Statements on the Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)

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, the infallible guides, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth.

I express my condolences on the martyrdom of the benefactor of all existence, especially for us Iranians, Imam al-Ra'uf, Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him). This gathering is also a blessing from that great figure, which has granted us the opportunity to hold this meeting, this warm and passionate gathering. I will mention one sentence regarding Imam al-Ra'uf, the honorable Abu al-Hasan al-Reza (peace be upon him), and one sentence related to current issues.

In the life of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him), significant events have repeatedly occurred, one of which is his journey from Medina to Tus and Marv, to Khorasan. There are various other events in the life of this great figure. The outcome of this journey to Khorasan is a collection of benefits and advantages for the school of the Ahl al-Bayt; that is, although this journey was forced, and that great figure did not move towards Khorasan of his own will, the Almighty God blessed this journey, and the events that occurred—both during the journey and after the martyrdom of that great figure—were significant events; I will refer to two of them.

One of them is the extraordinary dissemination of the school of the Ahl al-Bayt. The school of the Ahl al-Bayt was isolated and oppressed. After the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), the Shi'ahs in every corner of the Islamic world at that time faced numerous problems in their lives; physical problems, livelihood problems, spiritual problems; gradually—slightly during the time of Imam Baqir, more during the time of Imam Sadiq, and even more during the time of Imam Musa ibn Ja'far—this state of isolation diminished, but during the time of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him), the school of Shi'ism spread throughout the Islamic world. What one feels from historical events is that the Shi'ah and the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt, with this journey and this event, gained such a spirit that this spirit was able to preserve Shi'ism. Today, nearly 1200 years have passed since that time; day by day, the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt have increased—whether Shi'ahs or non-Shi'ahs who believe in the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt, of which we have many individuals who are not officially Shi'ah but believe in the teachings and fundamental thoughts of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them)—this is one of the blessings of the journey of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza. This is one point; that is, one benefit and one effect of the blessed movement of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) from Medina to Khorasan was this. The presence of that great figure, the events that occurred, the negotiations that took place, the discussions that were held, the behavior that this great figure had with Ma'mun, with the people, and with the officials of that time, all had an impact that elevated the Shi'ah in the eyes of others and raised the school of the Ahl al-Bayt.

The second effect that I would like to emphasize is that Ali ibn Musa al-Reza disseminated the issue of Ashura, the issue of Imam Hussein, at the level of the Islamic world; that is, the event of Ashura among the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt has caused Shi'ism to be recognized as the flagbearer of the struggle against oppression throughout history. The event of Karbala was one that needed to be ingrained in the hearts of the people; the one who was able to initiate this movement with a leap was Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him). This famous narration of Ibn Shabib—Rayyan ibn Shabib—where [the Imam] said: "If you are to weep for anything, weep for Hussein" (peace be upon him)—this is the first narration, and it is a detailed narration—is very significant; "Weep for Hussein for anything you wish to shed tears for." This highlighted the importance of the issue of Karbala. Then there are great promises for those who visit Imam Hussein or mourn for Imam Hussein or shed tears: on the Day of Resurrection, you will be resurrected with us; you will be alongside us, and similar promises; these are mentioned in this narration.

Well, when the issue of Karbala was raised, the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon them) was raised, naturally the question arises: why did this great figure attain martyrdom? This question is the key to many of the social teachings of Islam: "Why did he attain martyrdom?" What was the event that caused such a great tragedy to occur about fifty years after the Prophet's passing, leading to the martyrdom of the Prophet's son? What was the event? This question is a fundamental question. It can clarify the relationship of hearts with the events throughout human history and the duties of Muslims.

Imam Hussein fought against oppression, Imam Hussein could not tolerate injustice, Imam Hussein did not accept the dominance of the wicked and the immoral over the Islamic community; he did not yield to it; these are very important issues that, when the issue of Karbala is raised, these issues will naturally be raised as well. This is regarding Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon them), where the explanation of the event of Karbala and Ashura occurred thanks to the statements of Imam Reza (peace be upon him), and this is a very important matter.

Regarding the current issues of the country, well, conflicts have occurred, and significant events have been imposed on the Iranian nation; the nation stood with complete strength and power and drew the world's attention to itself. With these events, Iran gained a special greatness and a new dignity in the eyes of the world. This is related to the incident.

A question arises here: what is the reason for America's enmity towards Iran? This question seems easy, but it is a complex question; the answer to this question is important and complicated. This enmity is not new; for 45 years, the governments of America—from various individuals and parties that have come to power—have maintained this enmity, this sanction, this threat against the Islamic Republic and the dear nation of Iran. What is the reason? In the past, this reason was concealed under various titles such as terrorism, human rights, women's issues, and democracy; under these titles. Or if they did mention it, they did so in a dignified manner, saying they wanted Iran's behavior to change; in the past, they spoke this way. This person who is currently in power in America revealed the matter, clarified the true objective; he said our confrontation with Iran, with the Iranian nation, is because Iran should be obedient to America! We, the Iranian nation, must understand this correctly; this is an important matter. Of course, his expression may differ somewhat from what I said; for example, he may have said "Iran should be obedient"; he may have expressed it this way. That is, a government, a power has emerged in the world that expects Iran, Iran with this history, Iran with this dignity, Iran with this nation, with all its glories, to be obedient to it! This is the reason for the enmity; the enmities are due to this.

Those who say, "Sir! Do not chant slogans against America; they will get angry and will be hostile towards you," are superficial. Those who analyze why you do not negotiate directly with America, why you do not resolve your issues, in my opinion, are superficial. The essence of the matter is not this; this issue is unsolvable. They want Iran to be obedient to America. The Iranian nation is deeply offended by such a great insult, and against those who have such a wrong expectation from the Iranian nation, it stands with all its power. The recent war was also due to this. They promoted the Zionist regime, provoked it, showed satisfaction, and assisted it to attack Iran, thinking they would finish off Iran, finish off the Islamic Republic! They did not imagine that Iran would strike back at them so hard that it would make them regret; they did not have this imagination.

They thought that with this attack, Iran would be finished. Look; on the twenty-third of Khordad, Iran was attacked, and one day later—on the twenty-fourth of Khordad—a number of American agents sat in a European capital and began discussing a replacement for the Islamic Republic! I heard this on television a few days ago, but they informed us of this at that time. They were so confident that this attack would destabilize the foundation of the Islamic Republic in the country; they were so confident that it would keep the people against the Islamic Republic. They were so sure that one day after the attack began, they sat down and discussed who would govern Iran after the Islamic Republic! They even designated a king; they designated a king for Iran, saying that such and such person would be the king of Iran! This is how they thought about Iran. They imagined that with this attack, a gap would open between the regime and the people, the regime would weaken, and they would be able to impose their petty and wicked objectives and pay attention to them and accomplish this task; however, the "Iranian nation"—this we have said many times, and I insist on repeating it—the Iranian nation, with its steadfastness alongside the armed forces, alongside the government, alongside the regime, dealt a strong blow to all of them.

Among this foolish group that sat down to find a replacement for the Islamic Republic in Iran, there was one Iranian; shame on that Iranian who, to the detriment of his own country, works in favor of the Jews, in favor of Zionism, in favor of America! Of course, this was before our armed forces fully demonstrated their power; it was the first and second days. Later, the armed forces, thanks be to God, were able to accomplish great tasks for which all the Iranian nation should thank the armed forces, and we thank them, and after this, God willing, day by day, the strength and capability of the Iranian nation in the armed forces will increase.

Well, there is another point here that I would like to mention. The conclusion that the enemies reached from these events is that Iran cannot be brought to its knees through war, through military attack; the Islamic Republic cannot be pushed back with these harsh tools and means. Well, for 45 years, they have been doing these things; day by day, the Islamic Republic has become stronger. They saw that the way is to create discord within, to create discord within; of course, they have some factors inside; there are Zionist elements, American elements, lurking here and there in the country; through these or through those who are oblivious to what they say and what they write, they create discord among the people and bring about a cacophony in the country. Today, thanks be to God, the country is united. Today, the people are united. There are differences of opinion, there are political and social differences, but in defending the regime, defending the country, standing against the enemy, the people today are united. This unity is detrimental to them; this unity prevents their aggression and attack; they want to eliminate this.

Be careful about this.

Those who express opinions, those who write, those who research, those who tweet, should understand what they are doing. This sacred unity, this great gathering, this steel shield formed from the hearts and wills of the people should not be tarnished. Today, thanks be to God, there is unity. The people should maintain this unity. The officials of the country, especially the officials of the three branches, who, thanks be to God, are working together in complete unity and harmony today, should preserve this. The servants of the country should be supported by the people; the President should be supported. The President is hardworking, diligent, and persistent; such elements who are hardworking, diligent, and persistent should be appreciated. The unity between the nation and the government, between various officials of the regime, between the armed forces and the people, among the people, is something that must be preserved with all one's being; this is my definite recommendation.

I feel from the signs and indications that today the greatest effort of the enemy is to undermine this harmony, this unity, this cooperation; today the enemy is doing this with various methods; the people should be aware. Of course, some may have different opinions on various issues; this is not a problem, but thinkers should pay attention that presenting a new idea that complements the existence of the Iranian nation is different from destructively criticizing, from insulting; they should not undermine the foundations of the Islamic Republic. It is these foundations that have brought this nation to such growth, that have elevated this country, that have granted this power to this nation; it is these foundations. If they want to complete, add to, or reform these foundations, that is fine, but destruction should not occur; destruction is the enemy's desire. And this cooperation among the three branches, cooperation between the parliament and the government and the judiciary and the armed forces and others must continue.

Today, our enemy, the one that stands against us, namely the Zionist regime, is the most despised regime in the world, the most despised government in the world. Nations are disgusted by the Zionist government, they detest it; governments also condemn this regime. You see that the leaders of Western governments, who have always supported the Zionist regime, today condemn them; of course, this condemnation is verbal; this is insufficient, verbal condemnation is of no benefit. The crimes that the leaders of the Zionist regime are committing today, in my opinion, are unprecedented in history. To kill children with hunger and thirst; to murder children with thirst and hunger; to shoot children who came to get food; this, as far as I know from history, is unprecedented; these [crimes] have disgusted nations; we must stand against this. Standing up is not just about words; it is not enough for governments to say we oppose it, we condemn it—even the French government, the British government, and others condemned it—this is of no benefit; the way to assist the Zionist regime must be completely blocked; the way to assist them must be closed from all sides. What the brave people of Yemen are doing today is the right thing; that is the correct action. In the face of the crimes committed by the leaders of the Zionist regime, there is no way but to completely block all avenues of assistance to them.

We, of course, are fully prepared for any action that can be taken for the Islamic Republic, any action that is possible, and we hope that God Almighty will bless the movement of the Iranian nation and the movement of the truth-seekers of the world and uproot the deep, malignant cancer from this calamity and, God willing, awaken the Muslim nations and unite them together.

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