In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad and upon his Pure Progeny, particularly the vestige of God on earth.
I welcome you gentlemen, my dear brothers from across the country, who are working in a highly sensitive, important organization. I’m glad and thankful to God that after several years – two,three years – I am able to meet you in person.
I take it as a good omen that this meeting is taking place during the days that belong to the Household of the Prophet (pbut), from Eid al-Ghadir to the day of Mubahala, the revelation of Surah Al-Insan and the verse of Wilayah [Guardianship] and the blessings that exist in these days of this week. I hope, God willing, the Lord will guide us in the way of the Prophet and his Household (pbut), and God willing we will be able to move in their path.
The day of Mubahalah is a very important day. The day of Mubahalah is the day of Prophethood and the day of Wilayah. The event of Mubahalah is both proof of Prophethood and proof of Wilayah and Imamate. For this reason, this day is very important. I hope that the Almighty God will keep us steadfast on these blessed paths.
I’d also like to thank Mr. Haj Ali Akbari, both for his efforts and for the things he spoke about here. The issues that were mentioned were correct and good.
I have prepared some items, which I have written down to share with you, my dear brothers. One point is about the position that the Friday Prayers hold, and we, as Friday Prayer leaders, should realize the importance of this. When a person becomes aware of the importance of a job or a responsibility, he gives it priority over other tasks and pays more attention to all related aspects of it. We need to know this, and so do other people. The IRIB and our officials need to inform people that the Friday Prayer is not merely a congregational prayer in a mosque. [Rather,] it is a great and important phenomenon in a city, some of its features which I will now state.
First I will state these, then I will talk a bit about the gap that exists between the Friday Prayers that exist today and how the Friday Prayers should really be. Does a gap even exist or not? Naturally, there is one. What matters is how we can close this gap.
Well, thankfully there are close to a thousand or nine-hundred and some Friday Prayer leaders across the country, and this is a truly significant number, in both big and small cities. They should really do something! If our Friday Prayers – the way they are today – are the way that the Friday Prayers have been defined to be and held in the way that is expected of them, then the situation should be a bit better than this. That is, there should be some differences. Therefore, this is one of the issues, which I will discuss during my talk so that we can try to close this gap.
Now, who should be the one making this effort? A part of this effort that needs to be undertaken, is the responsibility of the Friday Prayer leader himself. The Friday Prayer leader should make this effort. Another part of it is the responsibility of the respected officials who are present in the center for policy making and collective management of the Friday Prayer leaders in Tehran or in other centers.
As for the position that the Friday Prayers hold, let me tell you in one word that the Friday Prayer is a totally unique, religious duty, and there’s nothing like it. When we look into the depth of the phenomenon of the Friday Prayer, we see that it is even more unique than Hajj, which is a great multifaceted event. I will discuss some examples of these features now. If you think about this, you will find even more features, especially now that you’re faced with this obligation yourselves.
One feature is that the Friday Prayer connects and ties together two essential factors that are part of a pure life. What are these two factors? One is the remembrance of God (zikr), the other is the presence of the people.
“We shall reward him with a good life.” [Qur’an, 16:97] Now, the good life has pillars. These two pillars, however, are among its most important pillars. One is to turn your attention to God, the aspect that religious scholars call yali al-rabbi [being in contact with God]. The other aspect is the gathering and presence of the people. These two aspects exist together in the Friday Prayers. This is also the case in some other obligations and religious duties, but when we add the rest of the features to it, we see that the Friday Prayer is exceptional.
So, as I mentioned, these two characteristics exist together in the Friday Prayer. We have both, “O’ you who have faith!” and “Hurry towards the remembrance of Allah.” [Qur’an, 62:9] It’s both prayer and it’s jumu’ah. Prayer is pure remembrance of God, and jumu’ah is the gathering of people. That is, this is one of those features, and perhaps it is the first special feature of the Friday Prayer.
Secondly, this collective remembrance of God allows the blessings and effects of the zikr to descend upon the people. The remembrance of God has effects, which have been referred to in the Qur’an, “The hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance.” [Qur’an, 13:28] This is spread throughout the Friday prayer, when everyone remembers God together. At one time, regarding the noble verse, “Hold fast, all together, to Allah’s cord, and do not be divided” [Qur’an, 3:103], I mentioned that even holding fast to God’s cord must be done all together, “Hold fast, all together, to Allah’s cord.” We all have to hold fast to God’s cord together. This gathering in Islam is something extraordinary. The community spirit and presence of the people is an important matter. This is where you need to be careful. If, for example, your Friday Prayer this week has fewer attendees than last month’s Friday prayer, you should be worried.
The people’s presence is the foundation. When we recite words remembering God in a group, the effects and blessings of it descend upon the group. In the Qur’an, it is stated that “…for admonition indeed benefits the faithful.” [Qur’an, 51:55] Everyone benefits from it. Yes, even when you pray the Night Prayer in solitude in your room, the Almighty God will still bestow its benefits on you, but here [during the Friday Prayer], this benefit is a public benefit. Everyone benefits from it.
Or [consider the verse], “Remember Me and I will remember you.” [Qur’an 2:152] “I will remember you.” This special grace from God is a result of zikr. Zikr here is remembering God in a group, so the grace that is granted is for the whole group. Or, “And remember Allah greatly so that you may be felicitous” [Qur’an, 8:45], and many other verses that are in the Qur’an. I referred to Al-Mu’jam Al-Mufahras [a Quranic Index], and these few verses came to mind for now which I’ve written down. [If] you search, there are plenty of verses [that talk about] the blessings that zikr brings. This is one feature, the collective remembrance of God (zikr) and its blessings.
The next feature is the continuity of this event, these weekly meetings. Well, the Hajj pilgrimage is once in a person’s lifetime. That’s how it usually is. But this [the Friday Prayer] is a weekly event. This is very important. As far as I’m aware, and I’ve done some research on this, there is no other spiritual gathering in any religion, in any place, where the people of a city or a large group of people in a city gather in a central place together on a weekly basis. What the content of this gathering should be, constitutes the next issue. This is a very important feature.
This is where the excellence of this gathering becomes evident, even in comparison to Hajj. It takes place one week after another, this week, next week, the week after, the week after that, and so on. Well, this is an example of what we read in the Kumayl Supplication, “So that my works and litanies may all be a single litany. And my occupation with Your service everlasting.” [Misbah al-Mutahajjid, vol. 2, p. 849] It’s continuous.
It’s not a matter of being there one day and absent the next, or being present in one place but not being present someplace else. I need to be continually at Your [God’s] service, “And my occupation with Your service everlasting.” This is how this weekly gathering is. This is how “My occupation with Your service everlasting” can be carried out.
When such a community exists where a large group of people in a city gather in a certain place every week, it can be a base, it can be a meeting place [to discuss] all the important issues of the society. When everyone is expected to gather together, people think of what things to say. Societies have needs. There is everything from intellectual issues to social services, from the people’s cooperation to their military mobilization for defending the country. All of these are realized and carried out in this continuous weekly gatherings and these things come about. That is, they can come about. There is an opportunity of this importance and greatness in this gathering. Therefore, this is an enormous treasure and an extraordinary opportunity that has been given to us.
Another feature of the Friday Prayers is the combination of spirituality and politics. This is something that is rare for materialistic people and those who don’t ponder over matters. How can politics, spirituality and the belief in God exist in one place? Politics has a basis that in appearances is contradictory to the remembrance of God and the like. So mixing politics with spirituality in an obligatory act, is a virtuosity that belongs to Islam. It’s Islam’s work of art.
The following tradition has been narrated from Imam Reza (pbuh) about the Friday Prayer leader: “He informs them of the prospects and fears that have come upon them, in which they will have both harm and benefit.” [Wasai’l al-Shia, Vol. 7, p.344] This is an important, great matter. The events that are taking place in the world and that have a relationship with our society, either as a loss or a benefit, are expressed to the people by the Friday Prayer leader.
Let’s consider the example of the issue of nuclear power, or the war in Ukraine. This is an issue that is happening in the world. Or there are different matters relating to the politics of the East and the West. These are things that affect our country, our society, our life and our politics. Well, the Friday Prayer leader explains, describes, and talks about these things for the people with sufficient and correct information. He links politics with spirituality. He says, “Be pious before God.” People must be reminded to practice piety in the Friday Prayer sermon. At the same time, he explains politics to people - this kind of politics, international politics. This is also one of the issues that is one of Friday Prayer’s features. It has other features too, of course, which I have spoken about briefly.
When we look at this collection of features, we come to the conclusion that in the line of the soft power of the Islamic system, the Friday Prayer is a very important link, because that which is influential and is a leading factor today is soft power. Hard power, bullets and guns and these sorts of things are at a lower level today. What’s important is soft power- influencing the hearts, minds and spirits. Of course, our soft power chain is a long, comprehensive chain. The Friday Prayer is one of the most important links in this chain. We come to this conclusion when we look at these features.
So, is the Friday Prayer in this sublime position in the Islamic Republic or not? It seems to me that we have had some shortcomings. Now, you know that I too am your colleague in this field. We’ve had shortcomings in this field. We need to strive, all of us should strive to eliminate these shortcomings. Like I said, a part of this is the responsibility of the Friday Prayer leaders themselves, and another part is the responsibility of the officials in charge of the macro-management of the leaders of the Friday Prayers. We need to pay attention to this.
Now, regarding the Friday Prayer leaders, I said that “a part of it is the responsibility of the Friday Prayer leader.” Some things are related to the Friday Prayer leader’s behavior. Some of the factors that must be observed in order for the Friday Prayer to find its correct place [in society] is dependent on the behavior and lifestyle of the Friday Prayer leader. I will talk about two or three of these characteristics in a moment. Some other things are related to the sermons. We’re not discussing their method or behavior here. If the content of the sermons is good, it can bring the Friday Prayer back to the way it should be.
Now, regarding that which is related to the Friday Prayer leader’s way, my dear brothers and respected gentlemen, on Fridays the Friday Prayer leader calls on people to practice piety with his words. What I’m saying is that you must invite people to practice piety with your behavior on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. If we invite people to practice piety on Friday, but we do something on Saturday that is not in line with piety, it completely invalidates the process. Not only does it invalidate it, it will have the opposite effect. It makes the listener wonder, “What are these people talking about?” At minimum, what will happen is that people will no longer attend the Friday Prayers. That’s the least that can happen. They will do, and they might do more than that. Therefore, this is one of the issues.
The person inviting others to piety should strive to acquire piety himself. I referred to the book Al-Mu’jam Al-Mufahras. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to do these things now. In the past, I used to search in it very carefully, but I don’t have this time anymore. So I looked briefly and saw that the word ittaqu [command form of taqwa, “piety’] has been mentioned around sixty times in the Qur’an. Almighty God commands us ittaqu around sixty times.
Indeed, two of these sixty cases are alarming. One is in Surah Al-Imran where God says, “Be wary [ittaqu] of Allah with the wariness due to Him." [Qur’an, 3:102] Practice piety, as befits piety. This is a very important task. The second place is in Surah Al-Taghabun where God states, “So be wary of Allah, as much as you can.” [Qur’an, 64:16] Do not take the phrase “as much as you can” to mean “whatever you can.” No, it means you need to use all your abilities and use all the ways you have to practice piety.
Very well, so we know these things and we say these things. May God prepare our hearts and may He soften them, so we can act on these things. “So be wary of Allah, as much as you can.” Therefore, this is the first point.
We who tell people to practice piety in the Friday Prayer sermon should do our utmost to observe piety to the best of our ability. We need to refrain from doing things we’re unsure about. “He who restrains his soul from (following) desires.” [Qur’an, 79:40] We need to do these things and similar matters, and there are many such matters. This is a feature that I believe is a part of our duties as Friday Prayer leaders.
The second point is to deal with everyone as though you are their father. All sorts of people attend your Friday Prayers. Be kind to everyone, they are all your children. I understand that you might be more interested in the young, revolutionary fighters, I don’t blame you, and that’s fine. But even if someone is not like that, they are still your sons. They are still your children. Even in his own home, a person might love one of his children more than the others, but this should not prevent him from being a father to his other children. You need to treat everyone as though you are their father and they are all your children.
The Ghadir celebration in Tehran [in which over three million people attended in the form of a 10 km long celebration] was truly extraordinary! I don’t know whether you saw it or not. I saw it on television myself and heard about it from some people who had attended. Did you see how all sorts of people took part in this celebration in the millions? These people are in favor of religion. They like religion.
One time during one of my trips to one of the provinces, I had a meeting with the respected scholars of that province. I told them, “As I was coming today or yesterday, there was a crowd surrounding the car I was in. They wanted to express their love, and some of them were even crying. Amongst them there were individuals whom if you had met them, you wouldn’t have thought they even believed in religion. But that’s the way it is. They do believe in religion.” I have a lot to say on this topic, and I have talked about this in the past. Now is not the time to talk more about this. So, treat everyone in a fatherly manner, and bring everyone to sit at the table of religion and spirituality. This is another point.
Another matter is that the behavior of the Friday Prayer leader should be people-oriented. He needs to be a “people person.” What do we mean by being a “people person”? It means that as one of the people, you need to go and be present amongst them, talk to them and don’t distance yourself from them. Don’t just interact with a special, privileged group. If necessary, go to people’s homes every now and then. Sit on their rugs and under the roofs of their houses. Ask them how they are.
Just being amongst the people is an important task in itself. Some people making inappropriate interpretations about the very valuable public visits of officials is wrong. In fact, these people have been misled. Going amongst the people, talking and listening to them [is important]. You might not agree with everything they say, but at least listen to them. There is nothing wrong with telling them you don’t agree with what they’re saying. This is not a problem. But let them talk. So being present amongst the people is another matter.
I understand some people go to the Friday Prayer leaders and ask them for things which are not a part of the Friday Prayer leader’s responsibilities. A government official or some judiciary official may be responsible for that issue. Instead of going to them, they go to the Friday Prayer leader who is more accessible to them. I know this exists; I’ve been in that situation myself. I’ve seen it.
This creates problems for the Friday Prayer leader. You need to tell people that these matters are not part of my job, and, for example, there is a certain official who deals with that.
At the same time, if people come to you, you need to listen to them. I must say though that up until now, the network of the Friday Prayer leaders has been one of the most popular institutions of the Revolution. This should also be known. That is, when one looks at the set of revolutionary institutions – which, thank God, have many blessings – one of the most popular revolutionary institutions is the network of the Friday Prayer leaders.
Another piece of advice I have, and which is very important, is communicating with the youth. In order to do this, you need to establish a process. That is, you cannot have a relationship with the youth by telling them, “Come!” and expect them to come rushing to you!
You need to sit down, think and find a solution. You need to find a way. Today, there are voluntary, self-effacing, low-cost, unpretentious groups all over the country who do cultural work, social work, and some that provide services to others. They are everywhere in the country. I have a special interest in these groups. That is why they sometimes call and explain some issue, or they want something. I know there are groups like this all over the country, and they exist in almost all the big and small cities. Search for them in your city, find them, help them, support and encourage them. These groups are made up of young people.
Sit down and talk with young students, with the youth studying in the seminary. Today there are universities and seminaries in most of our cities. Well, they’re all young. Talk to them, go inside their groups, and go to their schools and universities. Talk to them and invite them. Communicating with the youth is beneficial for the Friday Prayer leader as well. It has spiritual benefits, because the younger generations normally have a new language, new thought and new discourse. That’s their nature.
Don’t fall behind this new movement of the youth. You’ll become more familiar with their language, discourse and the terms they use when you join them and start forming friendships with them. This will help you very much to be able to communicate with them, especially with the groups of the Basij. Get together and be with these good youth who are present in all our provinces and in all our cities.
Another recommendation is to participate in public social services. I must say that some of the respected Friday Prayer leaders have honestly shone brightly in this area. They’ve helped out when there were earthquakes, floods, during the coronavirus epidemic, in social services, helping people, aid on the path of God and in various other issues. This is one of those things that I think is very good.
Helping the underprivileged classes, the poor and the deprived, should also be one of your top priorities. We are supporters of justice. We raise the flag of justice, yet justice means nothing if we fail to help and care for the poor, the deprived classes and the likes of them. One of the best things you can do in your groups is to help the underprivileged classes.
Another point is the supervision of these [Friday Prayer] joint committees. I would actually like to express my gratitude to the committees. The Friday Prayer committees all over the country work very hard, they work a lot, they put in a lot of effort. Cooperate with them, see their work, monitor their work and make sure they have no difficulties concerning their affairs. They are good people, they are good, believing people. Nonetheless, there are some people everywhere who interfere in things like termites. Be careful about this too.
Another point and reminder that I have repeated many times before is that you should avoid getting involved in economic activities. It’s not right for the Friday Prayer leader to say, “Our Friday Prayer needs money, it needs an income. We don’t have any income, so we need to have such and such economic activity.” Some of our Friday Prayer leaders took part in economic activities [in the past]. They failed in these activities, because they did not know what they were doing. Others took advantage of the situation, and they became a burden on the system, and some are still continuing with this! Never get involved in economic matters! The administration of clerical organizations is up to the people. Gentlemen, [unfortunately] some are ashamed to say that seminaries are supported by the people!
This is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, it is something to be proud of! What this means is that they do not need the government or those in power to give them money. This is a big advantage. It allows them to easily stand by the people. You see, seminaries have sided with the people and have stayed alongside the people in many different cases. They have been able to easily confront the various governments and those in power. If there were those among the clergy who had connections or received funding from a certain place, they were not able to [stand by the people] and they remained behind.
No, we receive funds from the people and there is nothing wrong with that. It is the same with the Friday Prayers. People need to help and they do help. When you take part in economic activities, set up businesses and do these sorts of things, people say, “These people already have money.” Not only will they not help you, they will also have expectations from you. So, these were some points about the behavior of a Friday Prayer leader.
I would like to say a few things about the sermons now. First of all, it should be noted that the Friday Prayer sermons and the Friday Prayer leaders are spokesmen for the Islamic Revolution, that’s it! No one should expect anything other than this from the Friday Prayer leader. He is a spokesman for the Islamic Revolution, he explains the foundations of the Revolution, he calls for what the Revolution calls for and he belongs to the Revolution. It’s always been like this. It’s been like this throughout history. The Friday Prayer leader will have carried out a great duty if he is able to convey religious and revolutionary concepts according to the needs of the present day.
There are many concepts of the Revolution that we once proclaimed, followed and are still following to this day, but today, the same concepts should be explained and conveyed with a new language, with words that are suitable for the present age. The Friday Prayer leader should be able to convey these great concepts in today’s language and in the language of the younger generation, issues such as the issue of justice, the issue of independence, the issue of helping the poor, the issue of following religious laws and matters that are among the principles and foundations of the Revolution. You are the spokesmen of the Revolution.
Sermons should be meaningful and enlightening. They should answer the people’s main questions. There are questions that you can answer in your sermons without even mentioning the question. You can answer the questions that are in people’s minds with your sermons.
The language used in sermons should be sincere, friendly, unifying and promising. Your sermons should be promising. Every word you say in your sermons can be an example of the verse, “He it is Who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers that they might have more of faith added to their faith.” [Qur’an, 48:4] However, it is also possible they [your sermons] become a cause for anxiety and concern. Concern is not always a bad thing, but your words may cause worry, fear or hopelessness. The way you speak can lead to both of these feelings. Sermons should be promising and insightful. They may sometimes have other effects. You may say things that the enemies can use as an excuse to say things against you.
Something our sermons need to do is to confront the continuous doubts and rumors that our enemies are spreading. As I said, the battlefield we are in today is a soft war battlefield, and the enemy’s soft weapon is instilling doubts.
What does “instilling doubts” mean? We have a nation of people who have stood up for this Revolution with complete faith and belief. They’ve sacrificed their lives. They have strived, endeavored and led this Revolution to success. Our people defended our country for eight years during the Imposed War, and then against the constant seditions of the enemies. They have been present whenever they were needed. This is the kind of people we have.
Now if our enemies want to destroy this strong fortress or cause it any harm, what should they do? They have to attack the people’s faith, they have to cause controversies regarding their beliefs. That’s done by instilling doubts. We shouldn’t overlook these doubts. There were people who stood up firmly against arrows and swords, but they were struck down when it came to suspicions and doubts. They could not stand up to that. We have seen these kinds of people. They fought strongly and bravely in the battlefields, but when they faced a doubt, they could not overcome it. It brought about their downfall. That is what doubt does.
The purpose for instilling these doubts is to shake [the beliefs] of the people, who are the country’s main force, and to shake the people’s beliefs, which are the essential factor in maintaining the country and the Islamic system.
Of course, this is because of their enmity. The Islamic Republic has done a great job in facing the West. Now sometimes we say these things and repeat them, but over time they fade away and are forgotten. The importance and significance of this content is not paid attention to, or sometimes it is not expressed as well as it should be. But there is a strange reality, the fact that the Islamic Republic has invalidated this 200 to 300-year-old claim of the West with its presence and existence.
The core of the identity of Western civilization is based on the separation of religion from progress. This is the core point. If you want to advance, you have to put religion aside. It is fine if you want to have some personal beliefs for yourself, but you should not let religion become intertwined with your daily life if you want to progress. This is the essential, central point of Western civilization’s identity. The Islamic Republic has correctly taken aim at this. It has taken aim at this central point and has hit the target!
The Islamic Republic started with the slogan of religion. It not only preserved itself, but it progressed, spread its logic in the region and strengthened its roots. A verse from the Qur’an states, “Have you not seen how Allah has drawn a parable? A good word is like a good tree.” [Qur’an, 14:24] The existence of the Islamic Republic has challenged and proven the falsity of the core identity of Western civilization.
That is what irritates them and they are angry. The reality of Western powers is that they are a mafia. At the top of this mafia stand the Zionists, prominent Jewish businessmen and the politicians that obey them. The US is their showcase and they have spread out everywhere. This is the truth about the Western powers. They cannot tolerate this, so they are constantly thinking up new plans to do something against the Islamic Republic.
For example, a topic that is being spoken about a lot recently, is [the topic of] women in an Islamic society. Of course, it is a topic that has been spoken about since the beginning of the Revolution. They falsely claimed that they wanted to help and support Iranian women. And it is a topic that recently they have brought up again regarding hijab and similar issues, and they are repeating their previous failed attempts once again.
A few years ago, someone once asked me, “What defense do you have against the West regarding the issue of women?” My reply was, “I don’t have a defense, I am the one that attacks! They are the ones who need to defend themselves! They’re the ones who need to answer. They treat women like merchandise. Defense? I don’t need a defense! We are the claimants in the case of women.” Now, what’s this all about?
When we see a sudden uproar in the official British and American media, by their followers and by those hired by them, when they all suddenly start to attack on issues regarding women and use excuses such as hijab and other matters, what do you think is the reason behind this? Why do they do these things? Do they really want to defend Iranian women and their rights?
Aren’t they the ones who would cut off the water supply to our people if they had the chance? They feel sorry for Iranian women? They have used sanctions to block access to medicine for children with butterfly disease, for children! They’ve placed all kinds of sanctions against the people of Iran. They’re concerned about Iranian women? Can anyone believe such a thing?
So what is this all about? The fact is that honorable, talented Iranian women are amongst those who have struck Western civilization one of the hardest blows. So, they hold a grudge. Women have done this. Besides the overall movement of the Islamic Republic, women have especially struck one of the most important blows to the West’s lies and false claims. How?
For many years – about 200 years – the West has said that if women are not freed from moral and religious boundaries and coverings, they cannot progress and reach higher scientific, political and social positions. That is what they are saying. They are saying that women must be freed from these moral limits if they are to reach a high rank in society, politics and other areas.
Iranian women have exposed the falsity of this in practice. Iranian women have been present in all fields achieving success and glory, and all the while wearing the Islamic hijab. This isn’t just boasting. These are the tangible realities of our society. Half, or more than half, of our university students are our girls and women. In important scientific organizations, some of which I have visited myself, our female scholars work in key scientific centers.
In literature and poetry, books and biographies, women are amongst the most outstanding. It is the same in athletic competitions. Sometimes one is truly unable to praise them the way they deserve to be praised. We have Iranian women standing on the winners’ podium, the Iranian flag being raised and the national anthem being played before the eyes of hundreds of millions of television viewers around the world, and she is wearing hijab. She does not shake hands with the man who comes forward to give her the medal. That is, she observes the religious limits. Is this something small?
I will give an example in the field of politics. When the Soviet Union was still in power, in one of the most important diplomatic missions that took place between the two countries, Imam Khomeini dispatched three envoys. One of them was a woman- and what a strong woman she was, may God’s mercy be upon her!
In the management of national affairs, our women have shown the best management in their activities while wearing hijab and the chador. In scientific matters and literary issues, in hosting television programs and in various other fields, Iranian women have been present and advanced to the highest levels while wearing the Islamic hijab and observing the hijab. This is something very important.
It invalidates the 200 to 300 years of effort of the West. They cannot tolerate it. It makes them angry. They go to great lengths to do something about it. That is when they stick to the topic of hijab. They stick to one thing and launch a propaganda campaign against it. That is where all these doubts and questions are arising from, and you can see how our enemies are acting. This is an important issue.
As I have been informed, hijab has been spoken about in many of the Friday Prayer sermons this past week. It is the current topic in the social media these days. It is also mentioned in the newspapers and in many sermons. In these situations, one should stay calm, act rationally and stay away from expressing unnecessary emotions. Not that emotions are bad, they’re a good thing. But acting on emotions requires caution.
In times like these, you need to expose the Western colonialist rationale. The West is the firebrand in all this. Expose them and explain this to the people using clear reasoning. Now the West is using both their state media, and their insignificant hirelings to work on this. That’s fine, but you should not get involved with trying to confront them. Your main focus should be on clarifying matters for people.
This is some general advice. When I said to react in a sensible manner without overdoing it, that goes for other things as well. Let us suppose there is some immorality which the Friday Prayer leader finds necessary to speak about. His understanding of the people of his city and their views leads him to such a decision, and that is fine. But the way he speaks about this issue should be consistent with his status as a Friday Prayer leader. He must be both firm and sensible.
Take this jihad of clarification seriously. Focus on clearing the doubts and suspicions that people may have. As I mentioned, doubts are one of those things that are like termites. Our enemies depend on these termites. These doubts are like a virus, like the Covid virus. Once it enters, it is hard to get it out.
It is also a contagious disease and can be passed on between people. When I said, there were people who stood up firmly against arrows and swords, but they were struck down when it came to suspicions and doubts, worldly greed is somewhat involved in this. This should also be taken into consideration.
What “world” do we mean? Each person’s world is different. One person’s world is their wealth, someone else’s world is their position, another person’s world is their lusts. Different people have different worlds, and these are all considered to be worldly desires. People may try to justify these desires, but they are still worldly greed. These also play a part.
So as I said, the Friday Prayer sermons should be fundamental and focused on presenting rich content and strong logic concerning the essential issues of the Revolution, such as justice. Justice is a very important issue. Think about it, work on it, speak about it. [Also speak] about independence, independence is a very important matter. The issues of supporting the underprivileged and uniting the world of Islam are also very significant issues. Give people awareness and insight.
These things that I have mentioned are also true for the upcoming Muharram sermons, and you should be able to see the results in the following Friday Prayers. So, if what you’re doing is successful, you should be able to see it in the people coming to the Friday Prayers. If you notice that what you are doing was not effective in attracting a larger audience, there is something wrong with what you are doing. Find those flaws and fix them.
We cannot say the reason for this lack of attention is that people have lost their beliefs and have become less religious. Some people say such things! It truly seems they are talking without having thought about what they are saying and are suggesting that the people have become less religious. No, that’s not the case at all! They’re not less religious. Just look at the Ghadir celebrations and the massive gatherings for the ceremonies and speeches during the months of Muharram and Safar. Who are the people who attend these ceremonies?
They are our people. Look at the mourning ceremonies, the religious ceremonies, the Arbaeen Walk pilgrimage. Who are these people? These are our people. Our people’s religion, their faith, their belief-not only have they not weakened, they have actually become stronger. However, the quality of my sermons or my prayers might not be good enough to attract these faithful people. This should not be mistaken for weakness in the people’s beliefs.
Some people easily say these things. For instance, they say the people’s beliefs have weakened. No, they have not weakened. I’ve seen the country before the Revolution, most of you have not. Our people are holding larger religious ceremonies now, they are making much larger financial contributions to the religious seminaries and they are participating more actively in social and religious services. The people are present on the scene. We are the ones who need to remain on the scene with them.
O Lord, by the blessed souls of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his progeny, help what we have said and heard to be for You and in Your path. Bless us with sincerity, and accept it from us. O Lord, help us to practice the things we preach. Unite the pure soul of our magnanimous Imam [Khomeini] who opened this path for us, and the blessed souls of the dear martyrs who strived and sacrificed their lives on this path, with the pure souls of the first martyrs of Islam and the Holy Imams (pbut). Bless all of us to join them.
May God's greetings, mercy and blessings be upon you.
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