Statements at the Meeting with Guests of the Islamic Unity Conference and Officials of the System

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 Muhammad, his pure family, and his chosen companions, and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

Welcome, esteemed attendees. I extend my greetings to all of you, especially to the dear guests of the Islamic Unity Conference and the brothers who have come from other countries. I congratulate you on the blessed birth of the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and also the blessed birth of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), which coincided with the year 83 AH, corresponding to the day of the noble Prophet's birth.

The birth of the Prophet is, in fact, the beginning of a new era in human life; it is a glad tidings for the commencement of a new phase of divine will and divine favors upon humanity; thus, this birth is a very great and significant event. Truly, it cannot be described with ordinary language; this event is of immense importance. Some have expressed this in the language of art and poetry, saying:

"Born is the guide, the universe is illuminated, And the mouth of time smiles and praises."

Art speaks in this way: guidance was born; the entire existence was illuminated; the lips of time opened in smiles and praise. Such expressions can somewhat bring the greatness of this event to mind; it is indeed a significant event.

The greatness of the event of the Prophet's birth is commensurate with the exalted rank of the Prophet; the same lofty rank that, from the beginning of creation to the end, the Almighty God has not created any being with such greatness; and the greatness of the trust that God has placed upon him; for this great trust, the Almighty God says: "Indeed, God has bestowed a favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves." Humanity is favored; this is the greatness. The Almighty God revealed the hidden book to the sacred heart of the Prophet and made it flow from his pure and immaculate tongue; He entrusted the complete program of human happiness to him, commanded him to act upon it, to convey it, and to demand it from his followers.

Now, we are followers of this Prophet; we consider ourselves to be related to this Prophet. What is our duty? In every era, the duty of the believers is to see what situation they are in and what the religion requires of them and what mission it places upon them; they must understand what they should think about and what they should act upon in every era. In this regard, scholars and religious intellectuals have discussed and spoken extensively. In this session, I would like to briefly present some thoughts regarding the Islamic Ummah and the Islamic Republic system in Iran.

Regarding what pertains to the Islamic Ummah and all Muslims, two points must be considered, which we will briefly discuss. One is the issue of fulfilling the right of the comprehensiveness of Islam — Islam is a comprehensive religion, and its right must be fulfilled; this is one issue — and the other issue is the unity of Muslims; these two issues are among the most important matters of our time; of course, there are many contemporary issues, but these are among the most significant.

Regarding the issue of fulfilling the right of the comprehensiveness of Islam, there has been and continues to be insistence — primarily from material political powers — to confine Islam to individual practice and personal belief; this effort has been ongoing for a long time; I cannot specify a particular date when it began, but it has been prominently observed in the Islamic world for about a hundred years or so. During the formation of the Islamic Republic, this effort has intensified; they also try to give it a theoretical shape rather than a political one. Thinkers, writers, and intellectual activists are commissioned to write about it and prove that Islam has nothing to do with social issues, life matters, and fundamental human issues; Islam is a personal belief, a personal relationship with God, and individual actions that stem from this relationship; this is Islam; they insist on establishing this in the minds of their audiences.

From the perspective of this inherently political and seemingly intellectual inclination, important areas of life and social relations must be excluded from the influence of Islam; in the management of society and civilization-building, Islam has no role, no duty, no possibility; it has no role in managing society, in the distribution of power and wealth in society; the economy of society, various issues of society are not related to Islam; or the issue of war, the issue of peace, domestic politics, foreign policy, international issues. Sometimes you hear it said, "Do not ideologize diplomacy," meaning Islam should not express an opinion on foreign policy and international issues; in the matter of promoting good, establishing justice, combating evil, opposing oppression, and preventing the wicked of the world, Islam has no role. In these important areas of human life, Islam should neither be a source of thought nor a practical guide; this is the insistence they have. Now, what is the reason for this insistence, what is its origin, where it started, these are not the discussions relevant to my speech today. What I want to convey is that, firstly, this movement, which is essentially anti-Islamic, is primarily from the major political powers of the world, and they are the ones who are active in this regard and trying to express it through the voices of intellectuals.

Well, Islamic texts explicitly reject this, and we Muslims must pay attention to this issue. When I say "fulfilling the right," the first step is to strive to clarify Islam's perspective on itself regarding which areas of life it is concerned with, where it has opinions, actions, and to promote and express this; this is the first step, and then we should strive for this matter to be realized.

What Islam presents is that the area of activity of this religion encompasses the entire spectrum of human life; from the depths of his heart to social issues, to political issues, to international issues, to matters that relate to the entirety of humanity. This meaning is clear in the Quran; that is, if someone denies this matter, they have certainly not paid attention to the clear signs of the Quran. In the Quran, it says: "O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance, and exalt Him morning and afternoon," which is a matter related to the heart and the human soul, but it also says: "Those who have believed fight in the cause of Allah, and those who have disbelieved fight in the cause of falsehood; so fight against the allies of Satan;" this is also there; that is, from "Remember Allah" to "Fight against the allies of Satan," all of this vast domain is under the purview of religion.

At one point, it addresses the Prophet, saying: "Stand in the night except for a little, half of it or subtract from it a little, or add to it and recite the Quran with measured recitation," and at another point, it again addresses the Prophet, saying: "And fight in the cause of Allah; you are not tasked except with yourself; and urge the believers;" meaning all these vast areas of life: from the awakening of the night and supplication and prayer to fighting and presence in the battlefield, which the life of the Prophet also demonstrates.

In financial rulings, it says: "And they prefer others over themselves, even though they are in privation," which is a personal matter, and in another place, it says: "So that it does not become a state among the wealthy of you," meaning the proper distribution of wealth, which is a completely social issue; or it says: "So that people may establish justice;" indeed, the prophets and the saints have all come to establish justice, to establish fairness. It says: "And do not give your wealth to the foolish, which Allah has made a means of support for you;" it also says: "Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to grow;" meaning all corners of financial matters are expressed in the form of that overall thought and general guidance; of course, these must be planned in practice; but the generalities and direction are what it expresses. That is, Islam has an opinion in all these matters.

In security matters and the issue of internal security of society: "If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease and the rumor-mongers in the city do not cease, We will surely incite you against them;" the issue of security. Or "And when a matter comes to them from the realm of security or fear, they spread it; and if they had referred it to the Messenger or to those in authority among them..." until the end of the verse; meaning Islam has a say in all important aspects of human social life. These examples we have mentioned are just a few of what is in the Holy Quran; you will find hundreds of such instances in the Quran.

Anyone who is familiar with the Quran and its rulings understands that the Islam introduced by the Quran is this. The Islam that the Quran defines and introduces is one that intervenes in all aspects of life, has opinions, has views, has demands. Well, this must be known, and in response to those who strive to deny this clear truth, we must be prepared to respond.

[On the other hand] since there are social issues and important duties of community-building and civilization-building in Islam, Islam also pays attention to the issue of governance. One cannot assume that Islam demands social order in one form but does not specify the issue of governance and the leadership of religion and the world. When religion becomes a system, a system that relates to individuals and society, and becomes a framework that has opinions on all individual and social issues, demands, then it is necessary to specify who should be at the head of this society, what it should be, and to designate the Imam. Therefore, [if] you observe in the Quran, at least in two places, prophets are referred to as Imams: in one place, "And We made them leaders guiding by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good and establishing prayer," and in another place, "And We made from them leaders guiding by Our command when they were patient;" meaning the Prophet is the Imam, the Imam of the community, the leader of the community, the commander of the community; thus, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) stood among the crowd in Mina and shouted: "O people! Indeed, the Messenger of Allah was the Imam." To make it clear what the correct religious movement of the Prophet is, Imam Sadiq shouted in Mina among the crowd: "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah was the Imam." Well, this is one matter. At the level of the Islamic world, religious intellectuals have a duty, scholars have a duty, writers have a duty, researchers have a duty, university professors have a duty to clarify this; they must say this, the enemy invests in this area to promote the opposite, to deny this.

Of course, in this regard, our duty in Iran is heavier; the reason is that there are more facilities here, and efforts can be made. The officials of the country, especially cultural officials and those who have important social platforms, must clarify this. It is not the case that now that an Islamic system has been established in the Islamic Republic, we are free from clarifying this matter; no, even now in our country, doubts are raised regarding this issue, statements are made, and we are active in this regard. Well, this was one section related to the Islamic world.

Another section that is also related to the Islamic world is the issue of unity, the issue of the unity of Muslims; this issue is very important. Of course, we have spoken a lot about unity; may God's mercy and divine pleasure be upon our great Imam who announced this week of unity, pursued it, constantly spoke about the unity of Muslims, emphasized it, and recommended it; we have also said a lot in this regard, yet it must be said again.

Before I present a few sentences regarding the unity of Muslims, I find it necessary to mention a few prominent and hardworking figures in the field of Islamic unity; among them is the late Mr. Taskhiri (may God be pleased with him), who was one of our most diligent elements in this field; he worked for many years, even during his illness, his efforts continued. Before him, the late Sheikh Muhammad Vaez-Zadeh (may God be pleased with him), a great scholar, knowledgeable and proficient in Islamic sciences, who also worked in this field for several years; these are from Iran. From Syria, the great martyr Sheikh Muhammad Ramadan al-Bouti, who is a great martyr and worked very hard; he was one of the great scholars of approximation in the Islamic world, the late Sheikh Muhammad Ramadan al-Bouti (may God be pleased with him). Martyr Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Hakim (may God be pleased with him), who was also among the important elements of approximation. One of those who encouraged and urged me to establish this Islamic Unity Assembly was the great martyr, the late Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Hakim. In Lebanon, the late Sheikh Ahmad al-Zein, who recently passed away, was among the scholars of approximation; he was one of our close friends. And before him, the late Sheikh Said Shaaban from Lebanon, who was also one of our good friends. May God's mercy be upon them, as they were among those who truly believed in the unity of Muslims and believed in approximation among Muslims. And we hope that God Almighty will grant mercy and kindness to the pure souls of all those we mentioned and those we did not mention — because there were many before them; from Iraq, from Iran, from Egypt, and other places; many who worked in this field, I did not want to and cannot name all of them — may God grant them His mercy and kindness.

We will present a few points regarding the unity of Muslims. One point is that the unity of Muslims is a definite Quranic obligation; this is not a matter of choice; we must view it as a duty. The Quran has commanded: "And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and do not become divided;" meaning even in holding fast to the rope of Allah, this must be done collectively. "And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and do not become divided;" this is a command; why do we turn this into a moral matter? This is a command, a ruling that must be acted upon; and there are also many other verses in the Quran; [such as the verse] "And do not dispute, lest you lose heart and your strength depart;" this is one point that this is an obligation.

The second point is that the unity and solidarity of Muslims is not a tactical matter that some might think we must unite due to specific circumstances; no, it is a fundamental matter; the synergy of Muslims is necessary; if Muslims are united, they synergize and all become strong; when this synergy exists, even those who wish — and there is no obstacle — to interact with non-Muslims, they enter this interaction with strength. Therefore, this is the next point that this is a fundamental matter and not a tactical one.

The third point is that the reason we emphasize the unity of Muslims in the Islamic Republic is that the distance is great. Today, efforts are constantly being made to create discord among the Muslim sects, between Shia and Sunni; serious and planned efforts. You observe that today the terms "Shia" and "Sunni" have entered the political literature of America! What do the Americans have to do with Shia and Sunni? For several years, the issue of being Sunni and Shia has entered the political literature of America, that yes, this country is Shia, that country is Sunni; while they oppose and are enemies of Islam itself, they do not abandon the issue of Shia and Sunni. So these things exist; they are increasing the disputes day by day, increasing misunderstandings. Therefore, we emphasize this, and the reason for our emphasis is this. And you also observe that the American puppets, wherever they can in the Islamic world, create discord. The closest example is the recent tragic and sorrowful events in Afghanistan in the past two Fridays, where the mosque of the Muslim people in prayer was bombed; who bombs it? ISIS; who is ISIS? ISIS is the same group that the Americans — the very Democratic group in America [currently in power] — explicitly stated that we created this; of course, now they do not say it, now they deny it, but this has emerged from them, they have explicitly stated it. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue this matter.

The fourth point is that we should not think that by gathering every year during the week of unity, making speeches, talking, now one session, two sessions here and there in the world, we have fulfilled our duty; no, the duty does not end with these things; it is necessary that everyone, wherever they are, be the focal point of the important discussion of unity; and we must discuss, clarify, urge, and plan, and divide work in these areas; this is a necessary and obligatory task that must be carried out. Now, when I say we should plan, for example, in the matter of Afghanistan that I mentioned, one of the ways to prevent these incidents is for the current respected officials of Afghanistan to themselves attend these centers and mosques, to participate in prayers, or encourage Sunni brothers to attend these centers. When we say they should plan, for example, such actions can be taken in the Islamic world.

The next point is that one of the main goals of the Islamic Republic system that we have defined is the establishment of a new Islamic civilization; that is, one of the goals of the Islamic Republic and the goals of the Islamic Revolution is to create a new Islamic civilization: an Islamic civilization with a view to the capacities and realities of today. This can only be achieved through the unity of Shia and Sunni; this cannot be done by just one country and one sect; for this, everyone must cooperate. This is another necessity.

One more point — the sixth point — is that a major indicator for the unity of Muslims is the issue of Palestine; the issue of Palestine is an indicator. If the unity of Muslims is realized, the issue of Palestine will certainly be resolved in the best way. The more seriousness we show in the issue of Palestine to restore the rights of the Palestinian people, the closer we get to the unity of Muslims. This recent normalization issue — which unfortunately some governments made a mistake, made a big mistake and sinned by normalizing relations with the usurping and oppressive Zionist regime — is an anti-Islamic unity and anti-Islamic solidarity movement; they must return from this path and rectify this great mistake. Well, this is also a matter of unity. Therefore, what we wanted to convey regarding the dimensions of the Islamic community and the Islamic international community is summarized in these two points that we have presented.

As for what pertains to our country. Although opponents, enemies of religion, and followers of America have ruled in this country for many years, the people have always been faithful; the Iranian nation, thanks be to God, has always been like this, and today more than ever, we consider ourselves followers of the Prophet. Well, how is following? Pay attention to the word "following"; it means moving in his path, following him. How should we move? The Quran has also asked this from us: "Indeed, there is for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day;" the example means the model; well, we must follow this model and create the characteristics he had in our actions; in the characteristics he had in ethics, we must obey him, which of course, with this vastness, is not the work of everyone; that is, we are much smaller than to want to move with this vastness, but we must strive in this regard.

Well, the commendable traits of the Prophet are not just one or two or ten; when the honorable wife of the Prophet was asked about the Prophet's ethics, she said: "His character was the Quran;" the Quran is embodied in the Prophet; this is a vast subject.

I have selected three points regarding the Messenger of Allah and the characteristics of the Prophet, which are like three stars from this galaxy of light that we, the people of Iran, should focus on in the Islamic Republic and give importance to and pursue these three points. These three points are patience, justice, and ethics.

Patience in the life of the Prophet is a prominent matter; of course, there are dozens of verses in various places of the Quran regarding the concept of patience and the duty of patience, but the patience that pertains to the Prophet is abundant; more than ten times — perhaps around twenty times — the command of patience has been addressed to the Prophet. The important thing is that from the very beginning of the mission, the Almighty God commanded the Prophet to be patient; in Surah Al-Muddathir: "And for your Lord, be patient," in Surah Al-Muzzammil: "And be patient over what they say;" — and Surah Al-Muddathir and Al-Muzzammil are among the first surahs revealed to the Prophet — from the very first step, the Almighty God tells the Prophet that he must have patience. Yes, I have noted here that nearly twenty times the command to be patient has been given to the Prophet: "So be patient for the judgment of your Lord" until various other instances. What does patience mean? Patience means perseverance. It is well-known in various narrations that patience is divided into patience against sin, patience in obedience, and patience in the face of events. Well, patience means perseverance; to persevere against the temptation to sin, to persevere against laziness and idleness in fulfilling duties, to persevere against the enemy, to preserve oneself against various calamities, to maintain oneself, to persevere; this is the meaning of patience; patience means perseverance. Today, more than anything, we need perseverance.

You officials who are here and the officials of the country at all levels, what is more important than anything for you is patience. You must persevere, resist, endure pressures, endure difficulties, and continue on the path; you must not stop. The necessity of patience and perseverance for me and you who are responsible in this country is that we must not stop; the movement must not cease; it must continue; this is patience. "Indeed, there is for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example;" this becomes following the Prophet.

Secondly, justice. One of the most important and perhaps the most important intermediate goal of the mission of the prophets is justice. "Indeed, We sent Our messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the balance that the people may maintain [justice];" the very purpose of sending messengers and revealing books was to establish justice, for society to be established on justice and fairness. In the Holy Quran, it is stated on behalf of the Prophet: "And I have been commanded to be just among you;" this is also God's command that justice must be established. All the wise of the world also accept this; that is, even the most oppressive powers of the world and the wicked elements of the world cannot deny the goodness of justice; even some, with complete audacity, claim justice while being oppressors! The Holy Quran considers justice necessary even regarding enemies; the one who is our enemy should not be treated unjustly. "And let not the hatred of a people cause you to not be just; be just; that is nearer to piety;" thus, this is another duty, and [the audience] this is primarily upon us officials. Every decision you make, every regulation that is enacted, whether in the Islamic Consultative Assembly where laws are passed, in the government, or in various management sectors across the country, one of the most important things that must be considered is the issue of justice, whether this is in accordance with justice or not. In some places, it is necessary to prepare a justice appendix for that regulation to clarify how this regulation is implemented, how this law is executed in accordance with justice.

This is the second matter that if we want to observe justice, it should be noted that justice is not only about the distribution of wealth and resources; justice is in everything; behaving justly in everything. Today, in the virtual space, one sometimes observes injustice; they speak falsely, slander, lie, and make claims without knowledge; these are injustices, these should not occur. The one who deals with the virtual space must be vigilant, and the one who has control over the virtual space must be doubly vigilant to ensure that these actions do not take place. Let us learn, let us get used to treating people justly; justly. Even when we speak, you may have a bad opinion of someone, you may not accept them; that is fine, it is your opinion, it may even be a correct opinion, but this should not be tainted with slander, lies, insults, and such things; tainting these is very bad. This is also the issue of justice.

Finally, the issue of ethics; following the Prophet in ethics, which the Almighty God said: "And indeed, you are of a great moral character;" something that the Creator considers to be of great significance is extraordinarily significant: "And indeed, you are of a great moral character." This ethics must always be regarded as a guideline. We must have Islamic ethics: we must be humble, we must forgive — these are Islamic ethics — we must be lenient in personal matters. In public matters and what pertains to the rights of people and public rights and the rights of others, no, negligence is not permissible, but in personal matters, we should be lenient, we should be forgiving; kindness, avoidance of lies, avoidance of slander, avoidance of suspicion against believers, forgiving believers. In one of the prayers of Sahifa Sajjadiyya, the main theme of this prayer is this: O Lord! Whoever has wronged me, attributed an untrue matter to me, committed a wrongdoing, I have forgiven them; this is the prayer of Imam Sajjad in Sahifa Sajjadiyya. These are the duties we must fulfill.

Dear brothers and sisters! We must act, we must take action; claims alone do not suffice; we claim to be Muslims, we claim to be the Islamic Republic, we must truly be Islamic, we must be followers of the Prophet. This magnificent birth, this blessed birth is an opportunity for us to think about this matter, to study it, and to adopt a firm resolve in this path for ourselves.

Once again, I congratulate all of you; I congratulate the dear nation of Iran; I congratulate all the Muslims of the world and the Islamic Ummah; I congratulate the freedom-seekers of the world; I send greetings to the pure souls of the martyrs on the path of Islam and the path of the prophetic school; I send greetings to the pure soul of our great Imam who opened this path for us and guided us to this great task, and I ask God Almighty for His pleasure and mercy for all of them and seek the success of all the people of Iran, especially you officials, as well as you guests and ourselves from God Almighty.

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