Statements on the Anniversary of the Blessed Eid of Prophethood

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

We congratulate you on this great Eid, which is a celebration for all of humanity, not just for the Islamic Ummah. We hope that God blesses this Eid for you, the esteemed attendees, the honored guests, the dear people of Iran, and all Muslim nations and all of humanity.

The issue of the prophethood of the noble Prophet, which our limited tongues and short minds have spoken much about - and everyone has spoken - is indeed a vast arena, and it will not be possible to express the dimensions of this great event soon. As time goes on and humanity, through various experiences, becomes more aware of its shortcomings and the harms of its life, the various dimensions of the prophethood of the noble Prophet become more evident. This prophethood was, in fact, a call for people to enter the realm of rational education, moral education, and legal education. These are the things that a comfortable and evolving human life requires.

First and foremost is rational education. This means extracting human reason, placing it in charge of human thoughts and actions, handing the torch of human reason to humanity so that it can discern the path and be capable of traversing it; this is the first issue, and it is also the most important issue. In addition to the fact that the issue of reason is emphasized in the prophethood of the Prophet, the issue of knowledge is also raised. Throughout the Quran and the non-Quranic teachings of the Prophet, wherever you look, you see an emphasis on reason, intellect, contemplation, reflection, and such expressions; even on the Day of Resurrection, from the mouths of the wrongdoers, the Quran states: "If we had listened or understood, we would not be among the companions of the Fire"; the reason we have fallen into the fire of hell is that we did not refer to our intellect, we did not listen, we did not pay attention; thus, today, on the Day of Resurrection, we have fallen into this bitter eternal fate.

In the records of all the Prophets, in the lives of all the Prophets - this is not exclusive to the Seal of the Prophets - the call to reason is paramount. Of course, in Islam, this is stronger, clearer, and more evident. Therefore, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) states regarding the reason for the prophethood of the Prophets: "To remind them of the covenant of their nature" to the point that: "and to awaken the treasures of their intellect"; the treasures of intellect, the intellect, are to be extracted. This treasure of intellect is within you and me. Our problem is that we are like a person who is sleeping on a treasure, unaware of it, and dies of hunger without benefiting from it. Our situation is like this. When we do not refer to reason, when we do not place reason as the arbiter, when we do not educate reason, when we do not hand over the reins of the self to reason, our situation remains as it is.

This treasure is at our disposal, yet we do not utilize it. Then, due to ignorance and the numerous consequences of it, we face many problems in life, both in this world and the hereafter. Therefore, in a hadith, the noble Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, reason is the bridle of ignorance"; reason is the bridle that is tied to the feet of an animal - a camel or otherwise - to prevent it from moving, to keep it under control. He states that reason is the bridle of ignorance; this is the binding that prevents a person from acting in ignorance. Then he says: "And the self is like the worst of beasts"; the human self is like the most wicked of animals; it is like the most wicked of four-legged creatures; this is the self. "If you do not control it, it will wander"; when you do not bridle this self, do not control it, do not take its reins in hand, it becomes lost; like a wild animal that does not know where it is going, it becomes lost; it is with this wandering that problems arise for a person in their personal life, in their social life, and for a human community. This is what reason is.

The first task of the noble Prophet is to awaken reason, to stir the power of thought; to strengthen the power of thought in a society. This is the solution to problems. It is reason that guides a person to religion, that draws a person to religion. It is reason that compels a person to servitude before God. It is reason that prevents a person from foolish and ignorant actions and from being attached to the world; this is reason. Therefore, the first task is to strengthen the power of reason and intellect in society; this is our duty.

In the Islamic community, today, we have sought to be a model of the Islamic community of the noble Prophet, with all our weaknesses, with all the shortcomings that exist within us, in the face of the unparalleled greatness of the Prophet, we have moved in this way, we have sought to create a model of that. In this community, reason must be the criterion, the standard.

The second education is moral education, which is: "I was sent to perfect moral virtues"; to complete the moral virtues among the people. Morality is that gentle air that, if present in human society, allows humans to live healthily by breathing it. When morality is absent, when immorality prevails, greed, desires, ignorance, worldly pursuits, personal grudges, envy, stinginess, and suspicion towards one another arise - when these moral vices come into play - life becomes hard; the atmosphere becomes constricted; the ability to breathe healthily is taken away from humans. Therefore, in the Holy Quran, in several places - "He purifies them and teaches them the Book and wisdom" - purification, which is the same as moral growth, is placed before teaching. In the same narration that we mentioned regarding reason from the noble Prophet - after he discusses reason - he states that then from reason, forbearance arises; from forbearance, knowledge arises. One should pay attention to the order of these matters: reason first brings about forbearance; the state of patience, the state of tolerance. When this state of forbearance exists, the ground for learning knowledge, for increasing one's information - both personally and socially - will be prepared; that is, knowledge comes after forbearance. Forbearance is morality. In the verse of the Quran, "He purifies them and teaches them the Book and wisdom", purification is placed before teaching. This is moral education. Today, we have the utmost need for this moral education; both we, the people of Iran, the Islamic community in this geographical area, and in the entire Islamic world; the great Islamic Ummah, the Muslim communities. These are our primary needs.

Following that is legal education, legal discipline. The first person to act upon all the Islamic laws was the noble Prophet of Islam himself. It has been narrated from Umm al-Mu'minin Aisha that when asked about the Prophet - the ethics of the Prophet, the behavior of the Prophet - she said: "His character was the Quran"; his ethics, his behavior, his life embodied the Quran. That is, there was nothing that he commanded that he himself was unaware of. All of these are lessons for us; all of these are lessons. It is not that we want to compare that greatness with our own shortcomings; there, it is the peak, we are moving in the foothills; but we are moving towards the peak; the standard is there, the criterion is there.

The field of life is also a field of testing. The Iranian nation has passed through these difficult tests to reach this dignity. As long as we were content with the mere name of "There is no god but God" and the mere pronunciation of "There is no god but God" and occasionally the mentality of "There is no god but God", we were captive in the grip of tyranny. When we acted, when we recognized the practical field of "There is no god but God" and stepped into it, we became a Muslim nation, and the Almighty God granted us that dignity, that power, that prominent and brilliant identity. If we take a step, the Almighty God responds; He is swift to respond.

In the revolution, in the sacred defense, in the various tests of these thirty years, our nation has passed the test well. To the extent that we have worked, to the same extent, we have moved, the Almighty God has granted us achievements. Of course, the achievements are very great: "Whoever brings a good deed will have ten times its like". Ten times our efforts, the Almighty God has given us. Where were we during the era of tyranny among the Islamic Ummah and among the nations of the world? Isolated, unknown, forgotten, within ourselves without the necessary sensitivities, without the courage, without the efforts that drive a nation towards its goals; we were like this. Today, our youth, our scholars, our scientists, our industrialists, our farmers, our people, have great aspirations, they are moving towards those aspirations, and you see the results. The greatest powers of the world have set their slogan to confront the Islamic Republic! They think they are intimidating the Iranian nation with this action, threatening them; they do not know that the Iranian nation feels its identity when it sees that the most materialistic and wicked powers of the world see the Iranian nation as an obstacle to achieving their nefarious goals; this is no small matter. They say they want to do this and that in the Middle East, and they do not even mention ten times their nefarious goals; the Iranian nation is an obstacle; the nation of the Islamic Republic is an obstacle. This indicates the greatness of this nation, the greatness of this system; the greatness of this government that has been able to prevent the arrogant powers of the world from achieving their goals - at least in a specific area of the geography of the world. The Iranian nation has achieved this by moving in the realm of the laws of religion.

The Prophet himself was an agent; "The Messenger believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord", and the believers followed the Prophet. He is the agent, and the people look to his actions, they find the path. The role of the great figures of society, the role of the leaders of society, the role of the elites of society is this. We should not be satisfied with words. In your midst, there are many officials of the country; each of you can be a role model in terms of action, in terms of being a model for those who look to you.

Our nation is a good nation, a great nation, a loyal nation, a sacrificing nation. We have seen examples of this over the past thirty years; in the recent events, in these elections and the incidents that arose after the elections, you witnessed the role of the nation. There are various tastes in the social life among the nation; they express their opinions, each expresses their view; but when they feel that there is enmity against the system, when they feel that there is a hand managing a movement to strike at the governing system, the people distance themselves from them; even if they express the same slogan that these masses believe in; they see that he is an enemy, they distance themselves. This is an important issue.

In the events of these days - in these thirty years, there has not been a day that we have not gained an experience, learned something - we have learned many things, we have understood many things; it has become an experience for our nation; everyone understood that when the nation, in the midst of stability and calm, carries out a great movement, it must not remain oblivious to the enmity of enemies who are plotting against it. Everyone said a forty-million election, an unprecedented greatness from the beginning of the revolution until now, the presence of the people in the scene after thirty years, the power to attract people and bring them to the scene for the system; this was a greatness; they must not be negligent; everyone understood that in such a situation, they must not be negligent that the enemy is lying in wait; it is vigilant. Now, as soon as it is said that the foreign enemy, immediately the foreigners come with a righteous face saying no, no, we have no interference, we have done nothing. This is shamelessness; everyone sees. Now, the actions that intelligence agencies and others uncover and know about the interventions, that is aside; what everyone is observing is the role of the media, which has played the most important role in the transformations of nations in recent decades.

Some time ago, several years ago, I warned here that the media and the propaganda and intelligence apparatuses affiliated with global arrogance are the most prominent elements of the enemies of the independence of nations for inciting chaos among nations; to divert them from the path they are on. And I gave examples of several countries. Well, today, compared to those several years ago when we made this statement, communication tools have become much more widespread, broader, more public, and more diverse. The enemies are working, and then they say we are doing nothing! We are taking no action! Their instructions for the ignorant and unaware groups of rioters are being openly broadcast in their own media: this is how to confront the police; this is how to speak against the Basij; this is how to create chaos in the streets; this is how to destroy; this is how to set fire; is this not interference? More obvious than this? More blatant? Our people have seen this with their own eyes. These are experiences for our nation. It is a mistake if someone thinks that a small group, even if they are in Tehran, suppose they attack a municipal waste container - they can overpower it - or suppose they attack people's property - their motorcycles, their cars, their banks, their shops - they are the people; no, they are not the people. Yes, when the arrogant loudspeakers want to support them, they say they are the people. Are these people?! The people are those millions who, when they see these rioters, these corrupt individuals in the scene, distance themselves and look at them with disgust; they look at those who disrupt public security, social calm with aversion.

Anyone today who directs society towards chaos and insecurity is a detestable person in the eyes of the Iranian nation; whoever they may be. Any goal that this nation wants to achieve will be reached in the shadow of calm and security. When there is security, there is education, there is knowledge, there is progress, there is industry, there is wealth, there is various comfort, there is worship; both this world and the hereafter exist in the shadow of security. When insecurity is created, all of these are compromised. Disrupting the security of a nation is the greatest sin that someone can commit. This, of course, is not addressed to those who are agents, mercenaries, who do not listen; our address is to the elites. The masses are also vigilant; our elites must be vigilant.

Elites should know that any word, any action, any analysis that helps them, this movement is contrary to the nation. All of us must be very careful; we must be very careful: careful in speaking, careful in positioning, careful in what we say, careful in what we do not say. There are some things that must be said; if we do not say them, we have not fulfilled our duty. There are some things that must not be spoken; if we say them, we have acted contrary to our duty. Elites are in an examination session; it is a great test. In this test, failing, being rejected, is not just that we fall behind a year; it is a downfall. If we do not want to fall into this meaning, the way is to place reason, which invites humanity to servitude, as the criterion and standard; to make it the benchmark.

Reason is not the political games and conventional political maneuvers; these are contrary to reason. "Reason is what is worshipped by the Most Merciful and through which one earns paradise"; reason is what guides a person to the right path. Those who think that by engaging in political maneuvering, they are acting rationally are mistaken; no, reason is what paves the way for the worship of God. Its criterion for us, between ourselves and God, is to look and see if we have sincerity in expressing this word or not? Are we thinking of God or not? Am I speaking for the sake of God, for the pleasure of God, or am I speaking to attract your attention? Is it for the sake of God or for the sake of the listener and non-listener? This is the criterion. We must refer to ourselves; the most just of judges regarding a person is the person themselves. Let us not deceive ourselves; let us understand what we are doing; let us understand what we are saying; what actions we are taking.

The path has been opened for us. The prophethood should be viewed in this light. The prophethood is not just a celebration to celebrate, clap, eat sweets, distribute, and rejoice; it is not that. The prophethood is a milestone; it is a celebration. A celebration means that moment that directs a person to a truth. It is a celebration; we should look at the prophethood, look at the Prophet, look at those great struggles, then look at that profound impact; ten years - ten years in the life of a nation is like a moment - in these ten years, this great man, this great figure, what did he do! Where can any ten years be compared to that blessed ten years in which the noble Prophet governed! What movement did he create in the history of humanity; what storm did he raise; what safe harbor did he show humanity beyond that storm, and how did he show the way! He lived sixty-three years. Now, with our long lives, with these childish and immature movements, we want to advance that path - now to wherever it may lead - when such a movement is carried out with sincerity, with struggle, with divine guidance, its result is the same as what was attached to the ten years of the Prophet's governance, which brought about that greatness.

O Lord! Awaken us; make our hearts more familiar with the truths of Islam. O Lord! Assist the Iranian nation in this righteous and steadfast path they have taken. O Lord! Make the heart of the holy Imam of the Age pleased and satisfied with us.

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