Statements at the Gathering with the Holy Quran in the Hosseiniyeh of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and may God’s blessings be upon Muhammad and his pure family.

We express our gratitude to the Almighty God for granting us life, for giving us the opportunity to witness another Ramadan and to once again attend this luminous gathering, benefiting from the blessings of the Quran to the extent of our capacity. We sincerely thank all those who recited, organized programs, and contributed to the spiritual adornment of this luminous gathering. We thank God that day by day, the Quran and its concepts, the eagerness to learn it, memorize it, and reflect upon it are developing in the country, and these are among the blessings of the Islamic Revolution; however, despite this, we are very distant from the Quran. We must make the Quran our guide, refuge, and leader in all aspects of our lives, thoughts, decisions, and behaviors; and unfortunately, this is not the case today; we must draw closer to the Quran.

Dear youth, increase your connection with the Quran and your reflection upon it day by day; do not forget the recitation of the Quran, do not forget to reflect upon it. In the sermon that was read here from Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), he said: "No one sits with this Quran except that he rises from it with an increase or a decrease, an increase in guidance or a decrease in blindness;" when we sit by the Quran and rise from it after benefiting from it, our guidance should have increased and our ignorance should have decreased; our knowledge should increase, our connection with the true teachings should deepen, our closeness to the Almighty God should grow, and our eagerness for worship should increase.

Today, the calamity of the Islamic world is the distance from the Quran; the misery of some Islamic societies is due to their distance from the Quran; look at the situation in Palestine! A nation has been distanced from its home, and those who remain in this home are under various pressures, one example of which you witnessed just a few days ago; numerous martyrs, several thousand injured, at the hands of a wicked, usurping, false regime, and Muslims are just watching, observing. Some complain, saying, "Why hasn’t America taken a stance?" Does America need to take a stance? America itself is complicit in the crime; many Western governments are complicit in the crime; do you expect them to take a stance? The stance must be taken by Muslims; the stance must be taken by the Islamic Ummah; the Islamic Ummah, Islamic governments, and Islamic states must stand firm, yet they do not. Why? Because they are distant from the Quran; because they lack faith in the Quran. The noble verse from Surah Al-Fath was recited: "They are severe against the disbelievers, and merciful among themselves;" in the face of the enemies of the faith and the disbelievers, we must be steadfast, but we must be kind among ourselves; [however] they act contrary to this; among us, there is war, division, disputes, and the enemies instigate sectarian conflicts, and the rulers who are distant from the Quran, distant from reason and wisdom, fall into the trap of the disbelievers and submit to them; we are distant from the Quran; the Quran has defined our duties; the Quran has introduced them to us: "Hatred has appeared from their mouths, and what their hearts conceal is greater;" these were recited today; these are verses of the Quran; their enmity towards Islam and Muslims will not cease; "And they did not take revenge on them except that they believed in God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy;" their enmity is due to their inclination towards Islam. We are distant from the Quran; the Islamic Ummah is distant from the Quran. If we draw closer to the Quran, we will undoubtedly overcome the enemy, whoever that enemy may be; "And if those who disbelieve fight you, they will turn their backs, then they will not find a protector or a helper; this is the tradition of God that has passed before, and you will not find any change in the tradition of God;" this is a divine promise, a Quranic promise; "And surely God will help those who help Him;" these are things we must learn from the Quran, we must absorb, we must act upon. These gatherings are a prelude; these interactions and these teachings are a prelude; these readings and recitations are a prelude; a prelude to reflection, understanding, awareness, and action.

Let us continue our movement towards the Quran. My dear ones, Iranian youth, faithful youth, revolutionary youth! Increase your familiarity with the Quran, your connection with the Quran, and your utilization of the Quran day by day; this is your source of strength, this is your source of authority, this is your source of dignity. We hope that, God willing, we all awaken, the Islamic world awakens, and we can accomplish these tasks. In any case, Palestine will, with divine grace and by the permission of God Almighty, be freed from the hands of the enemies; Al-Quds is the capital of Palestine, and America, and greater than America, and smaller than America, and the agents of America, can do nothing against the truth and divine tradition regarding Palestine. We ask the Almighty God for forgiveness for all the martyrs of Islam and for the martyrs of Palestine - especially the martyrs of these past few days - and we ask the Almighty God for greater steadfastness and perseverance for the fighters on the path of truth and the Mojahedin in the way of God.

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