Statements in Meeting with the People of Qom

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

We welcome all of you dear brothers and sisters, esteemed scholars, respected clerics, enthusiastic and faithful youth, and all classes of the people of Qom who, as history attests, have demonstrated their prominence, their blend of fervor and awareness, and their courage and struggle in the significant and decisive events of these years. Although for various reasons, the 19th of Dey (December 9) is a remarkable and unparalleled day, undoubtedly, the prominence of the actions and initiatives of the dear people of Qom is not limited to the 19th of Dey. In the post-revolution period, in various events, during the imposed war, and in the important and decisive incidents that have occurred over these decades, whenever we consider the position of the people of Qom, we see a distinguished and outstanding status. Thanks be to God that it is so, and these factors have made Qom a symbol of the greatness of the Islamic Republic today. Those who think about the issues related to our country and the Islamic Republic system, whether our enemies or our friends, one of their main focal points is the city of Qom, the Qom seminary, the people of Qom, and the events of Qom. We hope that the Almighty God, just as He has granted you dear ones, you active and capable people, success and assistance until today, will continue to bestow His help and guidance upon you in the future, as our country will undoubtedly need strong wills, resolute determination, and dynamic steps in the outlook ahead.

Regarding the 19th of Dey, for thirty-some years, various speakers, thinkers, and those who engage in discourse and contemplation have been discussing it; they have examined, analyzed, and described this incident from various dimensions, stating its role and impact. However, in my humble opinion, the important issue of the 19th of Dey still deserves contemplation and scrutiny; there are aspects of this incident that are worth recounting and learning from. One of these aspects is that the incident of the 19th of Dey in Qom is a manifestation and symbol of this noble verse: "So We took vengeance on those who committed crimes, and it was a right upon Us to aid the believers"; (1) in the verse of the Quran, in Surah Ar-Rum, the Almighty God expresses that aiding the believers is a right upon Him; this expression has been used in several places in the Holy Quran - [such as] "It is a right upon Him in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran"; (2) and other instances - and one of them is here, where He states that it is a right upon Us, meaning upon the Almighty Lord, to aid the believers. Well, under what circumstances is this? Under what conditions has it been said that the believers will receive aid? This is in those circumstances where, outwardly, there is no glimmer of hope. Observe these very verses; it is at a time when the enemy of the front of faith stands against the believers with apparent power and strong forces; a great front of struggle has emerged; in such circumstances, it is stated: "And it was a right upon Us to aid the believers."

On the day when the youth of Qom, both clerics and non-clerics, and various segments of the faithful people came out into the streets and alleys of Qom to defend the Imam, to defend the truth, to defend the raised flag of the struggle against tyranny, and stood against the bullets of the tyrannical regime's mercenaries, their blood spilled on the asphalt of the streets, no one among those people or those around them ever imagined what impact this incident would have. They felt a duty, took their strength and what they had into their hands, and came to the field. [The people of Qom] thought that the 19th of Dey would be the source of this great transformation in the chain of struggles and protests and would culminate in a massive uprising of the general public to finish the work. Did the people of Qom think that what they were doing would have such blessings? They did not think so; however: "And it was a right upon Us to aid the believers." The factor of victory is that a group - on a large scale, a nation - has correct faith, and this faith is firm, and this faith is accompanied by insight, and this faith and insight are accompanied by action and initiative; when these come together, victory is certain. Where you see believers who do not receive aid, it is because either their faith is weak, or their faith is incorrect - faith in something that should not be believed in - or their faith lacks insight regarding the world and the issues surrounding them. Lacking insight is like lacking sight; one cannot see the way. Yes, you have determination, you have will, but you do not know where to go. We have emphasized the importance of insight regarding the events of the 9th of Dey, and some were displeased because of this; it is because if there were no insight, that very faith might lead a person astray. Someone who lacks knowledge and does not have proper insight into what is happening around them may sometimes find themselves taking the wrong path; all their strength not only gets wasted but leads them down a wrong path; thus, insight is necessary. Righteous action based on faith, firm faith, correct faith, faith accompanied by insight, and continuity and perseverance, if they exist, will lead to certain victory. Those who do not achieve victory lack one of these: either there is no faith, or the faith is not correct, or there is no perseverance, or there is no insight; giving up halfway leads to failure; naturally, they will not reach the result. The Iranian nation has created these conditions; its faith was correct because its guide was a sincere guide, a skilled and knowledgeable guide; an aware jurist of global issues, detached from personal material interests, and knowledgeable of the Book and the Sunnah; he showed the way to the people, and the people moved with insight; they understood what they had to do; they did that work, "And it was a right upon Us to aid the believers"; and it is still the same today.

What is important for us is to reflect on our behavior, on our past, and to learn from our weaknesses and strengths; today is the same. No one should imagine that those who stood against the Islamic Revolution with all their might have now retreated; no, they are still standing; however, every enemy, if forced, will retreat; if you compel them and force them to retreat, they will have no choice but to do so; but they do not abandon their enmity; today, this is the issue in the world. The enemy must be recognized, the enemy's front must be recognized, the enemy's smile should not be taken seriously, one should not be deceived by it, and the goal should not be forgotten; the goal of the Islamic Republic is to achieve the ideals of Islam, which means the material and spiritual happiness of humanity, which means progress in both material and spiritual aspects of life. This goal should not be forgotten, it must be pursued, and one must be certain that with firm faith, with continuing the path, with insight into surrounding issues and current matters, with insight regarding the enemy and insight regarding the field of action and the front of struggle, victory is certain; this must be kept in mind. The reason I repeatedly state that the horizon of the Islamic Republic system is a bright horizon is because, thanks be to God, our people, our youth, both men and women, possess faith, they have insight, they know the enemy, and they are capable and innovative. In which issue have our youth entered that they could not solve? Wherever there was a prepared infrastructure in this country, we were able to advance; this is due to the same talent and ability that the Almighty God has placed in this faithful nation; the nature of work is such, we must advance; in practical fields, in social fields, in construction, in politics, in various areas, wherever we trusted [we advanced]. Today is the same; my constant advice to the esteemed officials is to pay attention to the internal forces of this country to solve the problems; one should not look outward; of course, external issues must be resolved, there is no doubt about that; an active nation, an active government, [an] active administration, is active in all areas; in international issues, in regional issues, in diplomacy, these activities are necessary; however, our hope must be in the support and assistance of God and in the internal strength of the nation and the country; this is what secures the country.

Today you observe that our enemies - who have always misunderstood and misjudged the Iranian nation, have always made this mistake, and they are still making the same mistake; they do not know our nation, they do not know our country - think that due to the pressure of sanctions and economic blockade, the nation has raised its hands in surrender before them; no, sir, you are mistaken. This nation is not one that raises its hands in surrender. In even harsher conditions than this, this nation has not surrendered. A clear and undeniable example is the eight years of imposed war; is this a joke? Eight years! All the great powers of the world supported a criminal to act against the country and the nation, and this nation overcame all of them; is this a small feat? Is this a trivial matter? There too, it was "And it was a right upon Us to aid the believers"; there too, the same resolute determination, decisive decision, and bringing forth the God-given existence into the field of action, opened the knots one by one. Was our first day of war the same as one year later, two years later, three years later? Continuous openings occurred, the whole world saw that America, the Soviet Union of that day, Europe, NATO, Britain, and others supported the Ba'ath regime, supported the criminal Saddam, so that he could have a lasting aggression against our dear country; and he failed after eight years, without being able to get even an inch closer to his demands, with all that damage, all those casualties, and all that international disgrace, he was forced to retreat. Today is the same; today, confronting the enmities of the enemy and resolving all these predicaments is possible with the steadfastness of the nation, relying on the internal capabilities of the country, and trusting in the God who has prepared hearts in this way and guided them for this reason. Of course, when the enemy looks and sees a nation determined, standing firm, and resolved to advance its own affairs, that enemy is forced to retreat; this is also the case. The Iranian nation will shatter their illusions; they think that by saying they have imposed sanctions, Iran has been forced to come to the negotiation table; no, [it is not so]. We have previously announced, even before these statements, that the Islamic Republic will negotiate with this devil regarding specific issues that it deems beneficial, to remove its harm and to solve problems; this does not mean that this nation has become desperate, not at all. One of the blessings of these recent negotiations was that the enmity of the Americans and the officials of the United States government against Iran and Iranians, against Islam and Muslims, became evident; it became clear to everyone, and everyone understood this. You hear their tones, their words; where they do not act, they say they cannot - they are telling the truth, they cannot - and if they could completely dismantle Iran's nuclear industry, they would do it, but they cannot. Yes, of course, they cannot. Why can’t they? Because this nation has decided to stand on its own feet in this matter and in all its issues and to resist; and it has done so; [therefore] the enemy cannot do anything; it is the same in all matters. Their enmity has become clear, their impotence has also become clear, and now they are grasping at straws. Their political figures, their press, their political circles are revealing their internal hatreds, their old hatreds that they have repeatedly shown over these thirty years with various expressions: the issue of human rights, the issue of Islam, the issue of adherence to religious standards; these are the words they are now addressing. I say that anyone else [who] speaks about human rights, the Americans have no right to speak about human rights; [because] the U.S. government is the biggest violator of human rights in the world; not [only] yesterday, [but] today, right now; these are the people who, with the backing of the Zionist usurping regime, are committing all this evil in this region. What is the situation in Palestine? What is the condition of the Palestinians? What is the situation in Gaza? Do the people of the world not know the conditions of the people of Gaza? A sick person in urgent need of treatment in that oppressed piece of land is left on the ground, basic medicines are not provided to him! Why? Because America is behind the usurping Zionist regime. A country, a people, is besieged from all sides, has no way out, has no possibility, and their sick are left on the ground, their hungry remain hungry, even the essentials of life are withheld from them; is this not oppression? Is this not a violation of human rights? And then they shamelessly speak the name of human rights? This gentleman, the first one who wanted to come, in his electoral campaign five or six years ago, one of the promises he made to the American people was to close Guantanamo prison; [now] six or seven years have passed, has Guantanamo prison been closed? This is how they are. Oppression against people, attacks on people, [bringing] unmanned aircraft into Afghanistan and Pakistan, slaughtering innocent people, thousands of kinds of crimes against civilians in various regions, and methods of crime that are now largely unknown to the people of the world - which many of their crimes are methods that will be unknown to the people of the world, it will be revealed later - and then they bring up the name of human rights? We claim against the United States of America and many Western governments because of the human rights violations they commit. We claim, we question them, we hold them accountable in the court of world public opinion; and they have no answer.

If the Iranian nation wants to be freed from its material and spiritual problems - moral problems, economic problems - it must rely on itself, on its own thoughts, on its own will, on its own faith, on its youth, on its personalities, and consider the remedy to be from the Almighty God. And know, dear brothers, dear sisters, dear people of Qom, all of the Iranian nation! The Iranian nation has shown that by relying on the Almighty God, it will overcome all these obstacles and will reach its goal.

May God's mercy be upon our great Imam who rose from Qom and laid this path before us and the Iranian nation; and with his effort, with his faith, with his perseverance, with his trust in God, he continued this path, advancing us; and we all, in our hearts, in our words, in our actions, God willing, are committed to continue this path until the end; and may God's mercy be upon the dear martyrs of the revolution and the imposed war until today and the dear martyrs of Qom and upon all of you dear brothers and sisters.

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

(1) Surah Ar-Rum, part of verse 47

(2) Surah At-Tawbah, part of verse 111