Khamenei.ir

Leader's Address to Academics

Nahj al-Balaghah: Imam Ali’s book

If you take look at Nahj al-Balagha, you will see that what the Commander of the Faithful has said about lack of interest in the world and piety is far more than all his statements concerning other things. The reason is what I just discussed. Otherwise the Commander of the Faithful was not the type of person to seclude himself from the world. On the contrary, he was one of the most active people when it came to improving the conditions of material life. Both before and after he came to power, he never showed any tendency to slack off. Why was that? It is well-known that when Imam Ali (a.s.) lived in Medina - before he was assigned caliph - he had created a garden with his own hands. He had channeled water to his garden. He had planted palm trees there. Paying attention to material life, the nature that God has created for man, managing the lives of the people, managing the people's financial affairs, and preparing the means for the economy to thrive are all positive measures which are among the duties of individual Muslims and Muslim officials. That is the way the Commander of the Faithful worked. But he was not at all dependant on material possessions. That was all part of Imam Ali's (a.s.) plan for moral education.

One of Imam Ali’s constant tasks was committing to ethical training of the people

Moral education of the people of that country was one of the things that he paid constant attention to. All the aberrations that plague societies are rooted in moral issues. It is our moral principles that guide our behavior. Any case of misbehavior in any part of the world could be traced back to low moral standards. This fact led the Commander of the Faithful to refer to a more important reality - that all wrong and harmful acts are rooted in materialistic tendencies. So he said: "The world [materialistic tendencies] is the cause of all mistakes." These materialistic tendencies adversely affect our personal and social lives.

Leader: Political Turmoil Must Be Avoided

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei led this week's Friday prayers in the presence of thousands of faithful people in Tehran today.

Leader's Friday Prayers Address

The Leader's View of the Holy Month of Ramadan

Leader: Poetry to Promote Revolutionary Values

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei met with a group of poets on the eve of the auspicious birth anniversary of Imam Hassan ibn Ali (a.s.). In this meeting which was attended by a group of young and elderly poets, the participants recited poems on religious, ethical, epic, and social themes to the Leader.

Leader: Rationality Does Not Mean Compromise

Leader's Speech to Government Officials

Leader: Children Must Learn to Recite the Holy Quran at an Early Age

Leader Meets With Bolivian President

Leader Meets Members of Assembly of Experts

None of the nuclear countries have same situation as Iran

Chinese people had nothing in the year 1948 – when the new communist china was founded. However, the Soviet Union provided China with whatever they needed to make progress even provided them with nuclear energy. This was during the Stalin era. The existence of a great country like china next to the Soviet Union and in the heart of Asia was very valuable for the Communist Soviet Union of those days. Chinese people received nuclear energy as a gift from the Soviet Union But our youth achieved nuclear energy through their own efforts. Both China and Russia even provided North Korea with nuclear technology. The same is true about India as well – of course in other aspects. The bitter dispute that was caused between China and Russia – as you know, there was bitter dispute between these two communist countries for several years after the Stalin era, like the dispute between the East and the West, and maybe a little more serious than that. On the one hand, China provided Pakistan with nuclear energy technology, and on the other hand, Russia provided India with nuclear energy and helped them make other sorts of accomplishments. None of the countries which have made progress in various fields are in a similar situation as our country today. While our country was the subject to enmity from several countries – both the communist countries of the East and the capitalist countries of the West seriously opposed us; European countries, eager to adopt a moderate stance, not only did not help us but dealt blows to our country as well – our smart and clever youth managed to make progress. Great achievements have been made in the country, which is the cause of hope about the future. Our youth can make progress in the future as well. Therefore, I am very optimistic about the future.

Leader Says Scientific Elites Must Not Be Sidelined

Leader's Speech to Elites

Leader's Speech to Officials of the Executive Branch

Leader Meets with Officials of Executive Branch

The Leader’s View of Unity Between the Shia and the Sunni

Who is the promised Imam of the Shias and the Savior of the world? Is the belief in him logical?

The Shias are awaiting the arrival of the promised savior-- Imam Mahdi (a.s.) -- and are not lost in their fantasies; they are searching for an existing reality. He is alive and lives among the people. He sees people. He can feel their sufferings. Those who are lucky enough and have the capacity sometimes meet him without recognizing him. He does exist. He is a real human: a known being with a given name; his parents are known and he lives among the people and with them. This is how our—the Shias’—belief is. And the followers of other faiths who do not believe in this reality have never been able to provide any logical reasons to reject this belief. There are several obvious and strong reasons, also accepted by Sunni Muslims, which are a testimony to the existence of this exalted servant of God. All these reasons provide evidence that Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) is living among us - and we are all aware of his characteristics. This is what has been cited in many non-Shia sources as well. The birth date of the pure-hearted son of Imam Hassan al-Askari (a.s.) is known to everyone. His miracles and those who are connected with him are also known to us. God Almighty has granted a long life to him. These are the characteristics of the Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) whom all the nations of the world, all ethnic groups, and people from all faiths and races have been impatiently waiting for at all times. These are the beliefs of Shia Muslims about this important issue.

The Torah and the Gospel give tidings of the truth of the belief in the Mahdawiyyah

Regarding the issue of Mahdawiyyah, Sunni Muslims - and even non-Muslim scholars who have studied the Shia beliefs about the issue of Mahdawiyyah - all confirm the fact that the tidings given by the Torah, Gospel, and scriptures of other religions are based on the same Mahdawiyyah concept held by Shia Islam.

What does awaiting the savior entail?

Awaiting the Savior means that we should not accept or be satisfied with the current situation in our lives, and we should make efforts towards living an ideal life. And it is evident that such an ideal situation can only be created by Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). We should prepare ourselves to fight like a soldier for such a situation. Waiting for the arrival of Imam Mahdi does not mean that we should remain idle and not make any efforts to improve. Simply waiting for the arrival of the Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) is not what we should do. What does waiting for the savior mean? It means waiting for the strong, powerful and divine hand of Imam Mahdi to put an end to the domination of the oppressive powers with the help of humans; to bring justice to the world; to raise the flag of monotheism, and to lead humans to truly submit to God. We should get prepared for this. The formation of the Islamic Republic prepared the ground for this great and historic movement. Everything that is done to achieve justice in the world takes us one step forward towards reaching this lofty goal. This is the meaning of waiting for Imam Mahdi. Awaiting the Savior means that we should move and not remain idle. Awaiting the Savior does not mean that we should leave things to others and wait for something to happen. Awaiting the Savior means that we should move and get prepared for the arrival of Imam Mahdi. We should be individually and socially prepared. Taking this great step and being able to prepare the right atmosphere for the arrival of Imam Mahdi was a blessing from God Almighty bestowed on our nation. This is the meaning of awaiting Imam Mahdi. Being prepared on all fronts to achieve the purpose for which the Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) will rise up is the true meaning of awaiting him. That great revolution will happen to achieve such goals as promoting justice, living a humane and moral life, and submitting to God. This is what awaiting the Savior means.

World’s current situation resembles the features of the awaited era as explained by narrations

Look at the current situation of the world. What has been described in traditions about the time of the arrival of Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) exists in the world: The world is brimful of oppression and tyranny... Today, oppression and tyranny are prevalent in the world. Today, the life of human beings is dominated by the oppressive and arrogant powers of the world. This is the situation that exists in all parts of the world. Today, human beings are suffering many a problem due to the prevalence of tyranny and egocentric desires in their lives. That there are two billion people starving in the world, the existence of millions of people who are under the influence of egocentric desires in non-divine governments, and the pressure that is currently being exerted on faithful people and those who fight for justice on God's path-- such as the Iranian nation who has managed to raise the flag of justice in a certain part of the world-- are all indicative of the prevalence of tyranny and oppression in the world.

What is meant by faraj [salvation]?

One important point regarding the issue of Mahdawiyyah is that in the Islamic and Shia belief systems, waiting for the arrival of Imam Mahdi has been interpreted as waiting for salvation. What does salvation mean? It means being saved. When do we usually yearn for salvation? We do so when we are in a difficult situation, and when there is a problem. When we face problems, we are in need of salvation - that is someone who can solve our problems and save us. This is an important point. The true meaning of waiting for a savior is that those who believe in Islam and the religion of the Prophet's household (a.s.) identify the problems of humans in the modern world. This is what they should actually do. They are waiting for the problems of humanity to be solved. The issue is not limited to my or your problems only. The Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) will come to solve the problems of humanity. He will come to save humanity forever. This means that those who are waiting for the arrival of Imam Mahdi are discontent about the current situation of the world - the unfair situation of the world in which many innocent people are oppressed, many are misled, and many others do not find the opportunity to worship God. Waiting for the arrival of Imam Mahdi means opposing the current situation that is prevalent in humans' life, and which has been caused due to the prevalence of ignorance and carnal desires in humans' life. This is the true meaning of waiting for the arrival of Imam Mahdi.

Divine religions do not give baseless hopes to people

The 15th of Sha'ban is a day that is full of hopefulness. This hopefulness is neither exclusive to Shia Muslims nor even to the entire Islamic Ummah. To the best of my knowledge, the promise of a bright future for humanity and the arrival of a promised savior for promoting justice are universal beliefs that are shared by almost all divine religions across the world. Apart from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, even Hindi faiths such as Buddhism - and other religions that most people have not even heard about - have informed their followers of such a future in their teachings. In fact, this has provided man with a kind of hope throughout history. It is a response to human need for this hope. Divine religions - which often have divine and celestial roots - did not intend to give people false hopes. They all expressed a reality. There is a reality in the creation of man and in the long history of humanity, and that reality is that one day the battle between good and evil is going to result in the defeat of evil and the victory of good. After this stage, man's true and pleasant life is going to begin in which struggle will no longer imply fighting. Rather, people will struggle for equality in doing righteous deeds. This is a fact that is shared by all religions.

Leader's Speech on the Occasion of Imam Mahdi's Birth Anniversary

Leader: The World Is in Urgent Need of Justice

The Leader's View of Religious Democracy

Leader Meets with Officials of Ministry of Intelligence

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met with the officials and staff of the Ministry of Intelligence. He described this ministry as one of the best and the most loyal organizations that emerged out the Islamic Revolution and added: "Exerting silent, strenuous efforts, the Intelligence Ministry has been protecting the Revolution, Islamic values, and the people against the enemies. Everyone must appreciate these efforts."

Leader Meets Algerian President

Foreign Ministry Officials Meet the Leader