Statements at the Meeting with the Organizers of the Congress of 24,000 Martyrs of Greater Tehran

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, especially the remainder of God on earth.

I extend my warm welcome to all dear brothers and sisters. I congratulate you on the birth of the Master of the Pious (peace be upon him) and the birth of Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (peace be upon him). We pay our respects and homage to the pure souls of the martyrs and their esteemed families, and we also express our gratitude to those who have organized this great commemoration and memorial. I have seen the exhibition that the friends have arranged here; the works that have been done are commendable, and the points that our dear brother mentioned regarding Tehran and the martyrs of Tehran and their families are entirely accurate and valid. I would like to say a few words about Tehran and one point about the martyrs.

There has been little discussion about Tehran. Regarding various cities in the country, I or others have spoken on different occasions; unfortunately, there has been little discussion about Tehran, while it should be considered a symbol of many characteristics of the Iranian nation; this is truly the case. Among the characteristics that became evident from the Iranian nation during the events of the revolution and what pertains to the revolution are the courage of the Iranian nation, the zeal of the Iranian nation, the religiosity of the Iranian nation, the desire for independence of the Iranian nation, the enmity towards the enemy by the Iranian nation, and others; in my opinion, Tehran symbolizes all these characteristics; that is, if we want to study these characteristics in a specific and documented manner, we must study Tehran; all these characteristics are gathered here.

Now, the events related to the revolution are a rich chapter; I will make a reference to them; however, before discussing the revolution and its events, at least in the last 150 years — it has been the same before, but I will focus more on the events of the last century and a half — when we review these events, we clearly see the prominence of the people of Tehran. For example, consider the Reuter Agreement, which the late Hajj Mullah Ali Kani Tehrani, the leader of the people, prevented this treacherous agreement. Or the tobacco issue and the treacherous Regie Agreement — that was also a treacherous agreement — where in Tehran, the late Mirza Muhammad Hassan Ishtiyani, a great and prominent cleric of Tehran, following the fatwa of the Shirazi Mirza and his prohibition, raised a commotion; they caused the servants and maids in the royal family to break the hookahs, influenced by the fatwa of the Shirazi Mirza; that is, the presence of the people of Tehran behind the scholars was like this. Or after them, the issue of constitutionalism; in the matter of constitutionalism, the role of the people of Tehran is often not mentioned; only the issue of the embassy bridge and similar matters are mentioned, while these were subsequent issues; the main issue was the demand for a house of justice, where the people of Tehran gathered in this Grand Mosque and other places, held meetings, and sought the house of justice, enduring hardships, suffering, and even being beaten, but ultimately it led to the issue of constitutionalism. Then, when constitutionalism was deviating — which it did — the uprising of the late Sheikh Fazlollah and the people and their going to the shrine of Hazrat Abd al-Azim and their sit-in there, all were the work of the people of Tehran. From the disgraceful contract of Vosoq al-Dawlah to the National Oil Movement in 1330 and from the 15th of Khordad to today, wherever you observe significant events and fundamental struggles in the history of Iran in these 150 years to today, the symbol is the people of Tehran. In some places, only Tehran was involved, in others, others were also involved, but Tehran has been at the forefront, pioneering. These are very important; the identity of a city should be organized in this way; the record of a city should be understood and seen in this manner.

Most of the events I have mentioned pertain to before the Islamic Revolution. In the events of the Islamic Revolution, of course, various cities played significant roles — like Qom, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Mashhad — but firstly, in all these events, Tehran was among the pioneers, and then in that decisive moment, that is, in 57, when the movement turned into a revolution, everything was Tehran, and the people of Tehran were the inspiration for the entire country. In 57, consider the Eid al-Fitr prayer in Qeytarieh, which, with the guidance of the late martyr Beheshti and others, that Eid prayer was held — and martyr Moftah was the imam of that prayer — which had a tremendous reflection across the country; that is, we were in Mashhad, the events of Tehran were reflected, and every event that was reflected created a commotion in various other regions; this was how Tehran led. The Eid al-Fitr prayer in Qeytarieh, the epic of the 17th of Shahrivar in Shohada Square, the marches of Tasu’a, the marches of Ashura; these marches also took place in other places, but they were directed from Tehran; from Tehran, they contacted us in Mashhad and said that there would be a march on Tasu’a, a march on Ashura; then we organized that there; thus, Tehran was at the forefront.

In all these events, in the same 150 years I mentioned and also in the events of 57, behind the crowds were the religious scholars; from the likes of Hajj Mullah Ali Kani, whom I mentioned, and the late Mirza Muhammad Hassan Ishtiyani and Sheikh Fazlollah Nuri and others, to martyr Beheshti, martyr Bahonar, martyr Moftah, and martyr Motahhari; the scholars were at the forefront, and a multitude of different social classes — from all kinds — were moving behind them. Even Tehran University; Tehran University became the place of sit-in for the scholars. We sat down and discussed where to hold the sit-in; several different places were suggested, one person said Tehran University; everyone agreed, we stood up and went to sit in Tehran University for several days, until the arrival of Imam (may God’s peace be upon him); that is, the university was at the service of this movement, again centered around the scholars and the pioneering of the religious scholars.

The important point here is that these actions took place in Tehran, but what is Tehran? What is Tehran? Tehran is the city where the most effort was made to change the national and Islamic identity. During the Pahlavis — of course, it was the same before the Pahlavis, which I will refer to later — there was an attempt to make Tehran a counterfeit version of European cities, of course minus the advancements; from sexual liberation and laxity to the increasing daily sales of alcoholic beverages, to the state of dress and makeup of men and women, to the extravagant cabarets and cafes, to corrupt and immoral gathering centers like the Youth Palace of that day; Tehran was essentially the center of such activities by the authorities. The authorities seriously guided and pursued this work to distinguish Tehran with these things; this was an effort that took place in Tehran and did not occur in any other city. Now, for example, in the Shiraz Art Festival, some things were done, but it was a momentary affair; in Tehran, these activities were carried out continuously, but what they wanted did not happen. They wanted to take the religious identity, the Islamic identity, the religious identity, the national identity from Tehran and turn it into such a defective version or incorrect copy of European cities, but what they wanted did not happen.

How did it not happen? Yes, the wrong Western manifestations spread in some places in Tehran — we had seen it up close, we knew the state of Tehran — but conversely, the works that were done in the direction of Islamic thought and spirituality and religiosity in Tehran were not done in any other city in the country; the active religious movement that was enlightened and intellectual and had new ideas spread and advanced more in Tehran than anywhere else in the country: prosperous mosques, a fighting and enlightened clergy, populous religious gatherings — of course, “populous” compared to those days, not compared to today when the population gathers dozens of times more than those times; but compared to those days, the gatherings in Tehran were among the most populous; both its mourning gatherings and various religious gatherings — transformative religious discourses in various parts of Tehran; the political Islam that was promoted in speeches and in various pulpits in Tehran, in different mosques or in various religious gatherings; religious manifestations that were attractive to the youth; in the gatherings that were held in homes — this [matter] that I am mentioning is based on my close observations — in the religious gatherings from house to house, university students participated; they skipped their classes to be able to attend these gatherings. Such a situation existed in Tehran, which was precisely the opposite of the situation that the deviant Pahlavi regime wanted to create in Iran and especially in Tehran, which was the capital.

Thus, in 57, Tehran became the inspiration for other cities; both in the marches and in the production of slogans. These coordinated slogans that you saw spread everywhere in the country were inspired by Tehran. The Takbir on the rooftops was initiated by the people of Tehran and informed other places. I myself was sitting in Mashhad, one night a friend from Tehran who was among the activists — may God have mercy on him — called and said, “Listen”; he held the phone towards the sound, I heard the sound of “Allahu Akbar”; he said, “You also say ‘Allahu Akbar’,” I went up on the roof with my children — they were small — and we started saying “Allahu Akbar.” These things spread from Tehran to all parts of the country. After the beginning of the movement and until the victory of the revolution, it was the same; from the events of the 15th of Khordad, the 17th of Shahrivar, the sedition of the Mojahedin on the 30th of Khordad in 60, the shocking Friday prayers of Tehran, to the Basij movements, that crowd of one hundred thousand in Azadi Stadium in 65 and various gatherings until today, the people of Tehran have truly given their all. Therefore, the commemoration of the martyrs of Tehran must be accompanied by the compilation of the revolutionary identity of Tehran, like other cities; that is, this revolutionary identity of Tehran must be made clear to the youth. Most of you who are here have not witnessed these events; we have also been negligent in compiling these events; many are unaware of what has happened. These must be elucidated. Alongside the commemoration of the tall martyrs — whose faces shine like light and illuminate life and hearts — the efforts and activities of the general public must also be elucidated and expressed. Now, this is regarding Tehran.

Let me say a word about the martyrs. Regarding the martyrs, many profound and precious words have been said by the Imams of Guidance (peace be upon them), and also by the great figures, the great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and others; much has been said about the martyrs, but at the forefront of all is the statement of the Holy Quran and the Almighty Lord about the martyrs, which cannot be compared to any other expression. That He says, “Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties in exchange for that they will have Paradise; they fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed,” “Indeed, Allah has purchased” [meaning] God makes a transaction; this is very important. Where am I, and where is God! At that time, God makes a transaction! He exchanges our lives with the greatest gift that can be given to a human being, that is, Paradise — the Paradise of divine satisfaction. Then He explicitly states that “they fight in the cause of Allah,” they go to struggle in the way of God, to fight, “so they kill and are killed.” This is not specific to the era of Islam: “A promise upon Him, a truth in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran;” in the Torah, it is the same, in the Gospel, it is the same. This verse that our dear reciter recited — “And how many a prophet fought with him many religious scholars” — [indicates that] this matter belongs to all the prophets. Or that noble verse, “And do not think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead; rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision;” these are statements about the martyrs and about the virtue of martyrdom, there is no higher expression than these; what can a person say?

I will only mention one point, and that is that all martyrs have a high rank, but the rank of martyrs is not the same; for example, the martyrs of Karbala are higher than all martyrs; regarding some martyrs, it has been narrated in the words of the Imams (peace be upon them) that they will pass over the shoulders of other martyrs on the Day of Resurrection and go to Paradise; regarding some martyrs, it has been said that each of them has the reward of two martyrs, [their reward] is doubled. Thus, martyrs are not the same; the value of a martyr varies with the difference in goals, with the difference in the manner of martyrdom. I want to say that the various types of martyrs who were martyred in the Islamic Revolution — the totality of martyrs; whether those martyrs who were martyred in the events of the revolution, or those martyrs who were martyred in the Sacred Defense, or those martyrs who were martyred in the seditions, or those martyrs who were martyred in the name of security or health, or those martyrs who were martyred in defense of the shrine — these are among the best, among the superior martyrs in the sight of God Almighty; why? Because they defended a movement and were martyred in an event that is at the forefront of many events in the era of Islam and the era of all religions; and what is that? That is the event of saving the Islamic country and saving the world of Islam from dependency and dissolution and melting into the culture of disbelief and the culture of global arrogance, which occurred in the Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Revolution, first and foremost, saved Iran from being dissolved and melted and absorbed into the culture of disbelief and global arrogance — which is the Western culture — and then you see its effects in the world of Islam. We have certainly not given directives to anyone; rather, the impact of the revolution is this. I have said many times that the revolution is like spring air, like pleasant air; it cannot be stopped; in the gentle spring air, the pleasant air and the scent of flowers come out of the garden and spread to other places; it cannot be stopped. Nor is it necessary for anyone to want to export that air; rather, it is naturally exported. Today you are witnessing its signs in the world of Islam.

Being absorbed and dissolved in the culture of disbelief and global arrogance began before the Pahlavis, starting from the Qajar era, initiated by the same courtiers and the corrupt, lazy, and immoral princes; these took the Western culture and, with the influence they had in society — that is, financial and power influence and money and so on — gradually spread it among the people. When it came to the Pahlavis, they escalated this corruption, this contagious disease, to its peak, so that they could truly make the country dependent and hanging on the Western powers. The British had entered Iran long before, had laid the groundwork, and were doing things, then they saw it was not working. Now, those who are familiar with history know what I am saying. The Vosoq al-Dawlah contract was the sale of Iran; the late Modarres stood firm and did not allow it, they saw it was not working, they annulled the contract; or the tobacco contract was another case, and so on. They saw this way was not working, they had to intervene directly; they intervened directly and brought Reza Khan, who one day was among the Cossacks guarding the British embassy — they recognized him from there — and raised him up, gave him power, and surrounded him with a number of dependent intellectuals and planted them, and this situation that arose during Reza Khan — opposition to religion, opposition to Islam, opposition to independence, opposition to hijab, opposition to mourning ceremonies, opposition to the clergy — was initiated. It was one way during Reza Khan, and another way after Reza Khan; this was the movement.

Truly, God had mercy on the Iranian nation that this revolution occurred; otherwise, with the situation they were progressing towards, the condition of our country would have been much worse than all the dependent countries we know. The revolution came and stopped this; the Islamic revolution, with a decisive action, stopped this movement towards absolute downfall and saved the country. The struggle that was carried out by the revolution was an identity struggle, an existential struggle; the identity of the Iranian nation, the existence of the Iranian nation, the history of the Iranian nation was being destroyed and was stopped. Those who were killed in this path were martyred in this path; those who were martyred in the Islamic revolution — in any form of martyrdom — were martyred in this path, they were martyred in this way; this is not a small matter.

Therefore, our martyrs are among the best. 24,000 martyrs in Tehran! Of course, years ago, a commemoration was held for the martyrs of Tehran province as well; 36,000 martyrs belong to Tehran province and martyrs from other parts of the country. Whether martyrs of the imposed war, martyrs of defense of the shrine, or other martyrs we mentioned, all are among the best martyrs. The blood of these martyrs was able to guarantee the stability of this revolution. I have said many times that the martyrs have kept us on this path even today. When we become a little weak, the name of a martyr, the movement of a martyr, the uprising of a martyr, the martyrdom of a martyr revives us, invigorates us. When martyr Soleimani is martyred, he renews the nation, revives the revolution. Therefore, what you have done — commemorating the martyrs — is a great work, an important work, and these commemorations must be able to pave the way that the martyrs have taken and ensure the continuation of this path for our youth, for the new generations who are present in the field.

I want to say a sentence about the very important issue of Gaza. The officials of Islamic countries sometimes gather and say something, sometimes they hold an interview and say something, but the actions that should be taken are not carried out. They announce that a ceasefire should be implemented; well, the ceasefire is not in your hands, the ceasefire is in the hands of that wicked one, in the hands of that enemy, and he does not do it. You sit down and approve something that is not in your control. There are things that are in your control, you do not approve them; what is that? Cutting off the vital arteries of the Zionist regime; this is in your control. You can refrain from helping, cut off political and economic relations; these are actions you can take. This will weaken the enemy, it will take him out of the field; this is in your hands; approve this. They do not address this, they approve something that is not in their control!

But at the same time, despite all this, as God Almighty has said: “Indeed, Allah is with those who are God-conscious and those who do good;” God is with the believing people; wherever God is, there is victory. Of course, there are hardships. God Almighty also says about the Prophet that whether we keep you alive or take you from this world, the end of your enemies will be this; its condition is not our survival, but victory is certain. God willing, God Almighty will show this victory to the entire Islamic nation in the not-so-distant future, and will make hearts happy, and will also make the Palestinian nation and the oppressed people of Gaza, above all, happy and joyful. We hope that God Almighty will answer this prayer and prepare us in this blessed month of Rajab, the month of prayer, the month of forgiveness, to be more ready for the manifestation of divine lights in our hearts.

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