Message to the Pilgrims of the Sacred House of God

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and may peace be upon His noble Messenger, Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his pure family, especially the Awaited One among the inhabitants of the earth, and upon his chosen companions and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

The season of Hajj each year is a rendezvous of God's mercy upon the Islamic Ummah. The Quranic call of "And proclaim to the people the Hajj" invites everyone throughout history to partake in this table of mercy, so that both the hearts and souls seeking God and the minds and thoughts of the wise may benefit from its blessings, and each year the lessons and teachings of Hajj reach various groups of people across the Islamic world.

In Hajj, the elixir of remembrance and servitude, which is the main element in the education, progress, and elevation of individuals and society, alongside the gathering and unity that symbolizes the one Ummah, and together with the movement around a single center and along a path with a common goal, which is the essence of the Ummah's effort and activity based on monotheism, and with the equality of all pilgrims and the absence of distinctions, which signifies the removal of discriminations and the universalization of opportunities, presents a miniature representation of the foundational pillars of the Islamic society. Each of the rituals of Ihram, Tawaf, Sa'i, standing at Arafat, stoning, movement, and stillness in the acts of Hajj symbolizes a part of the body of the image that Islam presents of its desired community.

The exchange of knowledge and possessions among people from distant countries and regions, the dissemination of awareness and experiences, the sharing of each other's conditions, and the removal of misunderstandings, as well as bringing hearts closer and pooling strengths to confront common enemies, is a vital and significant achievement of Hajj that cannot be attained through hundreds of conventional gatherings.

The ritual of disavowal, which means renouncing all cruelty, oppression, ugliness, and corruption of tyrants of every era and standing firm against the bullying and tribute-taking of the arrogant powers of the ages, is one of the great blessings of Hajj and an opportunity for the oppressed Muslim nations. Today, disavowal from the front of polytheism and disbelief of the arrogant, led by America, means disavowal from the killing of the oppressed and warmongering; it means condemning the centers of terrorism such as ISIS and American Blackwater; it means the Islamic Ummah's rebuke of the child-killing Zionist regime and its supporters and benefactors; it means condemning the warmongering of America and its accomplices in the sensitive region of West Asia and North Africa, which has brought the suffering of nations to its peak and inflicted heavy calamities upon them daily; it means renouncing racism and discrimination based on geography, race, and skin color; it means renouncing the arrogant and malevolent behavior of the invading and instigating powers in contrast to the honorable, noble, and just behavior that Islam invites everyone to.

These are just a few of the blessings of the Abrahamic Hajj that pure Islam has called us to; and this is the tangible symbol of a significant part of the ideals of the Islamic community that each year, through the participation of the Muslim masses, creates a grand and meaningful performance directed by Hajj, calling everyone to strive for the establishment of such a community.

The elites of the Islamic world, some of whom are currently present at the Hajj ceremonies from various countries, bear a heavy and grave responsibility. These lessons must be conveyed to the nations and public opinion through their efforts and initiatives, and the spiritual exchange of thoughts, motivations, experiences, and awareness must be realized through them.

Today, one of the most important issues of the Islamic world is the issue of Palestine, which stands at the forefront of all political matters of Muslims of every sect, race, and language. The greatest injustice of recent centuries has occurred in Palestine. In this painful saga, everything of a nation—its land, homes, farms, and possessions, its dignity and identity—has been confiscated. This nation, with divine assistance, has not accepted defeat and has not given up; today it stands more fervently and courageously in the field than yesterday; but the outcome of the struggle requires the help of all Muslims. The trick of the so-called Deal of the Century, orchestrated by the oppressive America and its treacherous accomplices, is a crime against humanity, not just against the Palestinian nation. We call upon everyone to actively participate in thwarting this plot and the schemes of the enemy, and by God's grace, we consider it and all other plots of the front of global arrogance to be doomed to failure in the face of the determination and faith of the resistance front.

God, the Almighty, said: "Or do they intend a plot? But those who disbelieve are the ones who will be plotted against." (Quran 52:42) God is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. I beseech God to grant success, mercy, health, and acceptance of worship for all the esteemed pilgrims.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei August 5, 2019 Corresponding to the 3rd of Dhul-Hijjah, 1440