Hajj message of Ayatollah Seyyid Ali Khamene'i,
the Leader of Islamic Revolution
15th May 1994
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate.
Praise be to God, the Sustainer of the Worlds and God's peace and
blessing be upon the honorable, trustworthy Messenger and upon his blessed progeny and
sincere companions and peace be upon us and the righteous servants of God.
"And proclaim among men the Pilgrimage: they will come to you on
foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path." (The Holy Qur’an,
22:27)
The sacred month of Dhu Al-Hijjah is upon us with its eternal resources
for the Islamic Ummah. Thanks be to God for this unending gift and this ever-vital spring,
by the grace of which the Muslims of the world can benefit and reap rewards according to
their own efforts and wisdom.
The extent and variety of the interests and benefits which the divine
hand, with its knowledge and wisdom, has fitted into the duty of Hajj is of such magnitude
that cannot be found in any other Islamic duty; ranging from spiritual presence and
remembrance, the discovery of one's self when one finds himself alone with God and the
cleansing of the heart from the stain of sin and negligence, to the sentiment felt by the
individual who finds himself among a crowd and the sense of unity felt by each Muslim with
the entire Islamic Ummah and the sense of strength arising from the greatness of the
congregation of Muslims and to the effort made by every individual to attain a cure from
spiritual
wounds and diseases, that is, from sins, to curiosity and the will to
understand and heal the profound scars and pains affecting the body of the Ummah, to
sympathy with all Muslim nations, that is, the members of that body, are all contained in
the Hajj and its various rites and rituals.
The Holy Qur’an describes the rituals carried out during the Hajj
as "Sha'aer" (symbols, 2:158). This means that they are not merely individual
actions aimed at fulfilling an individual duty; they are, rather, symbols intended at
raising the level of awareness and wisdom of the human beings toward that which those
symbols point to and indicate. Underlying all these symbols lies the message of tawhid
(monotheism); that is, to reject all powers that, in some way, are seizing control of the
bodies and souls of human beings and to confirm the sovereignty of divine rule over one's
entire existence; in other words, the rule of an Islamic system and Islamic regulations
over the personal and social lives of Muslims.
In the Qur’anic verses referring to the Hajj, the Holy Qur’an
calls on everyone to disavow the idols worshipped by the mushrekin (polytheists):
"...But shun the abomination of idols..." (22:30)
These idols may in some point in time refer to the idols which were
placed on the Ka’bah, but, undoubtedly, today and always, they refer to those powers
that have unjustly taken charge of the rule over the lives of humanity and,
today, refer,
most clearly, to the power of arrogance and the satanic power of the United States and the
power of Western culture and the corruption and decadence which they are inflicting on
Islamic countries and nations.
Of course, the pseudo-ulema affiliated to and mercenaries of some
flimsy governments insist that, no, those idols refer only to Manat, Lat and Hubal
[pre-Islamic idols]; those very same idols that were crushed and annihilated under the
foot of the victorious soldiers of the Great Prophet (pbuh) on the day when Mecca was
conquered. The intention of these court-clerics is to empty the Hajj of all political
content to suit their own taste, ignorant of the fact that this very gathering of millions
of Muslims that has come together from every corner of the world in one place at one time
itself contains the richest political significance.
This is a display put on by the Islamic Ummah in which all differences
of race, language, geography and history are set aside and in which everyone joins
together to form a whole. In order to prevent Muslims from understanding the significance
of this great unity and in order to prevent individuals from gaining a sense of
collectivity, these pseudo-ulema and their masters have used every kind of lie, deceit and
falsehood and will continue to do so in order to make life as difficult as possible for
the people who call for unity and invite the pilgrims to disavow the ringleaders of shirk
(polytheism).
Islamic Iran wished to do at least the minimum required by the
Hajj,
and that is to issue a call to unity to all Muslims, to invite all nations to learn the
truth about one another and to ask people to express their hatred and disgust towards the
ringleaders of shirk and corruption. Anyone who stands against these valuable and lofty
aims is speaking unjustly, regardless of what he says. And the Holy Qur’an
says:
"...Shun the word that is false" (22:30)
The word that is false is the unjust statements made by those who speak
ill of the Islamic Republic, because the Islamic Republic rejects the rule of the Zionist
government over Islamic Palestine and considers the compromises made with the usurpers by
a few corrupt and isolated individuals as worthless. It condemns the master-like
interventions of the United States in Arab countries. It exposes the ugliness of the
treachery of some leaders of Muslim countries against their own Muslim nations for the
pleasure of the United States and the Zionists. It calls on Muslims to recognize their own
tremendous strength which no superpower can withstand today. It believes Islamic teachings
and the rules of shari'ah are capable of ruling Islamic countries. It considers the
imposed culture of the West, the manifestation of which lies in nakedness, drunkenness and
faithlessness, to be harmful for Islamic countries, and simply insists on following the
Holy Qur’an and the teachings of Islam.
Today, any Islamic country that states these things openly and adopts
these same positions, that is, rejects the usurper Israel, rejects the bullying
interventions of the United States, rejects drunkenness, decadence, sexual corruption and
the immoral mingling of men and women, rejects the treachery of those who compromise with
Israel, calls on Muslims to unite against and resist the superpowers, implements the
rulings of Islam in government, the economy, politics and so on, will be on the receiving
end of exactly the same kind of propaganda, insults and falsehoods which are spread
throughout the world against Islamic Iran and its leaders. And the news agencies of the
arrogant powers and Zionism and the radios of the United States and Britain and their
allies will speak in exactly the same insulting way, with exactly the same kind of
nonsense, about them. This is what was meant by the Holy Qur’an when it mentions
"the word that is false," which was put alongside and on the same level as shirk
by God. How amazing that court-clerics in some corners of the world imitate these
anti-Islamic and unlawful actions of the propagandists of the United States and the
Zionists. Of course, the total submission to tyrannical rulers that,
unfortunately, is the
fate of clergymen in some Islamic countries does not leave any room for surprise.
Today, the Hajj, God's great blessing, is before you. Every single
Muslim and the Islamic Ummah must benefit from it and as has been commanded in
Qur’anic verse:
"God made the Ka’bah, the Sacred House, an asylum for
mankind..." (5:100)
They must benefit from it to the advantage of their world and their
religion.
Today, the religion of Muslims is threatened by the enemy's cultural
onslaught and the spread of corruption, injustice, faithlessness and decadence among
Islamic societies; something that is happening on the initiative of anti-Islamic powers
and with the help of their propaganda and media and other tools, and the world is
threatened by the ever-increasing hegemony of arrogance over the affairs of Islamic
countries and by the ever-increasing pressure on and hostility against any government or
group that wishes to direct the minds of people towards the true rule of Islam and towards
the independence and strength of Muslim nations. And of course at the head of this
all-embracing attack against Islam is the Great Satan, that is, the government of the
United States of America. Any clear-sighted eye can see the hand and will of that
anti-Islamic government behind all the hardships which are inflicted on Islam and Muslims.
In occupied Palestine, the main reason behind the impudent and the
boldness of the Zionists and the most important factor behind the compromise made by most
Arab governments before the endless demands of Israel is the United States. Without the
backing of the United States, the reactionary governments of the region, which are well
known for their submissiveness to the United States, would not have turned into the
defenders of the usurping government and into the advisories of those Palestinians who are
against compromise. And those who, according to their Islamic duties, must stand against
Israel would not emerge as those who stand against the opponents of Israel. And without
the unconditional support of the United States, the usurping government would not have
been able to bring about a great tragedy such as the massacre at the noble shrine of
Abraham, peace be upon him, and to avoid suffering all the consequences of such an
action.
A similar situation applies to the Muslims of
Bosnia-Hercegovina. The
historical massacre of the people of Gorazde and Sarajevo by the Serbs, which can truly be
seen as ranking among the most shameful deeds committed by humanity in our times, is a
huge crime, the responsibility for which must be borne by the powers who dominate the
world and, more than any other power, by the United States.
If it were not for their interference and their policies, the Muslims
of Bosnia would not have been deprived of receiving assistance in the form of weapons in
the face of well-equipped and well-armed Serbs, and a defenseless and besieged nation
would not have been sacrificed to bloodthirsty, shameless and encouraged
aggressors.
What is painful is that the United States and NATO - after laying the
groundwork in this merciless way for the massacre of Bosnian Muslims, after using the
United Nations and its secretary-general totally for their own ends, after displaying
signs of their own pleasure at the killing of Muslims at the hands of the Serbs and after
several weeks had passed since the savage attack of the aggressors against Muslim
women, children, the old and young and the death of thousands of innocent people and the
inflicting of suffering on such a scale on the people of the city of Gorazde, after all
that - should call a halt to the torture by threatening the Serbs with air attacks and
then describe that as their humanitarianism, love of peace and neutrality.
Is it the case that, when a torturer stops torturing a person after
hours and days, he can claim to be humane and use as evidence of his humanity the fact
that he has stopped torturing his victim?
This apparently neutral, but in practice aggressive, stance against
Muslims, is seen in America and its European collaborators, such as Britain, in every
incident in which innocent Muslims constitute one side, and are subjected to their
enemies' oppressive behavior and pressures. Amongst the examples are the sorrowful events
of Kashmir and the intense suffering of the Muslims in Karabakh and Tajikistan.
Wherever a government or a group raises the slogans of Islam, and
strives towards the establishment of the rule of Islam, it becomes inevitable targets of
U.S.'s abuse, slander, ruthlessness and malicious hostility. Clear examples are the
Sudanese government, the Islamic front in Algeria, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas and the
Islamic Jihad of Palestine, the Muslims of Egypt and so on. In all these cases, the agents
of global arrogance and above all U.S. have been displaying fanatical behavior, similar to
those of tribal communities. The case of U.S.'s malicious hostilities, accompanied by
wrath and injustice against Islamic Iran - although in most cases ineffective thanks to
the divine will and blessing - is in itself a separate issue, of which many in the world
are aware.
Now, does the great Islamic Ummah, its leaders and politicians,
intellectuals and religious scholars have no responsibilities with regard to this tragic
plight of Muslims throughout the world? Do those - who believe in the truth of this
declaration of the Great Prophet of Islam (pbuh) who said: "One who begins the day
unconcerned with the affairs of Muslims is not a Muslim" - know of an occasion more
suitable than the pilgrimage to the "Baitallah" (House of God) and of a time
more suitable than the "Ayyam malumat" (the appointed days, 22:28) for
displaying this important obligation? It was indeed not without reason that the Exalted
Prophet (pbuh) chose the Hajj period for declaration of the Bar'a (disavowal) of
mushrekin, which was a totally political activity within the framework of the very first
Islamic government's general policy, and proclaimed this divine and Qur’anic command:
"A proclamation, from God and His messenger, unto mankind on the
day of the Great Pilgrimage, - God and His messenger disavow the mushrekin. So if you
repent, that will be better for you but if you turn your backs, know that you cannot
frustrate the will of God. And proclaim a grievous penalty to those who reject
faith." (9:3)
Indeed, the Hajj is a duty during which and by way of which the most
important political difficulties of the Islamic Ummah can be resolved. For that reason,
the Hajj is a duty with political significance, and the nature and characteristics of it
have made this very clear. Those who deny this and propagate against it are in effect
against the resolution of those difficulties. In brief, the Hajj is a duty which concerns
the Ummah, its unity, the power of Muslims, the improvement of the individual and the
community and simply a duty concern with both this world and the hereafter.
Those who do not want to accept the political aspect of the Hajj in
effect want to keep Islam away from politics and separate religion from politics. The
issue of separating religion from politics is that very point which the enemies of
sovereignty of Islam over Islamic societies have been raising for decades. Today, now that
a government based on the sacred religion of Islam has emerged in Iran, and the
ever-increasing enthusiasm for the formation of Islamic government has overwhelmed the
entire Islamic world, they are raising that issue [of separating religion from politics]
with more vigor and haste than ever. Wherever they see the preparations for the
realization of this aim [of forming an Islamic governments], if they can, they enter the
scene with force and aggression to fight against it.
The rule of Islam implies resistance against the intervention of the
arrogance in Islamic countries. It also warrants the need to keep away those who are
dependent on these powers, and the slaves of the satan of selfish desires and the satan of
arrogance, from ruling these countries. Ht is therefore natural that the arrogance and
those who rely on it and the satans and their followers should be angry about it [the rule
of Islam]. By the same token, those who believe in God and the day of judgment and those
who truly believe in Islam should welcome it [the rule of Islam] and struggle towards it .
Now that many people from all over the world have had the blessing of
perceiving the appointed days and the Hajj to the House of God, I, in all sincerity and
modesty, beseech the Almighty to accept their pilgrimage and to endow them and the entire
Muslim Ummah with its benefits and make the following recommendations to brothers and
sisters:
(1) Seize this opportunity for self-development, repentance and
pleading [to God] and store spiritual assets to last you for the rest of your life.
(2) Ask Almighty God to eliminate big obstacles along the path of the
Muslims, and keep repeating this request again and again in every prayer and supplication.
(3) Seize every opportunity to become acquainted with Muslims from
other countries. Learn lessons from the positive and negative points of their daily life.
Non-Iranian Muslims should particularly hear the truth and circumstances of Islamic Iran
from their Iranian brothers, so that they discover for themselves whether the global
propaganda [against Iran] is right or wrong. Today and always, try to strive to learn the
instructions of the Great Imam, His Eminence Imam Khomeini, may God sanctify his noble
soul, on Muslims' issues and problems and become better acquainted and more closely
familiar with that great reformer and pious personality of Islamic history.
(4) Every accurate point of information and knowledge you have acquired
on the situation of the Islamic Ummah or about your own country, pass it on to the Muslims
from other countries.
(5) During conversations with your Muslim brothers from every corner of
the Islamic world, bear in mind the plight of the Islamic Ummah and have an overall view
of the Islamic world. Take your thoughts and others' thoughts beyond the confinement of
geographical borders, racial, doctrinal, fictional and other such divides. Only think of
Islam and Muslims.
(6) Keep reminding your conversational partners to think of the
God-given might of more than one billion Muslims and dozens of Islamic countries with so
much material and spiritual wealth and with a huge heritage of culture, civilization,
religion and ethics.
(7) Break the myth of the West's invincible might and particularly that
of U.S., which global arrogance has always tried to magnify several times above reality
and has tried to instill into the Muslims' minds. Remind yourselves and others that the
communist might, which on the surface seemed invulnerable, collapsed not too long ago and
in front of this same generation's eyes and nothing is left of that might now. The
existing over inflated powers, including the might of U.S., may be destroyed and
annihilated just as easily.
(8) The responsibility of ulema and intellectuals of the Muslim
countries is immense. Always remind them and others of this.
(9) Remind the heads of Islamic countries of their obligations towards
the Islamic Ummah, which is to create unity among Muslims, to keep away from global
powers, to rely on their own nations and to create healthy relations between the people
and the rulers. Such a reminder by you is in accordance with "the reminder for Muslim
leaders," and ask Almighty God to rectify this matter.
(10) Remember always that when we say the heads are responsible, it
does not mean the individual members of a nation have no responsibility. On the contrary,
they can play a decisive role in the achievement of all these great goals.
It is hoped that with divine grace and caring attention of God's
Greatest Wali, may our souls be sacrificed for him and may God hasten his lofty advent,
the esteemed pilgrims' Hajj rituals will be accepted by God and His blessings and vast
mercy is upon the entire Islamic Ummah and all the Muslims.
Peace be upon all the righteous servants of God.
4th Dhu al-Hijjah 1414, corresponding to 15th May 1994;
Ali Al-Hoseyni Al-Khamene'i.
Marjaiyah Today and the Enemies' Propaganda
His Eminence Ayatullah Al-Uzma Seyyed Ali Khamene’I, the Eminent Leader
of the Islamic Revolution, delivered an important speech at a gathering of
various strata of the people on the birthday of Imam Jawad (AS) on the
10th of Rajab [December 14, 1994] in which among other issues he exposed
the biased intention of the propaganda of the enemies of Islam in
connection with marjaiyah. His Eminence also accepted the request of
Momeneen abroad regarding the issue of marjaiyah. The following are
excepts from the speech:
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
I am concerned about the meeting of the Islamic Conference
Organization [ICO] which is being held m Morocco these days. I hope
this will not be the case that the heads of Islamic countries are brought
together on the basis of tricks and deception and some words or statements
extracted from them in support of the interest of the usurper Zionist
regime. The heads of Islamic countries must be vigilant in that conference.
Enemy infiltrators and traitors of the world of Islam may achieve their
aims. Of course, our trusted representative, the foreign minister [Dr.
Velayati] is there and, if they want to issue a joint statement, he will
express our decisive viewpoints. This in itself is a source of concern for
the world of Islam that a conference should be convened under the name of
Islam and then, instead of dealing with the pains of Muslims, it deals
with the wishes and requests of America and Israel and tries to remedy
their problems. We hope that it is not like this, God willing.
On the issue of Bihac, where Muslims are being massacred, they just sit
and watch it. If Islamic nations had designated a day and the governments
and the nations had cooperated on that day, even if they had just verbally
announced that they were unhappy with the attitude of the European
Community and the positions of the Serbs and the enemies of the Muslims m
Bosnia-Herzegovina, then this in it self could have resolved some problems.
They did no! Even stop to do that.
What can Muslim nations do with such officials? In Islamic Iran the
officials are in the same line with the people on this issue.
Unfortunately, m other places it is not like that.
These are on r pains, but today I would like to talk about another
issue that is a cause for hope and optimism. This issue is the position of
the people towards the enemy’s propaganda and the presence of this nation
at crucial junctures. If it was possible for us to imagine this nation to
be a human being, it would have been appropriate for me to kiss the hand
of this human being. This is because this nation has always shown ifs
greatness in crucial moments.
Here I am referring to the recent demise of that divine scholar, the
late Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki (RA). God only knows how many hundreds and
thousands of hours the enemies spent working and coordinating their ideas
so as to be able to use this event for their own propaganda advantage.
However, you, with an appropriate and timely move, nullified these hostile
activities. God knows what I was feeling when l went into the crowd of
people on the day of the funeral. Fell full of admiration, amazement,
gratitude and appreciation for these pure souls who, by their mere
presence and sentiments resolved many problems.
In order to explain the magnanimity of what this nation did when the
late Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki passed away, I would like to refer to a few
points. Also at the end, l would like to explain a fundamental issue.
The enemies have consistently been pursuing a number of issues in their
propaganda. Right from the outset of the late Ayatullah Al-Uzma
Araki's illness, they sought to create a certain atmosphere in people's
mind with their propaganda. Of course, this should not be underestimated.
Their use of the radio as a propaganda tool, as well as other forms of
propaganda, is very important. Do not just look at the Iranian people, who
do the opposite of what the enemies say and want. Is not like that in the
world, where ordinary people are influenced by what these radio stations
say.
People do love the true clerics and ulama of Islam because they believe
that it is through Islam that it is possible to secure prosperity in this
world and the hereafter.
They [the enemies] believe that a political system can be toppled or
reinstated by radio. They think that with propaganda disseminated from the
radio they can induce people to attack a good person and beat him to
pieces or that they can manage to raise an unsuitable individual to a
position of power and influence. This is the degree of the world
propaganda think tank's faith and belle f in the power of radio and
television. Of course, they may be right, but this only applies to places
where there is no faith and no awareness. They have done many things in
the world by employing radio and television stations. But they were not
able to do a damn thing in Iran, because of our people's faith.
There were a number of issues that they wanted to get across to our
people. One issue was that Marjaiyah no longer enjoyed the usual prestige
and dignity; that those days were gone when Iran used to be moved when a
marja-e taqlid died. That right now Marjaiyah was not that important. They
continued to repeat such utterances in their radio programs and statements.
They also found a number of illiterate or infamous and fugitive clerics
from here and there and presented them with a microphone and opportunity
to mislead, as well as sums of money. These individuals then naturally
opened their mouths and uttered whatever the enemies of Islam wanted them
to utter. They even gave them the title of "Ayatullahs." Now, who really
are these individuals? They are illiterate individuals who had fled Islam
and the nation and were sinister and malicious people. They want to make
people listen n to utterances by such individuals. They ask them: Is
Marjaiyah in the present Iran as important as in the past? They receive
the answer that "No, sir Marjaiyah is finished now and people do not care
much about the issue." They wanted to insinuate this.
They intended to undermine the lofty and divine status of Marjaiyah, a
role that carries so much influence deep inside the body and soul of
Muslims. They did this because Marjaiyah has hurt them badly in the past.
Because they had received blows from marjaiyah.
They, there fore, decided to aim their revenge at Marjaiyah as a whole,
not just at one marja. This was one of the issues that the enemy's
propaganda pursued during the 40 days of the illness of this esteemed
scholar [Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki (RA)].
The second idea that they wanted to plant in the people's minds was
that there was no one in Iran who could assume the position of Marjaiyah;
that those great ulama and those deep roots no longer existed; that
Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki was the last one and now they were finished. That
was what they wanted to propagate. They spoke about this at great length.
The third thing they wanted to say is this: they wanted to give the
impression that the Iranian nation had turned away from the clergy; that
it had no interest in the clergy. They were saying: yes, at some point in
the past, in the early days of the revolution, before the revolution, the
clergy were very dear to the people, but now the
Iranian nation does not pay much attention to the clergy: that was the
idea they wanted to instill. Of course, they were also saying other things;
which I will mention.
On the day when that eminent man [Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki (HA)] died,
Tehran and Iran were in a state of pandemonium and shock. We were
receiving the news. Wherever you went, in any city or town, people had
gathered in masjids. Truly that day was a very special day in Tehran.
People in Tehran saw that and others saw it on the television. Of course,
the cameras cannot truly capture these moments. In that huge crowd, I saw
many young people, one fifth or one forth of the age of that great man,
who were weeping very hard. For what were they crying? What was the reason?
They probably had not personally met that 103-year-oldman even once in
their life. They did not even know him until 3 or 4 years ago. Of course,
the ulama and scholars in the howzah knew him. But they [young people] got
to know him 3 or 4 years ago. Why were they crying so hard? Why was Iran
so disturbed? Why did women beat their chests and weep? Why did grown men
cry like that? Why did they try so hard, in that huge crowd, to reach the
coffin and to touch it? Why? What was the reason? There are several
reasons. The first reason is that the people of Iran still believe in the
lofty and great position of the Marjaiyah.
[Crowd chants Allahu Akbar, Khamene'i is the Leader, Death to
America, Death to Israel.]
The people of Iran really love the clergy--not, of course, the
pseudo-clerics whom the enemy would like to present to the people as the
true clerics, no, the people resent them--but, people do love the true
clerics and ulama of Islam because they believe that if is through Islam
that it is possible to secure prosperity in this world and the hereafter.
Islam has given them virtue, freedom and glory. Islam has given this
nation freedom from oppressors and corrupt institutions
There is no struggle for power. There is no fight. When it comes to the
Marjaiyah, many are those who, despite having suitable qualifications, do
not mention themselves even once. Thirty years may pass. After thirty or
forty years, people think of them and go to them and they issue resaalahs
because of the people’s insistence, like the late Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki
(RA) we have many like that the people of Iran suffered a lot under the
sinister and heavy shadow of the Pahlavi and Qajar kings in the past
century or two. They oppressed people as much as they could. Iran was
deprived of its historical glory and greatness; it fell behind in the race
for knowledge, of civilization, politics and economics, and it lost its
vital resources. This is what the people suffered under monarchies. Who
rescued them? Who awakened them? It was that great and holy man, the doyen
and leader of the clergymen [Imam Khomeini (M)]. People are fond of the
true religious scholars. Every time a true cry for freedom was Heard from
a movement in this country, its leaders were clergymen. This is history, a
history that was not written by clergymen but by their enemies who,
nevertheless, admitted that this was the case. This is something that the
people demonstrated. This propaganda there fore failed.
They put out false propaganda that there was no longer anyone in Iran
who was qualified to become a marja. People saw, right in front of their
eyes, that, all at once, a list of ulama who were qualified for the
position of marja, had been issued by the experts on the subject, by those
who were qualified to know and who were in control of the howzahs and the
howzahs depend heavily on them [i.e. Jameah Modaresin Howzah Elmiyyah Qum
(The Association of the Faculty of Qum Theological Seminary)]. They could
introduce to people those who qualify for the position of Marjaiyah and
that is what they did. Of course, these gentlemen put forward the names of
five or six individuals-well, this was what they thought best, it was not
possible to name 1OO persons. But you should know that today, if we wanted
to count, there would be more than a hundred people in Qum howzah
qualified to be marja. Now six of them were named, but these are not the
only ones. Two of them were also named by the Association of Combatant
Clergy [Jame 'eh-ye Ruhaniyat-e Mobarez]. There are a hundred persons at
least [who could become marja] as well.
They say: the ancient roots .of ulama have come to an end, the
generation of great ulama has ended. What do they know about great ulama
or the howzahs? These politicians of Britain and America and the world's
news agencies cannot understand and analyze the most obvious issues
concerning this nation. If they could, they would not be defeated so much
by the Iranian nation. They are incapable of analysis but give themselves
the right to express their opinions on issues concerning the howzahs,
which are indeed highly complex. It is the members of the howzahs who know
who is qualified and who is not. What do they understand about the
generation of great ulama?
A number of top class marjas have departed this world since the demise
of the Imam [Khomeini] (RA). The most famous four were Ayatullah Al-Uzma
Araki, Ayatullah Al-Uzma Golpayegani, Ayatullah Al-Uzma Kho'i and
Ayatullah Al-Uzma Mar'ashi. Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki lived for 103 years,
whereas the others departed when they were in their nineties. That is, in
the year 1340 [1961] when the late Ayatullah Al-Uzma Borujerdi departed
this world, those ulama who died in their nineties were about 60 years old.
Thirty-three years ago they were between 57 and 62 years old. It has
always been the same. When the late Ayatullahs Kho'i or Golpayegani or
Mar'ashi were introduced to the people as marja, their age at the Urne was
either less or the same as some of the ones being introduced today. About
what are you [the foreign media] talking'1 You are aimlessly wagging your
chins saying: the ulama of the howzahs are all dead. What do you know
about the howzah ulama and their status? You are making comments without
justification. Another issue is that they have begun naming certain
individuals as marja. They say: So and so is the top man. They have begun
issuing fatwas and decrees to direct the Muslim people, not realizing that
the people are the most uncompromising on the subject of Marjaiyah. And
the people are justified in being so uncompromising on this subject. I
would like to request you, my dear ones, to remain uncompromising. When
you are dealing with the issue of Marjaiyah, you should not be swayed by
emotions. Investigate by using the same shari'ah method that exists, that
is, that not one but two just witnesses must testify. Of course those two
witnesses cannot be just anybody. They must be experts m the field and
knowledgeable. They must testify that so and so is worthy for the purpose
of taqlid, then it is possible to follow that person. Now look at those
gentlemen [foreign media people] who expect the Iranian nation, that is, a
nation that is so uncompromising on the issue of taqlid, to listen to
anything being said by those wicked and lewd individuals who run the BBC
and the Zionist radio. They say: Mr. so and so is the best and the people
should follow him. What a futile dream! No doubt the individuals mentioned
[by these radios] lost any slight chance they might have had of becoming a
marja to a group, thanks to these radios. The majority o f our committed
Muslim nation have heard nothing but lies from these alien radios. They
have heard so many lies and have seen so much wickedness and malice from
these radio stations that they will do exactly the opposite of what these
radios recommend. If they were it say: Follow Mr. so and so as the marja,
our people would not do so. If they emphasize on someone, saying do not
follow him, then the people would follow that person.
This is the way and habit of our people and it is justified. The Imam
[Khomeini] (RA), used to say: "Progress depends on doing the opposite of
what these foreign radios and the enemy propaganda recommends. Whichever
direction they adopt is the wrong direction. You should know this. The
truth lies m the opposite direction from their chosen path." By adopting
these positions, our people have given a slap m the face to the hostile
propaganda of the enemy regarding the issue of Marjaiyah. [Crowd chants
Allahu Akbar, Khamene'i is the Leader, Death to Amenca, Death to Israel.]
I really must thank the people. Of course, it is not very easy to thank
this nation. You really made us proud with regard to the issue of the
demise of the late Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki, with the positions you adopted.
Your presence in the funeral procession, your presence in prayers, your
presence in the memorial services. Thanks are also due to the ulama m Qum
and Tehran who prepared a list of individuals whom people can follow with
regard to Marjaiyah. They carried out their duty. Of course, it cannot be
said that those who were not included in the list are worth less than
those on the list. I cannot say that. As I said, if you go to Qum today,
you will find at least 100 people whose names can be put on a list and you
can say you may follow these people. When the second term [for the
presidency] came, the Imam
Khomeini] (RA) himself told me that it was my obligation. I went to see
him and told him: I do not want to take on the responsibility, I do not
want to run again. He told me: It is your obligation. Another issue that
is a fundamental one is that the enemy was trying to suggest that in Iran
a power struggle is taking place over the Marjaiyah. As the saying goes,
the infidel looks at everyone else as an infidel. In those European
countries, and m the United States and so on, in places where the culture
of materialism prevails-when it comes to assuming some lowly position such
as the post of governor of a province or mayor of a town, or winning a
seal in a parliament, they are prepared to crush everything that is holy
under their feel in order to win that post. That is what they are like.
What I regret is that you dear people do not have the opportunity to see
some of the written material and information by these people that we have
at our disposal. You would then see how pathetic the world is in terms of
love of power and ambition. These very same personalities whom you see in
the world, who appear in front of television cameras with their clean
faces, their clothes ironed, their ties knotted, with frozen smiles, they
are prepared to commit every imaginable crime in order to attain their
positions of power. Most of them are like that. They assume that it is the
same here. They think that the same thing occurs with regard to the
Marjaiyah. No sir, you are wrong. There is no struggle for power. There is
no fight. When it comes to the Marjaiyah, many are those who, despite
having suitable qualifications, do not mention themselves even once.
Thirty years may pass. After thirty or forty years, people think of them
and go to them and they issue resaalahs [religious theses] because of the
people's insistence, like the late Ayatullah Al-Uzma Araki (RA)- we have
many like that. Right now there are those in Qum who are worthy of
Marjaiyah. If thousands of people refer to them and ask them to come and
be involved, they will say that they do not wish to become involved. They
say: Thanks to God there are other people. They are there right now. There
are persons who do not even mention their own names, although they know
that they are more suited than all others. Most mujtahids believe that
they are more suited than others. I do not say that this is the case for
all of them, but most are like this. Even though they know that they are
more suited than everyone else, they do not even mention this. That is the
way they are. They do not want to become the center of attention; they are
not prepared to enter the scene. Following the demise of Ayatullah Al-Uzma
Borujerdi, the eminent Imam [Khomeini] (RA) who, as you saw for yourselves,
attracted the attention of the world and was so powerful that he could
hold the whole world single-handedly, did not issue a resaleh. He went and
sat at home. People insisted, but he did not issue a resaleh. I myself was
one of the people who asked him [to issue a resaleh] at that time. But he
did not answer. He said that there were [other] ulama available. Then a
group of people went and obliged him [to issue a resaleh]. His fatwas were
clear; his resaleh was organized and published. We have many examples of
such personalities. Right now there are eminent personalities here and
there in howzahs who were worthy of being named [as marja] some 20 or 30
years ago, but they themselves did not mention their names and they did
not allow those who knew them to do that. The rest did not know them.
There is no power struggle. The most important work that can be done [by a
scholar] concerning his capacity for marjaiyah is just to publish a
resaleh and leave it at home. That is all. If someone refers to him, then
he could say: Here you are, this is a copy of my resaleh, get it and go.
That is all they can do; they can do no more than that. Now they keep
mentioning in their radio programs that there is a power struggle. One of
the baseless issues they raise is that the majority of scholars are
against the religion's involvement in politics. They therefore want to say
that they [those scholars] are against the Islamic Government, they are
against the Wilayat al-Faqih and they form the majority of the people.
Those ulama who issued the statement regarding marjaiyah farm the majority
[of the people]; those whose names are mentioned today are in the majority.
Of course there are also unfit personalities among the clergy; we do not
deny that. There are unfit people among the clergy, among shopkeepers,
among university and army personnel and in many other areas. There are
unfit persons everywhere, including in the clergy. There are those among
the clergy who have enjoyed the blessings of Imam Zaman (AS) and are still
ungrateful and they oppose the path of Imam Zaman (AS). There are those
sort of clergy, too, and we do not deny that. Foreign radios can go and
interview them as much as they like. They may be prepared to insult all
the sanctities of the Islamic Republic in dozens of volumes of hooks. Such
people exist; of course they do. But, first of all, not only are there
very few of them, but they are also hated by the people of Iran and by
revolutionary Muslims. If the persons that foreign radios and arrogant
instruments resort to in the issue of Marjaiyah let themselves be known by
this nation, then do you think that the people would leave them alone?
This nation does not forgive traitors. Until today it has not forgiven
them and in the future it will not forgive traitors either. [Participants
chant: Allahu Akbar, Khamene'i is the Leader, Death to America, Death to
Israel.] It is necessary that I should mention another point. I hope my
dear brothers and sisters will listen to this issue without becoming
emotional. On the very first day after the demise of the Imam [Khomeini]
(RA), m the Assembly of Experts, of which I was also a member, the issue
of assuming the Leadership was raised and ultimately the name of this
humble individual was mentioned. They were discussing who should be
elected [for the position of the Leader and the Waliy Faqih]. They agreed
that they should elect this humble individual to this vital position. I
opposed it. I expressed serious opposition to it. Not that I wanted to be
modest. No. God only knows what was really going on in my heart during
those moments. I stood up and told them: gentlemen, please wait and be
patient. These conversations are recorded and exist. Both the video and
the audio are available. I began to reason with them not to elect me to
this post. I told them not to do it. No matter how much I insisted, they
would not accept. However much I reasoned with them, the mujtahedeen and
the religious scholars who were present responded to the reasons that l
was putting forward. I was decisive in not accepting, but then I realized
that there was no option, no choice. Why was there no choice? Because,
according to the reasoning of those individuals whom I trust, this
obligation and this duty has been put on my shoulders. That is, if I do
not handle this burden, this burden will not be carried by anyone. Al this
stage I said that I would accept. Why? Because I realized that otherwise
the burden will not be carried. This is why I accepted. If there was
another person, or if I had known that someone else would take up this
burden and would be acceptable to the others, I certainly would not have
agreed to lake on this burden. Then, we put our trust m God and God has
helped so far and throughout the past years. I was elected for two terms
as president. Both times l resisted. In the first term--I was just out of
the hospital [In 1981, after recovering from an assassination attempt
carried out by the agents of arrogant powers]- friends told me that if I
did not accept this there was no one else to take on the responsibility. I
had no option. When the second term came, the Imam [Khomeini] (RA) himself
told me that it was my obligation. I went to see him and told him: I do
not want to take on the responsibility; I do not want to run again. He
told me: it is your obligation. That is, the obligation is not an
obligation that one can delegate to someone else [wajib-e kefa'i]. This is
your obligation, it is a specific obligation [wajib-e 'ainij]. I believe,
if it is a specific obligation, I do not want to drop the burden of
responsibility from my shoulders. My dear ones, this is not the case with
Marjaiyah. The burden will not remain on the ground and unattended. This
issue does not stop with one person. Yes, the ulama have drawn up a list
[of those suitable to be a marja] and this humble person's name has been
included in that list. However, if they had asked me, I would have told
them not to do it. They did this without my knowledge. I was informed
after their statement had been published or else I would not have let
them. I even informed the television. I told them: If it does not upset
these ulama, do not read my name out when you read their statement. They
said: No, we cannot do this. this is a distortion of the statement,
because the ulama have had meetings and discussed the situation and have
reached this conclusion, so names cannot be omitted from the list. Let me
say this to you now: dear nation, my dear ones, eminent ulama and great
personalities who, from this and that corner, send messages to me about
publishing a resaleh and so on: my current burden is very heavy. The
burden of the Leadership and its enormous responsibilities are equivalent
to several times the weight of the burden of Marjaiyah. I want you to know
this. If you put several marjaiyahs together, the burden may be as heavy
as this one, maybe, but perhaps not. There is no need now. Yes, if, God
forbid, the situation became such that I could see that there was no
alterative, I would say: II does not mailer, my shoulders, despite all my
weaknesses and shortcomings, can, with God's help, bear this weight too
when they have to, when it is necessary. But the situation is not like
that now.
There is no need now. There are so many mujtahids, God be praised. I
mentioned Qum; there are others elsewhere as well. There are mujtahids,
worthy people. What need is there for this extra burden to be placed on me
in addition to the heavy weight which Exalted God has already placed on
these weak shoulders? There is no need for this. So, when people insist:
Sir, write a resaleh, --please pay attention to this, this is the reason
why I refuse to accept the burden of responsibility of Marjaiyah, because,
God be praised, there are other ulama, there is no need as such. Today, I
accept the request of Muslims outside Iran [for Marjaiyah] Of course,
outside Iran that is another situation, l accept their burden. Why?
Because if l do not pick up and assume that burden, it would he a loss. [Crowd
chants in support: Khamene'i, you are the leader of Muslims] I feel that
these ulama who are here today, praise be to God, are well qualified and
have the necessary qualifications and their numbers are more than enough
in Qum who can accept this responsibility. And on the day that these ulama
can shoulder the burden of abroad, then l shall withdraw from that
responsibility as well. Today, I accept the request of Muslims outside
Iran because there is no other option, just as in other situations when we
have to do something. However, inside Iran, there is no need. The holy
presence of the Lord of the Age [Imam Mahdi] --may our souls be sacrificed
for him and may God hasten his noble return--is himself the supervisor,
keeper and guardian of the howzahs; the supporter and guardian of the
great ulama; the guide of the marjas' hearts and the people's hearts. We
hope Almighty God will make this stage an auspicious one for the people.
May the peace and blessings of God be upon you. [Crowd chants in support:
Khamene'i, you are the Leader of Muslims]
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