Speech to the Families of Martyrs and Veterans of Qom on the Blessed Birth Anniversary of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance)

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

This is a very fragrant and illuminated gathering; fragrant with the scent of martyrdom, and illuminated by the light of the survivors of our dear martyrs; the fathers, mothers, spouses, and children of the martyrs, who in terms of sacrifice and devotion in the path of God, are akin to the martyrs themselves. I hope that the pure souls of our dear martyrs will be guides and correctors of our errors in this world, and intercessors and mediators for forgiveness in the presence of the Almighty in the hereafter.

What occurred in Iran, without a doubt, has no precedent in the history of this country, as far as we have read and seen. It was the steadfastness and collective sacrifice of the people in the path of God, standing against the aggression and injustice of the enemies. The pinnacle of this exceptional and unparalleled event was the brilliant movement that emerged from the stars of humanity in our time—our dear martyrs. These young people, with such enthusiasm, went to the frontlines without the slightest regard for youthful desires and truly gave their lives with divine love and affection. In my view, these outstanding individuals of our time have no parallel in terms of quantity and quality since the advent of Islam. Many of these dear ones displayed the same courage and became veterans; some were captured and showed greatness during captivity; and many—thanks be to God—are still among the people and are considered divine reserves for the defense of this revolution. This group of young people—whether those who were martyred, those who became veterans, those who were captured, or those who are still missing and whose fate is unknown—are among the miracles of the revolution in our time. Who could have unified these pure and sacred hearts towards God in such a manner? This was the miracle of revolutionary Islam and the vibrant Islam; it stemmed from the sincerity of that man of God, that righteous servant, and that true and genuine leader who moved in the path of the prophets; his way, breath, and actions created this great event.

My dear ones, fathers of the martyrs, mothers of the martyrs, who offered the bouquets nurtured in your laps in the path of God and endured their withering! Dear young veterans, who in the prime of your youth, offered your health for God and in the path of God! Spouses of the martyrs, children of the martyrs, who endured difficult hardships! I tell you this truth: if this miracle had not occurred, if your young ones and beloved ones had not been so attracted to the truth and gone towards their martyrdom with such devotion, today there would be no news of Islam in the world; which was the goal of global arrogance. If you see that today the flag of Islam is raised in the world; if you see that Muslim nations feel a sense of identity and dignity; if you see that the cry of Allahu Akbar from Muslim children across Islamic countries shakes the thrones of arrogant power and Islam is honored and prominent in the world; know that this honor was achieved through your children, through these pure bloods, through these sacrifices and devotions; without them, it would not have been possible. This great transformation that revolutionary Islam and divine grace brought about in hearts, drawing everyone eagerly towards the frontlines and displaying sacrifices in the best manner before the eyes of the world, if these had not been, the situation would not have been as it is. Today, the arrogant powers of the world fear Islam; because they have seen your young people; because they have seen your frontlines; because they have seen the Basij; they have seen how these people, like a roaring ocean, rise in a storm and fear nothing in the path of God; because they have seen the fathers and mothers; they have seen how a mother, with her tender and overflowing affection—something no mother can bear to see a thorn in her child's foot—so easily gave up her young one in the path of God, astonishing everyone. One martyr, two martyrs, three martyrs, four martyrs; these fathers and mothers and spouses and relatives of these dear ones and our young people endured in such a way that one looks in amazement and finds no parallel for it. It was these patience that drew God's grace towards this nation.

Dear brothers! No great work is achieved without sacrifice and patience; no goal is achieved without effort and struggle. On the day when Muslims sat waiting for their worldly and otherworldly affairs to be secured, but showed no movement, they lost the world in the present; and as for the hereafter, God knows! But the people in our revolution—who also moved Muslims—by the grace of the Lord, achieved dignity, honor, and worldly progress; "and what is with God is better and more lasting"; (Quran 28:60) their eye's brightness is with God and in the hereafter.

I especially tell you young people that the scenes of struggle and revolution, perhaps in different forms, continue. Global arrogance, the bloodthirsty enemies of Islam, those who fear Islam and know that Islam is a barrier to their plundering, have not remained idle. Our great and cunning enemies are not willing to let go of this dear and pure Islam, this Islamic Republic system—which for the first time since the advent of Islam, a system based on Islamic regulations is formed in the world—and this great movement that caused the enemy's hand to be cut off from this country.

We must be awake and alert; we must always feel ourselves in the battlefield. Wherever you are—in school, in university, in the market, in the seminary, in governmental responsibilities, in the city, in the village—you must feel like a soldier and a Basiji. Today, by the grace of the Lord, this feeling is accompanied by more hope; because the Iranian nation experienced and saw that the enemy's efforts and plots cannot thwart the believers and have no effect. Thanks be to God, today the Islamic Republic is much stronger, much more honorable, and much more prepared for the great movements that the Almighty has destined for it than in previous years; and all of this is despite the enemies' wishes; all of this is due to the patience and efforts of sincere friends and the resilient and great Iranian nation and these young people and these fathers and mothers; and this is nothing but divine grace and the favors of the Lord.

If we say we must continue the path of the martyrs, it means this feeling that Islam and the Islamic Revolution need our effort and struggle and patience. This feeling is the same feeling that drew our dear martyrs from home and comfort and study and daily life efforts to the battlefronts. These memories published from these dear ones, these very glorious events that today are inscribed by our warriors and sometimes our martyrs on paper and are available to all, are lessons for us.

We hope that the sacred spirit of our great Imam will always support you and that the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his advent) is pleased and satisfied with you. We hope for the ever-increasing successes of the Islamic Republic system.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings