Statements on the Birth of Lady Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her)

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One on the earth. O God, send blessings upon Fatimah and her father, her husband, her children, and the secret entrusted to her.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, the influential and decisive community of the mourners of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them)! You are influential, and in certain circumstances, your behavior, your words, and your programs are decisive. Today, we have greatly benefited, and I sincerely thank the esteemed reciter, the honorable performers, the respected mourners, the esteemed poet, and the respected host; it was a very good session, and we made the utmost use of it.

Well, the community of mourners has a great responsibility, which is the management of the joy and mourning of the community; you actually manage the spiritual joys and the fundamental, heartfelt, and profound mourning, guiding and directing it. Those communities that do not have this situation, do not have these gatherings, do not have these cries, do not have these joys, feel this void, and I know that they are trying in some way to fill this void, but it cannot be done; this is your work. The tradition of this work is not related to today or yesterday; it has been from the time of the Imams (peace be upon them). The encouragement and urging of figures like Dabbal and others to continue this work is the same work you are doing today; the work that our friends here have shown as a sample.

After the event of Karbala, mourning for the martyrs became a common practice, promoting mourning for the martyrs and the Imams (peace be upon them), which has remained until today. Contrary to what some imagined — at one point, there were some intellectual trends among some that [mourning] was a sign of weakness and such things — crying in the gatherings of the martyrs is not a cry of weakness; it is a cry of will, a cry of determination, a cry that expresses the noble feelings of a person in the midst of the battlefield. Mourning for the martyrs is the same today; today, the funeral of the martyrs, the mourning gatherings for the martyrs, the repetition of the names of the martyrs, is mourning, and there is crying in it, but it is a means for feeling dignity, feeling power, and feeling courage. [In the funeral] of our dear martyr recently, you see what happened throughout the country; not only in our country, but outside this country as well, [the commemoration] of these dear martyrs — Martyr Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and others — created a tremendous event! Guiding and directing the mourning gatherings in this sense means that you can guide and advance the mourning gatherings and the mourning of the people in the direction that is desired by the Imams (peace be upon them) and is needed by the community.

Today, the important need of our country is that our youth become equipped with various soft weapons, weapons of soft warfare; that is, spiritual power and intellectual power. I have repeatedly spoken about strengthening the country; one of the important and decisive components of strengthening the country is to equip our youth, to arm them with the weapon of thought and the weapon of correct thinking that flows in the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), in the Fatimid teachings, of which I will now present a small example.

The young generation that we have pinned our hopes on — [because] the future of this country is in the hands of you young people, hope is in the youth — must be strong, firm, determined, and insightful, knowing what they want to do, where they want to reach, and how they should traverse this path; this requires the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt, this is the protective weapon of the community and the Islamic system and Islam and Muslims; thus, we need to revive the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).

And I want to tell you, dear brothers who have formed the community of mourners and are playing a role, that this responsibility is a significant one; if we do not act on the responsibility of guidance in the manner I have mentioned, we are accountable before God Almighty; that is, when a duty is upon us, we must fulfill that duty; if we do not act, God Almighty will be angry. See an example in the Quran: Prophet Yunus, the great divine prophet, became angry with his people; from our perspective, he did not act irrationally; he had invited them for years to guidance, and they insisted on disbelief and error; what else could this man do? He became angry and left them, but in divine logic, he should not have become angry; وَذَا النّونِ اِذ ذَهَبَ مُغاضِبًا فَظَنَّ اَن لَن نَقدِرَ عَلَیه; (2) he thought that we would not be able to deal with him; فَنادیٰ فِی الظُّلُمٰتِ اَن لا اِلٰهَ اِلّا اَنت; (3) God Almighty put him in that strange incident that if he had not said this mention, if he had not sought intercession, لَلَبِثَ فی بَطنِه! اِلیٰ یَومِ یُبعَثون; (4) he would have remained there until the Day of Resurrection; see! Because he is a prophet, his punishment is heavier than others. If we have a responsibility and do not act, God Almighty will deal with us; فَظَنَّ اَن لَن نَقدِرَ عَلَیه, (5) he thinks that we will not deal with him harshly; no, we will deal harshly; God takes it seriously. If you are poets, if you are mourners, if you are speakers, if you are preachers, whatever your knowledge is higher and more, the higher your spiritual rank is, the more expectation there is from you in the court of divine justice and in the presence of the Truth; we must always remember this; we must also seek help from God.

If now the transmission of the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt in the mourning gatherings and the gatherings of the associations and similar ones is realized, this is an inexhaustible treasure. Today, you see that your country, your community, has an astonishing resilience under various pressures; we read, see, and hear their words. The resilience of the Iranian nation is astonishing to global observers; they are amazed. This pressure that the wild American giant exerts, other nations cannot withstand even a fifth or a quarter of this, but the Iranian nation stands firm; this twenty-second of Bahman and before that, the funeral of its heavenly commander; it completely astonishes everyone that what a resilient nation this is. This is thanks to the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt, thanks to these gatherings and assemblies, thanks to the name and memory of Husayn ibn Ali and thanks to the name and memory of Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her).

One of the things that must definitely be pursued in these gatherings, by God's grace, is the issue of Islamic lifestyle; I want to ask dear brothers to work on the issue of the lifestyle of the Imams (peace be upon them) and the Islamic lifestyle in their studies and follow-ups; our committed and prominent poets — whose works you heard here today — should adorn this with the art of poetry and have it recited in the gatherings so that cultural development occurs. If we want to correctly return the lifestyle in the face of the wave of the enemy to an Islamic state, this is the way; that is, cultural development must take place. You see, in your prayers you say: اللَهُمَّ اجعَل مَحیایَ مَحیا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّد وَ مَماتی مَماتَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّد; (6) well, what does محیا mean? محیا means make my life resemble their life; that is, lifestyle; this is what we want; this is what has been asked of us to say and want and do. This issue of lifestyle must be pursued.

Unfortunately, the enemy, by exploiting the weaknesses and treachery of the leaders dependent on the Islamic systems, including in our country during the years before the revolution, has been able to popularize its own lifestyle. If we observe carelessness, if we observe extravagance, if we observe various problems within the country, this is due to distancing from Islamic ethics and from the Islamic lifestyle. If we want to establish the Islamic lifestyle, cultural development must take place. Cultural development is achieved through this means, and you are the best people who can develop culture among the people and genuinely turn the current towards Islam.

In these prayers that are available to us — the prayers that have been transmitted, these prayers that have come to us from the Imams — there is supplication, attention, a state of intimacy and purity, and crying; these are preserved in their own right; but in addition to these, these prayers are lessons; that is, they awaken a thought in the human mind, they give a fresh idea to a person. When you read in the prayer: اَللهمّ اَغنِنی عَن هِبَةِ الوَهّابینَ بِهِبَتِکَ وَ اکفِنی وَحشَةَ القاطِعینَ بِصِلَتِک, what does it mean? It means that if the whole world cuts off from you, if you are connected to God, you have no fear; حَتّی لا اَرغَبَ اِلی اَحَدٍ مَعَ بَذلِکَ وَ لا اَستَوحِشَ مِن اَحَدٍ مَعَ فَضلِک; (7) this is a lesson, this gives us a thought, this gives us an analysis of our future life that we should plan, be connected to God, be related, and not fear the severance of others, the enmity of others; and this is an event that also happened in the early days of Islam, and today you see that this event has occurred. If at the beginning of the revolution, some said that this Islamic community, this Islamic revolution, could reach this level in terms of scientific rank, technological rank, political rank, and regional influence, no one would have believed it; but it has happened; because you relied on God and worked. Of course, reliance on God is not meant to be idle and inactive.

Well, now [about] Lady Zahra (peace be upon her); her spiritual ranks are much higher than our understanding and the understanding of ordinary humans; yes, the people of God and the elite perceive certain things in the realm of meaning, but we are honestly strangers and cannot comprehend those sacred ranks, that "وَ السِّرِّ المُستَودَعِ فیها" (8), but we observe, see, utilize, and learn from the ordinary behaviors of life; well, what is prevalent and common from this great lady in the cultural issues is the issue of hijab, the issue of standing against falsehood to establish the truth, defending the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist, things that are observed and repeated; but another aspect of this great lady's behavior and the Fatimid teachings is the issue of helping others, which I want to say a few sentences today about this social solidarity and helping others. When [her son] asks, "Mother, why did you only pray for others while in supplication and pleading?" she responds, "O my son, first the neighbor, then the house"; (9) first the neighbor, then ourselves; this is a lesson, this is a path, this reminds us of a social responsibility. Or in the case of the poor, the orphan, and the captive, which God Almighty magnificently mentions in Surah Hal Ata, where seventeen or eighteen verses revolve around this incident; this incident is so important. وَ یُطعِمونَ الطَّعامَ عَلیٰ حُبِّه! مِسکینًا وَ یَتیمًا وَاَسیرًا * اِنَّما نُطعِمُکُم لِوَجهِ الله; (10) this incident is a symbolic incident; yes, there these great ones endured their hunger and that of all their family members and helped the orphan, the poor, and the captive; this incident occurred, but it is symbolic; well, Lady Zahra could have said, "Go to the Prophet's mosque, there is an Islamic government" — now some say, "Why do you promote begging?" — well, it is an Islamic government and must do so — no, the duty of the government does not negate the duty of the community. Humans in society are obliged to genuinely help one another; both financial help, intellectual help, and reputational help, various types of help must take shape in society; this is the Fatimid lesson, this is the Fatimid knowledge.

Today, one of the problems of our society is the issue of youth: the issue of youth employment, youth marriage. Many young girls and boys, but marriage is difficult and sometimes impossible. Well, they must help; individuals must work in these areas, strive, and cultural development must take place. When advertisements promote having fewer children in a multifaceted and comprehensive manner, we reach the current situation where informed individuals warn about twenty or thirty years from now regarding the aging of the country, the aging of society. An aging society cannot reach those peaks; all our advancements until today have been thanks to the presence of the youth. I have said that the elderly undoubtedly play a role, but the engine is the youth. If this society remains deprived of a capable young population, the enemy will dominate this society. Well, this requires cultural development; cultural development is in your hands. Forming families requires cultural development, easy marriage requires cultural development, not being strict in marriage requires cultural development; this cultural development comes from you, this is your work. The community of mourners can do a lot.

One of the teachings is standing firm and not submitting to the oppressor. Today, many of the poems of the gentlemen were focused on this issue and were completely correct and valid. There is a strong and intense motivation to convince the Iranian nation that they must yield. The radios of the world, the media in the world, the enemy's media, a collection of think tanks and intellectual groups are sitting and designing to convince the Iranian nation that they must yield to America and there is no other choice. Well, our nation, thanks be to God, stands firm, but the spiritual force must be continuously injected, the spiritual force must be continuously revived; this is one of the teachings. In the same supplication of Sahifa Sajjadiyya [it is mentioned:] وَ لا تَجعَل لِفاجِرٍ وَ لا کافِرٍ عَلَیَّ ... یَدَا; (11) that is, do not make me indebted to the infidel and the wicked, do not make me dependent on them, let my eyes not be on their hands, let me not feel weak in front of them; this is one of the teachings. That when one asks God not to let him be in this situation in front of the enemy, it means that one should not be in this situation in front of the enemy.

Thanks be to God, the spirit of epic is alive in our country. In all the matters where the presence of the people and their enthusiastic presence has been felt, the people have entered the field with true enthusiasm and epic. This enthusiasm and spirituality and feeling must deepen, especially among the youth; it must convince minds in the sense of a complete culture. This is possible through cultural development, and this work is your work, the work of the community of mourners. When I look at the level of our society, I see that truly and honestly, the faithful, revolutionary, and courageous mourners are doing work and making an impact across the country; efforts should be made for all mourning communities to be like this; the poems that are recited, the performances that are carried out, these young people who usually attend these gatherings, they should genuinely benefit from spirituality, knowledge, insight, and rise with full hands.

Thanks be to God, the nature of the Islamic government and the Islamic community and the Islamic Republic is such; we have good military commanders, we have motivated and capable young scholars, we have diligent and honorable cultural creators, and we have people ready to work and present in all fields, who are ready to be present wherever Islam and the Islamic government and the Islamic system need; this nature of the Islamic Republic is by the grace and favor of God, and as I feel, that is, I see, I observe, certainly the final and decisive victory over the vast front of the enemy belongs to the Iranian nation.

In conclusion, I emphasize to the dear brothers of the mourners — and if there are sisters engaged in this path — that this should always be in your noble mind and thought that you are culture creators, you must engage in cultural development. You must do something so that a correct thought, a necessary action is clearly reflected in the minds and hearts of the people and remains enduring; this work is the greatest act of worship, the greatest charity, and God willing, God Almighty will assist you.

O Lord! By the right of Fatimah Zahra, keep us alive as Fatimid and let us die as Fatimid. O Lord! By the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, resurrect us as Fatimid. O Lord! Grant victory and honor to the Iranian nation in all fields; unite our dear martyrs with the Prophet; make what we said and what we heard for You and in Your way; and include us in Your grace, mercy, and favor.

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