There has come to you a piece of advice from your Lord" [The Holy Quran, 10: 57]. The words "advice" and "counsel" have been repeated many times in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran is advice.
And dua. Dua too is a very important thing. In my opinion, the blessed Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya is one of our best spiritual sources if we can benefit from it. The prayers of Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya - each of which is a deep issue, a special world and a sea and each of which teaches us a lesson - soften one's heart and they teach one to be humble. You should establish a close relationship with it.
I hope that Allah the Exalted helps you. As I said, your term in the Majlis is a short term. It has begun today and it will come to an end in the twinkling of an eye. These four years are a short era and it will soon pass like our entire life. Lucky are those who benefit from this short time for their afterlife and for their performance sheet in the hereafter. Forgive me if my speech became a little long. I hope that you have not become tired.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings