Statements in Meeting with a Group of People from East Azerbaijan

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters. I am very grateful to God that, thanks be to God, we have this opportunity today to gather in this Hosseiniyah, where the purity and spirituality of the families of martyrs and the dear youth and the sincere people of Tabriz and Azerbaijan remind us of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and illuminate our lives and work environment with the attentiveness and purity that we have always observed in you dear Tabrizis.

This is a meaningful conjunction. Today is Arbaeen, and the incident of the twenty-ninth of Bahman in Tabriz is also an Arbaeen-like event. Arbaeen in the tragedy of Karbala was a beginning; it was a start. After the event of Karbala - that great catastrophe occurred - and the unparalleled sacrifice of Aba Abdillah (peace be upon him) and his companions and family took place in that limited environment, the incident of the captivities had to spread the message, and the sermons and revelations of truth by Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) and Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) had to disseminate thought, event, goal, and direction widely; and they did. The characteristic of an environment of oppression is that people do not find the opportunity and courage to demonstrate the truths they have understood in their actions; because, firstly, the oppressive and tyrannical system does not allow people to understand, and if the understanding of the people escapes from its grasp and they comprehend, it does not allow them to act upon what they have understood. In Kufa, in Sham, on the way, many understood many things from the words of Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) or Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) or from witnessing the condition of the captives, but who had the courage, who had the ability to express what they had understood in the face of that system of oppression, global arrogance, tyranny, and oppression? It remained like a lump in the throats of the believers. This lump burst on Arbaeen; the first surge occurred on Arbaeen in Karbala.

The late Seyyed Ibn Tawus - and the great scholars - have written that when the caravan of captives, meaning Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) and the others, entered Karbala on Arbaeen, there were not only Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari and Atiyyah al-Awfi there, but also "men from Bani Hashim"; a number of Bani Hashim and some of the companions had gathered around the grave of the Master of Martyrs to welcome Lady Zainab (peace be upon her). Perhaps this policy of guardianship that Lady Zainab insisted on going to Karbala - on the return from Sham - was for this very reason, so that this small but meaningful gathering would occur there. Now, some have expressed disbelief that how it could be possible for them to reach Karbala by Arbaeen. The late martyr Ayatollah Qazi has a detailed writing proving that yes, it is possible that this event occurred. In any case, what is mentioned in the words of the great scholars and the ancients is that when Lady Zainab and the family of the Prophet entered Karbala, Atiyyah al-Awfi and Jabir ibn Abdullah and men from Bani Hashim were present there. This is a sign and an example of the realization of that goal that had to be achieved through martyrdoms; that is, the spread of this thought and giving courage to the people. From here, the story of the Tawabeen emerged; although the story of the Tawabeen was suppressed, shortly thereafter, the story of the uprising of Mukhtar and the rest of those brave men of Kufa occurred, resulting in the intertwined downfall of the oppressive and vile Bani Umayyah due to this.

Of course, after them, the Marwanis came; however, the struggle continued; the path was opened. This is the characteristic of Arbaeen. That is, there is revelation in Arbaeen, there is action, and the realization of the goals of that revelation also exists in Arbaeen.

The same thing happened in the Arbaeen of Tabriz. I have told the dear people of Tabriz this before; if the incident of the twenty-ninth of Bahman had not occurred in Tabriz, meaning the remembrance of the martyrs of Qom was not kept alive with such sacrifice by the people of Tabriz, the course of the struggle might have taken a different path. It was very likely that this great incident would not have occurred in this form. That is, the issue of Tabriz and the uprising of the people of Tabriz on the twenty-ninth of Bahman was a decisive event. The story of the bloodshed in Qom and the original motivation of the movement in Qom was revived and kept alive by the incident of Tabriz. Naturally, the people paid a price for this; they sacrificed their lives, their comfort, their security, everything. However, the result they achieved was the awakening of the entire country. Therefore, an Arbaeen was held for Qom, and for the Arbaeen of the martyrs of Tabriz on the twenty-ninth of Bahman, several Arbaeen were held. This shows the expansion of the movement. This is the characteristic of a correct movement.

Well, that is history; these are from the past. Thirty-one years have now passed since the twenty-ninth of Bahman in 1978 when this incident occurred in Tabriz. Thirty-one years is a long time. Many of those present here were either not in the world during that period - the youth - or if they were, they were children and did not understand. What is the lesson? Every incident that stems from a correct intention, from a correct thought - great events have lessons - has a lesson; those lessons must be learned. The lesson of the incident of the twenty-ninth of Bahman is the impact of awareness, awakening, being alert, one; and the courage to act, two - not considering the difficulties and dangers - and hope for the future, three; these are three characteristics. Firstly, they must understand. Many did not understand the importance of the situation. The people of Tabriz understood the situation and sensitivity and acted. This intelligence and understanding of the situation and sensitivity is an important matter. After the sensitive situation was understood, there must be determination and courage to act. This is the second point. And then, this action must be taken with hope, relying on God, trusting in God, and having a good opinion of God. Part of the lessons of the twenty-ninth of Bahman is these.

If these people were not believers in God, if faith did not surge within the hearts of these people, that awareness, even if it came into existence, would not be useful; it would not lead to action. The faith of the people, the alertness of the people, timely action, all of these played a role. This became a lesson for us; today it is the same; the future will also be the same. Events must be followed with alertness.

Many nations did not understand the sensitivity of the situation at critical times. Because they did not understand, events overwhelmed them, passed over them, and they remained oblivious and trampled by events. If on the day when some scholars stood against the tyranny of Reza Khan, everyone had supported them, if the entire nation had understood what was happening in this country and stood firm, perhaps our nation would have been fifty years ahead and would not have endured the losses of fifty years of the decline of the tyrannical and dependent Pahlavi regime. Negligence causes one to endure these losses. Negligence should not be exercised. If on the day when the Americans staged a coup in this country - America and England together, in 1953 - the sensitivity of the situation was understood, appropriate action would have been taken, certainly the years of losses that befell the country would not have occurred. Events must be monitored with alertness.

Today, our nation observes a broad front that is striving with all its might to strip the Islamic Revolution of its anti-global arrogance characteristics. From the very beginning of the victory of the revolution, that front has sought to prevent the Islamic Republic, which is the offspring of the revolution, from taking root; they made all their efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic from growing from its foundation, and of course, they could not. They took political action, imposed economic sanctions, waged an imposed war on this nation for eight years, equipped the enemies of this nation, and sowed internal temptations into the heart of the revolution and the Islamic Republic system; they could not succeed. They have come to the conclusion that the Islamic Republic system cannot be toppled; because its defenders, its supporters, are the steadfast hearts of the believing people; millions of believing individuals have upheld this system. The discussion of officials and the government is not the issue. At one time, a system may rely on a few individuals, and a number of mercenaries are part of that system; that system poses no threat to global arrogance. At another time, a system relies on the faith of the people, on the hearts of the people, on the deep support of the people; this system cannot be shaken. This is what global arrogance has understood. These marches, this magnificent and glorious display of your people on the twenty-second of Bahman this year, the scientific advancements, the presence of the youth in various arenas, the slogans of the revolution that, fortunately, have become more vibrant than before - no official feels ashamed of the slogans of the revolution; they take pride in independence, in freedom, in Islam, in this valid and profound constitution - shows that the system cannot be shaken. They have come to the conclusion that they must reduce the content of the system as much as they can. This cultural assault that I mentioned a few years ago, this cultural blitz that one observes in various sectors, and today one still sees its signs in various areas, is intended for this purpose; it aims to strip the revolution of its content, its Islamic and religious essence, and its revolutionary spirit. This is one of those sensitive points that requires the alertness of the people. This is like the incident of the twenty-ninth of Bahman. Many did not understand the importance of the twenty-ninth of Bahman; you Tabrizis understood this, and in the stage of action, you applied your understanding; it has always been like this at all junctures. The importance of events must be understood by our nation; and fortunately, today they understand; the nation is completely alert. This itself has been one of the blessings of the revolution and the Islamic Republic system. The people have awakened, and they have gained analytical power.

Everyone should know that today the enemies of the Islamic Republic feel helpless in uprooting this solid foundation; their effort is to gradually strip this content through various means, through the hands of those who were and are part of this revolution. The Islamic Republic may bear the name of an Islamic Republic, it may be called a revolutionary system, but there should be no news of the content of Islam, of the content of the revolution in it. What value does a name have? Content is necessary; content is important. My duty, your duty is to defend the revolutionary content, to defend the valuable principles of the revolution, and not to allow these valuable foundations and these lofty values to be overlooked; this is our duty.

And let us know that the Almighty God supports the people who move with faith in Him and apply their human power and strength towards a goal. Certainly, God helps those who act for divine goals. Where we have failed, where God has not helped us, it has been because we did not do the right thing; we did not bring our share. If we bring our share to the field, the Almighty God will also help. He says: "Fulfill My covenant, and I will fulfill your covenant"; you act and fulfill the covenant you have with Me, and I will also act upon that covenant; it is a mutual agreement. The Almighty God, who is the owner of life and the giver of all blessings to us, has made a bilateral contract with us. You act, and we will also act; that is, the Almighty God has given this promise. If we do not fulfill our duty, we cannot expect divine help.

Thanks be to God, the Iranian nation has shown that they are people of action, people of work. Throughout these thirty years, when our enemies expected that the slogans of the revolution would be forgotten, today, as you look at the gatherings of the people, at the statements of the people, at the slogans of the people on the thirtieth anniversary of the revolution, you see that the same feelings of the early revolution and the same slogans are present; this straight path has been preserved; this is very important. In various revolutions throughout history, we do not witness such a thing. This is due to the blessing of faith in God and the blessing of Islam. The slogans of the revolution must be preserved. This should be especially valued by the youth; they should appreciate it. Fortunately, our current youth generation is more adept and experienced than the youth of that day. If in those days the dominance was with emotions, today the presence of the youth in the field is due to thought and intellect; it is not merely emotions; although emotions are also present and important; but there is also thought, correct understanding, and presence in the field.

May God unite our dear martyrs with the Prophet; and may our great Imam, who is the leader of this great movement, be united with his saints; and God willing, may He make us soldiers of this path and devotees of this sacred goal and may He daily increase His blessings upon you dear brothers and sisters.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.