In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master, Muhammad, and his Pure Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
You are very welcome here, you the fathers, mothers, and spouses of our beloved martyrs, and the children of our heroes. Today's meeting in our Hussainiyah, with the presence of you fathers, mothers, spouses, children, and families of the martyrs, is truly a meeting filled with light. One can feel the light of the martyrs’ presence with your presence here. I hope the families of the martyrs will always remain for this nation. This nation needs to remember the martyrs, the names of the martyrs, and the stories of the martyrs.
Today, I have prepared a topic in my mind. I have made notes about the fathers, mothers, and spouses of the martyrs. Well, everyone has always talked about our dear martyrs, and even if we talk about them forever, the virtues of the martyrs will never end. I do not wish for the memory of the fathers, mothers, and spouses [of the martyrs] — who are partners in this great jihad and are mujahids — to be forgotten. This is what I am going to talk about today.
The fathers, mothers, and spouses [of the martyrs] can be viewed from several perspectives. Of course, other members of the martyrs' family also share in this meaning. But the most important people are the martyr's mother, the martyr's father, and the martyr's spouse, in the case that the martyr had a spouse. They can be viewed from different perspectives. One is based on the perspective of the “Quranic value system.” We should see what the Quran, which contains numerous verses about the martyrs, has to say about the fathers, mothers, and spouses of the martyrs. This is one point.
From this perspective, we need to see what value the Quran puts on the people whom the martyrs have left behind. One perspective, which has been neglected, is the struggle of these dear people — the fathers, mothers, and spouses. Let’s look at it from this perspective. Indeed, their efforts have been neglected up until now. I will now say a few brief words about each of them. Another perspective is the suffering and pain that these dear people feel due to the loss of their loved ones. Suffering itself is a reason for the Almighty God to elevate someone’s position. The suffering that their fathers, mothers, and spouses go through should be paid attention to. We should look at it from this perspective.
One of the most valuable treasures is the memories that are contained in the chests of the fathers, mothers, and spouses [of the martyrs]. This is another perspective. Now I have mentioned these four perspectives, [but] you can also look at the lives of the fathers, mothers, and spouses from other angles too. I have chosen these few points to share with you. No matter which perspective we choose to look from, the greatness of a martyr’s father, mother, and spouse shines before one’s eyes like the sun.
With regard to the first perspective, consider the value designated by the Quran. There is the patience that the father of the martyr and the mother of the martyr have shown at their son’s martyrdom, or the patience that the martyr’s spouse has shown for [her husband’s] martyrdom. When you read their biographies and realize what they went through when they heard the news of the martyrdom of their loved ones and the patience they showed, this patience is the highest form of patience.
Regarding such patient individuals, Almighty God has stated, “It is they who receive the blessings of their Lord and [His] mercy” (Quran 2:157). You ask for God’s blessings for the Prophet and his Progeny, [but] God sends you His blessings. What can one imagine that would be more important than for Almighty God, the Creator of the universe and the Owner of this world and the hereafter, to send blessings on His servants? This is something very important. This is for you. This is for the father, the mother, the wife, and possibly the children who have experienced their father’s martyrdom.
Or in another verse, it is said, “You will never attain piety until you spend out of what you hold dear” (3:92). No one will be able to reach the peak of goodness unless he/she gives what he/she loves in the way of God. What does a person love more than his own child? [Or] a young woman whose husband is martyred, what can replace this warm love between a husband and a wife? These people have sacrificed this [their loved ones] in the way of God.
A martyr’s parents have offered and given their beloved child in the way of God. Or that young wife has given her beloved husband in the way of God. So you, the fathers of the martyrs, the mothers of the martyrs, and the spouses of the martyrs, are all perfect examples of “You will never attain piety until you spend out of what you hold dear.”
After a difficult war in which the companions [of the Prophet] had fought and some had been martyred, they had endured great hardships, they had taken great risks, and they were returning from the war, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) told them, “You have returned from the Lesser Jihad. You now need to struggle for the Greater Jihad.” They asked, “O Messenger of God! What is greater than the jihad that we just took part in?” The Prophet said, “The Greater Jihad is the struggle with the carnal self.” What is this struggle with the carnal self? It means struggling with one’s inner feelings. A person has a feeling, a desire, or a thought within him/herself. They need to struggle with these whenever it is necessary.
If we look at it from this perspective, once again we will see that the parents and spouses of the martyrs are at the top level of the Greater Jihad. Why? Because they have surmounted their feelings. A young man insists on going to the battlefield. There are obstacles in his way. His mother, even though she loves her child, removes these obstacles. This exists in the accounts of our martyrs. We have seen these things. I visited mothers of martyrs who had buried their children themselves. They had equipped them themselves. Are these things a joke? If we had not seen these things or if we had not heard about them from the people who saw these, it would be hard to believe. But these are things that happened.
Therefore, according to the value assigned by the Islamic value system, the families of the martyrs, that is their fathers, mothers, and spouses, have a very high rank, and they are more virtuous than other believers. A martyr's father, mother, and spouse should be approached and viewed from this perspective. This is the first point.
Secondly, we said that [there is a] jihad being neglected. When the word "jihad" is mentioned, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is a young man fighting in the battlefield. Well, yes, he is a “mujahid fi sabil Allah” [the one who strives in the way of God], but he is not the only one. There are also mujahids outside the battlefield. The woman who turns her home into a place for baking bread for the soldiers is also a mujahid. The families who spend their whole lives giving food and the necessities of life to the soldiers are also mujahids. They are taking part in jihad.
Mujahid is not just someone who is fighting in the battlefield. Of course, he is the perfect, main example, but there are also mujahids outside the battlefield. Among the mujahids outside the battlefield, who has a rank or status that is at the level of a martyr's father, a martyr's mother, or a martyr's spouse? Of course, with regard to the person who bakes bread in her home and sends it for the soldiers, her work is very valuable. The value of her work cannot be denied. But what about the person who sends his/her young, dear one [to the battlefield]? It’s one thing to send food, blankets, and clothing, and it’s another thing to send the fruit of one’s heart, a young, healthy youth to the battlefield.
These people are mujahids. This [form of] jihad has been neglected. When we count the people who take part in jihad, we don't pay attention to the woman who is the mother of a martyr, the man who is the father of a martyr, or the woman who is the wife of a martyr. [But] they are people who are struggling for the cause of God, “Allah has graced those who wage jihad over those who sit back” (Quran 4:95). This includes these people as well. They are mujahids in the way of God.
This epic event would not have taken place if their families had not supported them. The eight years of the Sacred Defense, this great epic — I will talk about this later how important this epic was for our country’s history — began due to the efforts of fathers, mothers, and spouses. They were the ones who got it going. If the fathers had been impatient, if they had expressed their disapproval, or if they had complained saying, “Why did my child go?” and “Why was my child killed? — and the same is true for the mothers — then this epic would not have got going. After the first group [of troops] had left, the second group wouldn’t have gone. So this is about this perspective.
The third perspective is about the suffering of the families of the martyrs. When a martyr is martyred, the moment of martyrdom is the beginning of his relief, but for his parents and his wife, it is the beginning of their anguish. When a martyr leaves this world, he/she is the guest of God Himself in the Kingdom of God. God Himself provides them with His sustenance. It is the beginning of a comfortable life for the martyr. But what about the father? What about the mother? What about the spouse? When they hear that their loved one has been martyred, their suffering begins at that time, and it does not end. The passing of time causes people to forget many things. What they do not forget is the grief they feel for their loved ones [who left] in this way and form.
[When] a person reads these books that have been written about the martyrs, he/she understands what happened to the father, the mother, and the wife of the martyr. This is something that those watching from afar cannot comprehend. This suffering elevates a person’s status [before God]. This anguish isn’t something that is lost before Almighty God. The strength to endure this suffering causes a person to become great.
About the fourth perspective, I mentioned that a martyr's father, mother, and spouse are a treasure chest holding martyr’s memories. The martyrs are the country’s heroes. The heroes of our country are the martyrs. There is no hero higher than the martyrs. They are the ones who fought in the most difficult battles, they are the ones who were able to reach the highest levels, and they were able to defeat the enemy. Remembering heroes is something honored by all nations. This isn’t something exclusive to us. Sometimes a person is recognized as a hero by a nation. Memories about him/her, details about him/her, and his/her life become important to people.
Our martyrs are all heroes. It is important to commemorate them. How did the martyrs behave? This is something that their fathers, mothers, and spouses can tell us. They [the martyrs] become role models. What were the outstanding moral characteristics of the martyrs? What outstanding moral characteristics did they have? What was their lifestyle like? When you read the biographies of the martyrs, it is as though you have entered a garden that contains all kinds of the most beautiful, fragrant flowers. All kinds of good, outstanding, beautiful qualities can be seen in these books on the martyrs.
Consider the transformation that took place in the lives of some of these martyrs. Some of these martyrs were not on the path of God or on the path of jihad until shortly before their martyrdom. There was some event or a transformation took place in their lives. From behind — we were walking in front — they come, get ahead of us, and are martyred. All of these things are lessons.
Consider the sacrifice made by the martyrs with regard to the intense love they had for their spouse and children. The martyr has small children. After all, he is young. He has two or three children. He is attached to them, he is attached to his wife, he loves his parents, [but] he leaves all of them for the cause of God and for the sake of defending his religion, Islam, and the Revolution. Whether they were people who were martyred in the Sacred Defense, were martyrs for security and were martyred on the borders, or went to defend the shrines [of the Household of the Prophet] and the shrine of Lady Zainab in recent years, they all left and sacrificed their interests and the dearest things they were attached to. They are all role models. A young person needs to have a role model. These [martyrs] are living role models for our country and our youth. The memory of these martyrs must be kept alive.
Who can keep the memory of these martyrs alive? The fathers, the mothers, those who raised them, or their spouses who lived with them for a while can. They should describe their behavior, what they were committed to, their religious attachments, their social attachments, and their emotional attachments. These are all lessons. Everything that is stored in your memories about your martyrs is a lesson. These things need to be talked about. These memories should be published and used by the country's younger generation.
My dear brothers and sisters! What’s truly important — and this is the last thing I want to say — is that your children and your martyrs changed the country's destiny in one of the most critical periods in Iranian history. The Islamic Revolution took place in one of the most critical periods in order to protect the country from slipping into ethical, religious, and political deviation. And it did save the country. Shortly afterwards, the enemy launched a military attack [on Iran], and it was these young men who went, fought, and resisted for eight years. They saved the country.
Then, throughout this time and up until today, the youth have stood up in defense in various seditions, in various riots, in various forms of attacks by the enemy. Some of them were martyred, like in the events that took place this past year or in previous years. They were able to protect this country. They led the country's destiny toward glory. Today our country is proud. Our youth did this. Your martyrs did this.
People like us cannot claim that we did this or that. No, if it weren’t for the sacrifices of these young people, nothing would have happened in this country and it would have plunged down. What prevented this were the important measures taken by these young, courageous, pious, religious, revolutionary, self-sacrificing young people. Our youth were able to help the country pass through threats and dangers. They were able to save our country from great dangers, to overcome threats, and to turn a large number of threats into opportunities.
I would like to address the artists now — those who are involved in the media and those who are authors, writers, poets, and painters. These memories should be preserved using the language of art. Of course, good work has been done in the field of publishing books, films, and some other artistic works in recent years. These are good and valuable, and we need to appreciate what has been done. However, it is small when you compare it to what needs to be done.
We have a large number of martyrs. There is a lot to know about all of them. Each one of them can be a topic for one or more valuable works of art. You can make a movie about them, write a book, paint a picture, and introduce them to our young generation. This is our duty. If they come and ask to interview you, as the martyr's spouse, the martyr's father, or the martyr's mother, do not turn them down. I have heard some say that they went to [interview] a martyr’s family, but they did not respond. No, you should introduce your martyrs as much as possible. Introduce them and talk about them. This is a duty that we all have.
Well, the Almighty God has made all of you dear. It is our duty to preserve your divine honor, and we must do this. We hope, God willing, all the officials will be able to fulfill their duties properly with regard to the families of the martyrs and earn God’s satisfaction.
I enjoy meeting with the families of martyrs, but time restrictions, facilities, and such things truly stand in the way of it. There are many fathers, mothers, and families of martyrs whom I wish to see, but, unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity. I thank God that I was able to visit with you today.
God willing, you will be successful in your endeavors. May God protect all of you, God willing. May He unite your martyrs with the Prophet (pbuh), and may He grant you the intercession of your martyrs.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
Comment