Statements in Meeting with Quran Reciters, Memorizers, and Teachers

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

We are very grateful to the dear brothers who today reflected and resonated the verses of the Holy Quran with beautiful melodies, illuminating our hearts with the light of reciting the verses of the divine book. We hope that the Almighty God will familiarize our nation, especially our youth, more and more with the Quran.

Familiarity with the Quran will make our hearts more acquainted with its teachings. Whatever shortcomings exist in the Islamic world are due to the distance from divine teachings and Quranic knowledge. The Quran is a book of wisdom, a book of knowledge, a book of life. The life of nations and peoples lies in their familiarity with the teachings of the Quran and acting according to these teachings and the Quranic laws. If people seek justice and are averse to oppression, they must learn the way to fight against oppression from the Quran. If people seek knowledge and wish to enhance their lives through understanding and awareness, the path is shown through the Quran. If people are in pursuit of a connection with the Almighty God and spiritual purity and familiarity with the divine proximity, the way is the Quran.

Our weakness as a Muslim nation, our backwardness, our misbehaviors, our moral deviations in life, all stem from the distance from the Quran. Muslim nations, due to the dominance of tyrants and oppressors - whom the Quran has warned its audience against - have had their blood drained; not only their economic blood, not only their vital resources and underground mines and oil, but also their spirit of resistance, their resilience, and their quest for dignity and honor in the world have been taken from them. Muslim nations turned their backs on their culture and accepted materialistic culture. Although we superficially uttered the words "There is no god but God," and have been Muslims over time, Western culture and knowledge have influenced our hearts and distanced us from the truths. At that time, we not only lost our economy and worldly dignity, but also our morals and moral values. If we are suffering from laziness, if we are weak and feeble, if our hearts are not familiar with one another, if there is malice among us, these are the effects of the imposed anti-Islamic and non-Islamic culture.

The role of the Quran is to elevate us materially and spiritually; and the Quran does this. Those who are familiar with history have seen examples of this; and we, the people of this time, are witnessing examples of it in our own time. One example is you, the dear Iranian nation. Do not think that during the tyrannical regimes - whether the Pahlavi regime or before them, the Qajar regime - the Iranian nation had any credibility in the international arena; it did not. This bubbling and concentrated talent that exists in our nation was like a forgotten treasure, buried like a treasure in ruins; unless by chance, someone would show themselves, which they did not. All these active, energetic, innovative, and progress-loving youth that you see today creating honor in various fields, creating dignity for their nation; well, those young people existed back then too, but due to the dominance of tyrants, these discussions were absent.

To the extent that we have taken a step towards the Quran, towards Quranic teachings - and what we have moved towards the Quran is truly not even one step more - the Almighty God has granted us dignity, has given us life, has bestowed awareness and insight upon us, has granted us power and strength. Our nation today is one of the liveliest and strongest nations in the world. The concentrated and bubbling talent and readiness and the continuous observation of progress in various fields; today, our country's situation is like this. Other nations also admire our nation.

Today, fortunately, among the Islamic Ummah, Islamic slogans that energize nations have been observed in various countries; and you see and hear the news of them. These movements, where their vitality and freshness are greater, are in those parts where their effectiveness and influence are more, where their susceptibility to the enemy and to hypocrites and adversaries and deceivers is less; those are the places where there are Islamic slogans, Islamic demands, Islamic wishes; this is the characteristic of Quranic teachings. One must become familiar with the Quran.

Of course, today is not comparable to the past. In the past, there were not this many Quran reciters, this many Quran memorizers, this many people familiar with the text of the Quran, this many lovers and enthusiasts of Quran recitation; while it was the same country, the same nation.

I remember that one of the prominent Egyptian reciters - the late Abul-Ainain Shuaisha - came to Mashhad and recited the Quran in the Goharshad Mosque, and he read very well. Since the session was organized by the endowments of that time, and the endowments were, contrary to today, which thanks be to God is a reputable organization, a disreputable organization at that time, I, although I was very eager to hear that reciter's recitation, did not want to go sit in that assembly; I watched from afar and listened to the voice. I do not think the number of people attending that assembly reached fifty or sixty. Some were government officials, and some were our own well-known Mashhadi reciters.

Today, this enthusiasm for the Quran that exists everywhere must be increased; this must be increased day by day. This good recitation, good voice, good arrangement of the assembly - which, thanks be to God, I see that our reciters are gradually becoming skilled and proficient in Quranic assembly arrangements - are valuable things; their benefit is that they familiarize us with the Quran, with Quranic teachings, with Quranic meanings.

One of the things that can grant us contemplation in the Quran is memorizing the Quran. We have few Quran memorizers. I have previously said that in our country, there should be at least one million Quran memorizers - now one million is a small number compared to the population we have - but now, since friends have fortunately prepared some prerequisites, have started some work, and are preparing programs so that, God willing, memorization can take off, our hope has increased, and instead of one million, we say, God willing, we should have ten million Quran memorizers.

Of course, keep in mind that memorizing the Quran is the first step. First, the memorization must be maintained. Therefore, a Quran memorizer must be a continuous reciter of the Quran; that is, they must regularly recite the Quran; otherwise, the memorization will be lost. Then, this memorization must help with contemplation, which it indeed does; memorization truly aids contemplation. When you repeat the Quran, you are memorizing and reading, the opportunity for contemplation and deep reflection on the verses of the Quran arises for you.

Of course, familiarity with interpretations that clarify the meaning of the verses is very necessary. When there is memorization and this familiarity with interpretation and contemplation, the very thing that we expect in our society will occur: Quranic flourishing. Imagine in our country, ten million, fifteen million people, men and women, who are familiar with Quranic teachings; see how valuable this is. They should have Quranic teachings, Quranic lessons, Quranic advice, Quranic warnings, and Quranic glad tidings in their minds, review them, and call them to their hearts; a truly steel nation will emerge. Fortunately, the grounds for this are prepared. Today, the determination and will of our nation is a steel determination. However, that Quranic structure of society will be established, which we hope, God willing, will come to pass.

You youths who are familiar with the Quran, who are people of the Quran, who are reciters of the Quran, who are among the good reciters, recognize your worth. God willing, the Almighty God will reward you. You are truly the vanguard of this general movement in society. The difficulties may be greater, but the reward and merit before the Almighty God, God willing, will be greater.

O Lord! Unite us with the Quran throughout our lives. O Lord! Do not separate us from the Quran in this world and the Hereafter. O Lord! Place us in the shade of the Quran on the Day of Resurrection. O Lord! Grant us a Quranic life, a divine and Islamic life that is pleasing to Islam. O Lord! Through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, make the sacred heart of the Awaited Imam pleased and satisfied with us. Do not separate us from the Quran and the Ahlulbayt.

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