The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei received officials and executives of the Islamic Republic, including the heads of three government branches and the chairman of the Expediency Council, and a large group of the Iranian people from various social strata on Tuesday, August 22.
The meeting was held on the occasion of the auspicious Feast of Mab'ath, which marks the day when the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his immaculate household) was appointed the messenger of Allah and entrusted with his prophetic assignment.
Speaking at the meeting, which was also attended by the ambassadors of Islamic countries posted to Tehran and the participants in the 19th International Conference on Islamic Unity, the Leader felicitated the audience as well as the great Muslim Ummah and the honorable Iranian nation on the auspicious occasion and described the Feast of Mab'ath as the greatest feast of mankind.
"To follow the model set by the Holy Prophet, namely to consider religion and politics as inseparable from one another and to establish an Islamic government aiming to administer social justice and promote Islamic teachings and principles, is the only remedy for the sufferings and afflictions besetting the Islamic world today," the Leader noted.
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the attention paid by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his immaculate household) to both politics and the edification and education of Muslims is indicative of the fact that religion and politics are inextricable in Islam.
"The Holy Prophet's Sunna and lifestyle indicates that the affairs related to the Islamic community's politics and management cannot be entrusted to those who are not acting in conformity with the Islamic teachings," Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out.
He also stated, "From the Holy Prophet's viewpoint, 'religion and state' and 'morality and government' originate from a common source, which is divine revelation and the Holy Qur'an. What the Islamic Ummah needs today and the remedy for the hardships afflicting Muslim nations consists in grasping this point and making efforts to put it into practice."
The Leader of the Islamic Republic made it clear that, today, the Muslim Ummah needs an Islamic government in a real sense, "so that it may help Muslims attain moral and spiritual elevation and prepare the ground for their full-scale economic, political, scientific and cultural progress and also protect their interests against the enemies of Islam by relying on and utilizing the capabilities of Muslims."
Further in his statements, Ayatollah Khamenei castigated the U.S. president for his recent outrageous remarks.
"This individual talks in such a manner as if he were the lord and master of Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Iran and other Islamic countries. But the fact is that if the great power of Muslim nations emerges on the scene, as we witnessed in the case of Lebanon, the floor will be wiped with the arrogant powers, and the enemies of Islam will no longer be able to act impudently," the Leader told the audience.
Ayatollah Khamenei also hinted at the great service that was rendered by the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini, who caused the awakening of the Iranian nation and brought the Iranian people on the scene.
"Iran under the tyrannical imperial regime used to promote the interests of the world's domineering and expansionist powers, but now it is the standard-bearer of the pure Islam. If in all Islamic countries this wakening and presence on the scene takes place, the United States and other arrogant powers will be rendered disabled in the face of the great power of Muslim nations," the Leader pointed out.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined the firm adherence and commitment of the Iranian people and their government officials to Islamic values and principles.
"The Iranian people consider Islamic values and principles as the source of their national honor, power and progress. Relying on Islam, they are determined to stand up to the enemies who are trying to hinder our nation's progress through threats and intimidation, political commotion, negative propaganda and economic pressure," Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
He also stated that, by the favor and assistance of Almighty Allah, the Iranian people will conquer the high summits of progress at a greater rate than average.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic further referred to the rising hatred of the United States and Zionists on the part of Muslim nations and the great enthusiasm on the part of youngsters, intellectuals and independent politicians of Islamic countries for the revival of their Islamic identity and honor.
"Some are accusing Iran of attempting to export the Islamic Revolution by force. But today we can all witness that the spirit of Islamic awakening, which is a precious gift presented by the Iranian nation's revolution, has been revitalized throughout the Islamic world, and that it is getting more dynamic day by day," the Leader remarked.
At the beginning of the meeting, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad felicitated the audience on the propitious occasion of the Feast of Mab'ath. He described the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his immaculate household) as the source of all merits and virtues.
"The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his immaculate household) pursued the two major objectives of enlightening and edifying mankind and forming an exemplary Islamic community characterized by monotheism, justice and morality. Now after several centuries, the Islamic Revolution has paved the way for the formation of this community," the president observed.
President Ahmadinejad referred to the disregard for the teachings of divine prophets and the domination exercised by unrighteous rulers as the root cause of all the problems plaguing humanity.
"Today, in the name of promoting freedom and democracy and combating terrorism, expansionist powers are killing innocent people and plundering and tyrannizing other nations. They are also using the UN Security Council as a tool for spreading insecurity in the world," the president told the audience.
President Ahmadinejad further said that a return to the teachings of divine prophets, especially the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, will be the only way to save humanity from its present predicament and the only remedy for the mankind's afflictions and sufferings.