Patience and the clear path forward: In no way incompatible with seeking revenge from the evildoers

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds; and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Abul Qasim Muhammad; and upon his pure Progeny; and may God curse all their enemies until the Day of Judgment.

I’ve been asked to convey a message, but I would like to first say two or three short sentences as an introduction. First, I give my congratulations and offer my condolences for this momentous martyrdom: first to our Master who is present and watching us, the great Remainder of God, may God hasten his noble reappearance, and next to all the Islamic Ummah, the dear nation of Iran, and to you dear brothers and sisters.

This profound tragedy is a matter that requires patience, just as the Holy Quran states, “… and give good news to the patient” (Quran 2:155). However, the true meaning of this patience is that we must endure this profound tragedy in such a way that we continue our way, our clear path, properly and faithfully until we reach our ultimate goal. Therefore, this patience is in no way incompatible with our seeking revenge or in our confronting the evildoers of the world who took part in committing these grave crimes.
The second point is that in the great phenomenon that took place last week - the funeral procession for the martyred Leader of the Ummah – we witnessed a manifestation of oneness, which should be appreciated. For nearly 50 years, we in our Islamic society have had the honor of benefitting at a higher level from the oneness sought by Islam, which brings prosperity in both this world and the hereafter. Let me add this brief explanation that in every society, if the leader of that society is – as the traditions tell us – “from God,” then the people who are following his guidance, who obey him, and who accept his leadership will become connected to the higher realm and the heavens. 

And this is what one must truly strive for in the social sphere to bring this into being, to protect it, and to preserve it. And one may need to migrate for this at times. This truth is a profoundly significant truth. But over these past few days, a new dimension and chapter of this extremely important matter, which is a source of numerous divine blessings, has shined, and the entire world has witnessed its greatness. Therefore, one must truly congratulate the Muslim Ummah and the honorable people of Iran for this magnificent exhibition of oneness. They’ve succeeded in showing and proving for themselves this degree of closeness to God. So God willing, after this everyone should be expecting to see great divine rewards and countless, numerous divine blessings in the divine atmosphere they’ve created.

However, this was related to the past and up until now. God willing, may Almighty God grant all of us success in the future to remain on this path as the Ummah of the Leader. In the same way that Almighty God has shown all of us over the last several months, He will continue to show demonstrations of His mercy and blessings more than before and in a manner that’s befitting of His Sacred Being, God willing.

After this introduction, I would like to say that I’ve been assigned the task of conveying the esteemed Leader’s message of thanks and appreciation for this exceptional, unique rising up. From this platform, I would like to express that message of appreciation to everyone, especially the dear people of Iran who have created this powerful display with their extraordinary loyalty and extraordinary insight in such a way that it’s very difficult for the enemy to bear. In Tehran, in Qom, and in Mashhad, I believe people from all countries have participated. And the millions of people who took part, with the special meaning that their presence conveyed, created the outcome that I spoke of earlier. God willing, we will see the blessings that will come from this in the future. 

Here, I would like to recognize the respected officials, both in the honorable administration and in other organizations, who have made extensive preparations for this. This includes the dear brothers of the IRGC, the Basij, people from other organizations, and the law enforcement forces. Now, I’ll refrain from mentioning people’s names so as not to embarrass myself by inadvertently forgetting to mention some of them. In addition, the dear people of Iraq created an extraordinary display with their loyalty and insight. This took place in both the cities of Najaf and Karbala, and also along the route between Najaf and Karbala, which our dear brothers spoke of. On behalf of the esteemed Leader, I would like to express my appreciation to all the Iraqi tribes, the dear popular mobilization forces of Iraq, and the honorable government of Iraq.

We are hopeful that Almighty God will make all of us steadfast and grant us the success to properly travel this path that He has laid out before us so that we may achieve the high, noble goals of the Islamic Revolution. At the end, I conclude my remarks by sending salutations to the sacred person of Abu Abdullah (pbuh), because his sacred blood is the source of all these blessings.

Peace be upon you, O Abu Abdullah, and upon the souls who have found their resting place near you. May God’s peace be upon you from me forever, as long as I live, and as long as the nights and days continue. And may God not make this (ziyarat) my last contact with you.
Peace be upon Hussain, and upon Ali ibn al-Hussain, and upon the children of Hussain, and upon the companions of Hussain.

May God’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.