Leader's Address to Reciters of the Holy Qur'an

The following is an abridgement of a speech made by the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei to a group of reciters of the Holy Qur'an on September 16, 2004.The reciters had taken part in the 21st International Holy Qur'an Competitions
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

It was a very pleasant and delightful session. We really enjoyed your recitation of the Holy Qur'an and the resounding of the auspicious words in the auditorium. Indeed, hearing the verses of this holy book enlightens the hearts of humans.

Your session and gathering has a symbolic aspect as well, which is very important. This aspect is that the Holy Qur'an should form the pivot of the assembly of Islamic Ummah and all Muslim nations. If we, Muslim nations, treat the teachings and precepts of the Holy Qur'an as the pivot of our assembly, the condition of Islamic Ummah and, for that matter, the condition of the world will change.

Today, you can clearly see that the arrogant powers have waged a full-scale war against the entire Islamic Ummah, not just against certain Muslim nations. This war has economic, political, cultural, military and security dimensions and is also making use of modern and sophisticated propaganda apparatus.

What you can currently see in Palestine, Iraq or Afghanistan is not just a war against one nation. Therefore, the war against Palestinians, for instance, is the war against an Islamic entity in the region.

The reason why the arrogant powers are extending full support to the Zionist regime is because they intend to pose serious challenges to the power and integrity of the Islamic world. Conquering Palestine will provide a gateway to the domination of the Islamic world. Iraq has currently provided another gateway.

The arrogant powers aim to dominate the Islamic world, which has a population of over one billion. Besides, it has abundant mineral resources like oil and gas that are vital to the world. What is currently protecting the Islamic world is the awakening of Muslim nations. The expansionist powers are trying to suppress this awakening in order to pave the way for their domination of Muslim nations.

Muslim nations should make every effort to protect Islam and preserve the dignity of Islamic Ummah. This is possible through adherence to the teachings and precepts of the Holy Qur'an. Muslims should try to learn and understand this divine book and enliven and dignify their lives by acting upon its teachings.

My brethren! The recitation of the Holy Qur'an is the first step. What is necessary first is acquaintance and familiarity with this holy book. Then, we should heed the deep Qur'anic concepts and meanings and try to observe them as our beacon of guidance in our everyday lives, so that others may not divert us from our path and lead us astray.

One day they try to lead us to communism, the next day to liberalism. One day they talk about socialism, another day about capitalism. If we get acquainted with the Holy Qur'an, they will not be able to lead us astray because the Holy Qur'an guides us on the right path.

I am really fond of and deeply devoted to these Qur'anic masters who recite the verses in such a pleasant voice, since they embody the noble Qur'anic concepts before the eyes of listeners.

You noticed how nice our dear guest and honorable master Mr. Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Amer recited the Holy Qur'an today. When the recitation is done in a pleasant voice and with due attention to meaning, the noble concepts of the Holy Qur'an will be embodied before the eyes of listeners, encouraging them to delve into these deep meanings and lofty concepts and act upon and observe these concepts as the beacon of guidance in their lives.

We are grateful to Almighty Allah that our youngsters have made considerable progress in the area of the recitation of and getting acquainted with the Holy Qur'an. This is one of the blessings of the Islamic Revolution in our country.

The recitation of this holy book had almost died out in our country in the pre-revolution era. There were quite few individuals who patroned Qur'anic sessions and trained students. Under the tyrannical rule of the former regime, the Holy Qur'an had


In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

It was a very pleasant and delightful session. We really enjoyed your recitation of the Holy Qur'an and the resounding of the auspicious words in the auditorium. Indeed, hearing the verses of this holy book enlightens the hearts of humans.

Your session and gathering has a symbolic aspect as well, which is very important. This aspect is that the Holy Qur'an should form the pivot of the assembly of Islamic Ummah and all Muslim nations. If we, Muslim nations, treat the teachings and precepts of the Holy Qur'an as the pivot of our assembly, the condition of Islamic Ummah and, for that matter, the condition of the world will change.

Today, you can clearly see that the arrogant powers have waged a full-scale war against the entire Islamic Ummah, not just against certain Muslim nations. This war has economic, political, cultural, military and security dimensions and is also making use of modern and sophisticated propaganda apparatus.

What you can currently see in Palestine, Iraq or Afghanistan is not just a war against one nation. Therefore, the war against Palestinians, for instance, is the war against an Islamic entity in the region.

The reason why the arrogant powers are extending full support to the Zionist regime is because they intend to pose serious challenges to the power and integrity of the Islamic world. Conquering Palestine will provide a gateway to the domination of the Islamic world. Iraq has currently provided another gateway.

The arrogant powers aim to dominate the Islamic world, which has a population of over one billion. Besides, it has abundant mineral resources like oil and gas that are vital to the world. What is currently protecting the Islamic world is the awakening of Muslim nations. The expansionist powers are trying to suppress this awakening in order to pave the way for their domination of Muslim nations.

Muslim nations should make every effort to protect Islam and preserve the dignity of Islamic Ummah. This is possible through adherence to the teachings and precepts of the Holy Qur'an. Muslims should try to learn and understand this divine book and enliven and dignify their lives by acting upon its teachings.

My brethren! The recitation of the Holy Qur'an is the first step. What is necessary first is acquaintance and familiarity with this holy book. Then, we should heed the deep Qur'anic concepts and meanings and try to observe them as our beacon of guidance in our everyday lives, so that others may not divert us from our path and lead us astray.

One day they try to lead us to communism, the next day to liberalism. One day they talk about socialism, another day about capitalism. If we get acquainted with the Holy Qur'an, they will not be able to lead us astray because the Holy Qur'an guides us on the right path.

I am really fond of and deeply devoted to these Qur'anic masters who recite the verses in such a pleasant voice, since they embody the noble Qur'anic concepts before the eyes of listeners.

You noticed how nice our dear guest and honorable master Mr. Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Amer recited the Holy Qur'an today. When the recitation is done in a pleasant voice and with due attention to meaning, the noble concepts of the Holy Qur'an will be embodied before the eyes of listeners, encouraging them to delve into these deep meanings and lofty concepts and act upon and observe these concepts as the beacon of guidance in their lives.

We are grateful to Almighty Allah that our youngsters have made considerable progress in the area of the recitation of and getting acquainted with the Holy Qur'an. This is one of the blessings of the Islamic Revolution in our country.

The recitation of this holy book had almost died out in our country in the pre-revolution era. There were quite few individuals who patroned Qur'anic sessions and trained students. Under the tyrannical rule of the former regime, the Holy Qur'an had become isolated in our society.

We are grateful to Almighty Allah that an Islamic government was established and Islam attained power in this country. Today, we take pride in the Holy Qur'an, and the recitation of this divine book is a cause of dignity for our people. It was a divine blessing that the Holy Qur'an entered the scene of our everyday lives, infused us with new life and influenced our everyday activities.

I express my gratitude to the officials in charge of the Endowment and Charitable Affairs Organization who arrange Qur'anic competitions and prepare the ground for other valuable activities related to the Holy Qur'an. I would also like to thank Qur'anic instructors for their efforts to train students and the students themselves for their diligence and perseverance.

Fortunately, our Qur'anic students are very talented and have pleasant voices. However, I would like to once again stress that greater attention should be paid to the deep meanings and noble concepts that are enshrined in the verses. If they recite the verses with due attention to their meanings, this will improve their recitation, making it more beautiful and more influential.

I pray to Almighty Allah to keep us alive with the Holy Qur'an, help us live a Qur'anic life and associate us with the Holy Qur'an in the hereafter and on the Day of Judgment.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings

become isolated in our society.

We are grateful to Almighty Allah that an Islamic government was established and Islam attained power in this country. Today, we take pride in the Holy Qur'an, and the recitation of this divine book is a cause of dignity for our people. It was a divine blessing that the Holy Qur'an entered the scene of our everyday lives, infused us with new life and influenced our everyday activities.

I express my gratitude to the officials in charge of the Endowment and Charitable Affairs Organization who arrange Qur'anic competitions and prepare the ground for other valuable activities related to the Holy Qur'an. I would also like to thank Qur'anic instructors for their efforts to train students and the students themselves for their diligence and perseverance.

Fortunately, our Qur'anic students are very talented and have pleasant voices. However, I would like to once again stress that greater attention should be paid to the deep meanings and noble concepts that are enshrined in the verses. If they recite the verses with due attention to their meanings, this will improve their recitation, making it more beautiful and more influential.

I pray to Almighty Allah to keep us alive with the Holy Qur'an, help us live a Qur'anic life and associate us with the Holy Qur'an in the hereafter and on the Day of Judgment.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings