In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings upon our Master, Muhammad, and upon his pure Household, and may God curse all their enemies.
Very nice to have you here dear brothers and dear sisters. After two years, I am meeting some of you again in this Hussainiyah. One of the best meetings and one of the sweetest social interactions is the meeting held on the birth anniversary of Hazrat Zahra (pbuh), which has been held annually with you dear ones. I think this meeting has been held for the past 35 years now. I wish to express my congratulations on the birth anniversary of the “Master of All Women” – Siddiqa al-Taherah, Fatimah Zahra (pbuh) – and also the birth anniversary of our magnanimous Imam.
I wish to say a few things about Hazrat Zahra (pbuh) as a token of our respect. Then, I will say a few sentences about eulogists and heyats (groups of people who hold religious gatherings to remember and honor the Household of the Prophet (pbut)). Of course, this day is Women’s Day and Mother’s Day as well. A number of honorable women have complained that we should dedicate this day to just women. They are right, but this is a deep-rooted, longstanding meeting and it cannot be underestimated. We should also set a day for meeting with just women as well, God willing.
Our language and words are too limited and incomplete to describe the great status of the Immaculate Zahra, Siddiqa al-Taherah (pbuh). The Holy Qur’an and reliable traditions have spoken about this great personage. There are eulogies about her in such sources, but they require deliberation and thinking due to our limited minds for us to be able to understand them. This tradition that our magnanimous Imam once narrated that the angel Gabriel would descend upon Hazrat Zahra after the demise of the Holy Prophet is a correct narration. When we looked at the source and documentation for this tradition, we saw that it was completely reliable. There is no doubt that Gabriel used to visit her. It has been related, “When Gabriel would come to see her, he would condole her for the death of her father, comfort her, tell her about her father, where he was, and how he was in ‘barzakh’ (purgatory). Gabriel would inform Fatimah Zahra about the Prophet’s position with the kind God and his high status. He would tell her about the events that were to happen for her children in the future. He would tell her about the things that would happen to Imam Hassan, the event of Karbala, the events that would happen to the other Imams (pbut) and about the life of the Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). And the Commander of the Faithful would write these down. This is a very important matter. [Kafi, vol. 1, p. 458]
According to the Holy Qur’an, Gabriel descended upon someone other than a prophet only once in history, “Then We sent to her Our spirit, and he appeared to her a well-made man.” [Holy Qur’an, 19:17]. If the Arabic word “rouh” (soul) refers to Gabriel – there is some disagreement about this – in the story of Mary, the Exalted God has only sent Gabriel to someone other than a prophet just once. Of course, other angels have frequently descended upon people, but Gabriel only one time. But in the case of Hazrat Zahra, the discussion isn’t about him descending one or two times on her. Gabriel would visit her frequently and show his respect to Hazrat Zahra (pbuh).
The Holy Qur’an speaks about Hazrat Fatimah in the chapter “The Man”(Al-Insan), in the “Verse of Purification” (Tathir) and in the “Verse Calling for Damnation” (Mubahalah). These are verses that almost explicitly speak about Hazrat Zahra (pbuh). There are also verses that indirectly refer to that great personage as well. This is a very important point that the Exalted God speaks about Fatimah Zahra’s actions and those of her family in the chapter “The Man”(Al-Insan).” This is a flag that the Holy Qur’an raises up and places on the door of the house of Fatimah Zahra (pbuh), “We only feed you for Allah’s sake; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks.” [Holy Qur’an, 76:9] These personages work for God, are sincere, show purity and offer selfless services. To whom? To orphans, to the needy and to captives. Were the captives Muslims? It is highly unlikely that there were Muslim captives at that time. They offered selfless service. This is a lesson. This is the flag raised by Fatimah Zahra. The Holy Qur’an highlights this.
And in the verse “Mubahalah” God says, “…our women and your women…” [Holy Qur’an, 3:61] There were many women around the Holy Prophet – his wives, his relatives, and perhaps his other daughters. But “our women” only referred to Fatimah Zahra (pbuh). Why? This is how it is in the confrontation between the camp of truth and the camp of falsehood. Fatimah Zahra is the manifestation of these lofty, excellent truths. These are Fatimah Zahra’s virtues.
The Holy Prophet used the phrases the “Master of All Women in the World” and the “Master of All Women in Paradise” for Fatimah Zahra. And this second one is even more important. This is saying that she is the Master of all these women in Heaven: Lady Sareh, Lady Asiyah, Lady Eve and Lady Mary. These are all great women in history and they are women who will be in paradise. However, that great personage is the “Master of All Women in Paradise.” This is how it is. How can one move one’s tongue to correctly speak about these truths? Our minds require much polishing and much deliberation in order to be able to understand these truths.
Furthermore, these verses show the most important characteristics. In these verses, there is talk of her purity and purification. In the verse in the chapter “The Man,” there is talk of her selfless services. In the verse “Mubahalah,” there is the confrontation between the front of truth and the front of unbelief and falsehood. These are important qualities of Fatimah Zahra (pbuh).
And I wish to say that by God’s favor and grace, the blessed name of Fatimah Zahra is mentioned not just ten times more – no - it is mentioned tens or even hundreds of times more now after the Revolution in comparison with before the Revolution. In other words, the society is a Fatimi society (a society whose role model is Hazrat Fatimah). We are witnessing the effects of this in society. During the Sacred Defense, the effects of selfless service, Basiji movements and doing actions without being concerned about boundaries and without having any expectations can be seen in one way. And in the scientific movement, we witness this in another way. No one had heard of people like Fakhrizadeh, the nuclear martyrs or the great scientist, the late Kazemi Ashtiani. Many people still don’t know who Kazemi is. These great people who entered the field of science are people who were victorious in big scientific fields for the people, for Islam and for the Islamic Republic without receiving anything and without having any expectations.
Notice that how enthusiastically the people helped during natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes. Where else do such things exist? This is the Fatimi way. This is the same movement launched by the Master of All Women, “We desire from you neither reward nor thanks.” [Holy Qur’an, 76:9] This was about Fatimah Zahra (pbuh). Over the past two years, great things have been done and great services were rendered in combating the Coronavirus. Great acts were done without anyone in particular being mentioned. The jihadi movements and jihadi camps that are organized every year during which young people make certain moves without their names being mentioned and without having any expectations should continue. Fatimah Zahra (pbuh) should be a role model in all areas, including in the area of great social and revolutionary moves.
As for the heyats and eulogists, there are many things to be said in this regard. I have spoken at length about this issue over these years when meeting with our dear eulogists. Fortunately on my way here, I saw that there are a number of pamphlets about the heyats among the books that have been published. This is very good. I had not seen books and pamphlets about the heyats previously. There are many things to be said about the heyats for Imam Hussain. I wish to speak briefly in this regard today.
A heyat is a social unit and institution that pivots around love for the Household of the Prophet. The basis for the formation of this small or big institution is love for the Household of the Prophet (pbut) and guiding toward their goals. This is the truth about and the nature of heyats. They first took form during the time of the Imams themselves. This is not something that has been established today or was established in the recent past. It was the companions of the Imams who first established heyats. They used to gather after the event of Karbala. Imam Sadiq (pbuh) asked a narrator of traditions, “Do you sit together and speak about us?” The narrator answered, “Yes.” Those gatherings were the basis for the formation of heyats. Later, the Imam stated, “I love such gatherings.” May we be sacrificed for his love and his heart! He said, “I love such gatherings and you must keep ‘our issue’ alive.” [Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 282] The Arabic word “amrana” was frequently used by the Imams. It means “our issue.” It is the fundamental issue on the basis of which we move and act. If we want to use modern words – although this may detract from its true meaning to some extent – we should say that “amrana” means “our path and our school of thought.” “Ahiva amrana” means, “keep our path and our school of thought alive.” There is another narration in the book Kafi which says, “Remind one another of our issue and keep it alive.” [Kafi, vol.2, p. 175]
So, the heyats date back to that time and they have continued in the history of the Shi’a. It might have taken on different forms - if researchers study this, they can find more details – but they have continued until they reached our time. In certain periods in history, they have been greatly effective, such as during the time of the Revolution. You young people do not remember this. During the time of the Revolution, the heyats were very effective. They distributed astonishing elegies in the form of cassettes throughout the country. For example, an elegist would read an elegy in Jahrom or in Yazd, and it would become very popular. It would be an elegy about Imam Hussain, but would contain revolutionary concepts and points about Imam as well. These things would stir the people and move the Revolution forward. They gave fresh impetus to the Revolution. It was the heyats that were doing this. And this took place during the time of the Revolution. During the Imposed War too, many of you remember what the heyats used to do. Whenever the bodies of martyrs were found or whenever the youth wanted to move toward the frontlines, the main leaders were the heyats for Imam Hussain. Today too, the heyats thankfully exist in the country in large numbers. These statements were about the heyats.
There is an important point about the heyats. As I mentioned, those two narrations Imam Sadiq said, “Keep our issue alive.” This means, “Keep our school of thought alive.” Well, when the Imam says, “Keep our issue alive,” perhaps this is not very understandable to you who live in a Shi’a environment, in the Islamic Republic and in an Islamic, Shi’a country. At the time when Imam Sadiq said, “Keep our issue alive,” keeping the path of the Household of the Prophet alive was one of the most difficult, most dangerous tasks. It was a great struggle on the path of God. I explained these hardships 40 or 50 years ago when we were discussing such issues at great length. Apparently those speeches have been published and are accessible. The endeavors of the Imams and that of their companions was very dangerous. Why were all the Imams martyred? Why was Imam Javad martyred at the age of 25 and Imam Askari at the age of 28? Why did they assassinate them? Why was Imam Musa Kazem thrown in prison for several years and martyred there? It was because their lives were all about fighting. It was in such circumstances that Imam Sadiq said, “Keep our issue alive.” Imam actually said, “You who gather together in heyats should keep our issue alive.” In other words, Imam Sadiq demanded the greatest, most dangerous fighting from them.
So, what kind of place is a heyat? It is a place for struggle on the path of God. A heyat is the center of struggle on the path of God. It is struggle on the path of God to revive the school of the Household of the Prophet, the school of Imam Hussain (pbuh) and the school of martyrdom. Well, in what kind of endeavor were the Imams (pbut) engaged in? The Imams did not engage in military struggle except for a few of them. Only the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Hassan Mujtaba and Imam Hussain fought with swords. The rest of the Imams did not fight with swords. So, what was their struggle? It was struggle for clarification. When I repeatedly speak about clarification or the struggle for clarification, the heyats are places for the struggle of clarification. In my opinion, from this sentence “Keep our issue alive,” this important point can be comprehended.
Another point about the heyats is that they are an institution that enjoys meaning, movement and dynamism. They are not only places for thinking, spirituality, studying and teaching. Movement and dynamism exist in the heyats as well. The main issue is the school of thought and clarification of the school of thought. In the heyats, the school of thought is clarified. When I say that “it is clarified,” I mean that it should be clarified. This is the nature of heyats. These are places for clarification and expressing the most important teachings of Islam and Imam Ali. These are places for answering questions. Today, our youth have various questions regarding lifestyle and other fundamental issues, and their questions are legitimate. The way to deal with questions is to think and answer them, and this should be done in heyats. The important centers for such endeavors are heyats. It is in heyats where the numerous questions that arise every day should be answered. It is alright to have questions, but he who has a question should know that it is due to his lack of knowledge that his question has arisen. This question can be turned into knowledge and understanding. A person who has a question should not think that everything is upside down. No, his question should be asked and that’s alright. The answer should be provided in heyats – in centers of knowledge and understanding. This is the meaning and essence of heyats.
As for dynamism and movement, this means benefiting from art and face-to-face dialogues. The difference between your art and many other forms of art is that you face your audience directly. You speak to your audience and they communicate their feelings to you. In other words, you are in contact with one another in a reciprocal, direct relationship. This is the dynamism of the heyats. Another form of dynamism is forming “dastehs” (groups of mourners who walk in the streets) in the streets, in the alleys and in markets. As a talented brother of ours said, the dastehs for Imam Hussain are in fact a symbol of Imam Hussain’s journey from Mecca to Karbala. His was a movement of jihad and a movement on the path of God.
The next point about heyats is the struggle (jihad) for clarification as I mentioned before. So the heyats rely on struggle. What does this struggle mean? Jihad or struggle means an effort and endeavor made to confront the enemy. Not every effort is jihad. Many people make an effort. For example, they make scientific and economic efforts, which are good, but they are not an act of jihad. Jihad means an effort that targets the enemy. This is jihad. In Islamic terminology and in Islamic logic, jihad is an action that is taken to confront the enemy. If you do economic work to confront the enemy, it is an act of jihad. If you do scientific, research work to confront the enemy, this is an act of jihad. If you speak out and clarify matters to counteract the enemy’s temptations, this is an act of jihad. All of these are jihadi acts. So, the important point is that we should identify the fields for jihad in every era. This is very important.
We should not make a mistake in identifying the enemy. I have frequently given the following example. Some people fall asleep in a trench at the front and wake up after some time. They do not know where the enemy is and where their fellow soldiers are. So they may point their gun at their friends. Sometimes this happens. Some people do not know what the fields for jihad are. They do not know where they should go, where the enemy is, which way they should look and what the target should be. This is what is important. One day, the field of jihad is the military field such as during the Sacred Defense and in defending the Holy Shrines. In such cases, the field is a military one. In those days, many individuals correctly understood their duty and carried it out. Of course, it was an obligation that required a number of people do it. It was not compulsory for everyone to do it. In that field too, the heyats carried out their duty in full as I explained before. Many of our soldiers and our martyrs were members of heyats. And one day, the field of jihad is a scientific field. In this field, one must work to improve the level of science in the country. And one day, the field of jihad includes social activities and public services for the people. That day is when the enemy is trying to exert economic pressures on society thus pitting the people against Islam and the Islamic government. If you render economic and social services to the people at such a time, you are actually doing jihad to confront the enemy. However, the most important field is the field of clarification and enlightenment. If there is clarification, all these fields will become clear in the right circumstances, and the people will find their path on their own.
I have reliable information that today a multitude of media sources that cannot even be counted – especially due to the circumstances in the internet – are busy working using thousands of experts. These are experts in the arts, media and communications who are backed by substantial financial support and also support in terms of security. For what goal? They wish to turn minds and opinions around in the Islamic Republic and to weaken and destroy faith and belief. This is how things are. What plots are being devised for other countries is another discussion. The things that I am talking about are the schemes that are designed for our country, our people, our Islamic Republic and our beliefs. Thousands of institutions are working with huge amounts of money and various kinds of support. Well, this is a satanic move made by Satan’s camp.
What stands up to Satan’s camp? The camp of struggle and jihad on the way of God. Well, you are in heyats. You should ask your own heyat where it stands in this jihad. This is the point I wanted to make. The second point is that we should ask ourselves where we stand in the battle that exists, in the relentless battle between Islam and unbelief, between truth and falsehood, and between deceitful and truthful narratives. We must determine this for ourselves and be sure. Where do we stand? Of course, what is meant is the clarification and promotion of the ideals and main principles of the Revolution. These are the areas where mostly we must determine where we stand, but minor political and social issues are also involved in this battle and we should pursue these as well.
Another point about heyats concerns the speakers, the elegists and the audience. Two important, solid pillars of heyats are the speakers and the elegists. I have points to discuss about the speakers that should be discussed with the right people on another occasion.
I wish to raise two or three points about elegies, which are related to you dear ones. One is that as I said, reading elegies is a unique art. In other words, there is no art like it in other places. In other countries and places, they use the art of supplication accompanied by moaning and weeping, but that is different from reading elegies. Elegies are of a different nature, and as I said, the relationship between the audience and the artist is a special relationship. It purifies and enlightens the hearts of the audience. The tears that your audience shed come from the heart.
When hearts were being molded on that day,
Dewdrops of love were added to them
When the hearts were mixed with those dewdrops,
They became like salted kebab
When the eyes of someone in love sheds tears of blood,
It is like the blood that drips from Kebab
[From a poem by Sheikh Baha’i]
These tears originate from the heart and they purify it. In addition, elegies take the audience into the depths of history and do not let people linger in the present time. The elegists take people into the depths of history and show them historic truths. They also teach people lessons in religion, morals and politics. An elegist does all these things. So elegies involve religious, moral and political teachings. I have frequently said that if the poems that you recite in the beginning contain moral lessons, they are very valuable. They should be ideological as well as moral. For example, some but not all of Saeb’s sonnets are truly valuable. Today, our poets who compose poems with a religious theme (especially about the lives of the Imams) are working on these matters as well.
I should add that you elegists, and poets who compose poems with a religious theme help one another. You elegists help to improve their poetry. By reciting their poems, you arouse the excitement of these poets and help them to improve their poems. So you help the poet and the poet helps you as well. When you recite good poems in the mourning ceremonies, you are in fact giving value to your own position.
Well, this important movement – taking people into the depths of history and purifying and polishing hearts – requires art and artistic methods. In our elegies, this kind of art shows itself in the voice, in the song and in the geometry of the recitation. These three things are definitely needed. A good elegist should have a good voice, a good song – in Arabic, this is rhythm and tone – and he should also know the geometry for reciting. Of course, some people know the latter and some do not. It is important to determine what you want to do in the mourning ceremonies from the beginning. These things constitute the form of an elegist: a good voice, a good song and a good management of one’s recitation. These constitute the form. But the form should not take precedence over the content. All these things are instruments to be used for the content. One should not act in such a way that the content is lost. The teachings, affection, kindness, and that which gives direction to the movement of society from the heart of the heyat should not be undermined and lost. This was another point about elegies.
Another point is that in elegies, like in all other tasks, innovation and creativity are necessary. As you have witnessed, young people do innovative things in this area. In elegies, innovativeness is good and alright, but you should be careful that this innovativeness does not lead to the breaking of norms. Elegies have a special identity. Therefore, this identity should not be changed. Your innovativeness should not push your performance toward things that are not actually a part of the nature of elegies. At times, this is seen in some individuals. As far as I know, there are some cases here and there where the form and the innovation that is being used do not preserve the identity of elegies. You should take care to preserve this identity. Elegies are not pop music.
Another point is that elegies have played a brilliant role during important events. They played a brilliant role during the Sacred Defense. Likewise, they played a brilliant role in defending the Holy Shrines and during the sedition in the year 2009. The same is true of various other events. The elegists were victorious in these tests and their programs cultivated people who fought for Islam and martyrs in the true sense of the word. In the media war between us and the enemy – in the cultural and media confrontation and war between the Islamic Republic and its enemies – the eloquent voices of revolutionary elegists have been useful and able to accomplish great feats. Such is the more than 40 year history of elegies after the Revolution. What I want to say is that – this is the third or fourth point – you should not let this eloquent voice be silenced. You should not let this happen. You have passed important tests in the past. Today too, we are faced with a large front of enemies. At that time, your eloquent voices were useful, and today they should use them as well.
The next point is that our dear elegists wish to draw the youth into these ceremonies. This is a good idea. Attracting the youth to these gatherings can be a source of salvation for some of our youth and it can truly save them. It can also help people to grow. So one of the goals of these gatherings that our elegists hold is to attract the youth. This is a very good endeavor, but you should know that attracting the youth should not be done at any cost. This should not be the case that in order to attract a young person, we use some improper songs in a eulogy or an elegy. It is necessary and beneficial to attract the youth, but it must be done while preserving the right form. You should be careful not to let the make-up and nature of elegies be destroyed just because you want to attract the youth.
The last point is about saying things based on solid facts. In your mourning ceremonies, in your elegies and in your speeches, the things you say should be well-documented and have a firm basis. You must study and work. You should read books. Of course, I know that many of our dear elegists already do this. They read books and they read outstanding poems. Thus, they master literature and raise the level of their religious knowledge. This will pour forth from them in their gatherings as well. You must do something to make this all-encompassing and widespread, because a doubtful statement is dangerous. Sometimes, it happens that a doubtful, incomplete, incorrect statement is used by the enemy to question the essence of Shi’ism. Sometimes we may make a wrong comment and this allows others to attack us. Well, this is of no significance. But sometimes the wrong comment that we make causes others to attack Islam, Shi’ism, our Islamic teachings and our great scholars. This is not permissible. You should be very careful. So making comments with a solid, firm base should definitely be included in the agenda of our dear elegists.
Today’s meeting was very good and I have benefitted from it. I thank the friends who participated in the program here. I also wish to thank the friends who have come from outlying cities in other provinces – from Zahedan and Ardabil – and from Arab countries – in particular, our brother from Bahrain. I ask Mr. Vaezi, who came from Mashhad, the people who came from the cities I mentioned and also those who came from cities I did not mention to send my greetings to our dear people in those cities. I hope that you will always live and achieve success under the shadow of the blessings of the Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake), God willing.
Our Lord, by Muhammad and his Household, make the blessing of remembering Imam Hussain increase in our country on a daily basis. Our Lord, bestow Your grace and blessings on the tongues that speak in eulogizing Hussain ibn Ali and the Holy Prophet’s Household. Our Lord, allow our heyats to please Imam Sadiq. Make us the soldiers in the great jihad that exists today, the jihad of clarification. Our Lord, associate the pure soul of our magnanimous Imam and the pure souls of our great martyrs with the immaculate souls of the Imams (pbut). Make the holy heart of Zahra, Siddiqa al-Kubra (pbuh), satisfied and pleased with us. Make the blessed heart of the Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) satisfied and pleased with us. Send our greetings to that great Imam and help us gain his satisfaction and approval.
May God’s greetings, mercy and blessings be upon you.
