The message of H. E. Ayatullah Khamenei to the Hajj pilgrims from the
whole world
18.12.2007
In the Name of God the Beneficent the Merciful
Praise be unto God, the Lord of all the world and peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad and upon his pure Household and his companions
Greetings to the pilgrims of the House of God, the guests of the
Almighty's abode and those who have answered His Divine call… and hail to
hearts freshened by the remembrance of God and opened to His unsparing
blessings and bounties. In these elixir-like days, nights and hours, many
a man who gratefully consigned themselves to the Divine attraction,
illuminated their hearts through penitence and repentance and cleansed
themselves of the darkness of sin and idolatry in the waves of Divine
mercifulness coming constantly one after another in this holy land. May
God's peace be upon these hearts and these virtuous and self-purified
people.
It would be most appropriate if all my brothers and sisters did think
deeply over such a blessing and avail themselves of this great opportunity.
They should not allow the worldly preoccupations which are our habitual
engagements to occupy their hearts as usual. In this atmosphere of
monotheism and unadulterated divinity, they should let their craving
hearts soar and collect the necessary provisions to persevere on the path
of God and the right path by the remembrance of God, penitence and
supplication, a resolute will of truthfulness, good thinking and rectitude
and seeking the help of God.
Here is the center of true and pure monotheism. Here is the place where
Abraham (A.S), The Friend of God, left as a memorial for all the true
believers of the world throughout history a symbol of monotheism which is
the subjugation of one's carnal desires and complete submission before the
Divine command by bringing his beloved to the altar. Here is the place
where Muhammad Mustafa (S.A) raised the flag of monotheism against the
wishes of the arrogant and bullying elements and the wealthy of his time
and deemed aversion to Taghoot along with belief in God as the condition
for salvation: "Therefore whoever forsakes Taghoot and does believe in
Allah, he shall grasp a most secure handle that never breaks" (2-256)
Hajj is the opportunity to review and revisit these great lessons.
Disavowal from the infidels and aversion to idols and idolaters is the
prevailing spirit of the believers' Hajj. Each and every corner of Hajj is
a manifestation of devoting one's heart to God, striving in His name and
path, disavowing from Satan, stoning and rejecting and standing against
him. Each and every corner of Hajj is the embodiment of unity and
solidarity among the believers where natural and contractual differences
fade away and the significance of the true and monotheistic unity and
brotherhood is upheld.
These are the lessons that we, the Muslims, from all parts of the world,
have to learn; lessons on which bases we have to plan our lives and
futures.
The Holy Koran refers to the strong stand against the enemies,
compassion and kindness among the believers as well as courtesy and
obedience to God as the three indications of an Islamic society.
"Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and his followers should be solid of
heart against the disbelievers, but most compassionate amongst themselves;
you see them bowing down, prostrating, imploring Grace from God" (48-29)
These are the three basic pillars necessary for the establishment of
the glorious and dignified body of the Muslim Ummah.
Bearing in mind this fact, all the Muslim people can appropriately
identify the ailments of the present Muslim world.
Today, the treacherous enemies of the Muslim Ummah are the organizers
of the hegemonic centers and expansionist and aggressive powers which
consider the Islamic awakening as a great threat to their illegitimate
interests and their oppressive domination over the Muslim world. All the
Muslim nations led by their political and religious authorities,
intellectuals and national leaders need to form a united Islamic front
against this invading enemy with full strength. They need to muster all
the elements of power within themselves and properly strengthen the Muslim
Ummah. Knowledge and insight, resourcefulness and vigilance,
responsibility and commitment, confidence and hope in Divine promises,
refraining from petty and trivial wants in order to attain the consent of
God and abiding by the duties… are all the basic elements contributing to
the sovereignty of the Islamic Ummah leading it to dignity, independence
and material and spiritual progress and preventing the enemies from the
attainment of their unlawful wishes.
Compassion among the believers is the second pillar and another
indication for the desired status of the Muslim Ummah. Disunity and
conflict among the parts of the Muslim Ummah are dangerous diseases which
must be treated with all might. Our enemies have long been making great
efforts in this area. Today, those who have become terrified due to the
Islamic awakening have intensified their efforts. All that the caring
people are saying is that the differences must not turn into conflicts and
that plurality should not lead to belligerence.
The Iranian nation has named this year as the year of Islamic
solidarity. This naming was used due to the awareness of the intensified
plots hatched in order to sow the seeds of discord among our brothers.
These plots proved to be effective in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan,
Afghanistan and some people in these Islamic countries were instigated to
oppose some of their own countrymen and to spill their blood. The traces
of this conspiracy were visible in all these bitter and tragic incidents
and people with keen sights noticed the hands of the enemy in them.
The command of "being compassionate amongst themselves" in the Holy
Koran is tantamount to the extirpation of such pugnacities. In these
glorious days and during the various rituals of Hajj, one may see Muslims
from all over the world and from various faiths going around one single
house, praying in the direction of one Qibla, stoning in unison the symbol
of the rejected Satan, acting in the same way to sacrifice the carnal
desires and passions and, in unison, practicing supplication during the
Arafat and Mashar gathering places. The same closeness and togetherness is
also visible among all the Islamic faiths in terms of the most basic
religious percepts, regulations and beliefs. Therefore, why should the
prejudices and prejudgments be allowed to kindle fire among them and why
should the treacherous hands of enemies be allowed to stoke this ravaging
fire?
Today there are some who, under false pretexts and due to their
narrow-mindedness and lack of prudence, consider a great number of Muslims
as infidels and even consider spilling their blood as lawful. Whether they
are aware of it or not, they are in the servitude of idolatry, unbelief
and arrogance. Many a person who used the term of infidelity for the
reverence of the holy shrines of Muhammad the Great Prophet of Islam (S.A),
the Pious and the Imams (PBUH) which is actually honoring religion and
religiousness, became the servants of infields and oppressors and
collaborated with them in attaining their wicked goals.
The real religious figures and scholars, committed intellectuals and
sincere authorities must combat such perilous phenomena.
Today, Islamic unity and solidarity are definite religious duties which
may be materialized and practiced through cooperation among the wise and
caring people.
Formation of a fortified front against the Arrogant powers on one hand
and compassion and convergence on the other are the two pillars of dignity.
Accompanied by the third pillar which is comprised of the courtesy and
obedience to God, these pillars enable the Muslim Ummah to tread
steadfastly on the same path which led to the pinnacle of glory and
dignity for Muslims during the very outset of Islam. Consequently, the
Muslim Ummah will be saved from the humiliating backwardness which has
been imposed on it in recent centuries. The precursor of this great move
has emerged and the awakening waves are more or less on the move in the
Muslim world. The media and propaganda belonging to the enemies try to
attribute any freedom and justice seeking movement in any part of the
world to Iran or Shiâism. They try to hold Iran, which was the first
flagbearer of the victory of the Islamic awakening, responsible for the
blows dealt to them by the zealots in the Muslim countries in the areas of
politics or culture. The peerless epic of Hizbollah created in the 33-Day
War, the prudent ressitance of the Iraqi nation which led to the formation
of a parliament and a government not favored by the occupiers, the
astonishing patience and perseverance of the legal government of Palestine
and its self-sacrificing people and many other signs of the revival of
Islam in Muslim countries are all accused of being linked to Iranism or
Shiâism in order to impede the unanimous support of the Muslim world.
However, such a ruse will not be able to withstand the Divine tradition
which heralds the victory for the strugglers in the cause of God and the
victory-bearers of the religion of God. The future belongs to the Muslim
Ummah and each and every one of us may contribute to the nearness of that
future proportionate to the amount of responsibility or capability we have.
Hajj rituals are a great opportunity for you fortunate Hajjis to
prepare yourselves for this cause more than before.
I hope the Divine aid and the blessing of Hazrat Al-Mahdi, May God
hasten His arrival, will be with you in this great aim.
Greeting to you
Peace of God and his blessings and bounties upon you
Sayyed Ali Al-Hosseini Al-Khamenei
4 Zil-Hajja, 1428
December 15, 2007
