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 untainted, pure, chosen Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
I believe the meeting has been worthwhile even just up until now. We have truly gained a maximum benefit from the poems, the contents, the eulogies, the melody, and everything else. I would like to first of all congratulate you on the blessed birth anniversary of Siddiqah Tahirah (pbuh). I sincerely ask God, on the honor of Fatimah Zahra (pbuh), that our knowledge of her may continue to grow each day. Additionally, I would like to extend my congratulations on the birth anniversary of her descendent, our magnanimous Imam [Khomeini], who followed the path of Lady Fatimah's struggles and who excelled greatly. Today also coincides with the anniversary of the martyrdom of our beloved Haj Qasem Soleimani. May Almighty God shower the same blessings that He has bestowed on the Prophet’s Household on the soul of this true follower of the Prophet’s Progeny. May He [Almighty God] unite us with him, and may we benefit from his intercession.
I have prepared some material [in order to speak] about the “jihad of clarification.” Why? Because the people who are participating in this meeting can lead the way in the jihad of clarification. A meeting that is attended by the elegists of the Prophet’s Household and the eulogists of the school of the Prophet’s Household (pbut) is a meeting where the jihad of clarification needs to be addressed. My discussion will be centered around this today as much as I am able and as time permits.
One of the most prominent, distinguished features of Fatimah Zahra (pbuh) is the manner in which she engaged in the “jihad of clarification.” She is known to have delivered two well-known, exceptional speeches. One of these two speeches is the famous one [beginning with] “Praise be to God for the blessings He has bestowed, and thanks be to Him for what He revealed” (Bihar al-Anwar, 29: 220). She delivered this speech in the presence of the Prophet’s companions. Eloquent speakers and scholars have said that this sermon is at the level of the finest sermons found in Nahj al-Balaghah. It is filled with Islamic understanding and truths. Another of Lady Fatimah’s remarkable speeches is when she addressed the women of the Muhajir and Ansar: [beginning with] “My condition is such that, I swear to God, I hate your world so much, and I hate your men” (Maani al-Akhbar, 354; Al-Amali, 374). These two speeches that were delivered soon after the Prophet's demise were part of Fatimah Zahra's (pbuh) jihad of clarification.
Regarding the sermon [Fadak Sermon] that was delivered in the presence of the Prophet’s companions, the late [Allamah Mohammad Baqir] Majlisi (ra) has mentioned various sources and documents for it. In addition to him, other scholars have also referred to important, reliable documents. Ibn Abi al-Hadid who also narrated this sermon said, “I am not narrating from Shia books or Shia scholars. I am narrating from the Sunnis” (Tafsir Nahj al-Balaghah, 16: 210). He mentioned from whom he was narrating this sermon, and he spoke of this person’s trustworthiness and other characteristics. Those whose narration of this sermon are referred to are a few individuals, including Aisha. Aisha is one of the narrators of Fatimah Zahra's Fadak Sermon.
It has been narrated from Zayd ibn Ali (peace be upon him and his father), “I saw the sheikhs [the elders] of the Abi Talib family narrating this [sermon] from their fathers and teaching it to their children” (Tafsir Nahj al-Balaghah, 16: 252) so that this sermon would remain in history. This shows how reliable this sermon is. The intellectual discipline and strong logic in this sermon in terms of its content is accompanied by solid speech, an eloquent language, and a beautiful use of literary elements. Just imagine, Fatimah Zahra (pbuh), a lady who was 18, 20, or 25 years old at the most, with all the sufferings she was facing, delivered a sermon that has astounded even experienced rhetoricians.
With these kinds of words and meaning in such a sermon, she expressed and clarified facts that had been either missed or overlooked. The sermon covers various Islamic teachings such as monotheism, prophethood, the issues of Imamate and Wilayat [Guardianship], and the issue of justice. This custom was initiated by Fatimah Zahra (pbuh) after the Prophet's demise and was also adopted by her children and the Prophet's descendants.
There were the sermons of the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali] (pbuh) and that of Imam Hussain (pbuh), which was directed at the scholars and was an extraordinary, moving sermon, “You, the group present here, are a group that is renowned for its science and knowledge” (Tuhaf al-Uqul, 237). There was Lady Zainab’s sermon in Kufa, Imam Sajjad’s sermon in Damascus, and Imam Sadiq’s sermon in Arafat where he defined Imamate, “O people! The Messenger of God was initially an Imam” (Iqbal al-Amal, 1: 330). These are all continuations of the custom founded by the pure Zahra. This custom of delivering sermons and providing clarification on various matters began from her and continued wherever it was possible, although it was impossible in places.
Afterwards, following in the footsteps of the Prophet’s Household, distinguished, prominent, eloquent speakers continued this practice and they clarified the truth in the language of poetry. They were not second-rate or mediocre poets, but they were first-rate poets. The famous poets that you have heard of that would praise the Prophet’s Household were the first-rate Arab poets of their time. Al-Farazdaq was a first-rate poet at his time, and Al-Kumayt Asadi was a first-rate poet. Sayyid Himyari was an outstanding, first-rate poet. Debel Khuzai was a first-rate poet.
Abul-Faraj Isfahani wrote the biographies of these poets in the 20 or more volumes of his book Aghani [The Book of Songs]. When writing about Sayyid Himyari, who very clearly and openly has satirized the adversaries of the Prophet’s Household, Isfahani said, “I want to talk about this great poet, because he’s [truly] very great. But since he has said some things about some of the [Prophet’s] Companions, I will refrain from saying everything. I will only say a few things.” Those “few things” take up 50 pages. It is more than what he has written about any of the other poets in the book! This shows how great this poet [Sayyid Himyari] was.
These are people who have spoken about the teachings of the Prophet’s Household. Their role extends beyond merely reciting poems as their aim was to clarify the teachings of the Prophet's Household. All of those [poets] whom I’ve mentioned and others too — there are other great poets too, but the ones I mentioned are the most prominent ones — they all pursued this. These were people that lived during the time of the Imams (pbut) and a brief period after that.
During our era, the greatest person who did the jihad of clarification was the late Imam Khomeini (ra), and the greatest thing that was done with the jihad of clarification was what our honorable Imam did. The late Imam did something that others could not do with any other hardware or software. They had no hope of accomplishing such a thing either. Imam Khomeini [accomplished this] with words and logic. That is what the jihad of clarification is.
[Imam Khomeini] started speaking from the very first day of the uprising, and he continued until the day when he came back here [to Iran] and spoke in the Behesht Zahra Cemetery [after the victory of the Revolution] and said, “I shall slap this government in the mouth, and I shall appoint a [new] government!” (Sahifeh-ye Imam, 6: 210). This was all done as a part of the jihad of clarification. What did he achieve by way of the jihad of clarification? He eliminated the long-standing, reprehensible, corrupt, dictatorial, autocratic, hereditary monarchy and established a democratic, religious, Islamic government in its place. This [historic event] highlights the significance of the jihad of clarification. This is a lesson that has been learned from Fatimah Zahrah (pbuh). It was continued through time and reached the magnanimous Imam [Khomeini].
In the midst of the efforts and the movement of the clerics, there were other movements which made efforts, worked, struggled, and entered the field with weapons, but they were unable to do anything. They were either suppressed or they deviated. Clarification was the distinctive feature of jihad and the Islamic movement. I recall being in a meeting with a few friends in Tehran when a young man whom I knew from Mashhad unexpectedly joined us because there was something he wanted to do. We started talking. We talked together some. He was associated with an armed Marxist group, known at that time as the “Jungle Party.”
What I am saying is from the year 1968 or 1969. I told him, “Since you are involved in these activities, talk to the people. People don’t know who you are or what you do.” He said, “Such actions belong to Islam and the Muslims!” They did not believe in the jihad of clarification and considered it to be something that belonged to Islam. And he was right. It belonged to us. It belonged to Islam. They didn’t have any real things to say to convince the hearts of the people. So, they failed. They were defeated, suppressed, and many of them went astray. But Imam [Khomeini] chose the path of clarification and brought it to this point. This path continues to be followed today.
What am I trying to say? I want to say that today, the “jihad of clarification” is on the shoulders of you, the elegists. You are the ones who are continuing this thread that was started by the pure [Fatimah] Zahra (pbuh). Pay attention to what a eulogy is. Elegies and eulogies continue the work of those who have been able to change the world throughout history, both during the time of the Prophet’s Household, when they succeeded in safeguarding the Shia faith and movement in the past, and also during our present day and age. Elegies and eulogies were able to change the country’s system of governance from a tyrannical system to an Islamic system. This thread is the continuation of the illuminated thread that they initiated. Try to look at elegies and eulogies in this way.
The art of reciting elegies and an entity called heyat [social units and institutions that pivots around love for the Household of the Prophet] — the center of a heyat is the elegist and a preacher who is beside him — are the most important parts of the Islamic community’s soft power. Soft power is more influential and effective than hard power. Why is it that world powers such as the US have atomic bombs and all kinds of advanced weaponry, but at the same time their most important investments are in areas such as the arts, cinema, Hollywood, propaganda, and such things? Why?
That is because the cinema is a soft power. Writing stories and [making] films are examples of soft power. This type of work is influential. Hard power has an immediate effect, but it diminishes over time. Hard power is the US going to Afghanistan, staying there for 20 years, and spending billions of dollars, but it ended up being forced to flee from Afghanistan due to the people’s hatred. This is how hard power is. Hard power is when the US came fully equipped, took over all of Iraq, overthrew the Iraqi government, and took the place of the government itself. Then after 20 years, the most despised government in Iraq today is the US government. This is what hard power is.
However, soft power means that a group that is seemingly in the minority but has spiritual influence is able to attract the world’s attention to itself. Today, you can see that the oppressed Palestinians who lack adequate weapons to defend themselves have attracted the world's attention through their innocence, patience, and steadfastness. So, the difference between hard power and soft power is this vast, and their effects are this different.
What I would like to say is that the group that is managing and directing the eulogies and elegies — that is, this community of elegists and eulogists, who are a part of the Islamic society’s soft power — must know what it is doing, what it wants to do, and what its duty is. Islamic teachings are included in the content of your work. The logic of the Quran is included in the content of your work. The teachings of the Household of the Prophet (pbut) are included in the content of your work. The history of the Household of the Prophet (pbut) is included in the content of your work. The sufferings of the Household of the Prophet (pbut) are included in the content of your work. This collection should be presented today using the best language, the best method, and with the same features you see throughout the Shia history of jihad of clarification. This is what is expected from you.
If the Quran is recited beautifully, if a beautiful poem is recited with a pleasant voice and melody, if correct, exalted content is promulgated via this pleasant voice and melody, it will have a greater influence and be more influential than many of the world’s hard powers. That is how the Islamic Republic has progressed over the last 40 years or so. The Islamic Republic has relied more on soft power than on hard power.
Of course, you already know that I believe in and pursue advanced weaponry that is according to our requirements and matches the capabilities of our enemies. However, I also hold the belief that in addition to hard power and weaponry, we must also increase our intellectual prowess, verbal weaponry, and powerful logic. This is our expectation. We expect this from our poets, elegists, singers, and people with good voices.
There are two important aspects to consider regarding these soft powers. You should evaluate your work based on these two aspects. One is the ability to inspire and create a movement, and the other is ensuring a correct direction and precision. In other words, our targeting should be precise. You see, one of the things that we have paid attention to and successfully achieved regarding our missile capabilities is precision in our targeting. This means we can target a point from 2,000 kilometers away, and it will strike that exact point. It won’t go astray by, for example, ten meters this way or that way. This is the kind of targeting that you should have in setting your objectives.
Keep these two aspects in mind in the things you do. The first aspect is to see how powerful what you present is in awakening others, how much it can move hearts, and how much it can induce movement. The second aspect is to see how precise it is. Precision is very important in movement. Sometimes we want to do something good. We say something, but we do not pay attention to the details of our words. Thus, when the Islamic world needs unity, we create conflict and division [instead]. This is missing precision. I insist that there must be precision in understanding and expressing religious teachings.
Fortunately, many of our dear elegists today are well-educated. They have academic degrees, they know and understand Arabic, and many of them are well acquainted with the Quran and hadiths. This is how it is today. The elegists are different from the elegist of my younger days. The community of elegists is an honorable, dignified community. My expectation is for them to convey the Islamic teachings to their audience correctly and precisely using their exceptional methods in reciting elegies and eulogies. This is my expectation.
Get to know and be well acquainted with the books of hadiths. Make Nahj al-Balaghah your companion. Nahj al-Balaghah is a sea of knowledge. When you look at the sermons in Nahj al-Balaghah, you will find that some sermons are particularly rich in wisdom, and even a single word has the power to inspire individuals and mobilize an entire nation. Make Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah your companion. The form used in Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah is the form of supplications. Its content also consists of numerous supplications and prayers, but it is also overflowing with valuable religious teachings.
Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah is an extraordinary phenomenon in the school of the Prophet’s Household (pbut). See how Imam Sajjad (pbuh) prays for the defenders of the Islamic borders. There is a supplication just for those who are guarding the borders. So, who were the border guards? They were the Bani Umayyad soldiers. The Imam prays for them. A border guard is a border guard. Whoever he may be, he is protecting the border of the Islamic country. He [Imam Sajjad (pbuh)] prays for the border guards. These are lessons for us to reflect on.
The border of the Islamic world is in Gaza today. The Islamic world’s pulse is beating in Gaza today. They [the Palestinians] are standing against the world of unbelief, the world of the Taghut [domineering, evil powers], the world of Arrogance, and against the US. They are not just facing the Zionist regime. The US president [Joe Biden] has clearly stated that he is a Zionist. He’s right. The same evil that exists in the Zionists exists in him too. He has the same evil goals that they do. They [the Palestinians] are standing against these [powers]. We need to understand what we must do. One of the characteristics is this that the mujahid of clarification must know what they need to clarify today. They need to understand the issues of their day. Today, you need to provide clarification about Gaza.
Today, you need to speak about the enmity that is directed toward the Islamic system. They are working on and implementing all kinds of hostilities toward the Islamic system. Now, they do not see it in their interest to use weaponry, military measures, and the like. But in terms of soft power, not just the US but its followers and the opponents of Islam too produce movies and spread false propaganda against Islam and the Islamic system. You need to stand up firmly against them.
The [Majlis and Assembly of Experts] elections are upcoming [on March 1, 2024]. There are some who do not want these elections to be conducted in the way that this nation deserves. They try to cause people to lose hope, they attempt to sow distrust among the population, and they try to imply that the elections are useless and that there is no point [in participating in them]. In response to this, the jihad of clarification must step forward and state the truth.
There are some who wish to weaken the people’s participation in the administration of the country’s affairs — which is proof that religious democracy has been realized in the country — in the hope that Imam Khomeini’s words will turn out to be false. Their aim is to show that God's promise is the opposite of reality. This is a hostile move and steps should be taken against it. Whoever opposes the elections is in fact opposing the Islamic Republic and Islam. It is our duty to participate in the elections. Participation in the elections is a duty. Today, having a sense of responsibility with respect to the elections is one of the current actions for a mujahid community to undertake in the jihad of clarification.
Those who make people pessimistic about the government, make people lose hope about the future. [As a result,] when there’s a strong point in the [Islamic] system, it is turned into a weakness [by them]. One of the strengths of the system is its fight against corruption. As soon as corruption arises somewhere, the government officials, the judiciary officials, and others are determined to work against it. And this fight against corruption is one of our strengths. But some people show up at that time and say, “Look! There’s corruption!”
Well, yes. Corruption exists. That which is a weakness is when corruption is tolerated or supported. If corruption is fought, that is a strength. They strive to turn this strength into a weakness. We need to stand against them. The magnanimous Imam [Khomeini] would not tolerate such a thing at all.
There were places where we tolerated some things, but Imam Khomeini never tolerated these things. He would speak the truth directly and explicitly. He would say what he needed to say. He would name people. He would name certain groups and movements in order to make things clear for people. By doing this, he was able to lay the strong foundation of the system, which, praise God, has become even stronger over the past 40 years or so. And it will continue to become stronger.
The Iranian nation loves Islam. The Iranian nation loves independence and national dignity. The Iranian nation hates following and obeying the global powers. They feel ashamed to have Americans and other powerful countries boast to them and dictate to them, as they did during the time of the Taghut (Pahlavi). The Iranian nation cannot tolerate such things, and that is why they stand by the Islamic Republic. Because the Islamic Republic’s motto is national dignity, national independence, and national progress. These are the mottos of the Islamic Republic. The nation loves these, and this path is the path of God. When a path is God’s path and God’s servants move on that path, no power can force them to retreat.
God willing, continue the valuable jihad of clarification strongly and firmly, and pass on these precious legacies to the next generation. If the youth feel they have more responsibility than their predecessors, God willing, we will see more and more progress every day.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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