Meeting with a Group of Scientific Elites and University Students

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

We are very grateful to you, young friends, for creating this atmosphere filled with youthful vitality characterized by reason and thought here today in our Hosseiniyeh. We hope that this spirit—when accompanied by a desire for faith and a spirit of piety—will resolve all the challenges faced by our countries and will expand day by day among you, dear students and young people.

The points raised by friends here were very good; that is, for me, who listens carefully to the words of those who speak here—whether they are students and young people or other groups that sometimes participate here, or in any gathering where I face a group and speak with them—I like to listen to their words attentively and benefit from them. Your discussions today seemed very profound and useful to me, which also reflects an average and moderate level of student mentality and reasoning. We do not want to claim that you represent all the students in the country; however, it ultimately indicates that this level of thought, reflection, problem identification, and effort to solve issues exists today in our university, which is very interesting to me.

You mentioned some points. I have notes that I will share with you if time permits, but I believe that some of the things on my mind will be addressed by looking at what you have expressed and providing explanations about them. It would be good to review what you said.

A friend mentioned that a new generation is emerging. This is completely true. Of course, this is not the first generation that has shown itself in the revolution; before you, another generation demonstrated itself in the revolution—was actually born—and put its powerful hand and problem-solving finger to work. That was the revolutionary generation; it was not nurtured elsewhere or in another environment; because a revolution is like a melting furnace; it changes the shape and order of existing elements. A revolution has such a state; like what the ancients used to say: elixir, alchemy, which transforms copper into gold. This may now seem like a myth in the minds of some; it is not a myth; it has been and continues to be a reality. A revolution is such a thing; it is transformative, it changes. This transformation occurs not only at the level of social relations but primarily at the layer of human hearts and mentalities. The first change occurs here; in the hearts. Therefore, that young generation who was fifteen, sixteen, or eighteen years old when the revolution occurred tested itself in the arenas of the revolution; then, during the Sacred Defense, it created that extraordinary atmosphere. That generation was born of the revolution, and this generation you say is emerging, I completely accept it; I acknowledge it and feel it.

The question arises: What is the mission of this generation? What are its requirements? Who will advance and guide it? These are good questions. I believe these questions are inquiries, but they are not ambiguous. The answers to these questions are clear. The revolution was created to establish a government in place of a government that did not come into being, to create a system, a national and human entity based on a thought. That thought is the thought of Islam. Our claim is this—this claim is proven and has been established; it is certain—we believe that the path to human happiness is through the teachings of the prophets, the most complete of which are the teachings of Islam. Humanity, without the teachings of the prophets, would not have achieved even the material progress it has attained; let alone the spiritual elevation and spiritual joy and mental peace that pave the way for its ascent to the lofty celestial realms of humanity. This is the path to human happiness.

In order for the thought of the prophets to be implemented in society, a long-term and extensive movement was necessary. This revolution was born with this goal. An Islamic society, an Islamic country, not just an Islamic government, not just the establishment of an Islamic system, but the formation of a reality and a popular entity that lives according to the teachings of Islam—which is the essence of the teachings of the prophets—and feels its effects. This is our goal. Well, we have not yet reached this goal, nor was it expected that we would reach it within thirty years. This goal is a very long-term one. Efforts must be made, work must be done to reach this goal; this is your responsibility. The mission of this generation is to bring your country and nation to that position, which means that a truly Islamic society has been formed. This should be your model. This will become the greatest means for spreading this thought and expanding this experience in the world; this is the mission of this generation, which in theory and in its conceptual aspect is not difficult. However, the work is very challenging. It requires the same youthful dynamism, the same youthful motivation, along with the extensive jihadist effort that we have now mentioned and are discussing. The goal is this: we want an Islamic country. When an Islamic country is formed, it means that the world of people will be prosperous, not in the sense of prosperity that exists in material systems.

In material systems, there is prosperity; that is, the absolute progress of material goods is good; however, even regarding that material progress, there is no balance and equitable view. You see, for example, in a wealthy country like America, its richest person is the richest in the world, yet its poorest can sometimes be the worst poor in the world; they die from cold, they die from heat, they die from hunger. A middle class lives there that if they do not work day and night with all their might, they cannot fill their stomachs. This is not happiness for humanity; this is not happiness for a society. Yes, if you look at its gross domestic product, it is ten times that of another country; that does not justify it. That is, even in material enjoyments, there is no justice, there is no universality; that is, not everyone benefits; let alone spiritual enjoyment; there is no mental peace, no attention to God, no piety and righteousness, no purity and cleanliness, no forgiveness and forbearance, no compassion and assistance to God's servants; and there is none, none, none.

This is not the progress that an Islamic country and an Islamic society seeks. The happiness that we envision for the Islamic society, the enjoyment that we advocate for the Islamic society, is not just what you see here; rather, it is both material and spiritual enjoyment. That is, poverty should not exist, justice must prevail, piety, ethics, and spirituality must also be present. This is the goal we must pursue.

One of the friends mentioned that due to these reasons, the future of the student movement is ambiguous! I say there is no ambiguity at all. In fact, the same brother who mentioned this also listed the duties of the student movement and the tasks that the student movement must undertake; well, what ambiguity is there?! You must carry out these tasks; with this goal, with this destination.

A question arises here: Is the responsibility for achieving this lofty and very prominent goal solely on the students? Those students who consider themselves to have a mission that you call the student movement; that is, an active student, a dynamic student; a student who wants to use their intellectual, physical, and spiritual power for progress; are only these individuals the audience? Certainly not. The heaviest responsibility lies with the officials and various elites of society; scientific elites, intellectual elites, and political elites, but the active student movement also has a heavy responsibility. One of the responsibilities of the student movement is the effort to understand; that is, thinking.

I believe one of the necessary tasks is to form broad intellectual sessions that the student body, along with the seminary community, can create with good planning, so they can sit down and think about various issues. The expansion of thought and the dissemination of correct and sound thought can yield the same results that we expect from students in the fields of science and technology and the advancement of knowledge; that is, flourishing, bringing new ideas to the field of thought, with a correct movement and proper orientation. This is one of the tasks.

One of the tasks is to specify principles. We have principles that must not be violated. That is, in the name of thinking and idea generation, deviations from the principles must not occur. Principles are the indicators of the right path and the straight path. It is a mistake to liken principles to walls that a person must move through the middle of these walls; no, principles are indicators. There is a direct path, a straight path that leads a person to the goal. This straight path must be recognized, it must be discovered. No one is imprisoned within the limits of the straight path. There is no compulsion to traverse the straight path for anyone. These principles do not compel anyone, do not obligate anyone, do not limit anyone, but rather guide a person and tell them that if you move according to these principles, you will reach the desired outcome; if you deviate from these principles, you will not reach the goal. Ultimately, the problem with the wrong path is precisely this. The wrong path has two problems: one problem is that a person does not reach their destination; the other problem is that a person's time is wasted; opportunities are lost.

Those who, over the past hundred years, one hundred and fifty years, in our country claimed to reform, progress, and advance, and truly led us astray, committed this great sin; both we did not reach our destination over the past hundred and fifty years and fell behind, and our time was wasted. How many successive generations must come, be wasted, wander in this wilderness and not reach a result, until one day a generation realizes that they have made a mistake; the path must be reversed, and they must start moving anew. The sin of those who lead human societies astray is that they waste their time, their lives, and their opportunities.

One day, our society was led to believe that the path to progress was to imitate the Westerners; and not just imitate in learning and acquiring knowledge, but to imitate in appearances; our women should become unveiled; our men should wear a certain type of hat and a certain type of clothing. You know, there was a time in our country when wearing a specific hat called the Pahlavi hat was made compulsory, and if someone did not wear this hat, they were considered a criminal! Then they went a step further and said either the Pahlavi hat or a chapeau; because the Westerners—Europeans—wore this clothing. Various types of clothing that were worn in the country—local clothing—were all abolished and banned, so that the uniform clothing from the West could be covered up. For what? For progress! They believed that the progress of the country lay in the fact that our people should wear suits, ties, and our women should move about unveiled; to learn Western customs and habits. See how damaging this is for a country; how shameful it is when one thinks about it. At that time, not only were they not ashamed, but they also took pride in it, loudly proclaiming it. This is the wrong path. The prescription for progress is a false prescription; it is a wrong path. Principles are there to prevent these mistakes from occurring.

One of the friends made explicit objections. The characteristic of a student is just that. They made objections to individuals and institutions—now those objections may be valid or invalid; I do not want to judge that—but the essence is that a student should express their opinion clearly and openly and not fall into political maneuvering; no, a student should speak their mind clearly. Of course, alongside this clarity in expression, sincerity in intention must also exist, and alongside it, a quick acceptance of error; if it is proven that it is an error. The difference between you, the young and honest student, and a political maneuverer should be precisely this; speak your mind clearly; what you say should come from the heart; and if it becomes clear that it is a mistake, retract it quickly; easily. This, in my opinion, is one of the best characteristics of student life.

One of these objections was an objection to the media and that some say if we criticize the media, we have spoken against the leadership; why? Because the leadership appoints the head of the media! If that is truly the criterion, then one should not criticize anyone; because the head of the judiciary is also appointed by the leadership, the president also has the leadership's confirmation after the elections; it says I appointed him. So, one should not criticize anyone. No, first of all, the media is not managed by the leadership; let it be clear. The media is managed by the head of the media. And the leadership also has many objections in various cases. Some of these objections you have, many of them are also our objections. There are probably other objections that because I receive reports from various aspects—although I may not watch television or listen to the radio as much as you do—my information is extensive. We also make objections regarding the state of the media, we also point out flaws, and sometimes we even argue with them. After all, they also have certain necessities and respond; sometimes their responses are correct, sometimes they are incorrect. In any case, there are objections, and your criticism of the media absolutely does not get transferred to the leadership. You have the right to criticize; there is no problem.

One of the friends asks how we can access the views of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). In my opinion, this is completely clear. The views of Imam are a collection, and fortunately, the statements of Imam have been recorded, and this is what exists. Like all texts from which one can infer the speaker's thoughts; however, with the correct method of inference. The correct method of inference is to look at all the words, place them alongside each other; within them, there are generalities, specifics; absolutes, conditions. The words must be weighed against each other, compared; the totality of these words constitutes the view of Imam. Of course, this is not a very simple task, but it is clear what we must do: it is a scholarly endeavor; it is a scholarly endeavor that you young people can undertake. Groups must genuinely sit down in various fields to infer the views of Imam from his statements.

Now, let me mention one sentence from the things that were on my mind and that I noted. Since time is short and there is not much time left until the call to prayer. As several friends pointed out, we are entering the fourth decade of the life of the Islamic Republic system. Of course, a social system at thirty and thirty-five years of age is a completely young system; especially if, particularly in this system, timely and appropriate internal movements and transformations exist, it will not easily become aged and worn out; even after hundreds of years, it will not become old and worn out, but what is certain is that at these ages—in the ages of thirty, thirty-five, and forty—a social system is a young system. What does it mean to be young? It means it still needs more experience; it still requires more work and effort in the foundations to reach maturity and stability.

We said that in this decade, what should be considered as a goal and slogan—to follow in order to pass through a stage—should be "progress and justice." Let us make this our slogan: progress and justice. I have mentioned progress; the intention is comprehensive progress; that is, both material and spiritual progress. We do not deny material progress either. That is, the issue of people's livelihood, the issue of people's employment, the issue of scientific and technological advancements must not be underestimated at all. These are all very important and must be pursued, so that there is no poverty in these areas, no unemployment, no inflation and price increases; there is no doubt about that. But alongside this, we do not settle for this either; rather, a clear thought, deep belief, ever-increasing and bubbling motivation, and high Islamic human ethics must also expand alongside these.

As I mentioned, we must be wary of the wrong paths. Sometimes, certain things and paths are proposed for progress that are wrong paths. I mentioned one example; like the advancements during the Pahlavi era, which were truly some were stagnation and some were regression and downfall—which now is not the place for details because time is short—that was a model that was truly a wrong path; being content with appearances, making the Westerners the standard and criterion, and moving after them, which results in what was observed during those fifty or sixty dark years of the Pahlavi era.

Another example of these wrong paths is examples that may sometimes arise in our time as well; we must pay attention. In this second example, no mention is made of appearances, Iranian and Islamic identity is not denied like what was seen in that first form; however, a sense of hopelessness regarding movement and progress in this competition is observed among policymakers and those in charge of affairs and speakers of society. That is, the view they have towards the West is one of a lofty and unattainable point, which they call realism! They say, "What is the reality today? These people are so advanced scientifically, in various fields they have made so much progress; they have so many different theories in human sciences, in social issues, political issues; they have so many opinions, so much thought, so many innovative theories; when can we catch up with them?" That is, such a spirit exists among them. Many times over these thirty years, I myself have encountered individuals of this kind who, whether explicitly or semi-explicitly or through their demeanor, expressed the same meaning that "we must progress, but we must follow them! We cannot catch up with them, let alone surpass them; why do you bother yourself unnecessarily?" This is also a wrong path.

This means that a nation—now our nation as a sample—and various nations of the East and Muslim nations, are condemned to always follow the movement of the West and be their perpetual students and never have hope in themselves that they can reach that level, let alone surpass them; they should never have such a spirit. This is a very dangerous wrong path that, unfortunately, is promoted today by university professors, political thinkers, and some religious speakers; this is directly against the long-term human experience. Why? Did God Almighty create a group of humans in such a way that they must always be ahead? Which historical reality shows this? Were those who are now ahead in the world not backward nations in all matters several centuries ago? Has the era of the European Middle Ages been forgotten in history? The Middle Ages—I have said many times—was a dark period, a period of ignorance and darkness for Europe; not for Muslim countries, not for Iran. The same period that they called the era of ignorance and unawareness and darkness, was a period of greatness and advancement in science and philosophy for our country and for Muslim countries, and political advancement and political power.

This perspective is a very dangerous one. In the same fields that you observe today that there is progress in your country scientifically, in these same fields, especially some would come and say, "It is of no use!" But the Muslim youth, the Iranian youth, entered with determination and motivation and reached the level of others, and in some areas even surpassed others; that is, if you consider the time spent, they have advanced further. Therefore, this thought is one of those wrong thoughts. There should be absolutely no sense of hopelessness. The view of religion, the view of Islam, the Quranic view of humanity is that: a person must strive; striving with order, with planning, and without pause, to achieve results. The call to prayer has been raised.

We hope, God willing, that God Almighty grants you the success to be able to provide a very good test for your country during this period—during this time when you are students and your country is in one of its most sensitive periods—and to be a means for the progress of the country.

O Lord! Make these dear young people, under the shade of Your grace, guidance, and support, the treasure of this world and the Hereafter for this country; grant them victory in all fields. O Lord! Pour Your spiritual blessings and spiritual graces upon these pure and young hearts on the occasion of this month of Ramadan; make the sacred heart of the Awaited Imam (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with all of us.

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