Meeting with Members of the National Congress of Martyrs of Kashan

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 noble family, especially the remainder of God among the people.

Dear brothers and sisters! Welcome; especially the honorable families of the martyrs and particularly the esteemed mother of four martyrs. I also recognize Mr. Mansouri, whom I had not seen for years; I have known him since his student days when he was engaged in struggle.

Kashan is a distinguished city; aside from what happened during our time — which I will refer to — throughout history, Kashan has truly and justly had prominence: it is a city that nurtures scholars, poets, jurists, mathematicians, and fighters; it is a city of art; it has produced great and distinguished personalities, and it is an extraordinary city. The carpets woven in Kashan, from an artistic perspective, represent a very great and valuable art; we do not appreciate these arts that are beneath our feet and at our disposal. Prominent figures have emerged from this city, and you know them well; their names are recorded in history everywhere.

In the period close to us, namely our contemporary period, there are personalities who fought against colonialism — which is different from fighting against the internal government — including the late father of Ayatollah Kashani, the late Sayyid Mustafa Kashani, who was one of the great scholars of Najaf. When the British came at the end of World War I and divided the region among several European countries and came towards Iran, they, by the fatwa of the late Sayyid Muhammad Kazem Yazdi, came from Najaf to the Ahvaz region and the southern part of Iraq and the southwestern part of Iran, and engaged in hand-to-hand combat; both the late Sayyid Mustafa Kashani and his son, the late Sayyid Abul Qasim Kashani, who is our well-known Ayatollah Kashani. Their struggles continued. This is significant; that a person, a person of character, dedicates his life to fighting against oppression, tyranny, and aggression is very important and valuable for a nation; it must be appreciated. Now some criticize the late Ayatollah Kashani due to political disagreements; they do not pay attention to the fact that this man is someone who fought with the British for decades with great courage.

During the time of Reza Shah, when all breaths were held in chests, the late Kashani fought; he fought at that time. Imam (may God’s peace be upon him) once said in a private meeting we had that he had not seen anyone as courageous as Mr. Kashani. Pay attention! Who makes this statement? The Imam, who himself is a symbol of bravery and courage. I heard this directly from him; there is no intermediary. He said, "I have not seen anyone as courageous as Mr. Kashani." Then he recounted three incidents of the bravery of the late Mr. Kashani, which I will not recount now. This is the case. In that historical place, we went there and saw the prison where Mr. Kashani was held. They showed us the cell where Mr. Kashani — of course for a short time — was imprisoned. An incident was recounted there where, in that cell where it was difficult to sit comfortably, an officer went to him and began to advise him. Mr. Kashani gave him a response that is a sign of the utmost courage and bravery and steadfastness of this man. And likewise, the rest of those who have been in this path; prominent personalities.

Kashan has prominence from various aspects; one is the issue of struggles, one is the issue of science and art, and one is the attention to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), which during our youth, the gatherings in Kashan were famous everywhere, as the people of Kashan hold mourning and supplication gatherings; and similar matters.

Well, in the very important test of the Sacred Defense and after that in some other events, the people of Kashan moved well, renewed their past, and showed that there is a continuous historical nature in this region that nurtures individuals with these characteristics in the past and today. Therefore, you have distinguished martyrs, martyrs with a history, martyrs from the early struggles, which is rare in other cities of Iran; you have martyrs from the battlefield, extraordinary and unparalleled support that truly impresses one. For example, suppose a few women sit down and weave a valuable carpet, and they come to present it to the front; I read somewhere that those who received this carpet from the woman who brought it said, "We cannot sell this at a price; rather, we must sell it at its spiritual value." They go and sell it at a high price, and an extraordinary and valuable support for several divisions is provided through this one carpet! And many other works that have been done. Well, all of these are the values of the people for the people of Kashan.

Now you want to hold a commemoration for the martyrs; the matters that the esteemed speaker mentioned, all of these are good and necessary works; artistic works, writing books, writing memories, and the other things that exist, all of these are necessary works, good works.

I have made recommendations in my meeting with the organizers of these commemorations that you may have heard or can access; I do not want to repeat them. I want to mention one point, and that is that the art of these martyrs was not only that they put their lives in their hands and went to the battlefield; well, in times of danger, many individuals — of course the distinguished ones — do this. When a danger threatens religion, homeland, nationality, and the dignity of a country, some put their lives in their hands and go and fight. One important point here is that along with this act, one observes behaviors and characteristics that can be explained; that is, they can be conveyed to nations. For example, sacrifices; this young man who goes there, suppose he has something valuable with him, his friend needs it, without any consideration, he gives it to his friend; he makes a sacrifice. Acts of worship; a young person who is newly matured, for example, who has not committed many sins, so earnestly supplicates and repents and seeks forgiveness from the Lord that one is astonished; that is, such a state, such supplication, such attention does not come from individuals of our ages at all; it is not possible for what comes from the pure and bright heart of that young person. Or suppose the respect they had for the sacred slogans of the Islamic Republic, which is now the same matter that he advised his daughter that the first thing you teach the child should be a slogan related to the revolution, related to Islam.

These must be preserved, these must be recorded, these must be shown. This cannot be achieved by naming a street or alley after a martyr. This is possible through artistic work; transferring these spirits and these moral characteristics is only possible through artistic work. You can show sacrifice in a film or in a good poem or in a good painting; you can show humility before the Lord; you can show the humility of a warrior; or you can show his valor. These are useful for a nation. These are a constant and necessary need for a nation. We, well, say on pulpits to the people; we talk about piety, we talk about sacrifice, we talk about supplication and attention and repentance and seeking forgiveness; but these are words, these are sayings; saying is very different from acting. He acts; you reflect that action; show that he acted this way, behaved this way.

One of the things that I consider very important and must be shown in practice, in artistic work, is the patience that these mothers of martyrs exhibited. It is no joke for a person to raise a young man, a child, with great effort and hardship, to bring him to maturity, and then give him in the way of God; one, two, three, four. These are things that are only easily said in words; in practice, in reality, it is not describable at all; that is, it is truly indescribable, and the importance of this cannot be described. However, the patience of this lady can be shown; the gratitude of this lady can be shown; the endurance she exhibited in the face of this important and great incident can be shown; these can be lessons. These must be shown by you. How can this be shown? Only through artistic work.

Thanks be to God, you people of Kashan are also rich in artists; you have artistic individuals who can carry out works. And God willing, you will do this and move forward. And convey my greetings to the dear people of Kashan. We have always regarded Kashan, whether for its scholars, its martyrs, or its artistic works, as a distinguished region. We hope, God willing, that you will always be honored and have a high status before God Almighty.

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