Islam Times - Leader's Message to Hajj Pilgrims 2011

Islam Times: All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may blessings and greetings be to the Master of creatures, Muhammad al-Mustafa, and his immaculate Family and his Companions.

The spiritual spring of hajj has arrived with its freshness, purity and God-given grandeur and majesty, gathering again the faithful and eager hearts like butterflies encircling the Ka'bah of Divine Unity and Islamic solidarity.

Camped at Mecca and Mina, Arafat and Mash'ar are the fortunate human beings who, having responded to the call of "proclaim the Hajj to all the people", are being honored with the hospitality of the munificent Lord. Here is the blessed House and the source of guidance from which the manifest signs of divinity radiated, and here is where a canopy of safety is set up.

Wash your hearts in the water of piety, humility and God's remembrance. Open the inner eye to the lights of the Divine signs. Embrace the spirit of submission and dedication, which are the hallmarks of the true servant-hood. Keep on refreshing in your hearts, the memory of that patriarch, who, in willing compliance, led his Ishmael to the scene of sacrifice, thus showing us the real path of attaining the friendship of the Glorious Lord, and the manner of traversing it with a resolve infused with faith, and an intent imbued with sincerity.

The station of Abraham is one among these manifest signs. The footprint of Abraham, Peace Be upon Him, by the side of the Holy Ka'bah, is only a symbol of the station of Abraham. The station of Abraham is his station of dedication and self-sacrifice, his fortitude and resistance to personal desires, and fatherly feelings, as well as against the domination of unfaithfulness, polytheism, and Nimrod, the tyrant of the time.

Today these two paths of deliverance lie open before each of us individuals belonging to the Muslim Ummah. Determination, courage and firmness of resolve on part each one of us, can advance us towards the same goals to which mankind has been invited by the Divine envoys, from Adam to Muhammad, with the promise of dignity and felicity in the world and the Hereafter, for those who take this path.

It will be worthy of the Hajj pilgrims at this great assembly of the Islamic Ummah to address the most important issues of the Islamic world. The uprisings and revolutions in some Islamic countries are at the head of these issues. The events that have taken place in the Islamic world in the interval between the previous and the present Hajj pilgrimages can change the destiny of the Islamic Ummah; these events speak of a bright future accompanied with dignity and progress, both material and spiritual. Dictators and 'corrupt' regimes, allied with foreign powers, have been overthrown in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, and the stormy waves of popular uprisings in some other countries threaten to bring down the castles of wealth and power.

This new chapter in the history of our Ummah reveals certain truths, which are all manifest signs of divinity, and give us vital lessons. These truths should be taken into account by Muslim nations in all their calculations.

First, a young generation has emerged from the heart of these nations, after decades of political subjugation to foreign powers; with its admirable self-confidence, it is ready to face dangers, confront dominant powers, and is determined to change the status-quo.

Second, despite the authority and efforts of secular rulers and their overt and covert measures to curtail the influence of religion in these countries, Islam, with its conspicuous and impressive presence, has become the guiding principle of popular expression and sentiment. Like a fountainhead, it has given vitality and freshness to the rallies and activities of the millions. The mosques and minarets, Islamic slogans and calls of Allahu Akbar, are all clear indications of this fact, and the recent Tunisian elections provide clear evidence for this claim. Without doubt, free elections in any Islamic country will result in nothing but what happened in Tunisia.

Moreover, as revealed for all by this year's events, God Almighty has placed such a force in the resolve and determination of nations, that no power whatsoever, can withstand it. With this God-given power, nations can change their destiny and taste God's help.

During the last decades, arrogant powers, led by the United States, had reduced regional states to a state of subjugation through their political and security ploys. They thought they had opened an obstacle-free highway for their rising economic, cultural and political domination over this sensitive part of the world. But now, they are the primary target of disgust and hatred of the region's nations. To be certain, the governments and powers emerging from these revolutions, will never submit to the disgraceful inequalities of the past; the political geography of the region will be drawn by these nations, which will hopefully result in their dignity and complete independence.

The crafty nature of the hypocritical Western powers has become all too clear for the people of these countries. The US and Europe made their utmost efforts to retain their pawns in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, each of them in a particular way. But when they were forced to give in to the resolve of the nations, they cast a wily and cunning smile at the triumphant public.

There are further precious facts and manifest Divine signs embedded in the regional events of the past year, which are not hard to discern for reflective minds.

Nevertheless, the entire Islamic Ummah and especially the revolutionary nations stand in need of two basic elements:

First, the continuity of their stance and avoidance of slackness in their resolve. In the Holy Qur'an, God almighty addresses Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him). He says: "Be steadfast, just as you have been commanded, [you] and whoever has turned [to God] with you; and do not overstep the bounds (11:112)" and elsewhere He tells the Prophet: "Be steadfast, just as you have been commanded (42:15)." Prophet Moses, Peace Be upon Him, is quoted as telling his people: "Turn to God for help and be patient. The earth indeed belongs to God, and He gives its inheritance to whomever He wishes of His servants, and the outcome will be in favor of the God-fearing. (7:128)"

At the present, the most significant aspect of God-fearing for these rising nations is not to stop in their auspicious movement, and not to be complacent. This is the most important part of being pious; whoever is pious, is rewarded with a "favorable outcome."

Second, vigilance against the plots and gimmicks of arrogant international powers, who have suffered a setback from these uprisings and revolutions. They will not stand idle. They will reenter the arena with all their political, financial and security ploys to reestablish their influence in these countries. Their policies are the carrot and stick, and deceit. Experience has shown there are some among the elite who are susceptible to these gimmicks. Fear, greed or negligence prompt them to serve the enemy. The vigilant eyes of the youth, intellectuals and religious scholars, should be watchful.

The biggest danger that threatens unfaithful and arrogant powers is the intervention and influence of the new political systems in these countries, they will do their utmost to see that these new systems do not take on an Islamic and democratic identity. All concerned people in these countries and all those who cherish their homeland's honor, dignity and progress, should work hard to ensure the establishment of a complete and perfect Islamic and democratic character. In this regard, the role of the constitutions will be prominent.
National unity and official recognition of sectarian, tribal and ethic differences, are a precondition of future success.

The brave revolutionary nations of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, as well as other nations, should know that the only way they can free themselves from the oppression and guile of the United States and other Western powers is the establishment of a balanced global power conducive to their interests. Muslims should take themselves to a level that is equal to where world powers currently stand in order to solve their differences and problems with these world powers. This cannot be achieved except with the cooperation, understanding and solidarity of Islamic countries. This was an unforgettable advice of the great Imam Khomeini.

For months on, the United States and NATO dropped bombs on Libyan people, making Gaddafi, a vicious dictator, an excuse. Gaddafi was someone who was considered their close friend prior to the uprising of the Libyan people. They used to coddle him, steal the wealth of Libya through his hands, and press or kiss his hand in order to dupe him. Following the people's uprising they made him an excuse to destroy the entire infrastructure of Libya. Which state could stop the tragic massacre of the Libyan people and destruction of the country at the hands of NATO? Until the claws and fangs of the bloodthirsty and barbaric Western powers are not broken such dangers will remain conceivable for Islamic countries. Their safety from such dangers is not possible except by transforming the Islamic world into a powerful pole.

Today, the West, the United States and Zionism are weaker than ever before. Economic troubles, successive failures in Afghanistan and Iraq, deep-running public outrage in America and other Western countries, with its daily widening scope, the struggles and sacrifices of the people of Palestine and Lebanon, the daring popular uprisings in Yemen, Bahrain and some other countries under the influence of the US - all these are a good omen for the Islamic Ummah especially for revolutionary nations. Faithful men and women throughout the Islamic world particularly in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, should make the most of this opportunity for the formation of an international Islamic power-bloc. The vanguard and the elite of the uprisings should place their trust in Almighty God, and with reliance on his promise of help adorn the new chapter in the history of the Islamic Ummah, with their lasting achievements; thus, earning God's approval and fulfilling the prerequisites of His help.

May Peace Be upon God's righteous servants!

Seyyed Ali Hossaini Khamenei

29 Dhul Qa'adah, 1432
5 Aban, 1390
27 October, 2011