Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a message to the 24th National Conference on Prayers, has underscored the necessity of feeling a public responsibility with regard to “promotion of prayers,” calling on everybody, particularly officials in state organs and those endowed with material and spiritual and management facilities to understand the magnitude of this issue and take practical steps to that effect.

The full text of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s message, which was read out on Tuesday, January 26, 2016, at the 24th National Conference on Prayers by Ayatollah Abedini, representative of the Leader and the Friday Prayers leader in the city of Qazvin, is as follows:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful 

Praise be to Cognizant and Almighty God that efforts made by you, the esteemed organizers of this important conference, and more than everybody else, by the venerable and studious scholar, Hojjatoleslam Mr. [Mohsen] Qara’ati, have born fruit on basic and effective grounds, and useful steps have been taken with respect to the promotion of the important and unique obligation of prayers.

However, the capacity and scope of this job as well as the need and avidity of the Islamic society for reaching the favorable point is much more than the prevailing realities related to this issue. In last year’s message, only a corner of this empty space, which deserves more efforts, was highlighted. What I am saying today is aimed at putting emphasis on feeling a public sense of duty [in this regard]. 

My expectation is that all organs’ officials and those endowed with material and spiritual and management facilities should understand the magnitude of this issue correctly and take steps on the path of action.

Everyone must know that one of the most effective ways for reducing social maladies is to promote prayers. Make your effort focused on ensuring that not even one person among youths and young adults in the country would be neglectful of prayers. This is one of the best ways for [making sure about] spiritual and mental health of our people and our society.

Make your effort focused on ensuring that everybody will learn and get used to performing their prayers with humility and from the bottom of their hearts.

These are all possible steps that, God willing, could be taken through firm determination and persistent effort of you, who are involved [in this issue]. 

Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings

Seyyed Ali Khamenei

Bahman 6, 1394 (January 26, 2016)