Statements in Meeting with Members of the Assembly of Experts

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 virtuous family and his chosen companions, and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

I extend a warm welcome to the esteemed gentlemen, dear brothers, and active members of the important Assembly of Experts. I thank Mr. Bushari for his detailed and comprehensive remarks regarding the proceedings of the Assembly in this session; he raised significant issues and conveyed important points from the Assembly of Experts. You have raised very important matters; I hope you can pursue and demand these issues, God willing, so that work can be accomplished.

The point I have prepared to present to you today, in summary, is that the Assembly of Experts, in terms of its concept, in terms of the title defined in the Constitution and in the system, is one of the most revolutionary institutions of the Islamic Republic. By "most revolutionary," I mean it is most closely related to the Islamic Revolution; this Assembly is one of the most revolutionary institutions in this sense. The reason we say it is "the most revolutionary" is due to the role of this Assembly in selecting the leadership; this is a very important task, a unique role, and thanks be to God, the Assembly of Experts is prepared for this role and must be prepared. In this regard, I will present a few sentences.

In the structure of the Islamic system, in the overall framework of the Islamic system, the position of leadership is primarily for preserving the direction towards the goal of the Revolution; this is the main responsibility of leadership. The Revolution was established for a purpose. Of course, all revolutions have fundamental goals based on which they change and transform the organization of life. If we want to summarize the goal of the Islamic Revolution, it is to realize "monotheism" in the lives of the people in the country. "Monotheism" in its cognitive and conceptual aspect is something that can be expanded according to the levels of understanding and knowledge of individuals; this concept must be realized in the life of society; that is, monotheism must be realized in society; because monotheism is the essence of religion. The essence of religion and all of religion is monotheism. This is the goal of the Islamic Revolution, which now has room for discussion, explanation, and elaboration that is not suitable for this occasion.

For the Islamic community to approach this goal and to establish a monotheistic society, efforts are necessary, and obstacles exist. There are always obstacles that arise on the path towards this goal, and there are motivations to prevent this movement; there are motivations. These motivations aim to prevent the Revolution and the system from moving towards its goal and progressing and achieving success; they want to stop it or even turn it back; even if turning it back and showing the regressive situation of the past is in a new guise, in a new form, it is still the same; there are motivations for this. We have seen these motivations in other revolutions, and they succeeded in preventing those revolutions from reaching their goals; they turned the course of the revolutions back. For example, in the Great French Revolution — which is among the greatest revolutions of our recent history — it had not been fifteen years since the start of the revolution when the same previous situation, that is, the despotic and dictatorial monarchy, was reestablished in the country. All this movement of the people, the efforts of the well-known French thinkers, the struggles and sacrifices of the people, the casualties, the killings, the clashes, all of this was essentially nullified, destroyed in less than fifteen years! A similar situation occurred in a worse form in the Soviet Revolution, which was also a great revolution; the Great Soviet Revolution. There too, it took less than ten years for those claims and that talk of justice they professed and that so-called special communist democracy they spoke of to all disappear. A dictator, a powerful bully like Stalin came to power, and the matter was settled. This is a danger for all revolutions.

The Holy Quran has pointed to this issue and has warned about it, not just once or twice, but perhaps dozens of times. In the noble verses of the Quran, it is repeatedly mentioned about returning to the past and reverting to the situation from which they were freed and saved; both in relation to the believers and addressing the disbelievers themselves. In some instances, the disbelievers are warned that they are following the same past methods. This noble verse in Surah At-Tawbah states: "So you enjoyed your share as those before you enjoyed their share, and you have plunged into [falsehood] as they plunged." This means they are reminded of repeating and doing the same things that were done in the past; they say you are following the same previous situation. Or in this noble verse in Surah Ibrahim: "And warn the people of the day when the punishment will come upon them." Then it reaches this point: "And you settled in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, and it became clear to you how We dealt with them and We set forth examples for you." In numerous Quranic verses addressed to the believers, this threat and warning exist, and I have noted two or three verses here: "O you who have believed, if you obey those who disbelieve, they will turn you back on your heels, and you will become losers." This is in Surah Al-Imran; if you become heedless, if you obey them, "reversion" will occur, backward movement will occur, retrogression will occur; the Quran warns. "O you who have believed, if you obey a faction of those who were given the Scripture, they will turn you back after your faith to being disbelievers." This is also in Surah Al-Imran. In Surah Al-Baqarah, it states: "And they will continue to fight you until they turn you away from your religion if they are able." Or this other noble verse, which is also in Surah Al-Baqarah: "Many of the People of the Book wish that they could turn you back after your faith to being disbelievers." This means the issue of reversion and stopping and returning backward is not a small matter; it is a very important issue, and the Quran has addressed this issue; we see instances of this in the reality of the history close to us; we have seen this in the past as well.

Well, a factor is necessary to prevent this [reversion]; in the Islamic system, this factor is the "position of leadership"; this deviation must be prevented through leadership; this is very important; it is very important! Therefore, the importance of the Assembly of Experts is due to the fact that it is responsible for appointing the agent for this very important mission; that is, it is responsible for appointing the leadership; the importance of this Assembly is due to this. Thus, we said the Assembly of Experts is among the most revolutionary; now, in terms of concept, its position is this; in terms of practical application, of course, it may vary; sometimes this task is accomplished, sometimes it is not. Just as in the case of leadership, sometimes it can, sometimes it cannot. Of course, in the case of leadership, "not wanting" is not conceivable; the issue is about being able or unable.

Another important point in this matter of the responsibility of the Assembly of Experts is that the existence of the Assembly of Experts and the establishment of the Assembly of Experts means that the movement of the Islamic system does not stop; that is, there is no interruption in it; there is an Assembly of Experts that can specify the next person; this means this succession will continue with strength, with power, with complete capability; this readiness of the Assembly of Experts, the presence of the Assembly of Experts, has such meaning and concept. If the current person were not there, the Assembly of Experts would immediately act and specify the next person; this is how it is.

Well, there is also a marginal meaning here that is very important, and that is that these transitions show that the Islamic system and the Islamic Revolution are not dependent on a person; individuals have roles, they have missions that must be carried out, they have important roles that must be played, but the system is not dependent on them and can continue on its path, even if that specific person is not among them. This is what God Almighty has stated regarding the greatest Prophet, the most important and greatest personality in the universe: "So if he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heels?" Imagine, this noble verse relates to the Battle of Uhud, that is, the third year of Hijra. God Almighty reveals this noble verse, warning the people; the language of this verse is one of reproach, one of accountability that you who were disturbed by the rumor of the Prophet's supposed death and expressed some statements, if the Prophet were not there, would you turn back on your heels? This is a Quranic admonition. Now, suppose in the third year the Prophet is not there; the Islamic system, which has not yet established itself, has not yet acquired the necessary capabilities, if the Prophet is taken away from among them; in such conditions, God Almighty does not accept that the people turn back; would you turn back on your heels? This is the importance of the issue of returning and stopping being not dependent on a person.

Well, these are important duties that the Assembly of Experts has; that is, the importance of the position of the Assembly of Experts is evident from what we have briefly mentioned; naturally, this importance places a great responsibility on the Assembly of Experts, and that is that the Assembly of Experts must exercise utmost care and attention in its selection; utmost care and attention must be exercised. The Constitution specifies conditions for leadership, which are clear; one of the most important of these conditions is a firm hearted belief in the path of the Revolution and the goal of the Revolution; this belief must exist. There must be readiness for continuous movement without fatigue and unceasing effort in this path for someone to be worthy of this responsibility; these must be discerned and selected in individuals. This was the statement I wanted to make regarding the Assembly of Experts.

These days coincide with the Arbaeen of the martyrdom of a great Mujahid of our time — truly and justly, a tireless great Mujahid of our time — the late Mr. Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah (may God be pleased with him and elevate his status and reward him greatly); it coincides with the fortieth day of his passing. We honor his memory; we honor the memory of Martyr Haniyeh, Martyr Safi al-Din, Martyr Yahya al-Sinwar, Martyr Nilforushan, and other martyrs of the Resistance. I wanted to mention at the beginning of my remarks, now I will mention; we also honor the martyrs of this Assembly, Martyr Raisi (may God be pleased with him) and Martyr Al-Hashim (may God be pleased with him) and we ask for the highest divine ranks for all these great martyrs.

These great individuals I mentioned, the late Mr. Nasrallah and other dear martyrs of these days, truly and justly gave dignity to Islam, gave dignity to the Resistance front, and provided extraordinary strength and power; all of these; those we mentioned, each in their own way and to some extent. Our dear Sayyid has ascended to the high ranks of martyrs, and he himself has reached what he wished for, but he left behind a lasting legacy, and that is "Hezbollah." "Hezbollah" grew thanks to the bravery of Sayyid and his insight and extraordinary patience and reliance; it grew extraordinarily and truly became an organization that the equipped enemy armed with various material, verbal, promotional, media weapons, etc., has not been able to overcome and, God willing, will not be able to overcome. The late Mr. Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah has transformed "Hezbollah" into such an entity, into such a phenomenon.

Now, of course, the clear and open involvement of America is evident; truly, the hands of the American government are stained with blood. With the atrocities committed in Gaza and Lebanon, America is a clear partner that everyone knows today; it was previously said in the form of analysis, now everyone observes it; as well as some European countries. What I emphasize is that these struggles, which today, thanks be to God, continue with strength and power — both in Lebanon and in Gaza and Palestine — will certainly bring about the victory of truth, the victory of the front of truth, the victory of the Resistance front; this is what we hope for, and according to what one understands from the totality of events and also from divine promises, this result seems certain.

Firstly, due to the divine promise. The complete embodiment of this noble verse is these recent events: "Permission has been granted to those who are fought against because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is capable of granting them victory. Those who were expelled from their homes unjustly, except that they say, 'Our Lord is God.' And if God did not repel some people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of God is mentioned much would have been demolished; they strike churches, they strike hospitals, they strike mosques; this is truly the complete embodiment of [this verse]. This "repelling some people by means of others" exists, and what is its result? The continuation of the verse is this; its result is: "And indeed, God will surely support those who support Him; indeed, God is Powerful and Exalted." With this emphasis present in this phrase. This "repelling some people by means of others" means repelling the oppressor by the oppressed, repelling the usurper and aggressor by the struggles of the fighters in the way of God, its result is this: "And indeed, God will surely support those who support Him." Well, this is the divine promise; that is, it is the divine statement, and there is no doubt about it. Doubt in the divine promise is not permissible. This is a promise that God Almighty has made. Until now, this has been the case.

On one side, there are the Quranic verses and the divine promise, and on the other side, there is our experience. Hezbollah, over these many years, for about forty years, thirty-some years, has forced the Zionist regime to retreat from Beirut once, from Sidon once, from the city of Tyre once, and has completely evacuated southern Lebanon and the cities and villages and heights of Lebanon from the presence of the accursed Zionist regime; that is, the capability of Hezbollah has continuously increased over time. They have transformed from a small group of fighters in the way of God into a massive organization that has such power, such capability that it can force this enemy, armed with military weapons, propaganda weapons, political weapons, economic weapons, supported by the entry of the great sinners and wicked of the world, like the presidents of the United States and others, to retreat and defeat them. This is our experience that we have witnessed. The same experience has occurred regarding the Palestinian Resistance. They too have had nine confrontations with the Zionist regime from 1388 until today, and in all nine of these confrontations, they have prevailed.

Today, the Palestinian Resistance has also prevailed over the Zionist regime; contrary to what a superficial observer might see. Because their intention was to eradicate Hamas, they have not been able to do so. They have committed mass killings, shown their ugly face to the whole world, proven their wickedness to everyone, condemned themselves, isolated themselves, martyred the leaders of the Resistance, the leaders of Hamas, thinking that Hamas was finished; yet, Hamas continues to fight, continues to resist; this means the defeat of the Zionist regime. Hezbollah is the same; Hezbollah is strong. Now, some individuals in Lebanon and elsewhere, thinking that Hezbollah has weakened, have begun to criticize Hezbollah's actions; they are mistaken; they are under an illusion. Hezbollah is strong and is fighting. Yes, a prominent and important personality like Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah or Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din and others are not among them, but this organization, with its men, with its spiritual strength, with its morale, thanks be to God, is present, and the enemy has not been able to overcome this organization, and God willing, will not be able to, and God willing, the world and the region will one day witness that the Zionist regime is defeated by these fighters in the way of God. We hope, God willing, that all of you esteemed gentlemen will witness this day.

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