Statements of the Leader of the Revolution in a Meeting with a Group of Basij Members and Activists of the Pure Tree Project 'Salihin'

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

We thank God for providing us with a sample of what was witnessed in the great event of Ashura, which has manifested in our time; men, women, and youth who thought of the goal, who set aside their lives, their wealth, and their worldly attachments; we witnessed this during the Sacred Defense and today we observe its continuation and blessings. The coincidence of these days with the great event of Ashura is instructive. The Islamic community must never overlook the event of Ashura as a lesson, as a lesson, as a guiding banner. Certainly, Islam is alive through Ashura and through Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him). As he said: "And I am from Hussein"; this means that my religion, my path, is continued through Hussein (peace be upon him). If the event of Ashura had not occurred, if this great sacrifice had not taken place in the history of Islam, this practical lesson would not have been given to the Islamic community, and certainly, Islam would have deviated as the religions before Islam did, and nothing of the truth of Islam, of the light of Islam, would have remained. The greatness of Ashura lies in this. Of course, the tragedy of Ashura is heavy, the loss is great; the life of someone like Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) is worth all of heaven and earth, and the pure and noble souls of those companions, those youths, those family members, cannot be compared to the life of anyone else; they rolled in the dust and blood in this field, they sacrificed, they became martyrs, the honored sanctuary of the Prophet and the Commander of the Faithful fell into captivity; these events are very heavy, very bitter, very hard, but what resulted from enduring these bitter and hard events is so great, so magnificent and enduring that it makes the endurance of these hard events easy for someone like Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and his companions and family. This has been narrated by the greats; the late Haj Mirza Javad Agha Maleki (may God be pleased with him) emphasizes in his observations - which are authoritative, a proof - that on the day of Ashura, as the calamities became heavier, the face of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) became more radiant, and the signs of blossoming in that great man became more apparent. These profound and mysterious truths must always be before our eyes.

Well, in our time, we have seen examples of these sacrifices; what we read in history, parts of it, examples of it, one of the most important and prominent manifestations of which is this pure tree of Basij, both before the onset of the imposed war, during the Sacred Defense - this very difficult and hard experience for the country - and even after the Sacred Defense until today, we have witnessed it; the issue of Basij, the experience of Basij, has had very great blessings, and God willing, these blessings must continue and will continue.

One point is that during the Sacred Defense, what was seen in the movement of Basij had a high measure of sincerity, which we must also ensure today in the Basij movement. Today's battlefield is more complex. Entering the arena of war and combat, taking on responsibility, then becoming a martyr or a disabled veteran, or returning safely, being present in that field is a dangerous task, but it is not complex. Being present in today's field in confronting the enemy's plots, the enemy's attacks, and the alignment of these two fronts has its complexities; the immediate dangers of that day may not exist today, but there are more complexities. The advantage of that scene was that anyone who went showed a clear sincerity. Entering that field was entering a field of life and death; it was no joke: it required courage, it required sacrifice, it required faith, it required reliance on God, and they went and became martyrs. Today, in various fields, the same faith, the same courage is necessary, but without these elements, some may appear in the guise of Basijis; this must be monitored. We must first take care of ourselves and then take care of the Basij environment; this is the task of each individual in Basij. The measure of Basij spirit in the Basij community, including in these 'Salihin' groups, which you have taken charge of and manage, must rise; we must guarantee sincerity and ensure it in our activities. This is somewhat difficult. One reason that jihad in the field of confronting the self and spiritual matters is called 'the greater' is precisely because the work is harder. In the war against the enemy - military war - one can easily measure the level of one's sincerity and the level of others' sincerity; it is easier to measure, but here; here, both the person can make mistakes, and others can make mistakes in recognizing the person.

Another point is that we must avoid the pitfalls regarding ourselves. The pitfall of arrogance, the pitfall of pretense and hypocrisy; these pitfalls are deadly. If we achieve success, we must be grateful to God, recognize it as from God, and seek God's help for its continuation; this is also a fundamental issue that we should not fall into arrogance, should not become overly self-confident, should not think of ourselves as the source; we must rely on God the Almighty. The truth of the matter is that there is no power other than that which is in the hands of the Creator, the Glorious; it is His work; our success, our choices, our abilities, our enthusiasm, the faith and love that is in our hearts, all are the creation of the hand of the Lord. We must know this, be grateful, and seek His increase from God the Almighty. This is also an issue.

A fundamental point that I fortunately saw in the statements of those who spoke here has been given attention is the quality and depth of these groups that form the body of Basij and the main foundations of Basij. What harms, what strikes, is superficiality in belief and understanding and in choosing logic and basis. Superficiality strikes; like a heavy load placed on a cargo group, a strong wind, a severe shake, it will throw it down. Depth must be given, roots must be given to beliefs; these are things that you have fortunately paid attention to. The formation of 'Salihin' groups was established based on this view to spiritually, educationally, and pedagogically deepen the thought and spirit of our Basij youth in various sectors.

Well, when we look at the whole, we see that the existence of Basij is one of the miracles of the Revolution. This initiative of our great Imam shows his awareness, his wisdom, and the connection of his radiant heart to the divine will, to divine wisdom. Basij became a solid foundation for the Revolution. Today, Basij is active in the fields of science, experience, technology, spirituality, social services, and theorizing in various aspects of social life, in education, in training; see how active it is in various sectors. If one day an experience arises and the nation is forced to take up arms against the enemy and engage in military defense, again, this same group of youth, this Basij, these brave youth of our dear nation, will demonstrate the bravery of the Iranian nation, the endurance of the Iranian nation, the power of the Iranian nation, and the invincibility of the Iranian nation to the enemy. Other groups, other countries that wish to take steps in this radiant path of Islam or have taken steps will follow this experience. This experience is a successful one. We must show good performance. This Basij guideline will be established in the Islamic world and among Islamic countries and nations as a living and applicable guideline, and this has largely happened today and has been accomplished. Therefore, strengthening Basij, purifying and spiritualizing the Basij elements, and expanding Basij activities to all areas of life are among the fundamental tasks that the involved parties in Basij and those connected to it and activists in it must pursue.

Starting with oneself is also a command of Islam to us; all of us at all levels must start with ourselves. "Whoever appoints himself as an Imam for the people must begin by educating himself before educating others." In all levels, it is the same. We must start with ourselves; we must instill this in Basij.

This discussion of lifestyle and the method of living according to Islamic views can serve as a criterion for self-awareness within Basij. The issue is not that higher and superior institutions come to measure us, to see how we are; the issue is that we ourselves must measure ourselves. How is our behavior in the workplace? How is our behavior with our spouse and children? How is our behavior in our living environment and social environment? How is our behavior with subordinates? How is our behavior with someone who is above us? How is our behavior with friends? With enemies? All of these have measures and criteria in Islam. We must evaluate ourselves. This is what it means to measure one's own measure, to know oneself correctly. If we start from here, the foundation of our lives, the foundation of our work in all areas, especially in Basij, which is now our discussion, will be strengthened.

In any case, our country, our nation, our revolution, and our history need Basij, and Basij needs to continuously improve its quality, and this work that you dear brothers and sisters are engaged in, the section related to 'Salihin' and these classes of 'Salihin', is among the very good and prominent works and is on the path of completing Basij, which God willing, must be completed day by day. Qualities must rise; of course, quality takes precedence over quantity, but quantity with quality also has importance; that is, superficial and horizontal expansion along with depth must both be considered. Today, the Islamic world is in need of this Basij movement.

The barbarities that occurred in Gaza in the past week, which truly astonish one with the savagery of the officials of the Zionist regime, must shake the conscience of the Islamic world, and this great popular movement in the Islamic world must gain a new spirit. The enemy is not idle, and this movement has various dimensions: firstly, the savagery of the leaders of the Zionist regime. How savage they are, how far they are from human conscience; attacking innocent people, non-combatants in this way! One truly wonders, is astonished; they have not taken a whiff of humanity. They are against the Islamic world, they are against the Islamic Republic system, they claim to represent the Islamic Republic in global forums; these inhumane beings. This is one important dimension of the issue.

Another dimension of the issue is that the leaders of the system of domination behave so shamelessly regarding this issue that it astonishes one; that is, not only do they not frown, not only do they not deter this cruel and savage regime from its actions, but they also strengthen, encourage, and support it! America explicitly supported it, England supported it, France supported it. These are the leaders of the global arrogance. These are the same people that the Muslim nations today, in the depths of their hearts, have no harsher and more detestable enemies than these. They all explicitly supported it. The weight of the inclination towards ethics and spirituality in the world of arrogance can be understood from this incident. How far they are from humanity! Well, now they provide political support for corrupt political purposes; why do these individuals still talk about human rights?! Does America, which not only does not take a stance against this cruel and savage movement but also supports it, have the right to talk about human rights? Does it have the right to consider itself the judge of nations and governments regarding human rights? This is also a double shamelessness. France is the same, England is the same. The history of their behavior in the Islamic world, the crimes they have committed, the massacres they have carried out, the pressures they have exerted on Muslim people in various countries, these have not been forgotten by the Muslim nations; yet today they support and defend a savage and cruel regime like the Zionist regime. This is another dimension of this issue.

Another dimension of the issue is the behavior of Arab and Islamic countries, which was not appropriate. Some limited themselves to words, some did not even speak; they did not even condemn! Those who claim Islam, those who claim to invite Muslims to unity, those who claim to guide the Islamic world, well, in such times, they must show themselves. In various issues that serve their political purposes, they enter without hesitation, but here, because the side is America; because the side is England, they are not even willing to condemn properly. Or they limit themselves to verbal support, which has no value; it is a less effective action. Today, the Islamic world, especially the group of Arab countries, must unite, defend these people, lift the siege, and try to help these oppressed people of Gaza.

Of course, God the Almighty has granted the people of Gaza the success to stand firm against this cruel and savage enemy, to resist, and they have also received the reward for their resistance, which was the dignity of the people of Gaza; they showed that with resistance, with steadfastness, with hard work, they can overcome a large, complex, armed force supported by great powers, even with a small size. Today, the Zionists ruling over occupied Palestine are more desperate for a ceasefire than the people of Gaza and the officials of Gaza. They committed the crimes, they acted wickedly, but they are also suffering the greater blow, due to the steadfastness of the small group of Muslim people of Gaza and the youth of Gaza. And the way is nothing but this; this is a message to the Islamic world: if the Islamic world wants to remain impervious to the attacks of enemies and the wickedness of enemies and the plots of enemies and the treachery and cowardice of enemies, it must defend itself with power. It must create power within itself; both spiritual power, which is the power of faith and will, and material power. Scientific advancement is material power; experience and technology are material power; the ability to produce life equipment, whether weapons or non-weapons, is material power. These must be provided by the Islamic world and Islamic societies for themselves. Then, a unit as small as Gaza endures hardships, sacrifices martyrs, but does something with the enemy, that as we said, today the enemy is more desperate for a ceasefire in Gaza than the officials of Gaza and the people of Gaza. This is a lesson for the Islamic world, and of course, we learned this lesson from the era of Sacred Defense. Thanks be to God, our people, our youth, our scholars, our experiencers have made progress in this regard. We have made progress scientifically, we have made progress experientially; we have understood this truth that we must stand on our own feet. This is also one of these factors of steadfastness.

And unity; unity. This issue of unity and the unity of word among Muslims and the Islamic community with a perspective; and among the Muslim nations in every country, the unity among the people of the country and the various factions of these nations is important; the same applies to us. This is why we repeatedly emphasize to political factions, to the respected officials to maintain unity, to those who have platforms for dialogue; whether newspapers, internet platforms, or various media of executive and non-executive bodies, our constant recommendation to friends, brothers, officials, writers, and speakers regarding the matter of unity is because unity is a tremendous element, and our country, with the unity that fortunately the nation has - that these various disagreements have not been able to fortunately disintegrate the nation - has maintained its integrity at a high level. The officials also have differences of opinion, but differences of opinion, as long as they do not lead to confrontation, are not problematic. This unity and this empathy have been able to preserve the country in the eyes of enemies as a powerful entity, as a powerful country. It is still the same today. A while ago, I recommended unity and solidarity; fortunately, the respected officials of the branches responded; this is very valuable. It is necessary to express gratitude to them; the officials of the branches, the heads of the three branches responded, announced, and emphasized that they will maintain unity among themselves in various fields, despite the differences of opinion and perspectives that exist. We also accept this as a positive movement from these dear brothers and these respected officials and believe that this was indeed a good move, and now they must also be careful with their statements and remarks.

This work that is currently happening in the esteemed Islamic Consultative Assembly is also one of those issues that has a commendable aspect. I want to say this; you dear brothers and sisters and our dear nation should pay attention; that asking questions from the officials of the country, now either from the President or from other executive officials, is positive from two aspects: one is that it shows that the representatives of the people in the legislative branch feel responsible for the issues of the country; this is positive. The other aspect is that the officials of the country, with self-confidence and commendable courage, say they are ready to come and explain, to present these questions; this is also positive. Both our legislative officials are fulfilling their duty, and our executive officials show that they have confidence in their actions and honesty. What more could one want? This is the best. Now this has happened; that is, the Assembly says it wants to ask, this is a sense of duty; the executive apparatus says it wants to respond with confidence and is capable of responding - which they also told us - this is commendable; both issues are good, but I believe that these two positive points have been achieved up to this point, from here on, it should not continue. They should conclude the matter right here; they should finish the matter here. The Assembly has given a good test, the executive officials have given a good test; this test was a good one. The people are also insightful, they understand, they discern. Continuing this work is exactly what the enemies want; they want to pit these two branches against each other; some are influenced by emotions from this side, some are influenced by emotions from that side, some use pens and media in newspapers and internet platforms to create a noisy atmosphere. No, the country needs calm. All officials, whether legislative officials, judicial officials, or executive officials, need calm to carry out their work, and the people also love calm. What the Assembly was supposed to do has been done; the government has also shown the necessary self-confidence in response to what the Assembly's duty is; this is pleasing from both sides. From now on, I ask those brothers and the group of several dozen in the Assembly who initiated this work to conclude the matter and show that both the government officials and the legislative officials and the judiciary respect the unity of this nation and the calm of the country above all else.

We thank all the brothers and sisters active in the field of Basij. God willing, may God grant you all success. We also thank all the brothers and sisters who spoke, and we hope that God will reward them all with goodness. We also thank this dear brother who presented this medal to us. I accepted this medal from him, but at the same time, I return it and gift it back to him; it is better that it remains with him as a memento of his heroism and as a memento from us to him. God willing, may you be successful.