A large number of the Iranian people of various social strata and from different parts of the country, including a group of the honorable families of martyrs and a number of Sunni Ulema, called on the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, August 8.
The meeting was convened on the occasion of the auspicious birth anniversary of the Commander of the Faithful and Master of the Pious, Imam Ali-ibn-Abitaleb (peace and greetings be upon him).
Felicitating the audience on the auspicious occasion, the Leader described Imam Ali-ibn-Abitaleb (peace and greetings be upon him) as a brilliant star in the sky of justice, equity and humanity and as a prominent personality who is held in high esteem by all the fair-minded people across the world.
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the most important lesson that has been taught by the Commander of the Faithful and all the spiritual leaders is making endeavors and engaging in jihad in the way of Allah.
"The most significant duty of the Islamic Ummah at the present juncture is jihad in the way of Allah and making efforts to revive the scientific and moral grandeur and Islamic dignity of Muslims and redress the existing weaknesses, shortcomings and retardations," Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
The Leader further hinted at some reasons for the devotion to and high regard for the Commander of the Faithful on the part of all Muslims and broad-minded people in the world.
"Sincere faith, jihad in the way of Allah marked by self-sacrifice, strong commitment to enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, as ordered by divine injunctions, absolute obedience and submission to Almighty Allah, disregard for worldly allurements, the observance of equity and justice in dealing with the general public, benevolence toward the oppressed and the underprivileged, firmness and resolution in the face of the enemies of religion, acting upon duties under all circumstances, and the wise sayings that are needed by mankind in all eras are among the features and characteristics that impress any fair-minded individual," the Leader pointed out.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that Muslims should follow the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and greetings be upon him and his immaculate household) and other spiritual leaders who were in the vanguard of jihad in the way of Allah.
"This jihad is not only in wartime, but at the time of peace also any step taken by Muslims to raise the status of science and religion in the Islamic community, to promote unity and solidarity in the Islamic Ummah and to resist worldly enticements is regarded as jihad in the way of Allah," he noted.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic described the present deplorable condition of the Islamic Ummah and the weakness and decline of the Islamic world as an outcome of neglecting jihad in the way of Allah. He stated that the present condition of the Islamic world is such that Muslims are being massacred in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Under these circumstances, two bitter phenomena have emerged in the Islamic Ummah, each of them being worthy of contemplation and serving as a lesson, and Muslims should feel remorseful to Almighty Allah for these two phenomena," the Leader told the audience.
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the present tragedies in Lebanon and Palestine and the carnage of innocent people, including children, by the Zionist regime as one of these two agonizing phenomena.
"The tribulations and sufferings befalling the people of Lebanon today may happen to any one of Islamic countries. Therefore, Muslim Ummah should realize that the world's powers would never care about the interests of Muslims, and Islamic nations should try to increase their power and consolidate their unity so as to protect their interests," he observed.
The Leader slammed the United States and Britain and certain other powers for their encouraging words and actions in the face of the crimes being committed by the usurper Zionist regime and the United Nations for its incapability and inefficiency in spite of its claims to support human rights and combat terrorism.
"The second bitter phenomenon of the present time is the lack of unity among Islamic governments, especially the mere onlooking on the part of certain Arab governments, which is quite wrong and will prove detrimental," the Leader told the audience.
Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that, today, it is obligatory for the entire Islamic community to defend the Lebanese Hezbollah. He added that certain Islamic governments which have kept silent out of consideration for the United States and other arrogant powers should know that the United States will never have any consideration for them.
Further in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Republic referred to the creation of discord and schism between the Shia and the Sunni as one of the tools frequently used by the enemies to debilitate Muslims.
"Discord and disunity is a lethal poison to the Islamic world, and any action causing schism among Muslims and, as a result, serving the interests of the enemies is a betrayal of the Islamic world," the Leader pointed out.
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran holds a firm stance on the various issues of the Islamic world, including the issues of Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
"The United States, in collaboration with the Zionists and certain wicked European countries like Britain, is trying to uproot Islam from this region, since Islam is standing against their covetous desires. The reality indicates that following the establishment of the Islamic system in Iran, Islamic sentiments and the inclination for striving in the way of Islam and for the revival of Islamic identity and dignity have awakened in the Islamic world," Ayatollah Khamenei observed.
The Leader cited the striving of the Lebanese people and Hezbollah as an example of Islamic resistance and perseverance motivated by Islamic honor and dignity.
"The Zionist regime's army, which had been known as an invincible army and which had defeated the armies of three Arab countries in six days, has not yet been able to overpower Hezbollah, the striver in the way of Allah, since the outbreak of their military confrontation almost a month ago, despite all the military assistance that is extended to it by the United States, and it is suffering one defeat after another," the Leader told the audience.
The meeting was attended by the honorable families of martyrs, war-disabled veterans, Sunni Ulema, Basijis and students from Khorasan, Esfahan, Gilan, Golestan, Kordestan, Hamedan, Qom, east and west Azarbaijan and Ardebil provinces.