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.
Welcome my dear brothers and honorable sister. Such a meeting has been customary in all administrations. It provides me with the opportunity to express my gratitude to our officials, friends, and members of the administration. Of course, the presence of our dear Mr. Raisi is sorely missed. But according to our beliefs, the pure souls of the believers, especially the martyrs, are present, watching, and hearing us. Thus, he too is aware of our thanking him and appreciation of him.
The purpose of this meeting is to express my gratitude, and I hope that Almighty God will accept your efforts, God willing. What you have done is one thing, and what you intended to do is another. Both are equally important. In other words, your decision was to continue the work of the administration and implement certain programs. This too has its reward with God. May God grant you success and help you to continue providing these services.
Of course, there will naturally be changes in the structure of the administration. There is no doubt about that. However, the service of individuals should not be limited to the framework of specific management titles. You should be ready to work and serve in all circumstances and in all matters. So serve the country, and work for the country. Praise God, you are capable of doing this.
The late Mr. Raisi’s (may God be pleased with him) administration was an administration of hard work. It was an administration of hope. It was an administration of moving forward in both domestic and foreign sectors. Even though he and the members of his cabinet may not have used these titles themselves, this is what was seen and understood from their work. He was genuinely hopeful. He was truly optimistic about the future. And of course, he was right about this. He was determined to achieve his goals with your cooperation.
I would like to speak about the qualities that the late Mr. Raisi (may God be pleased with him) possessed, which stand out in my mind. Of course, Mr. Mokhber truly spoke of them very well. He mentioned many of the important aspects [of Martyr Raisi’s characteristics], but I would also like to mention a few of them too.
I believe that one of Mr. Raisi's most important characteristics was that he was among the people. This should serve as a model for all of us — for administrations, presidents, and for members of governments. He cared about the people. He respected them. He used to be present among the people. He would feel the realities by being present among the people. He would listen to what people had to say and make their needs the basis for his plans. That’s how he was. The basis for his planning, actions, endeavors, and the indicators that he valued, was to solve people's problems. Now some of his work may have yielded positive outcomes, others may not have. However, these were the guiding principles of his work. This was what we consistently encountered in our meetings and discussions. This is precisely what Islam intends. That is, to be among the people.
In the famous letter and command written by the Commander of the Faithful [Ali ibn Abi Talib (pbuh)] to Malik al-Ashtar, he says, “The best, most cherished actions for you should be these few things.” He mentions two or three things, including: Ajma'uha li-rida al-ra'iyyat, which means, “The most cherished actions in your eyes should be those that bring contentment to the masses of the people. This is what you should pursue.”
The meaning of the word ra'iyyat — which is found in the words of Imam Ali (pbuh) as ra'iyyat [the masses] and sometimes as aammeh [common people] — is the masses of the people, as opposed to the khassah, which is the term used by the Imam for the group of people who are said to be “favorites” and given special privileges. He says that the best, most cherished actions are those that the masses want, that please and satisfy them, and that are in harmony with their satisfaction.
And then, in the next two or three sentences, he says, "It is the common people of the community who are the pillars of the religion, who increase the power of the Muslims, and who defend against the enemies" (Nahj al-Balaghah, letter 53). The people who are useful to you against the enemy and the people who can help in building unity and cohesion in the country are the masses of the people. It is these individuals who can make the country as one if they are united. Otherwise, each of the "favorites" has his/her own motives and works for him/herself. Naturally, when the things that people desire are in opposition to each other, they clash. There is no doubt about this. So "unity" is meaningless [between “favorites”]. But the common people, the masses, can unite and defend against the enemies. In confronting the enemy, you can get help from the people in every field.
Now, Imam Ali (pbuh) says some very interesting things after that, some parts of which I have explained in the Nahj al-Balaghah sessions that I have sometimes held for our friends in the government over the years. He says that these favorites have more expectations than everyone else, less patience than everyone else, and are weaker and help less than everyone else. They have the highest expectations when it comes to expecting things from others, yet when it comes to doing something, they are the least to get involved. When a war breaks out, their presence is not felt. This is unlike the masses of the people, and you have all seen examples of this during the Sacred Defense, in defending the shrines, and in other matters.
See, this is a clear line that the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali (pbuh)] has drawn. Mr. Raisi was moving along this path. He was pursuing it. This is very valuable. It is very good. This truly is a role model, and we should all learn to follow his example. This was one of his unique qualities.
The second point is that he genuinely believed in our domestic capabilities. He truly did. Now, we have discussed the issue of domestic capabilities and capacities with many of our officials on numerous occasions in our meetings. No one disagrees with this, but one can understand who deeply, wholeheartedly believes in these capabilities and who doesn't. He truly believed in these and agreed to the fact that we can solve most of the country's problems or, in a sense, all of the country’s problems by relying on our domestic capacities. Thus, he pursued these endeavors and these important, fundamental concepts.
Another remarkable trait in him was his straightforwardness in expressing revolutionary and religious stances. He didn't use doublespeak or worry about certain individuals, groups, or figures being upset by his candid expression of revolutionary views. He didn’t concern himself with these things. He was straightforward in adhering to the revolutionary positions that he believed in, and he expressed them clearly. In his very first interview, he was asked about [whether Iran was seeking] relations with a particular country, “Will you be establishing relations?” He said, “No.” It was a straightforward answer, devoid of any other considerations, maneuvering, and evasiveness. [He said,] “No!” He was straightforward in everything. This is how he was in everything, as we had seen.
Another of his characteristics — which everyone knows, understands, and has seen — was his indefatigability in work. I would repeatedly recommend he rest some. I would mention examples of some people who hadn’t rested and faced problems as a result. I would tell him, “You need to rest some in order to be able to continue working in the future, otherwise you will collapse one day and not be able to work anymore.” I would repeatedly say this to him. [But] he would always say, “I never get tired of working.” And he really wouldn’t get tired [when working]. It was very surprising. He would return from a trip to a foreign country in the middle of the night and have a meeting with the public in a place like Karaj, for example, the next morning. Or he would have a meeting for various matters. These were all very important endeavors.
Another outstanding trait of his was that he wouldn’t become discouraged by other’s snide remarks. This is a weakness that many of us have. As soon as someone criticizes us, either our hearts are broken, our mood is ruined, or we resent their ingratitude and give up doing our work. This is often the case. We always want to be praised. But he wasn’t like that. He often received hurtful remarks, but he wouldn’t become discouraged. Of course, you can’t say he wasn’t hurt. He would get hurt, and he would complain about this to me at times. But he never became discouraged or lost his determination in working. He would continue following up on the work. This was another of his outstanding features.
Another prominent feature of his was that in his foreign policy, he adhered to two aspects at the same time. One was interaction, and the other was [country’s] dignity and respect. He was a person who interacted with others. He would sometimes talk on the phone with some European president for an hour or an hour and a half! Imagine actually talking on the phone for an hour and a half. He was a man of interaction, but his interaction was from a position of dignity. He wasn’t harsh and didn’t repel others, and he wouldn’t break off talks. But at the same time he didn’t give away concessions unnecessarily, think low of his [country’s] position, and the like. No, he spoke from a position of dignity, but he was also willing to interact with others.
This is why, after his martyrdom, I saw that several prominent world leaders who are now considered to be among the most prominent, influential figures in today's world, praised him saying he was a remarkable figure in their messages [of condolence] to me. This is very important. They described and spoke of him as being an outstanding politician, not an ordinary politician. He believed in the principle of having relations with others.
We had neglected Africa for years despite all the recommendations that had been made about it. He established relations with Africa, traveled there, and interacted with them. He believed in and established relations with various countries, including those where there was the possibility of establishing relations and those with which it was necessary to establish ties. He observed priorities in this area. For example, one of his priorities were neighboring countries, which he considered to be important.
Another of his remarkable traits, as Mr. Mokhber rightly mentioned, was his dedication to large-scale projects. He was committed to undertaking large-scale projects, such as transferring water from the sea to various regions, and in the context of water management, transporting water from distant areas to cities that had been waiting for water for a long time. He took care of their drinking and agricultural water requirements. There were also various other projects of a similar nature. This was another prominent characteristic of our beloved President.
Another point was his moral character. He was truly humble and tolerant. He was a patient, tolerant man. He was tolerant of people with whom he had differences of opinion, whether it was just a difference of opinion or a difference of opinion that led to different actions in the field. Well, you are aware that these things exist in the administration of a country. He would come to me and discuss these matters with me. Sometimes he was very upset, but at the same time, he would always maintain his tolerant attitude toward those he disagreed with. There was one occasion when he had a disagreement with a certain place, but I recommended he not show any reaction at all. It was very difficult for him to do this, but he showed no reaction and was truly very tolerant. Without his patience and tolerance, there would have been a major conflict in the country. That is the kind of person he was.
Another of his characteristics was that he was a person who engaged in zikr [remembrance of God], tawassul [making entreaty to someone or something which has a high position before God in order to get near to God], and dua [praying and reciting supplications], as he [Mr. Mokhber] pointed out. Now, I may not know the details of supplications that he [Mr. Raisi] recited, but I do know that he engaged in dua, zikr, tawassul, and weeping [for spiritual matters]. His heart was illuminated, and his heart was spiritually connected to the unseen world. These are the virtues that bring a person’s salvation and cause one to move forward.
May God elevate his rank, God willing. I mentioned these things so that they can be recorded as a model. These show that someone who is the head of the executive branch of a country can possess and pursue all of these practical, intellectual, and spiritual qualities simultaneously. It is possible and achievable, as he demonstrated, praise God.
I would also like to thank the honorable Ministers. Your cooperation and hard work over the past few years greatly contributed to the success of the President. If it weren’t for the cooperation of his friends, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to do such things. A person cannot accomplish such things alone. A team is needed, and you are that team. Praise God, you gave your assistance.
I would like to extend a special thanks to Mr. Mokhber for his cooperation with Mr. Raisi over the past three years. Of course, we should recite a long eulogy for Mr. Mokhber because of the hardships he has endured and the difficulties he has tolerated. He truly endured a vast array of problems, but he cooperated well with the late Mr. Raisi and the government. I would also like to appreciate his hard work as the Interim President over the last 40 to 50 days. He truly worked hard in pursuing and following up on tasks. He truly took the statement, “All tasks must be completed by the last day,” very seriously.
The same applies to all of you. Praise God, you are all also very busy. You must continue your endeavors until the very last moment. These qualities serve as a model for governments, presidents, ministers, and everyone else. God willing, everyone will follow this model. We should all strive to follow this model, including myself.
At the end, I would like to thank the people again for [their participation in] the elections. I am sincerely grateful to our government officials, the Ministry of Interior, the IRIB, the police force, and the security personnel for their conducting the elections well. Everyone worked hard and made an effort. And, praise God, the result of this effort was that a peaceful nationwide election took place. This is very important.
In most places around the world — I won’t say all places, because we don't have news from everywhere — due to the political and ideological differences that exist, elections are often accompanied by arguments, quarrels, physical violence, and sometimes killings and such things. Praise God, the elections were conducted safely here. This was your skill that enabled you to conduct these elections in the best possible way.
It is a tradition to gift a copy of the Holy Quran to those attending this final meeting. I present this gift to Mr. Mokhber. May God protect you, God willing. God willing, may you all succeed, your actions be accepted by God, and He help you.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
