On the occasion of the auspicious Eid al-Ghadir, which is known among Shia Muslims as an Eid (festive occasion) of Imamate and Velayat (guardianship of the religious leader) and the Great Eid of Allah, thousands of people from various walks of life met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei at Imam Khomeini Hosseiniyeh (a place for religious ceremonies) on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution congratulated the audience on the occasion of the auspicious Eid al-Ghadir, noting that the most important message of what happened on the day of Ghadir was to determine “Imamate” as the main rule and regulation for governance in Islam. Enumerating the unrivaled characteristics of Hadhrat Ali (PBUH) [the first Shia imam], especially the characteristics of his government, the Leader said the required condition for holding on to the guardianship of Amir-al-Mo’menin (the leader of all the believers) Ali (PBUH) was to move in the direction of [getting close to] the characteristics and acting upon recommendations of that one-of-a-kind personality.
Referring to certain interpretations of Eid al-Ghadir in which the day has been designated as the “Great Divine Eid”, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The reason why these interpretations [are used] is the very significant development which took place through the Ghadir incident and it was deciding the rule and regulation for governance in Islam.”
The Leader said, “This rule is Imamate and Velayat (rule of the religious leader) in the Islamic society, which was declared by the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) on an order from God.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out that in addition to deciding the rule of governance, [the day was the time that] Hadhrat Ali (PBUH) was introduced as the epitome of Imamate, because he was a great, illuminated, divine, and impeccable personality.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei noted, “Of course, when it comes to Imamate and leadership of the Islamic society, nobody can achieve the unique peak of Amir al-Mo’menin (PBUH) and the greatest scholarly and mystical personalities in the history of Islam, like our honorable Imam [Khomeini], who was a great, perfect and prominent personality, are [merely] like sunlight rays when compared with Amir al-Mo’menin (PBUH) who is the sun.”
To round up this part of his remarks, the Leader emphasized, “The incident of Ghadir forms the [main] regulation for governance in the Islamic society and shows that apart from the rule of Imamate and Velayat, Islam does not accept other models represented by monarchial, totalitarian, money- and force-based, bullying, and arrogant governments, which follow lustful desires [of their rulers] and are aristocratic [in nature].”
Reflecting upon the importance of the issue of Ghadir, the Leader referred to God’s direct order to the Grand Prophet [of Islam] (PBUH) to the effect that completion of his prophetic mission hinged on promulgation of the Imamate, and noted, “This Islamic belief has its root in strong fundaments and irrefutable arguments, but commitment to this belief and its expression must not lead to incitement of [religious] sentiments of [our] Sunni brethren, because this would be against the conduct of the Infallible Imams (Peace Be Upon Them).”
Reiterating the importance of unity in the Islamic world and warning that any form of insult to Sunni dignitaries would, in fact, prevent the logical and documented fundaments of the [Shia Muslims’] belief in Imamate to be heard, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “Inciting sentiments of other Islamic sects in the name of Shia [Islam] is, in fact, the ‘British-style’ Shiism and its [final] outcome is the emergence of such wicked and mercenary groups as Daesh and Nusra [Front], which are affiliated with America and the British intelligence service and have been behind extensive crimes and devastation across the region.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader enumerated Hadhrat Ali (PBUH)’s spiritual and humane traits and characteristics, including profound faith, being a pioneer in accepting Islam, making sacrifice on the path of Islam, devotion, knowledge of God, courage, sympathy for the weak, as well as selflessness and forgiveness. Ayatollah Khamenei added that another part of Imam Ali (PBUH)’s characteristics “is related to his style of governance, among which one can mention justice, fairness, treating all human beings equally, avoiding mundane attractions, foresight, taking rapid action when fulfilling his [religious] duty, elucidation [of various issues for people], guiding the society toward piety and audacity in acting upon what is right and in acting upon justice.”
Explaining Amir-al-Mo’menin Ali (PBUH)’s avoidance of worldly attractions and government resources for his personal use, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized, “Being tempted to take advantage of financial resources under control [of government officials] is one of those scourges, which afflicts [various] governments, while a government based on the Imamate is seriously against such issues and prohibits personal use of public resources.”
Describing Hadhrat Ali (PBUH)’s foresight in the Islamic society, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that Hadhrat Ali (PBUH) “showed foresight in identifying friends and foes as well as differentiating among the latter. And his behavior in his three wars with enemies was totally different.”
The Leader described Amir-al-Mo’menin Ali (PBUH) as an overarching, great and indescribable personality and added, “Our duty is to move toward this peak [of human perfection] and take advantage of those characteristics as much as our strength and faith allows [us].”
Ayatollah Khamenei then emphasized the need for Shia Muslims to be a source of pride for Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)’s Household through following suit with those Honorable Ones and choosing them as role models, noting, “The person who accepts a bribe or makes illegal use of public funds or turns a blind eye to wrongdoing and feels no responsibility toward guiding the society, is not a source of pride for the Islamic establishment and society and, in fact, is a cause of shame for Shia Islam.”
Stressing that “we can never be as ascetic as Hadhrat Ali (PBUH)” was, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “However, we can avoid extravagance and indulgence by moving along that illuminated path.” Ayatollah Khamenei further stated, “Unfortunately, our society is afflicted with the ugly phenomenon of extravagance and this extravagance is manifest in various aspects, including in personal lifestyles.”
The Leader said one of the untoward outcomes of extravagance in the society is the blow that it deals to the country’s economy, noting, “If a society wants to reach the optimal point in terms of internal economic strength, it should certainly prevent extravagance.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described prevention of extravagance as a duty for all people in the first place, and while emphasizing that holding on to the guardianship of Amir-al-Mo’menin (PBUH) must be reflected in a person’s actions, said, “One of the best ways through which the enemy hits us is to exploit weaknesses of the society and these weaknesses must be corrected.”
Ayatollah Khamenei mentioned sabotaging the country’s economy as the main goal of the enemy under the existing conditions. Referring to his frequent emphasis on the realization of the Economy of Resistance, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, “The enemy seeks to aggravate economic conditions of [Iranian] people and finally create dissatisfaction with Islam and the Islamic establishment.”
The Leader noted that under these conditions, making plans and taking action against the enemy’s objective was a duty for the Iranian administration, parliament and officials in different sectors as well as all the Iranian people.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution opined that despite all problems, the general movement of the country is good as a result of the efforts made by countless youths, who are incessantly endeavoring to reinvigorate Islam and promote religion, adding, “By the Grace of God, these youths will bring any enemy, including America and the Zionist regime [of Israel] to their knees.”
Ayatollah Khamenei then emphasized, “The reason why I express optimism toward the future in my remarks time and again is the existence of these desirable facts, which can drive the country forward.”
Pointing out the high number of faithful and highly motivated youths ready to attend all arenas of struggle to defend the country, the Leader noted, “This is the very motivation that must be strengthened, the one which will save the country.”