WILAYAH NEWS VOICE OF THE GLOBAL AWAKENING
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The following is the full text of the speech delivered on December 17, 2016, by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with government officials and the ambassadors of Islamic countries in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The meeting was held on the occasion of the birthday anniversaries of the Holy Prophet (S) and Imam Ja’far Sadiq (A).
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 Muhammad, his pure household, his chosen companions and those who follow them until the Day of Judgment
I would like to congratulate you on the auspicious birthday anniversary of the Holy Prophet, the Master of the universe and the Master of all creatures in the world – Hazrat Muhammad ibn Abdullah [audience recites salawat] – and also on the blessed birthday anniversary of Hazrat Abi Abdullah al-Sadiq, the Holy Prophet’s (S) grandson and God’s Hujjat on earth during the time of His Imamate.
I hope that God bestows on us, on all Muslims and on all broad-minded individuals in the world the blessing to understand and appreciate the value of these blessings and these great phenomena and to try to move forward on the same straight path that these pillars of the world showed us.
The holy existence of the Great Prophet is so significant that Allah the Exalted considers it as a great blessing to humans: “God conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a prophet from among themselves” [The Holy Quran, 3: 164]. In Sahifa al-Sajjadiyyah, Imam Sajjad (peace and greetings be upon him) addresses Allah the Exalted and says, “Allah praise is due to the God Who conferred upon us – not upon former generations and previous nations – a great favor by sending Muhammad, His Messenger” [Sahifa al-Sajjadiyyah, Dua 2].
The Holy Quran and the statements of the infallible Imams (A) acknowledge that God has given us a huge favor by sending this great gift. This is very significant. “A mercy for all creation” is a description that Allah the Exalted uses in reference to the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). He does not say that the Holy Prophet (S) is a mercy for a group of people or for a particular nation in the world. He says that he is “a mercy for all creation”. He is a mercy for everyone. He gave the message that he had received from Allah the Exalted to humans as a gift. He provided this path for all peoples in the world.
Of course, there are some people who are the owners of power, of money, and of gold. They are not willing to let peoples benefit from this large banquet of divine mercy. They are opposed to the power of peoples. That is why they stand up against this divine movement. Under such circumstances, Allah the Exalted says, “Oh Prophet, fear God, and hearken not to the unbelievers and the hypocrites” [The Holy Quran, 33: 1]. God says to him that he should not follow them and that he should beware of them. Elsewhere He says, “Oh Prophet, fight hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be firm against them” [The Holy Quran, 9: 73]. He says to the Holy Prophet that he should fight against the unbelievers and the hypocrites. He says to him that he should “fight against”, not “kill” them. He does not say, “Kill the unbelievers and the hypocrites”. It is not always necessary to “kill”, but jihad is always necessary.
Sometimes, jihad is political, sometimes it is cultural, sometimes, it is soft jihad, sometimes it is hard jihad, sometimes it is done with weapons, and sometimes it is done with knowledge. All these things are jihad, but in all these forms of jihad we should pay attention that jihad is done against an enemy, an enemy of humanity. It is done against enemies who impose their heavy existence and their greedy interests on humanity with reliance on their power, their money and their bullying. Compromising with them does not make any sense: “Fear God, and hearken not to the unbelievers and the hypocrites.”
The ayahs of the Holy Quran about the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and about the teachings that God gives to him – God teaches him step by step and word for word how to build the new Islamic community – are many. My advice to myself, to our youth, to the promoters of religious affairs and to all those who have the affairs of the people in their hands is to pay attention to all these ayahs and to see all these concepts in the Holy Quran. These concepts form a collection, a complete collection. Our problem is that we ignore this complete collection of divine teachings to the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and the description that God makes about him. If we keep this complete collection within sight, then that correct behavior and that straight path which the Holy Prophet took will emerge before our feet: “Verily, you are on a straight path” [The Holy Quran, 43: 43]. This straight path should be found.
Because our dear brothers and sisters from our country, and from other countries as well as the dear guests of the “Unity Conference”, and the honorable ambassadors of Islamic countries from various Islamic denominations – including various denominations of Shia and Sunni with various philosophies – are present at this meeting and because these statements will be heard later on, what I deem necessary to say in this meeting is this: dear brothers and sisters, today the world of Islam is suffering from grave maladies and the solution for those maladies is Islamic unity. What the world of Islam needs is unity, collaboration, assistance and passage through denominational and intellectual differences.
Today, the outlook of arrogance and imperialism towards the world of Islam is that they are trying to make the world of Islam drift away from its unity as much as possible. This is a threat to them. The existence of a billion and a half Muslims and the existence of all these Islamic countries with all these resources and with such extraordinary manpower is a threat to them! If they are united and if they move towards their Islamic goals with unity, then global powers will not be able to beat the drum of their power anymore. If this happens, America will not be able to impose its willpower on countries, governments and nations and the malignant and malevolent Zionist network will no longer be able to take different governments and powers in the claws of its own power and to use them in the direction of its own path and goals. If Muslims are united, this will be the case.
If Muslims are united, Palestine will not be in the situation that it is in now. Today, Palestine is in a difficult situation. Gaza and the West Bank are in a difficult situation, both in different ways. Today, the people of Palestine are under serious pressures on a daily basis. They want to erase the issue of Palestine from the minds of people and consign it to oblivion. They want to, as they say, busy the West Asian region, including our own countries – this is an extraordinarily sensitive and strategic region, it is a sensitive region in terms of geography, natural resources and sea passageways – with themselves.
They want Muslims to stand up against Muslims and Arabs against Arabs. They want them to target and destroy one another so that the armies of Muslim countries – particularly those armies that are neighboring the Zionists – weaken on a daily basis. This is their goal.
Today, two willpowers are opposing one another in the region: one is the willpower of unity and another is the willpower of discord. The willpower of unity belongs to believers. The cry of the unity and unanimity of Muslim is being let out by sincere voices. These voices are inviting Muslims to pay attention to their common points. If this happens and if this unity is achieved, the condition that Muslims are in today will change and they will achieve dignity.
Notice that in the present time, Muslims are being killed everywhere ranging from East Asia, Myanmar, to West Africa – Nigeria and other such countries. They are being murdered everywhere. In some places, they are killed by Buddhists, and in some places they are killed by Boko Haram, DAESH and the like. And some people fuel the fire of such discord. English Shia and American Sunni are the same. All of them are the same. They are the two edges of one pair of scissors. They are trying to pit Muslims against one another. This is the message that the willpower of discord – which is a satanic willpower – is conveying, but the message of unity is that Muslims should pass through such discord, that they should stand by one another’s side and that they should work together.
Today, if you look at the statements that arrogant powers and occupiers of nations’ vital spaces make, you see that they invite to discord. Since long ago, the English policy has been described like this: “divide and rule.” “Farraq, tasod” which means “divide and rule.” During the time when England had some power, this was its policy. Today too, this policy is being adopted by material powers in the world – whether America or lately again, England. The English have always been a source of malevolence in our region. They have always been a source of misery for nations. Perhaps, the blows that they have delivered to the life of nations in this region have few peers in other parts of the world.
In the Indian Subcontinent – which is comprised mainly of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in the present time – they delivered severe blows and they pressured the people in a very harsh manner. They did so in Afghanistan, in Iran and in Iraq in different ways. And the last example is Palestine which is the place where they made that disgusting and malevolent move. They rendered Muslims and – in fact – a nation homeless and they made them drift away from their own homes.
A historic country, namely Palestine – whose history has been recorded since millennia – was destroyed by this English policy. From two centuries ago onwards – two centuries-plus a few years: from 1800 onwards – the English have done nothing but behaave in an evil and corrupt manner and issuing threats. This is while that English official [Prime Minister Theresa May] comes here and says that Iran is a threat to the region. Is Iran really a threat to the region? It requires a great deal of shamelessness for those who have been a source of threat, danger and misery in the region to accuse our oppressed and dear country. They are like this.
Since the signs of Islamic awakening emerged in the region, the activities leading to the creation of discord have increased in number. They considered discord as a tool for dominating nations. Since the time when they felt that new ideas, new Islamic thoughts, the resistance of nations, and the revival and liveliness of peoples are coming into being, the seditious movement of the enemies has intensified. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic – which raised the flag of Islam, which held up the Holy Quran, which said proudly that it would implement Islam, which enjoyed power, politics, resources, armed forces and everything else at its disposal and which benefitted from these things and strengthened them on a daily basis – in Iran, this seditious movement has intensified [Audience chant “Allahu Akbar”].
They strengthened this seditious movement in order to confront this Islamic uprising and this Islamic dignity. As long as Islam offered awakening to nations, it was a source of danger for them, but the kind of Islam that does not have any government, army, political system, money and a great and mujahid nation is different from the kind of Islam that has all these things.
The Islamic Republic has a vast land, a mujahid nation and a young, motivated and pious people. It has rich mines, talent that is higher than the global average, and a movement towards science and progress. Of course, it is the case that such Iranians are a source of danger for them! This is because they become role models for Muslim nations. They are opposed to this. Even if they make claims about compromising with us, that is a lie. The nature of their work is violence. These things should be understood and recognized. Nations should be prepared to confront this enemy who has neither morality, religion nor fair-mindedness and who keeps enhancing its appearance, but who is a savage by nature in the true sense of the word.
In my opinion, the most important way to be prepared today is unity among Muslims. Muslims should avoid creating discord. It does not make any difference. All denominations should do so and there is no difference between Shia and Sunni in this regard. All Islamic denominations should try to hide and cover their ideological differences under the numerous bonds that exist among them. The holy existence of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) is the central point for the kindness and interests of all Muslim nations. Everyone loves the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). This is a central point. It is the main point. The Holy Quran is the focal point for the beliefs of all Muslims. The same is true of Holy Ka’bah. Notice how many bonds and common points exist among Muslims! Muslims should pay attention to these common points.
They should identify the elements and agents of the enemies and of arrogance. Unfortunately, that enemy says openly, “You are enemies of one another. That country is a threat to you.” This means that they are your enemy and you are theirs! He who says this is the enemy, well it is clear that he says such a thing. Why do those who hear this – those who live and rule in an Islamic appearance and under an Islamic title – accept it from him? Why should they confirm what he says? Why should the outlook of some regional countries be the outlook of following the open enemies of Islam and the outright enemies of the Islamic Ummah?
What I would like to say to our own people – to the dear people of Iran who have really passed a difficult test during the years after the formation of the Islamic Republic and during the revolutionary years that led to the formation of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution – is that they should not abandon this path which is the path of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) and the path of our revolution. You should follow this path. Dignity in this world and in the afterworld depends on taking this path: the path of holding on to the Holy Quran and e’trat [the Holy Prophet’s (s.w.a.) household], the path of holding on to divine rules, the path of standing up against the enemies and the path of fearlessness in stating and defending the truth.
This is a path that will build the worldly and otherworldly affairs of our people if they follow it. Fortunately, they have followed it until today. They have stood behind the officials of the country and they have followed this glorious path. This is what will happen if this path and this fighting continue. And other Muslims in the world will benefit from it as well. We invite all Muslim governments and countries to help and collaborate with one another. This is an invitation that is to the advantage of everyone.
I hope that Allah the Exalted showers His goodness, blessings and mercy on everyone in the Islamic Ummah, and on all Islamic countries and nations [audience answers with saying “Ameen”] and I hope that He helps this region to get rid of the enemies’ malevolence, God willing.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings
Source: Khamenei.ir
