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, upon his pure, immaculate and infallible household and upon his chosen companions
I would like to congratulate all you dear brothers and sisters who are present here, our guests – the ambassadors of Islamic countries – and all the great people of Iran on the auspicious Eid al-Mab'ath.
The significance of Mab'ath lies in the fact that during be'that, the new relationship between God and humanity and the new plan for transforming human societies that existed in be'that, are alive. Potentially, be'that and this plan and this transformation have the capability – at all times, under all circumstances and in all geographical areas in the world – to transform humanity's life in the present time, as it transformed its life in that era. This is the significance of be'that.
The Commander of the Faithful (greetings be upon him) said that when the Holy Prophet was sent, when Allah the Exalted entrusted him with the duty of delivering His message, the world was dark: "The world was devoid of brightness, and full of open deceitfulness" [Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 89]. The world of humanity was in darkness. It was full of deceitfulness. Deceitfulness means deceiving oneself. It means that we think we are something while we are not in reality. The world was in such a condition.
The Holy Quran states that the philosophy behind divine revelation is, "That He may bring you out from the depths of darkness into light" [33: 43]. The purpose of revelation is to bring humanity out of darkness and into light.
Well, the darkness of that era has been reflected in history to a great extent. This held true whether in the Arabian Peninsula, Makkah, and the surrounding environments – there was superstition, ignorance, cruelty, violence, injustice, bullying, a mean lifestyle and hunger in those areas – or in the civilized world of those days. If you look at the main two big civilizations of those days – Iran and Rome – you witness that darkness and gloom there as well. There was superstition, darkness, discrimination, injustice, and cruelty towards the weak in those two empires as well.
In Iran, a king who is known for his justice – Anushiruwan, known as "The Just" – massacred several thousand individuals just because they practiced the religion of Mazdak, for example. They practiced another religion. He killed several thousand individuals in one day! This is only one example. In the Roman Empire too, the king – the well-known Nero – killed his mother and wife and set the city on fire. They were like this: "The world was devoid of brightness, and full of open deceitfulness." So, these things were not particular to the Arabian Peninsula. The whole world was like this. It was under such circumstances that the sun of Islam began to rise.
Well, Islam's invitation is an invitation to light. In other words, it is an invitation to knowledge, to fair-mindedness, to kindness, to unity and to justice. All these things define enlightenment in the life of human societies. The important thing is that this invitation not remain on one's tongue and on paper. Today too, if you look at the documents prepared by the United Nations or by some arrogant countries, they contain such good ideas. If you look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, you can see such good ideas, but there is no sign of practice and action in the world of reality.
The significance of Islam lies in the fact that the Holy Prophet implemented what he had stated on the first day and what the ayahs of the Holy Quran taught to the people during those 13 years of difficult fighting in Makkah. He put those ideas into practice and he implemented them. The Holy Prophet showed in practice Islamic justice, kindness, fair-mindedness and resistance against oppression and kufr. He drew the people to knowledge and to understanding.
The structures and infrastructures that the Holy Prophet built in his ten-year rule in Madina led to the greatest human civilization after the passage of one, two centuries. Of course, various dimensions of those structures were not observed in that civilization. For example, justice was not observed, but acquiring knowledge, gaining a deep understanding of different phenomena, benefiting from talent and cultivating human capacities – these things had begun in the beginning of the formation of the Islamic government – developed so fast that they led to the greatest human civilization after a short while - one, two centuries. The whole world benefitted from that civilization. Be'that is this.
Today, we need be'that. First of all, we need to introduce be'that. Primarily, public opinion in the world should understand the concept and meaning of be'that. This is a very important point. After the formation of the Islamic Republic, one drop of the ocean of nabawi government was thankfully poured into our system. This became a source of great transformation and great movement in the world which is thankfully continuing and will continue in the future as well. After that, the international enemies of humanity – not just the enemies of Islam – and the enemies of human societies thought of fighting against the phenomenon which constitutes the essence of this movement and which is present in an important part of the world. What is that phenomenon? Islam.
Today, they are fighting against Islam. Why? Because Islam is a source of growth for societies. It is a source of movement for individuals. It is a source of discovering talents and creating a simultaneously worldly and otherworldly civilization. They are fighting against Islam because it can prevent today's oppressive materialistic civilization. That is why they are fighting against Islam. And they are using all kinds and sorts of fighting. Forming terrorist groups in the name of Islam is one of these plots. This is a plot. Making Islamic countries fight and confront one another is another plot and enmity.
Today, these enmities are rooted in the US and the Zionists. The vicious and usurping Zionist regime and behind it the oppressive and arrogant US government are fighting against Islam in Palestine. Of course, they are fighting against Islamic Republic more than other countries. This is because Islam is observed more transparently and strongly in the Islamic Republic. The ground for practicing and implementing it is stronger here. They show opposition because Islam prevents their greed. It prevents arrogance. They are opposed to Islam.
Primarily, we Muslims should understand that we have one responsibility towards non-Muslims – the responsibility of introducing Islam to them – and one responsibility towards ourselves. We ourselves should understand why arrogant and bullying powers in the world show enmity towards Islam. We should understand this. Today, Islamic governments should pay attention that the reason why the US cooperates with one Islamic government but shows hostility towards another is that they want them to avoid cooperating and uniting. They want them to fail in identifying their common interests. This is why they do that.
Unfortunately, the US has been successful in its policy of creating discord in our region. This is a source of regret. Their hands are in the pockets of some governments in order to loot their resources. In order to make this easy, they create discord between them. They introduce the Islamic Republic, Iran or Shia as "enemy" in order to be able to loot them. These are the common policies of those powers which are headed by the US. All of us should understand and feel this and we should stand up against it. Standing up against this means creating unity and solidarity among Islamic countries.
Unfortunately, today our region is suffering from grave problems. Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and Iraq have serious problems each. When we look for the main factor in these problems, we see that it is arrogance. It is the intelligence and security services of the US and Zionists who are creating these problems and who are using different forces against one another. These points should receive attention.
Thankfully, the Islamic Republic's willpower and determination is unbreakable on this path. There is clear and firm determination in the Islamic Republic, not only on the part of its government officials, but also on the part of the masses of the people. In the Islamic Republic, those who have stood up against bullying are all the people of Iran. It is our youth and our revolutionary and pious people who have stood up against the bullying of arrogance. Every nation and every country whose people stand up against the enemy in a unanimous and harmonious manner cannot be harmed by the enemy in any way. The enemy cannot do a damn thing to them. The Islamic Republic's courage and resistance is because of the unity and solidarity that exists and because of the people's presence on the scene. Our people consider it their responsibility to show their presence on the scene.
A number of the friends in the meeting pointed to the issue of elections. I will tell you that elections are one of the important manifestations of the people's presence on the scene. Our dear people consider elections a duty and they should do so. This is a duty. It is both a right and a duty. Elections are a multi-functional tool for the Islamic Republic. Elections revive the people's right and power in forming the head of the administration and the executive officials of the country and it gives the people the power to choose. They also prevent the enemy from transgressing against the country and the people. The people's presence prevents the enemy's transgressions and its purpose is to give immunity to the country. The people's presence means that these great people have stood unanimous. When the enemy sees this, he loses his courage and his ability to move and to transgress.
Of course, everyone should know – and you do know – that the enemies of the Islamic Republic use their capabilities to strike wherever possible, as has been the case until today. There is no difference between this and that team in the ruling apparatus of the US. Those who had power before used to issue threats and those who hold power now issue threats as well. There is no difference. There is no difference between them when it comes to having the intention of doing malice against the people and country of Iran and against the Islamic Republic. All of them are like one another in this regard. There is also no doubt that they will not be able to do anything, that every move by them will surely end up to their disadvantage and that the people of Iran's response will be a harsh and solid response.
Allah the Exalted has bestowed His blessings on our people by giving them awareness. He has clarified the path. He has provided us with abundant experience. Enmities have always existed in the past 40 years. The enemy has always had the motivation to do mischief. They have always done what they could do and the people of Iran have continued to progress until today despite their attempts and foolish desires.
From now on too, we will progress and improve. From now on too, despite the enemy's efforts, we will be in a much better condition than the past by Allah's favor and grace. These achievements are because of our people's faith. They are because of their resistance. Against the enemy and in continuing this path, you should preserve your faith, your unity, your presence on the scene and your firm determination. These enmities will continue until the enemy becomes disappointed. You should do something to make the enemy disappointed.
I would like to say this to all the honorable gentlemen who have run for presidential elections. This is something that I have said many times: they should decide and promise that for the progress of the country's affairs, for economic development and for untying knots, they will not pin their hopes on outside our borders and that they will pin their hopes on the people themselves. They should say this to the people and announce it in their campaigns as well.
Our capabilities are many. Our capacities are many. Paying attention to and benefiting from these capacities and formulating wise and intelligent plans for utilizing them can help the country achieve power and solidity in this domestic structure. And this is what makes the enemy disappointed. This is what gives immunity to the country, to the people and to the Islamic government, God willing.
I hope that Allah the Exalted will bestow this blessing on us and I hope that like the past, the people of Iran will benefit from divine guidance and divine support in the shade of divine blessings upon the pure souls of martyrs and the immaculate soul of our late Imam.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy
