Statements in Meeting with Organizers of the Commemoration Congress for Martyrs of South Khorasan Province

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

One of the best and noblest actions, especially in our time, is the commemoration of martyrs; particularly in certain regions where the public inclination towards religious and revolutionary matters is strong, this action gains more prominence and glory; your province is one such place, thanks be to God. I am, of course, familiar with Birjand and that province, which has been a source of believers and scholars for a long time; South Khorasan has been like this; there have been pious people in that province - both in Birjand itself, in Qaen, and in other cities of the province - as well as prominent scholars who, in our time and what we have witnessed closely, include the late Mr. Tehami, the late Mr. Ayati, and the late Mr. Arefi, these three great scholars, two of whom were educated in Najaf. The late Mr. Ayati was a student of the late Aqa Zia; the late Mr. Tehami was a student of Mr. Naini; Mr. Arefi was also a student of the late Haj Sheikh in Qom, and was one of the distinguished scholars of Qom.

We had also seen the piety of the people there. In 1963, when there was no news of the movement in that area, I went there and raised the issues of the movement from the pulpit, and I observed a reception and an inner enthusiasm from the people that was truly astonishing! It indicated their interest. Well, thanks be to God, during the Sacred Defense period, they also made great efforts, worked hard, and over two thousand martyrs; apart from the disabled and the freed prisoners and the missing persons, more than two thousand people from this province have been martyred; those martyrs who are identified; and we hope that, God willing, the blessings of these martyrs will encompass the people of the province, the future of the province, and the spirit of the province.

Today, our country needs to commemorate them. The aggression of the enemies in the realm of spiritual matters is much more serious and problematic than in ordinary matters and hard attacks and such; and the enemy's efforts today are focused on this. Of course, just as the enemy has failed in the realm of hard pressure and war, they have also failed here; thanks be to God, a revolutionary growth is visibly observed in the country, but this requires effort; it has come about through effort, and if there is effort, these growths will continue and advance; and God willing, they will advance, there is no doubt about it. Therefore, holding these sessions and commemorating the martyrs is very valuable and very important.

And you should pursue this work; hold this congress of martyr commemoration as qualitatively as possible; write the biographies of these martyrs. We see that an unknown martyr, a martyr who was neither a general, nor a commander, nor a well-known personality, when their biography is written and made available to public opinion, it often stirs hearts in many ways; [of course] when these biographies are written correctly and with attention to various aspects; do this work.

Well, thirty years have passed since the end of the war, but the important issues of the Sacred Defense are not finite; they are progressing day by day. Our dear martyrs defended when they were alive; they went to the battlefield with their lives; today, with their identity, with their spirituality, they are defending the identity of the country, defending Islam; this is very important. Go to the fathers and mothers. Unfortunately, many of the fathers and mothers of the martyrs have passed away, but seek out those who are still alive - their fathers, their mothers, those who had spouses, their spouses - go to them, ask, seek the biographies of these dear martyrs and register them; and try to present them with quality; now, the quantities are significant, but more important than the quantities are the qualities that you should, God willing, consider.

In any case, we extend our sincere greetings and true regards to the dear martyrs and the families of the martyrs - the martyrs of South Khorasan, Birjand, and other cities - and we send our greetings to the people of that region. Mr. Ebadi should convey our greetings to the people of Birjand and the people of South Khorasan, and we hope that, God willing, they will always be under divine grace, and the governor should also, as he said, God willing, address the problems of the people and carry out the necessary tasks that need to be done there, God willing.

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