Statements at the "Scholars and Islamic Awakening" Conference in Tehran

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 Muhammad the Chosen One, his pure family, his selected companions, and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

I welcome you, dear guests, and I ask the Almighty and Merciful God to bless this collective effort and make it an effective step towards the advancement of Muslims. "Indeed, He is All-Hearing, All-Responsive."

The topic of "Islamic Awakening" that you will address in this conference is currently at the forefront of the issues facing the Islamic world and the Islamic Ummah; it is a remarkable phenomenon that, if it remains intact and continues, will be able to herald the emergence of an Islamic civilization in the not-so-distant future for the Islamic Ummah and then for humanity as a whole.

What is now before our eyes, and which no informed and intelligent person can deny, is that Islam has now moved from the margins of social and political equations in the world to a prominent and visible position at the center of the determining elements of global events, offering a fresh perspective in the realms of life, politics, governance, and social transformations; and this is considered a significant and meaningful phenomenon in the current world, which, after the defeat of communism and liberalism, is suffering from a profound intellectual and theoretical void. This is the first effect that political and revolutionary events in North Africa and the Arab region have left on a global scale, and it is itself a harbinger of greater truths that will occur in the future.

The Islamic Awakening, which the spokespersons of the front of global arrogance and reaction even avoid mentioning by name and fear, is a reality that can now be seen almost throughout the Islamic world. The most prominent sign of it is the enthusiasm of public opinion, especially among the youth, for the revival of the glory and greatness of Islam and their awareness of the nature of the system of domination in the international arena, revealing the brazen, oppressive, and arrogant face of the governments and institutions that have crushed the Islamic and non-Islamic East under their bloody claws for over two hundred years, while disguising their existence with the mask of civilization and culture, subjecting nations to their ruthless and aggressive power-seeking.

The dimensions of this blessed awakening are vast and have a mysterious extension; however, what has been observed from the critical achievements in several North African countries can assure hearts of the great and remarkable results of the future. The miraculous fulfillment of divine promises is always a sign of hope that heralds the realization of greater promises. The story of the Quran regarding the two promises that God made to the mother of Moses is an example of this divine tactic.

In that difficult moment when the command was given to cast the box containing the infant into the water, the divine address promised: "Indeed, We will return him to you and make him one of the messengers." The fulfillment of the first promise, which was a smaller promise and a source of comfort for the mother, was a sign of the fulfillment of the promise of prophethood, which was much greater and, of course, required suffering, struggle, and long-term patience: "So We returned him to his mother that she might be comforted and not grieve and that she would know that the promise of God is true." This true promise is the great prophethood that was fulfilled after several years and changed the course of history.

Another example is the reminder of God's supreme power in suppressing the invaders of the Sacred House, which God, through the Greatest Messenger, uses to encourage the audience to obey the command: "Let them worship the Lord of this House" and says: "Did He not make their plot go astray?"

Or to strengthen the spirit of His beloved Prophet and affirm the promise: "Your Lord has neither forsaken you nor hated you," He reminds him of the miraculous blessing: "Did He not find you an orphan and give you refuge? And He found you lost and guided you." Such examples are abundant in the Quran.

On the day when Islam triumphed in Iran and was able to conquer the fortress of America and Zionism in one of the most sensitive countries in this very sensitive region, the wise and discerning understood that if they exercised patience and insight, further victories would follow; and they did.

The brilliant realities in the Islamic Republic, which our enemies acknowledge, have all been achieved under the shadow of trust in divine promises and patience, resistance, and seeking help from God. Our people have always rebuffed the whispers of the weak who, in moments of anxiety, cried out: "Indeed, we are overtaken" by asserting: "No! Indeed, my Lord is with me; He will guide me."

Today, this valuable experience is available to nations that have stood up against arrogance and despotism and have been able to overthrow or destabilize corrupt governments that are subservient to and dependent on America.

Standing firm, patience, insight, and trust in the promise: "And indeed, Allah will support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise" will be able to pave this path of honor until reaching the peak of Islamic civilization for the Islamic Ummah.

Now, in this important session where a group of scholars from various Islamic countries and sects are present, I find it appropriate to express a few necessary points regarding the issues of Islamic Awakening:

The first point is that the initial waves of awakening in the countries of this region, which coincided with the arrival of the vanguard of colonialism, were often initiated by religious scholars and religious reformers. The names of leaders and prominent figures such as Sayyid Jamal al-Din, Muhammad Abduh, Mirza Shirazi, Akhund Khurasani, Mahmood al-Hassan, Muhammad Ali, Sheikh Fazlollah, Hajj Agha Noorullah, Abul A'la Maududi, and dozens of other well-known and influential clerics from Iran, Egypt, India, and Iraq are forever recorded in the pages of history.

In contemporary times, the brilliant name of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) shines like a bright star atop the Islamic Revolution of Iran. In this context, hundreds of well-known scholars and thousands of lesser-known scholars have played a role in significant and minor reformist events in various countries, and the list of religious reformers from non-clerical backgrounds, such as Hassan al-Banna and Iqbal Lahori, is also long and remarkable.

Clerics and religious scholars have been, more or less, the intellectual reference and spiritual support of the people everywhere, and wherever they have appeared as guides and pioneers in the face of great transformations and have moved at the forefront of the people in confronting dangers, the intellectual bond between them and the people has strengthened, and their pointing finger in showing the way to the people has been more effective. This is as beneficial and blessed for the Islamic Awakening movement as it is concerning for the enemies of the Ummah and the haters of Islam and opponents of the governance of Islamic values, who seek to undermine this intellectual authority from religious bases and create new poles for it; they have learned from experience that they can easily negotiate on national principles and values with them! Something that will never happen with committed and pious scholars.

This makes the duty of religious scholars heavier. They must, with great vigilance and precision, and with an understanding of the deceptive methods and tricks of the enemy, completely close the avenues of infiltration and thwart the enemy's deception. Sitting at the colorful table of worldly goods is one of the greatest afflictions. Becoming tainted by the gifts and favors of the owners of wealth and power and being softened in the face of the tyrants of lust and power is the most dangerous factor for separation from the people and losing their trust and intimacy. The egoism and power-seeking that calls the weak towards the poles of power is the breeding ground for corruption and deviation. They must always keep this verse of the Quran in mind: "That is the home of the Hereafter, which We assign to those who do not seek oppression in the land or corruption, and the outcome is for the God-conscious."

Today, in the era of hopeful movements of Islamic Awakening, there are sometimes scenes that display the efforts of the agents of America and Zionism to carve out unreliable intellectual authorities on the one hand, and the efforts of the lustful Qarun to draw the people of faith and piety to their poisoned and tainted table on the other. Religious scholars and devout and committed individuals must be extremely vigilant and precise.

The second point is the necessity of outlining a long-term goal for Islamic Awakening in Muslim countries; a lofty and noble point that should guide the awakening of nations and lead them to that point. By identifying this point, the roadmap can be drawn, and intermediate and near goals can be specified.

This ultimate goal cannot be anything less than "the establishment of a brilliant Islamic civilization." The Islamic Ummah, with all its components in the form of nations and countries, must achieve the desired civilizational position outlined by the Quran. The main and general characteristic of this civilization is the enjoyment of all the material and spiritual capacities that God has provided for their happiness and elevation in the natural world and within themselves. The outward appearance of this civilization can be observed in a popular government, in laws derived from the Quran, in ijtihad and responsiveness to the evolving needs of humanity, in avoiding stagnation and reactionism as well as innovation and syncretism, in creating public welfare and wealth, in establishing justice, in freeing from an economy based on favoritism, usury, and accumulation, in promoting human ethics, in defending the oppressed of the world, and in striving, working, and innovating. An insightful and scholarly approach to various fields, from human sciences to formal education systems, and from economics and banking to technical production and technology, and from modern media to arts and cinema, and to international relations, and so forth, are all prerequisites for this civilization-building.

Experience has shown that all of these are possible and within the capabilities of our societies. We should not view this prospect with a hasty or pessimistic outlook. Pessimism towards our capabilities is ingratitude for divine blessings; and neglecting divine assistance and the help of the laws of creation leads to falling into the pit of: "Those who think ill of God."

We can break the monopolies of the scientific, economic, and political powers of the arrogant and lead the Islamic Ummah to be at the forefront of realizing the rights of the majority of the world's nations, who are currently oppressed by a minority of arrogant powers.

The Islamic civilization can gift the Islamic Ummah and all of humanity with the advanced thought and high ethics characterized by faith, knowledge, and continuous struggle, and be a point of liberation from the materialistic and oppressive worldview and the morally degraded ethics that are the foundations of today's Western civilization.

The third point is that in the Islamic Awakening movements, the bitter and terrifying experience of following the West in politics, ethics, behavior, and lifestyle must always be kept in mind. Muslim countries, in over a century of following the culture and politics of arrogant governments, have suffered from deadly afflictions such as dependency and political humiliation, economic misery and poverty, the fall of virtue and ethics, and shameful scientific backwardness; and this was while the Islamic Ummah had a glorious history in all these areas.

This statement should not be interpreted as hostility towards the West. We have no enmity with any group of people due to geographical distinctions. We have learned from Ali (peace be upon him) that regarding people he said: "Either a brother in faith or an equal in creation." Our indictment is against oppression and arrogance, and tyranny and aggression, and the moral and practical corruption inflicted on our nations by colonial and arrogant powers. Even now, we observe the tyrannies and interventions and bullying of America and some of its followers in the countries where the breeze of awakening has turned into a storm of uprising and revolution.

Their promises and threats should not influence the decisions and actions of political elites and the massive popular movement. Here too, we must learn from experiences. Those who have relied on America's promises over the years and made submission to the oppressor the basis of their conduct and policy have not been able to untie a knot for their nation or remove oppression from themselves or others. By submitting to America, they could not prevent the destruction of even a single Palestinian home in a land that belongs to the Palestinians. Politicians and elites who are deceived by the temptations or intimidated by the threats of the front of global arrogance and miss the great opportunity of Islamic Awakening should be fearful of this divine threat that states: "Have you not seen those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and led their people to the house of ruin? Hell, they will enter it, and wretched is the resting place."

The fourth point is that today one of the most dangerous things threatening the Islamic Awakening movement is the sowing of discord and turning these movements into bloody sectarian, religious, and ethnic conflicts. This conspiracy is currently being pursued with diligence and attention by Western intelligence services and Zionism, with the help of oil dollars and self-serving politicians, from East Asia to North Africa, especially in the Arab region, with money that could have been used to improve the lives of the people being spent on threats, takfir, terror, bombings, and shedding the blood of Muslims and igniting long-standing animosities. Those who see the unified power of Islam as an obstacle to their wicked goals have found inciting differences within the Islamic Ummah as the easiest way to achieve their devilish objectives, and they have turned the theoretical differences in jurisprudence, theology, history, and hadith—which are natural and inevitable—into a pretext for takfir, bloodshed, and sedition and corruption.

A discerning view of the internal conflicts clearly reveals the enemy's hand behind these tragedies. This treacherous hand undoubtedly exploits ignorance, fanaticism, and superficiality within our societies and pours gasoline on the fire. The duty of reformers and religious and political elites in this matter is very heavy.

Now Libya is in one way, Egypt and Tunisia in another, Syria in another, Pakistan in another, and Iraq and Lebanon in another, all entangled or at risk of these dangerous flames. We must be extremely vigilant and seek remedies. It is simplistic to attribute all of this to ideological and ethnic factors. Western propaganda and the regional media that are dependent and mercenary portray the devastating war in Syria as a conflict between Shia and Sunni, creating a safe haven for the Zionists and enemies of resistance in Syria and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the two sides in the conflict in Syria are not Sunni and Shia, but rather supporters of anti-Zionist resistance and their opponents. Neither is the Syrian government a Shia government, nor is its secular and anti-Islamic opposition a Sunni group. The only skill of the orchestrators of this disastrous scenario is that they have managed to exploit the religious sentiments of the simple-minded in this deadly incitement. A careful look at the scene and the actors at various levels can clarify the issue for any fair-minded person.

This wave of propaganda regarding Bahrain is also engaged in lies and deception in a different manner. In Bahrain, a suffering majority that has been deprived of the right to vote and other fundamental rights of a nation for many years has risen to demand its rights. Should this oppressed majority, because they are Shia and the tyrannical secular government pretends to be Sunni, be considered a Shia-Sunni conflict? European and American colonizers and their accomplices in the region certainly want to portray it that way, but is this the truth?

These are the matters that call upon religious scholars and fair reformers to reflect and be diligent and make it obligatory to recognize the goals of the enemies in emphasizing religious, ethnic, and partisan differences.

The fifth point is that the correctness of the path of Islamic Awakening movements should also be sought in their stance regarding the Palestinian issue. For the past 60 years, no greater wound has been inflicted on the heart of the Islamic Ummah than the usurpation of Palestine. The catastrophe of Palestine has been a combination of massacre, terror, destruction, usurpation, and assault on Islamic sanctities from day one until now. The obligation to stand firm and fight against this military and usurping enemy is agreed upon by all Islamic sects and is a point of consensus among all sincere and healthy national movements. Any movement in Islamic countries that neglects this religious and national duty due to the oppressive desires of America or under the pretext of unreasonable justifications should not expect to be viewed with loyalty to Islam or sincerity in claims of patriotism. This is a litmus test. Anyone who does not accept or marginalizes the slogan of the liberation of the Holy Quds and the salvation of the Palestinian nation and land is suspect. The Islamic Ummah must keep this clear and fundamental criterion in mind everywhere and at all times.

Dear guests! Brothers and sisters!

Never lose sight of the enemy's plots. Our negligence provides opportunities for our enemies. The lesson from Ali (peace be upon him) is that: "He who sleeps does not escape from him." Our experience in the Islamic Republic in this regard is also instructive. With the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the arrogant Western governments and America, which had long held the Iranian tyrants in their grasp and dictated the political, economic, and cultural fate of our country, suddenly realized their negligence and their governing apparatuses, intelligence services, and command rooms sprang into action to compensate for their blatant defeat.

We have seen various plots and tricks from them over these thirty-three years. What has thwarted their schemes fundamentally are two essential factors: standing firm on Islamic principles and the presence of the people in the scene. These two factors are the keys to victory and relief everywhere. The first factor is ensured through sincere faith in divine promises, and the second is guaranteed by the blessing of sincere effort and honest clarification. A nation that believes in the sincerity and honesty of its leaders will enliven the scene with its blessed presence; and wherever the nation remains steadfast in the scene, no power will be able to defeat it. This is a successful experience for all nations that have contributed to the Islamic Awakening with their presence.

I ask the Almighty God for guidance, support, help, and mercy for you and all Muslim nations.

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