Speech to a Group of Families of Martyrs, Missing, Freed, and Disabled Veterans of Bushehr Province

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings upon our Master and Prophet, Abul-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, and righteous family.

One of the greatest divine blessings upon our Islamic society is the presence of brave men and devoted youth who, from before the victory of the Islamic Revolution until today, have stood against the enemies of the revolution, supporting Islam, the revolution, and the path of God with their lives and blood. Some of these dear ones have attained martyrdom in the path of God, achieving the infinite divine rewards for martyrs, and their names have been recorded in history as a source of pride for Iran, Islam, and the Islamic Revolution, and as a source of honor for our great departed Imam and leader.

If we wish to measure the esteemed martyrs by Islamic values, they undoubtedly rank among the martyrs of early Islam, and perhaps in some cases, they surpass them; because the martyrs of early Islam were present alongside the noble Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) and the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), hearing and feeling the breath of revelation from the great Prophet. However, the martyrs of our time, without seeing the infallible Imam and the noble Prophet, responded to the call of our great and departed Imam (may God's mercy be upon him) and, at the indication of that rightful deputy of the infallibles (peace be upon them), appeared on the dangerous fronts and played the role of a Mojahed in the path of God in the best manner. If it were not for our dear martyrs and their sacrifices, this honor and greatness for Islam would not exist today.

Today, when you look at the world stage, you see that the flag of Islam is flying; Islam is honored; Muslim nations strive and struggle for Islamic governance; the hearts of Muslims are filled with hope; the future is bright for Muslims, and nations do not succumb to fear and terror in the face of the hellish powers of the world. The feeling of humiliation and subjugation that weak nations suffered for decades, if not centuries, is no longer present today; nations have become brave, strong, and proactive.

If one is fair and wishes to analyze this great phenomenon in the world, they will conclude that all these blessings come from the blood of these young people and your children; from the blessing of these warriors who, in the years following the victory of the revolution, appeared on various fronts; they did not consider their lives but focused on divine goals; some attained martyrdom, some were wounded and disabled, and in their youth, were deprived of physical well-being; some were captured by the enemy and endured years of the hardships of prison and the torture of the hostile enemy; these were the ones who brought that honor and greatness to Islam.

There are many fathers and mothers who did not truly know their young ones. Sometimes, when I speak with the fathers or mothers of our dear martyrs about their martyr, they tell me that they did not fully comprehend the spiritual greatness of their child while they were alive. Their young one is the same child they raised. Fathers and mothers cannot fully grasp the greatness of this Mojahed in the path of God; indeed, the nation cannot understand the greatness of these shining stars. I say that we are still unable to accurately discern the greatness of the deeds of these dear martyrs. Do you know what greatness our noble martyrs—our devoted young ones, our passionate and fervent Basijis, or our army and guards—have created in the world and in history?

Islam had been placed in a corner of isolation. The world's oppressors and plunderers were working to ensure that no trace of Islam remained on the pages of time and in the hearts of people; they intended to uproot Islam completely. They did not make this task easy; they spent billions. Their hired planners and thinkers spent nights and days and years thinking, killing people, destroying cities, overthrowing governments, and replacing them with others, killing scholars in all Islamic countries, destroying schools, erasing the name of religion from the walls of cities, all in an attempt to eradicate Islam.

When did these actions take place? These actions are not from a thousand years, five hundred years, or two hundred years ago; they are from our lifetime and yours. During the cursed Pahlavi regime, these actions were carried out in this very country. In these very cities, even in these very villages, and throughout the Islamic world, they were fighting Islam with hostility and hearts full of hatred, trying to erase Islam from the pages of time and eliminate it. Why? Because Islam opposed their power-seeking, their domination, their plundering, their cannibalism, their corruption, their immorality, their killings, and their conspiracies against humanity. They wanted to be free and unrestrained to do whatever they wished; but Islam was an obstacle. They deemed it necessary to eliminate Islam, and they were taking it away, when this divine revolution shone like the dawn of light.

Before this revolution, in places where Muslims lived in the world, they did not feel proud of their Islam. Many Muslims, due to a sense of inferiority they felt in comparison to non-Muslims, did not speak of their Islam. Wherever Muslim nations were, they felt small, subordinate, and insignificant. The revolution shook the world like a volcanic furnace and changed everything; it changed beliefs, it changed feelings, it changed Muslims; not only in Iran, but throughout the Islamic world.

Today, the leaders of Muslim countries, even those who do not have much to do with Islam, find themselves compelled to show off their Islam! Why? Because nations want Islam. Today, the apparatuses of disbelief and global arrogance feel terror in the face of Muslims. Why? Because Muslims no longer feel inferior. Muslims today are not ashamed of their Islam anywhere in the world; rather, they take pride in it; the revolution did this.

In this great movement, the role of your children, your martyrs, those who bled on the battlefields and other fronts, is primary. Today, we are still unable to comprehend the greatness of this work; history will judge them.

When we studied the lives of the esteemed martyrs of the Prophet's time in history—Hanzala, the one washed by angels, Hamza, the two brave brothers of the Battle of Uhud, and others and others—we were amazed; but our young ones showed us thousands of Hamzas, the leaders of martyrs, and thousands of Hanzalas, the ones washed by angels; we saw them with our own eyes and understood their greatness. Our dear disabled veterans and freed prisoners and missing ones are like them.

I have always told the families of martyrs that our martyrs are the front line; behind the martyrs are their families; these same fathers and mothers and spouses who took pride in the combat of their young and beloved ones; they were not afraid of their being killed; they did not prevent them from going; even mothers encouraged their children! What do we hear and see?! What great events are these in our time and before our eyes?! If these events were in history, one would recount them with doubt. Many outside these borders hear these matters with great astonishment; but you have experienced them yourselves.

In going to the battlefield, fathers competed with their sons, and sons with each other! Spouses grieved and cried because they could not go to the battlefield; and they were patient and stayed at home and supported the rear of the front; and after the warrior was martyred, fathers, mothers, spouses, and children gave thanks and took pride in the martyrdom of their martyr! This is how the flame of a movement remains alive. This is how the great Imam conquers the peak of honor and greatness for Islam. This is how nations openly say: O people of Iran! We learned from you; you are our teachers.

I tell you, O fathers and mothers and spouses and children and brothers and sisters of martyrs! Preserve this honor and spirit for yourselves; as you have, thanks be to God, preserved it. The world is dark and full of oppression. Nations are alone and need support. Your spirit and the continuation of your movement and your steadfastness are a source of spirit and support for nations. You Muslim women are a source of encouragement for the women of Palestine and the women of Islamic countries. They openly say that we learned from you—especially from you young people. Preserve this resistance and consider this steadfastness a treasure. With your steadfastness, with your unity, with your presence in various political and economic and constructive arenas and in the administration of the country, and by advancing the work and standing behind the officials, continue the honor you have given to Islam; you have revived Islam.

The best death is martyrdom. The highest reward for a person who struggles in the path of God is drinking the sweet nectar of martyrdom. Blessed are those dear ones, and may this great divine blessing be sweet for them! They received their reward with martyrdom. Martyrdom means entering the divine sanctuary and becoming a guest at the divine banquet; this is no small thing; this is very great. O Lord! By the right of the blood of the martyrs, by the right of Your saints, by the right of the Master of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him), make our death also martyrdom in Your path.

If a Muslim remains in the field with the spirit of seeking martyrdom, no power can overcome them; this spirit must be preserved. I recommend to the dear families of martyrs, especially their children—these dear young ones and teenagers—to engage in self-building as much as possible. Everyone must engage in self-building; but you are the priority.

Our great Imam (may God's mercy be upon him) was very sensitive about the martyrs and their families and was very attached to their thoughts; and this is an example of the actions of the righteous servants of God.

The path of honor, the path of dignity, the path of pride in the world and gaining God's pleasure in the hereafter, is the path of revolution and standing against the enemies of God. The enemy wants to tire the Iranian nation; unaware that this nation, with this greatness and with all this blood shed in the path of God, will never tire of continuing God's path. The enemy wants to take this model away from Muslim nations; they want to pretend that this nation is tired and has become unstable in its path. You have always shown that the enemy has lied; you must show it again; you must again refute the enemy's false claim; and this is by being present in the arenas of the revolution.

Our dear disabled veterans are also our living martyrs; because they went to the battlefield like a martyr and were struck like a martyr; but God's grace preserved them. They are alive, but in the rank of martyrs. I also recommend to these dear ones to preserve this divine grace for themselves; 'For those who do good among them and are pious, there is a great reward.' (Al-Imran: 172) They must always preserve the spirit that drove them forward in the battlefield and led them to sacrifice. Of course, all institutions are obliged to preserve the value and esteem of these dear ones—whether the families of martyrs, disabled veterans, freed prisoners, their families, or their children. Above all these, is God's grace and favor, which we hope will always be upon you and remain.

O Lord! We beseech You by the pure souls of our dear martyrs to bestow Your grace and mercy more than ever upon the martyrs. O God! Grant abundant reward and patience and steadfastness to their dear families. O Lord! Grant patience and well-being to our dear disabled veterans. O Lord! Protect our dear missing ones—if they are and wherever they are—under Your protection and bring good news of them to their families.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings