Khamenei.ir

Leader Grants Request for Pardoning or Commuting the Sentences of Convicts

Participants in the 4th Session of the Ahl-ul-Bait World Assembly Meet the Leader

Leader Assigns Delegations to Visit War-Disabled Veterans

Leader's Speech to Government Officials on Mab'ath

Leader Receives Officials of the Islamic Republic on the Auspicious Feast of Mab'ath

Iraqi Prime Minister Meets the Leader

Leader Attends Memorial Ceremony

Leader's Message of Condolence on the Demise of Ayatollah Meshkini

The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on July 30, 2007 issued a message of condolence on the demise of the devout and dedicated clergyman Ayatollah Hajji Mirza Ali Meshkini. In his message, the Leader condoled with the Iranian nation and the esteemed family and honorable progeny of the deceased. The text of the Leader's message is as follows:

Acting against the path of God infringes Imam Ali’s logic

The philosophy of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) is treading the path of God. A Shia Muslim is a person who follows the path of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.). Now an individual may make a certain mistake or commit a certain sin. This is a different issue. This individual should repent of his sin. But the philosophy of the Commander of the Faithful does not at all allow us to pin our hopes on our relationship with the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) and minimize the seriousness of our deviation from the path of God. The significance of what the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) did lies in the fact that he did not forget about people's rights, justice and preserving the path of God just because of certain considerations.

Imam Ali (a.s.) did not back away from reinforcing justice even for a second

"That men may stand forth in justice" [The Holy Quran, 57: 25]. The prophets entered the arena for administering justice. They entered the arena for helping the people get close to God and enforcing divine rules among the people. This is the mission of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) as the executor of the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) will and as the Islamic caliph. He did not retreat even for a second in treading this path. He was not negligent in moving forward. His old friends broke off their relationship with him. Those who had extravagant claims became unhappy and they separated from him. They waged wars against him in order to overthrow him. Those who used to praise him in the past turned into his mortal enemies. But the criticism of these people did not at all influence the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.). "I am one of the people who are not intimidated by the criticism of faultfinders" [Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 192]. He continued the path in a steadfast way until he was martyred. "He died by assassination in the mosque at Kufa, death occasioned by his own generous fairness". This is the character of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) and these are the outward qualities that we can see. See how amazing they are. How delicate, beautiful and astonishing his virtues are.

25 years of sacrifice for the sake of the unity of Islamic Ummah and consistency of the Islamic society

When the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) passed away, the Commander of the Faithful thought that it was his right to be the caliph. And in order to do this, he took action, delivered speeches and invited the people to accept his caliphate. But, he withdrew when he saw that it was not possible and when he saw that if he entered the arena and continue to invite the people, the Muslim community would disintegrate. "Therefore, I exercised patience while there was a thorn in my eye and while sorrow had blocked the path of my throat" [Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 3]. For twenty-five years, the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) did not say anything about his right - he regarded it as his absolute right - for the sake of the unity of the Islamic Ummah, the solidarity of the Islamic community and the maintenance of the Islamic government. Are these jokes? Are these things easy to do? These are the things which help an individual conquer the peaks of glory in human history. These are the things which turn an individual into the brightest sun - which never sets - in human history.

Imam Ali, a role model for all age groups

At all stages of life, he is our role model. Teenagers who are ten, twelve, thirteen years old can follow Ali (a.s.). They can make him their role model. Why? Because when he was ten,eleven years old, he was the first person to know and accept Islam and follow the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). The fact that a ten, eleven-year-old child discovered the truth, stood up for it and followed it as hard as he could, amid all those hostilities and denials, is very important. Young individuals who are twenty, twenty-two, twenty-five years old can also make the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) their role model. Why? Because when he was twenty-three years old - during the time when the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) migrated from Mecca to Medina - he undertook the heaviest responsibility during the great migration. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) entrusted the dearest members of his household to Ali (a.s.) so that he would bring them from Mecca to Medina. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) entrusted him with the duty of giving the people things which were held in trust, pay his debts, get the money which the people owed the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and join him in Medina. And it was he who agreed to sleep on the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) bed and face danger during the night when the enemies were supposed to break into the house and mutilate the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) with their swords. See how great that Imam (a.s.) was. This can become a model for us.

A character like an ocean

What are the characteristics that the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) is known for? What is this greatness that Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) showed? Where is this greatness? What are the dimensions of this greatness? This is one of the issues which no human being except for an infallible person can claim to understand because it has deep and unknown dimensions and it is like an ocean. In an ocean, we can see storms, waves, water and astonishing creatures, but only the person who has managed to reach the depth of the ocean can understand it. No one has managed to understand the depth of the ocean-like character of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.), except for those who had access to sources of divine knowledge and who benefited from divine blessings. What we see is only the surface of things. We can only see some signs. Besides, not all of us can see these signs. Not all of us can see the deep points in Nahjul Balaghah and in the sayings of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.). Only great scholars and wise people with deep knowledge can understand these points. What we see in the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) are these things: his courage, his praying, his liberated outlook, his commitment to counseling the people to do good and advising them against evil, his jihad, his sacrifices and self-less efforts, his awareness of the developments of the time, his capability to know human beings, his mercy and kindness towards the weak, his fearlessness in the face of arrogant, oppressive and autocratic people, his persistence in administering justice among the people and his enmity towards oppression. These things are only the surface of this deep ocean. Nevertheless, you can see how complicated, astonishing and beautiful this surface is. Whom can we find to enjoy all these outstanding characteristics? The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) is like this. And it is not only Shia Muslims who say this.

Christians and non-Muslims, too, praise Imam Ali’s magnificence

The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) belongs to all of humanity. He does not only belong to Shia Muslims and Muslims in general. All of humanity is humble and respectful before the greatness and beautiful aspects of Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.), except for those people who do not know him. Therefore, you can see that the panegyrists of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) are not only Muslims. A Christian also praises the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.). It is not only Shia Muslims who praise him. As well as Shia Muslims, the community of Sunni Muslims in all parts of the world of Islam speaks more enthusiastically about the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) than about other great personalities of the early Islamic era. Why? What is the reason? The reason is the greatness of this Imam, the kind of greatness which some people tried to deny throughout the life of that great personality and during several centuries after his demise. But they failed. The brightness of the sun cannot be denied because it is the sun and it naturally shines and gives warmth and light. Can this be denied?

Leader's Speech on Birthday Anniversary of Imam Ali (a.s.)

Thousands of the Iranian Citizens Call on the Leader

Education Ministry Officials Meet the Leader

Leader's Speech in Meeting with Officials of Education Ministry

Leader's Condolatory Message on the Demise of Ayatollah Haqshenas

The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on July 24, 2007 issued a condolatory message on the demise of the pious clergyman Ayatollah Hajji Mirza Abdulkarim Haqshenas. In his message, the Leader condoled with the esteemed family and progeny and adherents of the deceased. The text of the Leader's message is as follows:

Leader Visits Royan Research Institute

Leader Reappoints Three Islamic Jurisprudents on the Guardian Council for a New Term

The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei in separate decrees issued on July 15, 2007 reappointed three out of six Islamic jurisprudents on the Guardian Council of the Constitution for a new term. The Leader's decrees are as follows:

Leader's Speech to Members of Guardian Council

Leader Receives Members of the Guardian Council

Leader's Speech to Panegyrists on Fatima Zahra's (s.a.) Birthday

Leader Attends Ceremony Marking the Auspicious Birth Anniversary of Her Holiness Fatimah

Were there more intellectual women during the Pahlavi era or during the Islamic Revolution?

We did not have so many outstanding women during an era of taghut [in this case, the Pahlavi era]. This is my claim and I’m sticking to it. Today, the absolute and relative number of female researchers, professors, scientists, intellectuals--who work in different areas and who are experts in those areas--poets and artists, such as fictional writers, poets and painters, is far larger than the number of such women during the time of taghut. The time of taghut [Pahlavi era] was a period of time when they had destroyed hijab and the belief in the necessity of distance between men and women, and they used to promote decadence on a daily basis. Additionally, in certain cases, their actions were more excessive and worse than European countries. Today, in the Islamic Republic, we have such a large number of scientific and political personalities, and cultural and artistic experts, who wear hijab, chador, or headscarves. At that time [taghut], we did not even have a small number of such great women. There were very few women who practiced this way of life. This proves a theory, which is the exact opposite of one they were trying to establish. This theory reveals that not only does promotion of such decadence not help women strengthen their spirituality and develop their capacities, but it also keeps them so occupied with such matters as outward appearances and the trouble this brings about. This prevents women from moving towards perfection and transcendence.

Leader's Speech to Outstanding Women on Fatima Zahra's (s.a.) Birthday Anniversary

Was the number of educated and intellectual women greater before the Islamic Revolution or after it?

We did not have so many outstanding women during an era of taghut [in this case, the Pahlavi era]. This is my claim and I’m sticking to it. Today, the absolute and relative number of female researchers, professors, scientists, intellectuals--who work in different areas and who are experts in those areas--poets and artists, such as fictional writers, poets and painters, is far larger than the number of such women during the time of taghut. The time of taghut [Pahlavi era] was a period of time when they had destroyed hijab and the belief in the necessity of distance between men and women, and they used to promote decadence on a daily basis. Additionally, in certain cases, their actions were more excessive and worse than European countries. Today, in the Islamic Republic, we have such a large number of scientific and political personalities, and cultural and artistic experts, who wear hijab, chador, or headscarves. At that time [taghut], we did not even have a small number of such great women. There were very few women who practiced this way of life. This proves a theory, which is the exact opposite of one they were trying to establish. This theory reveals that not only does promotion of such decadence not help women strengthen their spirituality and develop their capacities, but it also keeps them so occupied with such matters as outward appearances and the trouble this brings about. This prevents women from moving towards perfection and transcendence.

Elite Female Personalities Call on the Leader

Venezuelan President Meets the Leader