In this meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution spoke about the role and historical status of Zanjan in Iran after he had thanked the honorable families of the martyrs as well as those involved in holding the Martyrs of Zanjan Commemoration Ceremony. Following this, Imam Khamenei spoke about the value and status of martyrdom and said, “Martyrs are chosen ones, chosen by God, the Exalted. Martyrs have chosen the right path, and God chose them to reach the destination. The value of martyrs cannot be measured with our material calculations.”
Imam Khamenei stated that martyrdom is the peak of spirituality and for reaching any peak, one must cross over the hillside of the mountain, “Many of us wish to reach that peak, but we must pass over the hillside. We must find the path on the hillside of the mountain and tread this path to reach the peak. Otherwise, it is not possible to reach the peak without passing over the hillside.”
He mentioned sincerity, self-sacrifice, truthfulness and diligence as being the path of martyrdom and stated that struggling for justice, paying attention to God, working for the people and establishing the rule of religion are other effective factors along this path.
His Eminence also spoke about the importance of holding commemoration ceremonies to revive the memory of martyrs. He described this as being the beginning of the revival of values associated with the Sacred Defense and said that this should continue with creativity and innovativeness.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution praised cultural projects such as writing books and making films and documentaries about martyrs. He also added, “In addition to these tasks, other tasks must be carried out as well including making sociological and psychological analyses and inferences based on these memoirs and based on a powerful element, namely religion. This is a very important element.”
Imam Khamenei considered the element of religion to be the main motivating factor behind the courage and sacrifice of the martyrs and their families. He stated that these motives deserve analysis and research.
His Eminence stated that the services provided by women behind the front lines, including washing the martyrs clothes, cooking food, canning fruit, and nursing the wounded are some of the subjects that deserve more analysis and research. He also referred to his memories of the sacrifices made by women behind the frontlines and described these sacrifices as being a source of astonishment.
Imam Khamenei referred to the people's participation in the funeral ceremonies for the pure bodies of martyrs - both during and after the Sacred Defense Era–as being another matter that has not received due attention.
At the end of his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the naming of streets and roads after the martyrs. He said that this is an honor for all cities and asked the officials to pursue this matter. He expressed hope that the Iranian nation will soon see the results of its efforts, which is the victory of the Iranian nation, and that it will overcome the problems.