Sermons of the Eid al-Fitr Prayer Led by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution

Sermon 1

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

"All praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds. We praise Him, seek His help, believe in Him, and rely on Him. We send blessings and peace upon His beloved, His chosen one, and the best of His creation, our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and virtuous family and his chosen companions. Peace be upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers. I advise you, O servants of God, to be pious towards God."

I congratulate the blessed Eid al-Fitr to the entire great Islamic Ummah, to the honorable nation of Iran, and to you dear worshippers. I invite and recommend all of you, brothers and sisters, to observe divine piety and righteousness.

The blessed month of Ramadan, which is the month of purity, sincerity, and spirituality for the faithful, has passed for all of us. The Iranian nation demonstrated its vitality and enthusiasm during this month, both in spiritual matters and in political issues. Regarding political matters, on the last Friday of the blessed month of Ramadan, the Iranian nation rose up in unison from all corners of the country; with their voices, their slogans, their presence, and their clear expression, they supported the oppressed nation of Palestine. This year, thanks be to God, in many parts of the Islamic world, this same attention, this same fervor and awareness, and this same sense of responsibility was observed. Certainly, the high spirit of the Islamic Ummah was influenced by the victories of Hezbollah, contributing to this spiritual vitality and political enthusiasm.

As for spiritual vitality, this year our dear nation spent a very pure and lively Ramadan throughout the country; gatherings for prayer and the Quran, gatherings for supplication and intercession, and gatherings for revival and night vigils during the nights of Qadr flourished. Across the country, in cities, villages, and all corners of this great nation, our people—especially the youth—washed their hearts and souls in the water of repentance during these nights. Reliable and trustworthy reports that I have, which are akin to firsthand observation, indicate that in the mosques of Tehran and other cities, and in all places of worship across the country, our youth from all walks of life, with every appearance and demeanor, with every feeling and inclination, came to the mosques during the nights of Qadr and engaged in intimate conversations with their Lord. This youthful purity, this illumination of the hearts of the young, this desire for divine proximity and attention to and communication with God the Exalted among our youth is a great blessing, and thanks be to God, this blessing exists and is increasing day by day. In the last days of the blessed month of Ramadan, thousands of people engaged in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) in some mosques across the country; they spent their nights and days in remembrance and worship, and thousands of Quran recitations took place. Regarding this spiritual cleansing and the purity of our youth's hearts, I would like to mention two points:

The first point is that all people, especially dear youth, should not allow the connection they have established with God the Exalted during these blessed days and luminous nights to be severed; maintain this relationship with God. The means to preserve this relationship is available to everyone. If the five daily prayers are performed with attention, with presence of heart, and with the awareness that we stand before God, it is the best relationship and will illuminate your hearts day by day. Those youths who gathered in mosques, husayniyyas, and holy shrines during the nights of Qadr, cried, recited prayers, held the Quran, engaged in revival, and illuminated their hearts with the light of divine love should maintain this relationship, for they will benefit from it. God willing, over time, in the coming years, this relationship will grow stronger; it is through this path that one will attain the ultimate perfection and purpose of creation. Success in all areas of life is also dependent on this.

The second point is that in these attentions, in these supplications, intimate conversations, and requests made to God, all kinds of needs can be asked of God and should be asked; even small needs. However, do not limit your requests to these small needs; there are greater needs, do not forget them. The greatest of these is "divine forgiveness"; ask God to remove the remnants of transgressions and sins from our hearts and souls; ask God to make the path of repentance easy for you. Another great need is "divine love"; seek the status of divine love from God the Exalted. Another great need is "the reform of the affairs of the Islamic Ummah"; ask God to reform the affairs of all Muslims—not just the Iranian nation—and all Islamic countries; rather, ask God the Exalted for the guidance of humanity to the right path. These prayers have a high likelihood of being answered, and these prayers have an effect; they open paths; they facilitate means and help us reach these great objectives.

We ask the Almighty God to grant you all success and enable you to preserve the blessings of this month for yourselves.

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

By Time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised one another to truth and advised one another to patience.

Sermon 2

"All praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and virtuous family, especially Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the pure lady, the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, and Hasan and Husayn, the masters of the youth of Paradise, and Ali ibn Husayn, and Muhammad ibn Ali, and Ja'far ibn Muhammad, and Musa ibn Ja'far, and Ali ibn Musa, and Muhammad ibn Ali, and Ali ibn Muhammad, and Hasan ibn Ali, and the Awaited Imam. O God, send upon them abundant blessings that will please them and fulfill the rights of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, by Your power and strength, O Lord of the worlds. I seek forgiveness from God and turn to Him and rely upon Him."

In the second sermon, I again advise all brothers and sisters who are worshippers to observe divine piety and maintain righteousness. Regarding important issues that are relevant today, I will briefly mention two or three matters.

One issue that all the Iranian nation must pay attention to is the upcoming elections. We have two important elections ahead; one is the Assembly of Experts election and the other is the city and village council elections.

The importance of the Assembly of Experts election—perhaps no other election in the country holds this degree of importance and sensitivity—lies in the fact that through this election, the people choose their trusted experts to be prepared for the critical moment of the absence of leadership in the country. This trusted assembly must sit and, with complete insight, choose the leader whom they believe is capable of fulfilling the responsibilities of leadership and introduce him to the people.

If such a group is not present and prepared for action at that time—when the country needs to appoint a leader, either because the previous leader has passed away or, God forbid, has fallen from qualifications, necessitating the selection of another leader—such a knot will arise in the management of the country that cannot be untied by any means. This is the characteristic of the leadership election.

The primary task of the Assembly of Experts is this selection, and secondly, to oversee the status of the current leader, to ensure that his qualifications remain intact; whether his knowledge, piety, management, wisdom, sincerity, and truthfulness are still present or have fallen below the required standard. They must oversee this. This is the important task of the Assembly of Experts. No other institution in the country exists that can perform this important task, and the law has granted it such permission and assigned such a duty. Therefore, the Assembly of Experts election is very sensitive.

In the previous term—eight years ago when the Assembly of Experts election was held—foreign radios began their propaganda months before the election to dishearten the people regarding this election, so that they would not participate. Their goal was to create this problem and great knot in the country, so that this qualified body would not exist. Our people, by divine grace and divine guidance, contrary to what the enemies wanted, participated with a strong and enthusiastic presence in the elections and elected the current members of the Assembly of Experts, who are now at the end of their term. Brothers and sisters, know that today this election is also very important, and participation in it is related to the fundamental interests of the nation and the country. The stronger, more credible, more stable, more insightful, and more perceptive this assembly is, the more the future of the country will be guaranteed.

In this election, participate with full enthusiasm and complete insight; send those trusted individuals whom you know or those whom trusted individuals introduce and testify to their qualifications to the Assembly of Experts; so that this assembly remains with the same strength and authority that the law has determined for it, and the future of the country is guaranteed.

Of course, today there is also some propaganda here and there, but not to the extent of eight years ago; because they have become despondent about their words having an effect on the people. Everyone should participate out of a sense of duty and responsibility. Especially since the next term of this assembly, due to legal considerations, will be slightly longer; that is, the next assembly will last nine years and a little.

The next election is the council elections, which means the management of urban and daily life affairs by the people themselves. It is a manifestation of popular sovereignty; it is an important election. It also has its own conditions.

These two elections will take place simultaneously within a short period—less than two months. God willing, all the Iranian nation will participate. All officials should make every effort to ensure that, God willing, these elections are conducted in a healthy, complete, flawless, and orderly manner. Those who have a role in propaganda should not disturb the political atmosphere of the country; slandering this, insulting that, and opposing political factions with one another. What fault do the people have that their minds should be disturbed due to the various political motivations of individuals, groups, and factions? They should allow the election atmosphere to be healthy. Of course, everyone has the right to defend and support themselves and their electoral candidates; this is not a hindrance. Propaganda within reasonable limits and without extravagance is very good; however, insults, destruction, and slander—these actions that are part of the ugly customs of some Western countries—should be set aside; let the people choose in a calm atmosphere, with discernment, insight, and without panic.

The next matter—again a recommendation to the Iranian nation—is the census. In the near future—in just a few days—the national census will be conducted, and according to the law, this census is conducted every ten years. Everyone should pay attention that the foundation of the country's planning is statistics, which is obtained through the census. The more accurate and correct the census is, the more accurate and correct the plans will be, and the greater the possibility of success for the country's development and construction programs will be. Therefore, the people should assist in the census.

The last issue, which is among the regional matters, concerns the issues related to the Palestinian nation and the events in the Middle East and the insidious policies of the United States in the Middle East. The world has understood that the events in the Middle East have turned a page with the victory of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the clear and disgraceful defeat of Israel in the thirty-three-day war, and a new chapter has begun. The policies and plans that the Americans wanted to implement in the Middle East have failed. Of course, this does not mean that the U.S. and Israel are not pursuing their malicious objectives; they are. However, today they stand one step back from where they were and have lost significant advantages. All nations must be vigilant. Our nation, the Lebanese nation, and the Palestinian nation must be alert. The Arab nations of the region, the Iraqi nation, and other Muslim nations must also be vigilant; they must ensure that they do not engage in actions that would facilitate the success of the new treacherous plans of the U.S. and Zionism. What today may be considered a success for the U.S. government and the Israeli regime will be detrimental to all Islamic countries. It is not the case that some will suffer and some will benefit; not at all. What pleases the aggressors, plunderers, and covetous ones in this region will sadden and distress all the nations of this region. Even if they do not pay attention to it in the short term, they will certainly face it in the medium term. Countries must be cautious and maintain their unity. Within nations, national unity must be preserved. Palestinian brothers from various factions and groups should know that their unity is more important than all factors of their victory today. They must not allow the enemy's desire—to sow discord among Palestinian groups—to lead to their division and to neglect the plans that the enemies have drawn for them. The same applies to Lebanon. The Lebanese nation must maintain its unity with the same powerful slogans of Lebanese resistance. The Iraqi nation must avoid sectarian and factional disputes. Today, this is the way and remedy for solving the problems of our region, and we hope that the Almighty God grants us all success and enables all Islamic nations to fulfill these important duties.

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

Say, "He is God, One. God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent."

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