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

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و الحمدلله ربّ العالمين

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و الصّلاة و السّلام علي سيّدنا و نبيّنا ابي‌القاسم المصطفي‌ محمّد

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و علي آله الطّيبين الطّاهرين المعصومين سيّما بقيّةالله في الارضين

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[Our meeting] today was a very sweet and pleasant meeting.

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I [really] availed myself of recitations and Quranic artistry of our dear men and youths;

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[and] I welcome those guests, who have come [to Iran] from other countries;

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either Quranic masters who are present here, or competitors who have come.

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One of the great advantages of these Quranic competition sessions

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is the intimacy [that they cause] among Muslim brethren from different countries.

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Various policies of [the global] arrogance greatly attempt to create division among us

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and alienate Muslim nations from one another, or even pit them against one another;

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[therefore,] Muslim nations must act quite the opposite; they must try as much as they can and through any means possible

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to increase the intimacy among them.

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One of these means is holding such sessions.

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The Quran is the axis, the Quran is the common [denominator among Muslims], [and] is the great divine bounty for all Muslims;

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all of us must take advantage of this divine spiritual jamboree, and these Quranic sessions,

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[and] these Quranic competitions provide all [of us] with an opportunity to do this.

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Another blessing of these sessions is that our youths, different people,

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[and] various [social] classes become intimate with the Quran. This is a fact: we are far from the Quran;

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[and] the Islamic Ummah is far from the Quran;

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our life, [and] the realities of our life are very far from the Quranic facts! We must get ourselves close [to the Quran];

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and the happiness of the Islamic Ummah depends on this [issue] that it should get itself close to the Quran and the Quranic concepts

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and the Quranic knowledge and the Quranic lessons.

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One of the ways [to do this] is that [our] youths and people and women and men be intimate with the Quran.

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This is also one of the blessings of these competitions. I thank those people who have commenced these competitions,

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organized them, undertook difficulties [to hold them], and managed them.

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Please note! Today, in order to deal a blow to Islam and Muslims in the world,

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great amounts of money are being spent and major steps are being taken.

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The devil powers of the world are afraid of Islam,

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[and] are afraid of the one-and-a-half-billion Muslim society,

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[and] therefore, they are doing their best – in various ways – in order to strip the Muslim society of its power;

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they [do this because they] know that Islam is opposed to their greed.

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If the voice of Islam is heard loud, they would not be able to oppress nations as such;

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[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,

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to cause the issue of Palestine to be forgotten,

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[and] to cause usurpation of an Islamic country to be forgotten; these are the goals.

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If we resort to the Quran and the guidance of the Quran, we would be able to overcome these conspiracies;

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if we continued this struggle, victory would certainly belong to us.

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[Therefore,] recourse should be made to the Quran; [because] the Islamic world needs to hang on to the string of Allah,

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hold itself fast, [and] guarantee its steadfastness; today, this is the [greatest] need of the Islamic world.

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We should not be weak, [but on the opposite,] we should be powerful.

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Power does not solely depend on [having] weapons, [and] does not solely depend on [having] money,

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[because] the main basis for power is believing in God and steadfastness. The Almighty God [says in the Quran that:]

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“So whoever disbelieves in the devil and believes in Allah, he indeed holds on to the firmest string, which shall never break;”

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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],

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this is the source of power, [and] this is the source of might.

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We must promote this in the Islamic world; [and] we must want this.

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Unfortunately, there are people in the Islamic world, who instead of resorting to the Quran, resort to the devil;

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those [politicians] who implement the United States’ policies in the region

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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 –

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[they actually] resort to the devil, [and] do not reject the devil.

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[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.

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[The fact] that the Iranian nation has stood up against America’s excessive demands and excessive claims,

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this is the main point of the Iranian nation’s might. Today, we are a mighty nation.

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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;

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a government which has facilities [at its disposal], which has an 80-million-strong nation [behind it], has arms,

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has economy, has politics, [and] has science; today the Islamic Republic of Iran is like this.

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The enemy is afraid of mighty Islam, [and] the enemy is scared of the courageous Islam;

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this is why they fear the Islamic Republic and this is why they attack [it];

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their attack on us is out of their fear [of the Islamic Republic], because they are afraid

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and know that the positions [taken by] the Islamic Republic are effective positions in the world;

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because we talk to Muslim nations with honesty, act honestly,

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we implement what we say and follow up on it,

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[and this is why] promises [given] by devils have not been able to deceive the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation.

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Neither their promises deceived us, nor their threats frightened us;

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we are not afraid of their threats, [and] are not deceived by their promises. This is necessary, [and] this must be followed up on;

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this is what the Islamic Ummah needs:

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disbelieving in the devil and believing in Allah; if this [goal] is realized,

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[then it would be materialization of the Quranic verse which says] “[he who believes in God] holds on to the firmest string.”

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Unfortunately, some Islamic governments betray their nations;

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some Islamic governments betray the [entire] Islamic Ummah,

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[and] pave the way for the infiltration [into the region] by America;

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they cooperate with the Great Devil, which is the regime of the United States of America;

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[and] implement its policies. This is the problem that faces Muslims today,

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[and] is the problem that faces our region today; this is a very big sin that these [governments] commit.

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What is the duty of the entire nation of Islam and the entire Islamic Ummah is to struggle for enlightening [other nations];

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this is the first step. Both clerics are responsible [in this regard], and intellectuals are responsible,

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and educated people are responsible, [and] all those who can address [people and] have a tribune [at their disposal]

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are responsible to enlighten [people] and explain the realities of the Islamic world to those people who do not know [them];

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such enlightenment is [tantamount to] jihad. Jihad does not simply mean taking up sword and fighting in the battlefield;

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jihad also includes intellectual jihad, scientific jihad, publicity and enlightenment jihad, and financial jihad.

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Today, since we have not fulfilled this obligation – the obligation to enlighten [people] – correctly,

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some people have gone astray and imagining that they are working for Islam, are [actually] working against Islam;

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these terrorist groups in our region, who have stripped Muslim nations of security,

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[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.

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These Takfiri groups, [and] these groups [who are] close to Wahhabis,

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are people who are doing the enemy’s work,

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[and] that work, which the enemy wants to do, these [groups] are doing for it; they have created division among Muslims.

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When Muslims get busy fighting one another, the issue of Palestine is forgotten;

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just as they are forgetting the issue of Palestine [right now].

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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.

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You, who have come from different countries, guide your own nations, [and] make them aware;

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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;

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[because as put by the Quran:] “…You shall explain it to people and shall not hide it.”

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Explain these points to them, make them enlightened

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God willing, the Almighty God will provide [the necessary] ground for the movement of the Islamic Ummah.

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If we do the jihad, if we move, [and] if we purify our intention,

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[then] the Almighty God will also help us; [however,] if we become lazy,

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[and] if we don’t do the job entrusted to us, naturally, we should not expect any divine help either.

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The Almighty God helps those who work and endeavor;

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the Almighty God helps those nations who move and those humans who endeavor;

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[so,] let’s endeavor, [and] move, [and] the Almighty God would also help us.

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And I have no doubt that [the final] victory will belong to Islam;

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despite its vastness, despite all its [apparent] glamour, [and] despite all its sharp rhetoric,

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this disbeliever front will finally have to retreat in the face of the Islamic Ummah and the struggling and mujahid front of Islam.

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[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.”

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This is the divine tradition and there is no doubt about this.

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Its sole condition is that we make [necessary] effort, we move, we get on the way,

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[and] we work. If we work, this is the divine tradition

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that the enemy should retreat and it will [undoubtedly] retreat.

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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

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and resurrect us on the Day of Resurrection with the Quran.

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