In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
و الحمدلله ربّ العالمين
و الصّلاة و السّلام علي سيّدنا و نبيّنا ابي‌القاسم المصطفي‌ محمّد
و علي آله الطّيبين الطّاهرين المعصومين سيّما بقيّةالله في الارضين
[Our meeting] today was a very sweet and pleasant meeting.
I [really] availed myself of recitations and Quranic artistry of our dear men and youths;
[and] I welcome those guests, who have come [to Iran] from other countries;
either Quranic masters who are present here, or competitors who have come.
One of the great advantages of these Quranic competition sessions
is the intimacy [that they cause] among Muslim brethren from different countries.
Various policies of [the global] arrogance greatly attempt to create division among us
and alienate Muslim nations from one another, or even pit them against one another;
[therefore,] Muslim nations must act quite the opposite; they must try as much as they can and through any means possible
to increase the intimacy among them.
One of these means is holding such sessions.
The Quran is the axis, the Quran is the common [denominator among Muslims], [and] is the great divine bounty for all Muslims;
all of us must take advantage of this divine spiritual jamboree, and these Quranic sessions,
[and] these Quranic competitions provide all [of us] with an opportunity to do this.
Another blessing of these sessions is that our youths, different people,
[and] various [social] classes become intimate with the Quran. This is a fact: we are far from the Quran;
[and] the Islamic Ummah is far from the Quran;
our life, [and] the realities of our life are very far from the Quranic facts! We must get ourselves close [to the Quran];
and the happiness of the Islamic Ummah depends on this [issue] that it should get itself close to the Quran and the Quranic concepts
and the Quranic knowledge and the Quranic lessons.
One of the ways [to do this] is that [our] youths and people and women and men be intimate with the Quran.
This is also one of the blessings of these competitions. I thank those people who have commenced these competitions,
organized them, undertook difficulties [to hold them], and managed them.
Please note! Today, in order to deal a blow to Islam and Muslims in the world,
great amounts of money are being spent and major steps are being taken.
The devil powers of the world are afraid of Islam,
[and] are afraid of the one-and-a-half-billion Muslim society,
[and] therefore, they are doing their best – in various ways – in order to strip the Muslim society of its power;
they [do this because they] know that Islam is opposed to their greed.
If the voice of Islam is heard loud, they would not be able to oppress nations as such;
[therefore,] they [try to] muffle the voice of Islam so as to be able to cause the problems [facing] the oppressed of the world to be forgotten,
to cause the issue of Palestine to be forgotten,
[and] to cause usurpation of an Islamic country to be forgotten; these are the goals.
If we resort to the Quran and the guidance of the Quran, we would be able to overcome these conspiracies;
if we continued this struggle, victory would certainly belong to us.
[Therefore,] recourse should be made to the Quran; [because] the Islamic world needs to hang on to the string of Allah,
hold itself fast, [and] guarantee its steadfastness; today, this is the [greatest] need of the Islamic world.
We should not be weak, [but on the opposite,] we should be powerful.
Power does not solely depend on [having] weapons, [and] does not solely depend on [having] money,
[because] the main basis for power is believing in God and steadfastness. The Almighty God [says in the Quran that:]
“So whoever disbelieves in the devil and believes in Allah, he indeed holds on to the firmest string, which shall never break;”
if there is belief in God and if there is rejection of the devil, this is [the true meaning of] holding on to the strong string [of God],
this is the source of power, [and] this is the source of might.
We must promote this in the Islamic world; [and] we must want this.
Unfortunately, there are people in the Islamic world, who instead of resorting to the Quran, resort to the devil;
those [politicians] who implement the United States’ policies in the region
and act in accordance with America’s will and viewpoint and policies – [considering] that the Great Devil is America, [and] the Great Satan is America –
[they actually] resort to the devil, [and] do not reject the devil.
[Therefore,] the first condition [according to the Quranic verse which says:] “whoever disbelieves in the devil and believes in Allah,” must [be] disbelieving in the devil.
[The fact] that the Iranian nation has stood up against America’s excessive demands and excessive claims,
this is the main point of the Iranian nation’s might. Today, we are a mighty nation.
The issue of Islam in Iran is different from the issue of that given religious personality or that given political personality; we are a government;
a government which has facilities [at its disposal], which has an 80-million-strong nation [behind it], has arms,
has economy, has politics, [and] has science; today the Islamic Republic of Iran is like this.
The enemy is afraid of mighty Islam, [and] the enemy is scared of the courageous Islam;
this is why they fear the Islamic Republic and this is why they attack [it];
their attack on us is out of their fear [of the Islamic Republic], because they are afraid
and know that the positions [taken by] the Islamic Republic are effective positions in the world;
because we talk to Muslim nations with honesty, act honestly,
we implement what we say and follow up on it,
[and this is why] promises [given] by devils have not been able to deceive the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation.
Neither their promises deceived us, nor their threats frightened us;
we are not afraid of their threats, [and] are not deceived by their promises. This is necessary, [and] this must be followed up on;
this is what the Islamic Ummah needs:
disbelieving in the devil and believing in Allah; if this [goal] is realized,
[then it would be materialization of the Quranic verse which says] “[he who believes in God] holds on to the firmest string.”
Unfortunately, some Islamic governments betray their nations;
some Islamic governments betray the [entire] Islamic Ummah,
[and] pave the way for the infiltration [into the region] by America;
they cooperate with the Great Devil, which is the regime of the United States of America;
[and] implement its policies. This is the problem that faces Muslims today,
[and] is the problem that faces our region today; this is a very big sin that these [governments] commit.
What is the duty of the entire nation of Islam and the entire Islamic Ummah is to struggle for enlightening [other nations];
this is the first step. Both clerics are responsible [in this regard], and intellectuals are responsible,
and educated people are responsible, [and] all those who can address [people and] have a tribune [at their disposal]
are responsible to enlighten [people] and explain the realities of the Islamic world to those people who do not know [them];
such enlightenment is [tantamount to] jihad. Jihad does not simply mean taking up sword and fighting in the battlefield;
jihad also includes intellectual jihad, scientific jihad, publicity and enlightenment jihad, and financial jihad.
Today, since we have not fulfilled this obligation – the obligation to enlighten [people] – correctly,
some people have gone astray and imagining that they are working for Islam, are [actually] working against Islam;
these terrorist groups in our region, who have stripped Muslim nations of security,
[and] have taken peace away from the Muslim nations [are good examples in this regard, because] instead of [fighting against the] enemy, these [groups] are fighting against [other] Muslims.
These Takfiri groups, [and] these groups [who are] close to Wahhabis,
are people who are doing the enemy’s work,
[and] that work, which the enemy wants to do, these [groups] are doing for it; they have created division among Muslims.
When Muslims get busy fighting one another, the issue of Palestine is forgotten;
just as they are forgetting the issue of Palestine [right now].
Explanation [of this situation to other people] is necessary, enlightenment is necessary, [and] work must be done [in this regard]. [Therefore,] take advantage of these Quranic circles, [and] take advantage of these Quranic gatherings.
You, who have come from different countries, guide your own nations, [and] make them aware;
explain these [facts] to them and enlighten them through the teachings of the Quran, through Quranic jihad [and] through the explanatory method, which has been asked by the Quran;
[because as put by the Quran:] “…You shall explain it to people and shall not hide it.”
Explain these points to them, make them enlightened
God willing, the Almighty God will provide [the necessary] ground for the movement of the Islamic Ummah.
If we do the jihad, if we move, [and] if we purify our intention,
[then] the Almighty God will also help us; [however,] if we become lazy,
[and] if we don’t do the job entrusted to us, naturally, we should not expect any divine help either.
The Almighty God helps those who work and endeavor;
the Almighty God helps those nations who move and those humans who endeavor;
[so,] let’s endeavor, [and] move, [and] the Almighty God would also help us.
And I have no doubt that [the final] victory will belong to Islam;
despite its vastness, despite all its [apparent] glamour, [and] despite all its sharp rhetoric,
this disbeliever front will finally have to retreat in the face of the Islamic Ummah and the struggling and mujahid front of Islam.
[As put by the Quran:] “And if those who disbelieve fight with you, they will certainly turn (their) backs, [and] then they will find no protector, nor helper.”
This is the divine tradition and there is no doubt about this.
Its sole condition is that we make [necessary] effort, we move, we get on the way,
[and] we work. If we work, this is the divine tradition
that the enemy should retreat and it will [undoubtedly] retreat.
I hope that, God willing, the Almighty God would keep all of us and you alive with [the blessing of] the Quran, Makes us die us with the Quran
and resurrect us on the Day of Resurrection with the Quran.
Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings