In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and greetings be upon our Master and our Prophet, Abul-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his untainted, pure, chosen Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
This gathering is held in honor and remembrance of our beloved martyr, our martyred President, the late Mr. Raisi, and the other Martyrs of Service who were martyred alongside him in that bitter tragedy: Martyr Ale-Hashem, Martyr Amir-Abdollahian, the flight crew, the honorable Governor of Azerbaijan, and the Head of Security. In today’s terms, these people have truly left the Iranian nation in mourning.
Bitter and sweet events constantly come and go in a person’s life. What matters is that we reflect on these events and from them draw lessons from history, from our own past, and from the events themselves. I would like to share some thoughts about Martyr Raisi, but my intention isn’t just to praise him. Yes, what I will say is in praise of that dear martyr, but that isn’t the only purpose of my words. The purpose is to learn from this. All of us — our future generations, our youth, and the officials who will one day govern this country and serve this nation — should listen, understand, and observe how a life like his can influence the spirit of the people, the future of the country, and the country’s situation. These are lessons [to be learned].
The first point I want to speak about Martyr Raisi is that he was an example of this noble verse, "This is the abode of the Hereafter, which We shall grant to those who do not desire to dominate on earth nor to cause corruption" (Quran 28:83). This is an important criterion for managing the country, "… those who do not desire to dominate on earth."
In Surah al-Qasas, in the same Surah where this verse is found — this verse is toward the end of the Surah — in the beginning of the Surah it says, "Indeed Pharaoh tyrannized over the land" (Quran 28:4). This is the exact opposite. Pharaoh sought to dominate, "Do not the kingdom of Egypt and these rivers that run at my feet belong to me?" (Quran 43:51) Believing that one is superior, placing one’s responsibilities on the shoulders of the people, and looking down on people are characteristics of the rule of the Pharaohs.
Its opposite is the characteristic of divine governance, "… those who do not desire to dominate on earth." Martyr Raisi was a perfect example of this [verse]. His political and social status was very high. You could see during his travels and meetings with people how much affection and devotion they showed to him. But he never considered himself to be superior to others. He considered himself to be on the same level as the people, like the people, and even lower than them in some cases. This was his perspective and viewpoint when he was governing the country, running the administration, and carrying out his duties.
He sought nothing for himself from this political and social position, nor did he take anything for his own personal benefit. All his strength and all his energy was devoted to serving the people, for the people, for serving God’s creation, and for elevating and enhancing the nation’s honor and dignity. Everything was for this service, and it was on this path of service that he [attained martyrdom and] went to meet God. This is a very important characteristic of this dear martyr that we must learn from. Praise God, in the system of the Islamic Republic, there are many people who possess such qualities. But we must turn these traits into lessons and turn them into a cultural norm.
Martyr Raisi had a humble, God-conscious heart; a straightforward, honest speech; and tireless, continuous action. These are three qualities that involve one’s heart, speech, and actions. To discern a person’s character and identity, these three elements are fundamental: their heart, their speech, and their actions.
On the one hand, Martyr Raisi’s heart was filled with the remembrance of God, humbleness, supplicating God, and taking recourse in God. We had clearly witnessed this. Even before his presidency and even before the time when he was the head of the judiciary, we saw and knew this about him. He was humble, he took recourse in God, and his heart was well-acquainted with God. On the other hand, his heart overflowed with compassion for the people. He didn’t complain about the people, nor was he cynical about them. He never complained about their expectations. There were many instances where he spoke with the people directly. They would come to him with their complaints, they would speak to him, and there were times when they would even speak to him in a harsh tone. Yet, he was kind to them and was never upset by such encounters, attitudes, or behaviors.
Then again, he was concerned about fulfilling his Islamic duty. He was devoted both to God and the people, and he was continuously worried about the question of whether or not he had fulfilled his religious duty and whether he had done his duty adequately or not. He was always worried about this. During our regular meetings you could see how concerned he was about his work, the fulfillment of his duties, and how he felt the heavy burden of responsibility. He became the head of the judiciary solely out of a sense of religious obligation. I know this firsthand. He entered the presidential race solely out of a sense of religious obligation. Many may claim this [sense of duty], but we know that he entered it purely because of his sense of religious obligation. He felt compelled by duty and stepped forward in both these cases. This was the direction that his heart leaned toward. That’s where it directed him. So, this was about his heart.
As for his speech, he spoke to the people in a straightforward, honest manner. He didn’t speak ambiguously or use misleading signs. He was direct, clear, and honest. He had been advised, "Tell the people, 'We will do such and such a thing if we can.' And whenever you can’t do it, tell them, 'We can’t do it.'" And that’s exactly what he did. He was clear and honest.
This frankness and honesty were even evident in diplomatic talks, and this influenced the other parties. In diplomatic talks, which are often a place for convoluted language and hidden intentions, he spoke with openness and sincerity, which left a strong impression on the other side. They trusted him and knew that what he said was the truth.
When a journalist asked Martyr Raisi if he would negotiate with the United States in his first interview after becoming President, he explicitly said, "No." He rejected this without any ambiguity, and he didn’t negotiate with them. He didn’t allow the enemy to claim they had been able to bring Iran to the negotiating table using threats, inducements, and tricks. He didn’t allow that.
This is why the other side insists so much on direct negotiations. This is a large part of it. He didn’t allow that. Of course, indirect negotiations took place during his term similar to what’s happening now. Needless to say, there was no result. We don’t think these will yield results now either. We don’t know what will happen.
Since the topic of negotiations has been raised, in parentheses, I’ll give a reminder to the other side.
The Americans who are talking and participating in these indirect negotiations should avoid talking nonsense.
For them to say, “We won’t allow Iran to enrich uranium,” is utter nonsense. We aren’t waiting for anyone’s permission. The Islamic Republic has certain policies and approaches, and it will pursue its own policy.
Of course, I will explain to the Iranian people on another occasion why the other side is emphasizing enrichment so much and why the Western parties, the Americans, and others insist so strongly that there should be no uranium enrichment in Iran. God willing, I will elaborate on these issues on another occasion so that the Iranian nation can know what the other side’s intentions are.
His [Martyr Raisi’s] speech was honest, correct, friendly, and straightforward. This is very valuable. If we want to understand the value of this kind of speech that Martyr Raisi based his approach and conduct on — speaking with clarity and sincerity — we must compare it to the words and rhetoric of the leaders of certain Western countries whose claims of peace and human rights have deafened the ears of the world for years. They constantly talk about peace and they constantly speak of human rights, but when thousands of innocent children — let’s just focus on the children right now — when thousands of children have been martyred in Gaza over a short period, perhaps over 20,000 of them, those who champion human rights have not only not stopped this, they have also aided the oppressors! Compare their claims of peace, their claims of human rights, and their deceitful language with the honesty and straightforwardness found in a president like Martyr Raisi. This is where the significance of this [his speech] becomes clear. So, this was [about] his speech and his heart.
The third element was his action. Martyr [Raisi] was constantly working. Constantly! He worked tirelessly day and night. I would repeatedly advise him to take care of himself some too. I would warn him that his health may not stand up to the pressure and that if he collapsed, he wouldn't be able to work anymore. He’d say, "I don’t get tired of working." [He] was always working, always working — high quality work, dedicated to service. There are two types of service. One is direct service for the people. For example, imagine a city needs water pipes to be connected to provide clean water, in some places roads need to be built, in other places jobs need to be created, and similar matters. He created jobs and revived thousands of stalled, inactive workshops. He pursued projects that were supposed to be completed in three or four years but had been stalled for 10 or 15 years. He took on these challenges and accomplished many such tasks in various cities. The people in those cities saw and felt these services firsthand. This was one example of how he served the people.
One form of service is serving national honor, national dignity, and the prestige of the Iranian nation. The fact that according to the judgment of international financial institutions, Iran’s economic growth rose from near zero to five percent is a source of national pride. It’s a national honor and reflects the country’s progress. This has happened. Such things have taken place repeatedly. The ability to secure membership in various global economic forums and gain entry into them is an international honor for the Iranian nation. The fact that the President [Martyr Raisi] held up the Quran and held up a picture of Martyr Soleimani in a UN General Assembly is a source of pride for the nation.
This is the second type of service [that he provided]. Our dear Martyr provided both types of service throughout the years.
What I want to conclude from these remarks is the following. The key point is that in the conduct of Martyr Raisi and many of his young colleagues, one could see the same spirit and radiance that was evident in Martyr Rajai’s companions, people such as Kalantari, Abbaspour, Qandi, Neeli, and others like them. [They possessed] the same radiance, the same spirit, the same motivation, and the same sense of responsibility even after 40 years! This is truly valuable. This is the power of the Revolution. It shows that this Revolution is a powerful revolution. This is the "Greatest Conquest" that Imam Khomeini (ra) spoke of. Imam [Khomeini] described the Greatest Conquest as being the Revolution’s ability to foster and produce selfless, capable individuals. This happened.
The year of the victory of the Revolution in 1979, Martyr Raisi was an 18-year-old young man. Martyr Ale-Hashem was a 16-year-old teenager. Martyr Amir-Abdollahian was a 14-year-old boy at the time of the Revolution. Martyr Malek Rahmati hadn’t been born yet.
These men were raised by the Revolution. These people were raised by the Revolution: Martyr Raisi from Mashhad, Mr. Ale-Hashem from Tabriz, Mr. Rahmati from Maragheh, Mr. Amir-Abdollahian from Damghan, Mr. Mousavi from Fereydunshahr in Isfahan, Mr. Mostafavi from Gonbad-e Qabus, Mr. Daryanoush from Najafabad, and Mr. Qadimi from Abhar. These young men were raised and grew up in the various corners of this country.
The Revolution has been able to raise and has indeed raised hundreds of thousands of young individuals like these men. Among them, it has presented outstanding international and national figures to the Iranian nation. This is what the Revolution has done. This is one of the strengths of the Revolution.
The outstanding advantage of the Revolution is that it can unite and mobilize a person like Martyr Ayatollah Ashrafi — an 80 or 90-year-old man — and Martyr Arman Aliverdi, an 18 or 19-year-old youth, on the same path despite a 40-year gap. Young people like him were martyred on the same path as Martyr Ashrafi, Martyr Sadoughi, and the elderly men who were martyred in the early days of the Revolution. A Revolution with such power and the ability to mobilize such forces over a period of many years is undefeatable.
Let’s appreciate the value of the Revolution, the value of what’s been created, the value of this great movement of the Iranian people, and the value of this progress. Let’s seek help from Almighty God and continue on this path. God willing, the Iranian nation will establish a lasting example for humanity, and by divine grace will donate this service to the entire world and to all of humanity.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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