Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at the Grand Gathering of the People of Rafsanjan

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 chosen progeny, the infallible guides, especially the Awaited One among the people of the earth.

Being present in Rafsanjan is very nostalgic for me as a humble servant. We have recognized Rafsanjan and its dear people as a center and focal point for the truths of Islam for many years, and as one of the important points in the struggle against tyranny. The people of Rafsanjan persevered and stood firm on the divine straight path during the true period of oppression. On the day when the name, memory, and fatwa of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) were banned and criminalized by the oppressive police apparatus, the people of Rafsanjan named a mosque after the great Imam in their brave and free city; they spoke in his name and promoted his path.

In the numerous trips I made to this city, I was able to publicly elaborate on matters from the pulpit that were not possible in any other part of the country. Here, the people were aware and vigilant; they were ready to work and eager to act; this situation continued for many years, and after the victory of the revolution, Rafsanjan was among the centers that, in accordance with the verse "They fulfilled their covenant with God," did not break their promise with God, with the Awaited Imam, and with the great Islamic movement. In the fields of sacred defense, the men and youth of Rafsanjan, and in the rear and support sections, the women of Rafsanjan played a very important role.

We thank God for bestowing His grace upon you, dear people, and keeping you steadfast on His straight path. Thanks be to God, today the name and memory of Rafsanjan and the distinguished personalities of Rafsanjan are recognized throughout the country. The people of Rafsanjan have a good name; their history is brilliant, and many of those involved in the struggles have witnessed this firsthand.

What I want to convey today to the enthusiastic gathering of you, dear people of Rafsanjan, is that these struggles, efforts, and endeavors have been directed towards noble and valuable goals. The jihad of a nation gains meaning and shines brightly when its defined goals are lofty. The great struggle of the Iranian nation defined and delineated its divine lofty goals. The Iranian nation, the Islamic Republic, and the leader and architect of this revolution and this system - our great Imam - upheld these goals; they moved towards them and invested their material and spiritual resources in this path.

These defined goals are not limited to one aspect of human life; they encompass both the material and spiritual lives of the people. Islam desires happiness and prosperity for its people. This happiness cannot be achieved solely through wealth; it cannot be attained merely through remembrance and worship. The good life in Islam is one that leads to spirituality and the ultimate goals of this path, passing through the worldly lives of the people. Islam seeks to cultivate the world of its people; however, the cultivation of the world is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is that human beings enjoy a suitable and appropriate livelihood, peace of mind, and freedom of thought and belief in their worldly lives, and through this, they move towards spiritual elevation and breakthroughs. The good life in Islam encompasses both this world and the hereafter. The issue is that worldly life - which moves towards divine goals - must provide a true and just life for the people. In Islam, justice is a very important issue. The value that is never disputed in Islam, under any circumstances, is justice. Justice is the goal of the prophets; it has also been the goal of the Islamic revolution. Under the shadow of justice, the lives of the people can progress towards spiritual goals alongside material prosperity.

The Iranian nation has struggled and endeavored to create a just society. The sacred Islamic Republic has set the establishment of a just society as its main goal; justice as defined by Islam; justice as Islam has introduced it; without deviation to the left or right; that is, the divine straight path.

In this path, we have made significant progress; however, to establish an Islamic just system, further efforts are still required. The most important duty of the country's officials is to embody justice in society so that the people can feel justice; justice in law, justice in judgment, justice in the distribution of the country's vital resources, justice in the access and benefits of all individuals to the country's facilities. Our country has abundant resources; these resources can create a prosperous, advanced, and developed society for the Iranian nation; however, the main condition is that justice is observed in the utilization of these resources. The Islamic Republic has raised the banner of justice; the people are also captivated by this very important and fundamental slogan. The Islamic Republic is obliged to ensure justice at all stages and to provide the various classes of society with access to the country's vital resources. This is a fundamental duty.

Officials at various levels - at the national level, at the provincial and city levels - are obliged to uphold justice and always pay attention to the underprivileged classes. It is a mistake to think that Islam opposes progress, development, and the material welfare of society; this is not the case at all. A society in which there is scientific and practical progress, technological advancement, and the worldly advancement of the people is what Islam desires for its followers. Islam's encouragement of knowledge, action, effort, and activity stems from this. The divine tradition has established that every nation that strives and works will undoubtedly see the results of its efforts. Therefore, Islam also provides for the material lives of the people; however, being immersed in material life, forgetting spiritual values, creating a gap between the classes of society, and distancing different segments of the people is not acceptable and is not endorsed; this is what distinguishes the Islamic system.

Today, there are many developed countries in the world, but there is no justice in them; these are not the model of the Islamic Republic. The model of the Islamic Republic is an Islamic model; that is, a model of progress and development and welfare, accompanied by justice, brotherhood, love, and compassion among the classes and bridging the gap between the poor and the rich in society. The progress of society in this form, which is accompanied by spirituality, is what Islam seeks.

We thank God that the officials of the Islamic Republic have not deviated from the Islamic ideals and what has been defined as noble goals for this revolution and this people. These goals have been accepted by all, and the condition for serving this people and for holding fundamental responsibilities for this people is that every official must be deeply committed to these lofty goals and divine and Islamic ideals and strive and struggle for them. The attraction of the Islamic system for Muslim nations around the world is rooted in this fundamental point, which sees Islam as the guarantor of the happiness of Islamic societies. Before the Islamic revolution emerged on the scene, Muslim nations believed that the name of justice belonged to the left and socialist camp, and material welfare and progress belonged to the right - that is, the capitalist system. Islam came to the scene; it promised a life accompanied by material welfare and social justice to the people, and they were captivated by this slogan and this great movement; thus, throughout the Islamic world, the name of the Islamic revolution and the name of the Imam of this revolution became a shining sun and a point of attraction for the people. Even though we did not have extensive propaganda in the early years of the revolution in the Islamic world, anyone who traveled from the Islamic Republic to distant parts of the world where Muslims lived saw that the name of the Imam, the name of the revolution, the name of the Islamic Republic, and this raised flag resided deep in the hearts of the Muslim people. Even many non-Muslim nations were attracted to Islam because of this slogan. We must act upon these slogans. Merely saying and repeating them will not suffice to achieve these goals; we must implement them in practice and in real field experience; this is the great responsibility of the officials of the Islamic Republic. All officials have believed in this meaning and continue to pursue it; however, they must work and strive for these goals and ideals to be realized.

It is this attraction of the Islamic Republic that compels the global arrogant enemies of the Islamic Republic to line up against it and has done so until today. Some imagine that we have provoked our global enemies to come and oppose us; some think that the slogan "Death to America" provokes America to harbor animosity towards the Islamic system and Islamic Iran; this is a mistake. The enmity of the arrogant American system and every arrogant power in the world with the Islamic system is due to the raised banner of justice; it is because they see that a country is moving towards growth and development and scientific and practical progress under the name of Islam and the lofty teachings of Islam; they know that this will hinder their influence.

They oppose any country that achieves scientific and developmental progress outside their sphere of power. They oppose any country that moves towards competition with them in the field of science and development. They pursue their interests in various regions of the world - which are rich and abundant in vital and economic resources - and seek to unjustly and arrogantly seize these countries with their power, wealth, and deception. They do not recognize the right to life for the people of these countries and regions; let alone allowing these nations to form a system, bring a government to power, elect a president, adorn a government, enact laws, follow a path, and innovate. The enmity of America and global arrogance with Islamic Iran is due to this powerful popular movement; because the faith of the people, the people's desire for independence, and the people's self-confidence are detrimental to them. They want to keep our country perpetually dependent. They want to keep the countries of this region culturally, economically, and politically dependent on themselves. When a country is independent, when it has self-confidence and moves along the path that leads it to lofty goals, naturally, they become dissatisfied. The dissatisfaction of our global enemies is due to this. They are satisfied only when the Iranian nation completely surrenders the control of its religion, world, culture, and economy to them. The Iranian nation has awakened today and will not submit to such tyranny and bullying.

Dear people of Rafsanjan! Faithful brothers and sisters who have walked the path of truth and reality for many years! Know that the happiness of this country and this nation lies in unity and following the path of Islam and pursuing justice. This nation, in order to discourage the enemies and dissuade them from the various attacks and insidious plots they have against the Islamic Republic, can only follow the path of striving under the shadow of Islam and pursuing Islamic goals, and by national solidarity and unity, strengthen itself day by day. Thanks be to God, we have moved in this direction and will continue to move forward with all our might, and we do not consider any weakness in this path permissible.

Certainly, it is the dear Islam that can elevate the life of this nation in this country to a level worthy of the Iranian nation and worthy of this rich history and worthy of these noble and exalted human beings. Thanks be to God, our nation can, you can, and our youth can bring this country to the level that is desired by this nation; the realities of the country also indicate this.

We all know and see the progress of this country in the fields of science, technology, research, and economic development. These advancements are natural for this nation. If this nation does not progress, it would be unnatural. What we must focus on and strive for is that these movements and advancements occur under the shadow of social justice so that the youth and all people from various parts of Iran can benefit from the resources of this country.

Once again, I invite you, dear people, and all the people of our country to actively participate and be present in the upcoming electoral experience. Choose the qualified personalities who are introduced to you in accordance with the lofty goals of this nation, this revolution, and this system. With the backing of the people's votes, a government must come to power that can resolve the knots and accomplish great tasks; tasks that are halfway done and must be completed with increased effort and diligence. Our country can manage a population larger than our current statistics; it can place itself at a high level of progress and development among the nations of the world; and as stated in the 20-year vision document, it can achieve the first rank in the region in various aspects. These are the capabilities of our nation; these have been achieved by our nation thanks to the blessing of unity, the raised banner of Islam, and the deep faith that resides in your hearts, and it can continue to advance and reach the beautiful and worthy vision of the Iranian nation.

Of course, there are obstacles and enmities along this path; we must confront these enmities and not succumb to the plots of the enemies. A nation achieves success that does not waver in its will and determination and can traverse this path with all its strength and unity. Such a nation is victorious. You have, thanks be to God, been victorious until today; and after this, God willing, you will continue to be victorious.

Kerman province is a large and important province and is rich in natural resources. In the years following the war, many works have been accomplished in this province. What has been done in Kerman province over the years is incomparable to what was done before the revolution. Back then, Kerman was a forgotten and neglected region; neither its human resources nor its underground resources were given attention. The Islamic Republic has looked at this region and the dear people of Kerman with respect and continues to do so; as they deserve. The Islamic Republic has paid attention to this province. The situation of this province has changed significantly compared to the past; of course, there are also shortages, some of which have been mentioned. The seven- and eight-year droughts in various parts of the province have caused significant damage; this year's cold has also created problems for Rafsanjan and some other areas. Of course, the people must be assisted so that they can resist against natural disasters and events and not stop their work, and God willing, overcome the difficulties. One of the most important duties of government officials is this; we have also given them the necessary recommendations and will continue to do so. We hope that God Almighty will bestow His blessings upon the people of Rafsanjan and the city of Rafsanjan.

O Lord! Bestow Your mercy, blessings, and grace upon these faithful, dear, enthusiastic, and sincere people. O Lord! Illuminate and enlighten these faithful hearts with the light of Your knowledge. O Lord! Gather the dear martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for You from this region with the Prophet. O Lord! Grant us the success to serve these dear people through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and make us true servants of these people.

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