In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad and upon his immaculate, pure, chosen and infallible household who guide the guided, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth
Being in Rafsanjan is very memorable to this humble servant. Since long ago, we have known the city and dear people of Rafsanjan to be the center and birthplace of Islamic truths and an important turning point in the country in fighting against taghut. During the time of taghuti suppression, the people of Rafsanjan persisted in the divine straight path in the real sense of the word. The day when mentioning the name of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) and speaking about his fatwas was forbidden throughout the country by the oppressive police apparatus of the taghuti regime – they considered mentioning his name as a crime – the people of Rafsanjan named a mosque after our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) in their courageous and liberated city. On that day, they spoke in the name of that great personality and they promoted his path.
I have travelled to this city many times and I have always witnessed the warm affection of you people of Rafsanjan. During these trips, I could address certain issues openly in my minbars and this opportunity was not available to me in any other area of the country. The people of this city were well-informed and vigilant. They were prepared and ready. This condition continued for many years. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution too, Rafsanjan was one of the centers that embodied this ayah: “Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah” [The Holy Quran, 33: 23]. They did not go back on their covenant with God, with the Imam of the Age (a.s.) and with the great Islamic movement. In the arenas of the Sacred Defense, Rafsanjani men and youth and behind the front lines and in the area of support, Rafsanjani women played a very important role.
I thank God for preserving you dear people in His straight path. Thankfully today, the name and memory of Rafsanjan and outstanding and prominent Rafsanjani personalities are well-known throughout the country. The people of Rafsanjan have a good name. Their history is bright. This has been witnessed up close by many of those who were involved in revolutionary activities.
Today, what I would like to say to you dear people of Rafsanjan is that these revolutionary activities and these numerous endeavors and efforts have been directed towards lofty and valuable goals. The jihad of a people becomes meaningful, bright and permanent only when its defined goals are lofty ones. The great fighting of the people of Iran defined and portrayed lofty and divine goals for itself. The people of Iran, the Islamic Republic, and the leader, father and architect of this Revolution and this system – our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) – appreciated the value of these goals. They moved towards them and they dedicated their worldly and otherworldly resources to this path.
These defined goals are not particular to a specific part of human life, rather they include people’s worldly and otherworldly life. Islam wants its people to be happy and blissful. This bliss is not achieved by money only. It is not achieved only with dhikr and worship either. The pure Islamic life is one in which the path towards spirituality and towards final goals and destinations passes through the worldly aspects of life. Islam builds and constructs people’s world.
However, this construction is not the final goal. The final goal is that people benefit from welfare, a decent life, comfort, peace of mind and freedom of thought so that they move towards spiritual transcendence and victory. So, the pure Islamic life includes both worldly and otherworldly aspects of life. The issue is that the worldly aspect of life – that moves towards divine goals – should provide a real and genuine life of justice for people. In Islam, justice is a very important matter. From the viewpoint of Islam, a value that is not questioned in any way and under any circumstance is justice. Justice is the goal of prophets. It has also been the goal of the Islamic Revolution. In the shade of justice, people’s lives move towards spiritual goals by benefiting from material welfare and improvement.
The people of Iran have fought hard on the path of establishing a just society. The holy Islamic Republic too has set itself the goal of establishing a just society. This is justice with Islamic definitions: justice on the basis of Islamic definition without deviation to the left or to the right. This means the divine straight path.
We have made astonishing achievements on this path. However, more efforts should be made in order to establish an Islamic just society. The most important responsibility of the officials of the country is to give meaning to justice in society so that the people feel justice. They should feel justice in the law, in the judiciary system, in dividing the vital resources of the country and in the availability of all the resources of the country to every individual.
Our country has many resources. These resources can create a wealthy, advanced and developed society for the people of Iran. However, the main condition is that in utilizing these resources, justice should be administered. The Islamic Republic has raised the flag of justice. And the people are fascinated by this very important and fundamental slogan. The Islamic Republic is responsible for administering justice at all stages and helping people from all areas of the country and from different social backgrounds to benefit from the vital resources of the country. This is a fundamental responsibility.
The officials of the country at different levels – at the level of the country, provinces and cities – are responsible for administering justice and attending to underprivileged classes at all times. It is a mistake to think that Islam is opposed to progress, development and material welfare. This is not the case in any way. Islam wants its followers to have a society in which scientific, practical, technological and material progress exists for people. This is why Islam encourages individuals to acquire knowledge and to work hard. The divine tradition has dictated that every nation that works and tries hard will undoubtedly witness the results. Therefore, Islam provides material welfare for peoples as well, but it does not like and accept drowning in this welfare, forgetting about spiritual values, creating a rift among different classes in society and making people from various social backgrounds drift away from one another. And the Islamic government has highlighted this clearly.
Today, there are many advanced countries in the world, but there is no justice in them. Such countries do not serve as models for the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic’s model is an Islamic model which is the model of progress, development and welfare accompanied by justice, brotherhood, affection and kindness among all classes of society, and patching up the rift between the poor and the rich in society. Such progress of society, which is accompanied by spirituality, is what Islam wants.
We thank God that the officials of the Islamic Republic have not betrayed the ideals of Islam and what has been defined as lofty goals for this Revolution and these people. Everyone has accepted these goals. The condition for rendering services to the people and the main criterion for assuming fundamental responsibilities is that every official should believe in these lofty goals and these divine and Islamic ideals from the bottom of their heart and that they should work very hard on this path. The Islamic Republic’s attraction to Muslim nations throughout the world lies in the fundamental point that it considered Islam as a guarantee for ensuring the happiness of Islamic societies.
Before the appearance of the Islamic Revolution on the scene, Muslim nations used to think that justice existed in the leftist and socialist front and that material welfare and progress existed in the rightist front – that is to say, in capitalism. However, Islam appeared on the scene and offered to peoples the promise of a life that enjoys social welfare and material progress and they were attracted to this slogan and this great movement. As a result of this, the name of the Islamic Revolution and the Imam of this Revolution (r.a.) turned into a shining sun and an attractive point for people throughout the world of Islam.
This was while in the early years of the Revolution, we did not engage in comprehensive promotions in the world of Islam, but every person from the Islamic Republic who travelled to distant countries where Muslims live saw that the name of Imam (r.a.), the Revolution, the Islamic Republic and this raised flag exists deep in the hearts of Muslim people. Even many non-Muslim nations were attracted to Islam because of this slogan. We should act on these slogans. We cannot satisfy ourselves that we will achieve these goals only by speaking about them in a repetitive manner. We should implement them in the arena of action and in the field. This is the great responsibility of the officials of the Islamic Republic. Of course, all officials have believed in and pursued this and they continue to do so, but they should try and work harder so that these goals and ideals will be achieved.
It is this attraction of the Islamic Republic that has forced the deceitful international enemies of the Islamic Republic to deploy their forces against it. It has forced them to do so until today. Some people think that we have provoked our international enemies into showing enmity towards us. Some people think that the slogan of “Death to America” provokes America to show enmity towards the Islamic Republic and Islamic Iran. This is a wrong notion. The enmity of the arrogant American government and any other government in the world towards the Islamic Republic is because of the raised flag of justice in our country.
The reason behind this enmity is that America sees that a country is moving towards scientific and technological growth, development and progress with the name of Islam and with lofty Islamic teachings. He knows that this will prevent their influence. They are opposed to any country that achieves scientific development and progress outside their dominion of power. They are opposed to any country that moves towards competing with them in the arena of science and development. They pursue their own interests in different areas of the world – in those areas which are rich in terms of vital economic and underground resources. They are after digging their claws into these countries in an oppressive and arrogant manner in order to usurp their resources with the power of their bullying, gold and hypocrisy.
They do not even give the people of our country and the countries in this region the right to live, let alone allow these nations to form a government of their own volition, elect a president, change an administration the way they want, pass laws, follow their own path, and come up with innovations. The enmity of America and arrogance towards Islamic Iran is because of this powerful popular movement. This is because the people’s faith, interest in independence, and self-confidence is to their disadvantage. They want to keep our country dependent permanently. They want to keep the countries of this region dependent on themselves in terms of culture, economy and politics.
When a country is independent, when it enjoys self-confidence and trust in itself and when it moves on a path that leads it to lofty goals, they naturally become dissatisfied. This is why our global enemies are dissatisfied. They become satisfied only when Iran allows them to control its religion, worldly affairs, culture and economy altogether. Today, the people of Iran have awakened and they will not give in to such bullying and thuggish behavior.
Dear people of Rafsanjan, you pious brothers and sisters who have stepped on the path of the truth for many years, you should know that the happiness of this country and this nation lies in showing unity, taking the path of Islam and pursuing justice. The only path that our people can take in order to disappoint the enemies and discourage them from their various invasions and deceptions against the Islamic Republic is the path of making efforts to become stronger, on a daily basis, in the shade of Islam, national unity and solidarity, and persistence in Islamic goals. Thankfully, we have moved forward on this path and we will continue to move forward on it with complete power and we will not allow ourselves to show the slightest weakness on this path.
Surely, Islam is dear because it can help the life of this nation reach a level that befits the status of the people of Iran, of this rich history and of these noble and dignified individuals. Thankfully, our people are capable. You and our youth can help our country to reach a level that befits the status of this nation. And the truths of the country show that this is true.
All of us know about and see the achievements of this country in the area of science, technology, research and economic development. These achievements are normal and natural for our people. If these people do not make progress, this is unnatural. What should be emphasized and what we should work for is that these movements and achievements should be launched in the shade of social justice so that the youth and all the people in different areas of the country can benefit from these resources.
Once more, I would like to invite you dear people and all the people of our country to actively participate in the electoral experience that is ahead of us. You should elect the competent personalities that are introduced to you on the basis of the lofty goals of our people, the Revolution and the Islamic Republic. By relying on the votes of the people, an administration should hold office that can untie knots and make great achievements with power and that can complete those half-finished tasks that require great diligence and endeavor.
Our country can even manage a larger number of people compared to the present time. It can place itself among outstanding nations in the world in terms of progress and development. And as has been announced in the 20-year strategic plan, it can come first in the region in many areas. These are the capabilities of our people. Our people have managed to achieve these things until today thanks to unity, to the raised flag of Islam, and to the deep faith that exists in your hearts. And it can continue to move forward and achieve the beautiful panorama that befits the status of the people of Iran.
Of course, there are obstacles and enmities on this path. We should confront these enmities and we should not give in to the enemies’ plot. A people who show their determination and willpower to the utmost level and who can take this path with complete power and with unity can become successful. Such a nation will become victorious. You too have thankfully been victorious until today. From now on too, you will – by Allah’s favor – be victorious.
The province of Kerman is a large and important province and it is rich in terms of natural resources. In the years following the war, many tasks have been carried out in this province. What has been done in Kerman province in the course of these years is not comparable to what was done in the years before the Revolution. In those days, Kerman was a completely abandoned area and it used to be ignored. Neither its human nor its underground resources used to receive attention. However, the Islamic Republic looked with dignity at this area and at the dear people of Kerman throughout this province and it continued to adopt such an outlook, as befits their status.
The Islamic Republic has paid attention to this province. The condition of this province has dramatically changed compared to the past. Of course, there are certain shortcomings some of which were referred to by the friends in the meeting. This seven, eight-year drought has inflicted many damages on various areas of the province. This year’s cold too has created some problems for Rafsanjan and some other cities. Of course, the people should be helped so that they can resist natural calamities and incidents. They should not stop their work so that by Allah’s favor, they can overcome problems. This is one of the most important responsibilities of government officials. We have offered and will continue to offer them the necessary words of advice in this regard. I hope that Allah the Exalted will shower His blessings on the people and city of Rafsanjan.
Dear God, bestow Your mercy, blessings and kindness on these pious, dear, enthusiastic and sincere people. Dear God, enlighten these pious hearts with the light of Your knowledge and with Your blessings. Dear God, associate the dear martyrs of this area - who laid down their lives in Your way – with the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). By the blessedness of Muhammad (s.w.a.) and his household (a.s.), bestow on us the opportunity to render services to these people and make us become their sincere servants.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings