First Sermon:
Greetings upon you and Allah's mercy,
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful:
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. "Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Yet those who reject faith hold others as equal with their Guardian-Lord."[The Holy Quran, 6: 1]
All praise is due to Allah, Whom I praise, from Whom I seek help, to Whom I repent, to Whom I return, and peace and greetings be upon His beloved and noble one, the best among His servants, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his immaculate, pure, and chosen household -- those who guide the guided and are infallible and respected -- especially the one remaining with Allah on earth. And greetings be upon the leaders of Muslims, those who support the oppressed and those who guide the faithful.
I would like to congratulate the brothers and sisters who are present at this great and enthusiastic gathering, all the people of Iran, and the entire Islamic Ummah on the auspicious day of Eid ul-Fitr. There is a narration which says: Eid ul-Fitr is a day wherein "The righteous reap rewards and the vicious suffer a loss." [Tohaf al-Uqul, page 236] Today is a day when those who endeavored and did good deeds reap rewards. Thankfully, the majority of our people are among the righteous.
There is a narration which says: "God has indeed made the month of Ramadan an arena of competition for His servants so that by obeying and worshipping him, they compete over gaining His satisfaction." [Tohaf ul-Uqul, page 236] Allah the Exalted has made the month of Ramadan an arena of competition among believers so that they can become close to divine satisfaction by obeying Him. Thankfully, our people gain more points in this competition every year. When we compare every year to the years before, we see that progress in spirituality, in carrying out good deeds, and in taking actions, which helps one get closer to Allah the Exalted, has improved among our people.
A few years ago, reciting the Holy Quran, in parts and sections, began in one city; but, today, this righteous and beautiful tradition is practiced in many cities throughout the country during the month of Ramadan. The ceremonies by which the people engage in reading duas and their enthusiasm in such ceremonies have increased every year. This year, I did some research and gathered some information, and I found out that in the dua-centered ceremonies, involving the people, the supplications and words of advice were warmer, more enthusiastic, and more crowded than in previous years. --This is the same arena of competition that I have mentioned.
Donating iftar meals to the people is a tradition, which has, thankfully, become common among the people for several years now. They roll out carpets in mosques, on the streets, and in alleyways, giving out modest iftar meals [always cost free] to the people or distribute iftar packages among them. Such ceremonies were larger in number and more enthusiastic this year. --This exemplifies progress in the competition.
And the peak of brilliance in the month of Ramadan occurred during the Nights of Qadr when we witnessed the great gathering of the people in different parts of this city [Tehran] and all cities throughout the country. The people would hold their hands up, speaking to Allah the Exalted, asking Him for His assistance and praying to him. They increased the purity and sincerity of their souls. These are the efforts that one makes in a competition.
Another phenomenon was the Quds Day rally which is really a unique phenomenon in the Islamic Republic. This year, it was more prominent. In the hot shining sun, during those long days of maintaining their fasts, and after keeping the vigil on the 23rd of Ramadan, the people took to the streets with enthusiasm and excitement. They carried out this great deed just a few hours after staying awake on the Night of Qadr. Those who gathered statistics reported, to me, that this year, demonstrators were more active and greater in number compared to last year and the previous years.
The Iranian people are awake. They are motivated, and they are not at all weary. Those who promote the idea, following the enemies' propaganda, that the people are tired and exhausted are tired themselves. They have exhausted themselves! They extend this [their exhaustion] to the people, drawing analogies between themselves and others. The people who pour onto the streets, organizing and participating in the Quds demonstration, after the Night of Qadr, in such an enthusiastic manner, with all classes of society participating – including women, men, the elderly, and the youth -- are not tired or disappointed! This nation considers the arena of effort as an arena of competition, and their spirituality is, thankfully, increasing on a daily basis.
Every year, our people's spirituality and sincerity increases during the month of Ramadan. This can only mean that despite the policies which aim to lead humanity away from spirituality, the people of Iran are committed to spirituality. Iranians have stood up against a world which is moving towards corruption and decadence. And the great component behind all endeavors of the country, primarily, is formed by our country's youth. When the youthful generations of Iran display their strong spirituality, this is an irreplaceable spiritual investment. This investment preserves the identity, independence, dignity, and greatness of the country.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household, make this dignity, spirituality, greatness and progressing movement eternal and permanent for our great and pious people.
“In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,
Say: He, Allah, is One.
Allah is He on Whom all depend.
He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And none is like Him.” [The Holy Quran, 112]
Second Sermon:
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 pure, immaculate, and chosen household – those who guide the guided and who are infallible.
Oh God, send your greetings upon Your representative, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib; his beloved Zahra al-Marziyah; Hassan and Hussain -- the masters of the youth in paradise; Ali ibn al-Hussain, the Master of worshippers; Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, knower of the first and the last; Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq; Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kadhim; Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha; Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad; Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi; Hassan ibn Ali al-Zaki al-Askari and Hujjat al-Qaem al-Mahdi. May Your greetings remain upon them all.
And greetings be upon the leaders of Muslims, those who support the oppressed and those who guide the faithful.
This year's Quds Day rally was more enthusiastic and extensive among other nations. The news that we've received shows that nations from different countries commemorate Quds Day too. This news means that despite the enemies' propaganda, Muslim nations have become closer to the people of Iran: their familiarizations and positions have brought them closer to one another.
Of course, satanic powers are constantly hatching plots and devising schemes against the people of Iran. --This is because they are concerned about their resistance, their power, their independence, their lofty and creative plans for their national life and their influence among other nations. --These powers are doing their best, but by Allah's favor, they have always been defeated.
The US President announced that they've spent seven trillion dollars in Western Asia! He himself says that the issue is not about millions and billions, rather it is about trillions: "We have spent seven trillion dollars" – seven trillion! – “in the region, but we have gained nothing in return!" He, himself, has claimed this, and this reeks of defeat. The US has been defeated in the region. Despite all those efforts, chasing of temptations, and his claims, the US – the Great Satan – has not managed to achieve his goals in the region.
They have spent so much money and to no avail: "And so will they continue to spend, but in the end, they will have only regrets and sighs. Eventually, they will be overcome," [The Holy Quran, 8: 36]--this is a Quranic ayah. They have spent tons of money, but they have not reaped a single benefit. From now on, too, no matter how much the satanic powers spend in the region, the result will be the same.
However, the people of Iran must be awake: they should identify the plots waged against them. Dear brothers, dear sisters, and today the enemy's plot, throughout the country, is to exert economic pressures on the masses of the Iranian people to make them tired and disappointed. You must understand that everyone needs to work hard in this regard, both the administration and other officials.
The administration comprises of a combination of governmental organizations. Thankfully, a central organization – with the presence of its chiefs and active members of the governmental branches – has been formed in order to tend to these issues. Their goal is to follow this issue – the important issue of the economy – step by step and to make and implement decisive decisions. By Allah's favor, this task should be pursued with gravity.
The people have responsibilities as well, which they should carry out. The masses should pay close attention to the rising problem of extravagance. A few years ago, I brought up the issue of chasing extravagance. They should put aside extravagance and overspending--on things which are not necessary--in favor of the country and in favor of helping the underprivileged, poor, and oppressed groups within society.
The people of Iran should know that there is a lot of cash in the country. Those who have financial resources, the holders of cash, should direct their resources towards production so that economic problems can soon be eliminated. The wheels of the people's lives spin with production. --This is what befalls on the masses of the people.
Those who are involved in business and finance, outside the borders of our country, should be careful not to import a product whose equivalent is manufactured inside the country. They should not import unnecessary products and products that do not meet the needs of the people. --These are all tasks that the people can commit themselves to. This responsibility falls upon them: it falls on all the people.
The people should make a list of all the tasks that can help the independent, economic movement of the country. Those who have gotten used to taking excessive trips around the world should spare this habit: they should stop taking luxurious trips to different countries. They should end these unnecessary, pleasure vacations, which are taken for different excuses. Of course, this is different from making pilgrimages to the Ataba'at [Holy shrines in Iraq] and Hajj. I do not mean spiritual trips because going on a pilgrimage does not cost the country a great deal of money; on the contrary, it involves certain blessings.
We have heard that the Ministry of Economic Affairs has made some decisions for improving business and employment in Iran: it has eliminated elements which prevent business and employment from improvement. --This is a positive course of action. They should certainly follow up on this matter. The issue of combating corruption should be pursued in a serious manner, the same is true for combating extravagance. The youthful citizens, who are active in production and construction divisions, should be encouraged; fortunately, this has been expanded in the country. There are youthful citizens who are active, who are hardworking and endeavoring in the field of difficult production areas.
Another important subject is the issue of unity among the people – the national and social unity of the people. Today, insulting, slandering, and accusing others [in one form or the other] in cyberspace has, unfortunately, become common practice among some people. Of course, such people are definitely not many, but what they are doing is damaging to the country and the public environment of the country. Some of these acts are considered great sins. There should be a spirit of unity and solidarity among the people. They should leave confronting each other for another time. Now that the enemy is confronting the country, everyone should join hands and stay united: they should work in one direction for the independence and greatness of the country.
I strongly request that some people do not repeat the enemy's propaganda – which is, in fact, a psychological war, whose purpose is to undermine the morale of the people – in newspapers, the press, and the media. The enemy says certain things to undermine the morale of the people, but we see that someone inside the country echoes his words. He expresses the same lie or the same untruthful statement, gaining the enemy's satisfaction by repeating an incorrect analysis. We should stop carrying out these acts.
By Allah's favor and grace, the future of the country will be significantly better than in the present-day, considering this spirit, this movement, this nation, this spirituality, and this sense of independence that exists among the people.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household, associate the immaculate soul of Imam and the pure souls of martyrs with Your saints. Make this Eid a blessed Eid for the Iranian nation.
“In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I swear by time, most surely man is at a loss,
Except those who believe and do well, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience.” [The Holy Quran, 103]
Greetings upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings
