I thank Allah the Exalted for giving us this opportunity and letting us live long enough to witness another Ramadan and another Eid al-Fitr. It is a great blessing to witness the month of divine celebration. Our people really made full use of this month. They truly appreciated the value of this holy and dear month. By Allah's favor, the ceremonies, occasions, dhikrs, prayers and programs, which the hearts and pure souls of most youth participated in, will open up the divine gates of mercy for the people of Iran. The value of such occasions should be appreciated.
The spirit of spirituality and devotion to the Holy One has been firmly established in the hearts and souls of our people. This spirit is deep and rooted. A number of people may make some mistakes and commit certain errors in their personal lives, but the month of Ramadan gives them the opportunity to go back to Allah the Exalted, pay attention to Him and repent. This spirit of connection with spirituality exists in all people. This has been stated in a poetic manner:
"When man was being created
A droplet of love was poured into his heart". [Shaikh Bahai]
This love is not a material love, one that is tainted with temptations. This is the love of God. This is the love of the One. This is the love of the Creator which exists in all people and has been firmly established in their hearts and souls: "The nature made by Allah in which He has made men" [The Holy Quran, 30: 30].
Materialistic factors, motives and attractions are like filth that contaminates this precious jewel. When the month of Ramadan arrives, it removes all this residue like a breeze. Then, this jewel shows itself, and attention to God is given with fresh impetus. During this Ramadan--like in most previous Ramadans--we witnessed that people from different social backgrounds with different interests, opinions, conducts and dress participated in various religious ceremonies--particularly, during the auspicious Nights of Qadr. They benefited from these ceremonies and they shed many tears.
"When the heart is saddened with tears, it is like the morsel of meat which is sprinkled with salt.
When a lover sheds genuine tears,
it is like the juice which drips from this morsel of meat."
[Shaikh Bahai]
In fact, the tears that we shed come from our vigilant and pure hearts. Our dear people should appreciate how valuable this is. You have accumulated certain provisions, and you have achieved a product in this auspicious month; therefore, you should preserve it. You should establish a close relationship with the Holy Quran, and you should preserve this relationship too. Throughout the year, you should preserve this spirit of reciting public prayers--and the prayers you recite in mosques--in a timely and careful manner.
You should do your best to avoid worldly elements--filth and ashes--that can tarnish this precious jewel. A people who manage to preserve these characteristics, this spiritual transcendence and this perfection will be successful in all arenas, including worldly and otherworldly arenas. They will be successful in arenas for achieving dignity, power, and all kinds of national resources. By Allah's favor, this will happen for our people.
Today is Eid al-Fitr. In a narration, cited in "Elal", it has been described as "A day of Eid, a day of gathering, a day of fitr, a day of zakat, a day of enthusiasm and a day of supplication" [Elal al-Sharaye, Volume 1, page 268]. This day is both, a day of Eid and a day of gathering. Today, people throughout the world of Islam participate in this Eid. Such focus of hearts on one point and at a particular time is a great opportunity for the Islamic Ummah. It is "a day of zakat and a day of enthusiasm." It is a day during which you pay attention to Allah the Exalted. And it is "a day of supplication." It is a day in which one supplicates before God. This Eid is the Eid of attention and meaning.
I hope that Allah the Exalted will bestow on all of you and us success in benefitting from today's--which is an auspicious Friday and a day of Eid--divine blessings.
