Message to the Hajj Pilgrims

by Ali Khamenei

In the Name of God the Beneficent the Merciful

Praise be unto God, the Lord of all the world and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his pure Household and his companions

Greetings to the pilgrims of the House of God, the guests of the Almighty's abode and those who have answered His Divine call… and hail to hearts freshened by the remembrance of God and opened to His unsparing blessings and bounties. In these elixir-like days, nights and hours, many a man who gratefully consigned themselves to the Divine attraction, illuminated their hearts through penitence and repentance and cleansed themselves of the darkness of sin and idolatry in the waves of Divine mercifulness coming constantly one after another in this holy land. May God's peace be upon these hearts and these virtuous and self-purified people. It would be most appropriate if all my brothers and sisters did think deeply over such a blessing and avail themselves of this great opportunity. They should not allow the worldly preoccupations which are our habitual engagements to occupy their hearts as usual. In this atmosphere of monotheism and unadulterated divinity, they should let their craving hearts soar and collect the necessary provisions to persevere on the path of God and the right path by the remembrance of God, penitence and supplication, a resolute will of truthfulness, good thinking and rectitude and seeking the help of God.

Here is the center of true and pure monotheism. Here is the place where Abraham (A.S), The Friend of God, left as a memorial for all the true believers of the world throughout history a symbol of monotheism which is the subjugation of one's carnal desires and complete submission before the Divine command by bringing his beloved to the altar. Here is the place where Muhammad Mustafa (S.A) raised the flag of monotheism against the wishes of the arrogant and bullying elements and the wealthy of his time and deemed aversion to Taghoot along with belief in God as the condition for salvation: "Therefore whoever forsakes Taghoot and does believe in Allah, he shall grasp a most secure handle that never breaks" (2-256) Hajj is the opportunity to review and revisit these great lessons. Disavowal from the infidels and aversion to idols and idolaters is the prevailing spirit of the believers' Hajj. Each and every corner of Hajj is a manifestation of devoting one's heart to God, striving in His name and path, disavowing from Satan, stoning and rejecting and standing against him. Each and every corner of Hajj is the embodiment of unity and solidarity among the believers where natural and contractual differences fade away and the significance of the true and monotheistic unity and brotherhood is upheld.

These are the lessons that we, the Muslims, from all parts of the world, have to learn; lessons on which bases we have to plan our lives and futures. The Holy Koran refers to the strong stand against the enemies, compassion and kindness among the believers as well as courtesy and obedience to God as the three indications of an Islamic society.

"Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and his followers should be solid of heart against the disbelievers, but most compassionate amongst themselves; you see them bowing down, prostrating, imploring Grace from God" (48-29)

These are the three basic pillars necessary for the establishment of the glorious and dignified body of the Muslim Ummah.

Bearing in mind this fact, all the Muslim people can appropriately identify the ailments of the present Muslim world.

Today, the treacherous enemies of the Muslim Ummah are the organizers of the hegemonic centers and expansionist and aggressive powers which consider the Islamic awakening as a great threat to their illegitimate interests and their oppressive domination over the Muslim world. All the Muslim nations led by their political and religious authorities, intellectuals and national leaders need to form a united Islamic front against this invading enemy with full strength. They need to muster all the elements of power within themselves and properly strengthen the Muslim Ummah. Knowledge and insight, resourcefulness and vigilance, responsibility and commitment, confidence and hope in Divine promises, refraining from petty and trivial wants in order to attain the consent of God and abiding by the duties… are all the basic elements contributing to the sovereignty of the Islamic Ummah leading it to dignity, independence and material and spiritual progress and preventing the enemies from the attainment of their unlawful wishes.

Compassion among the believers is the second pillar and another indication for the desired status of the Muslim Ummah. Disunity and conflict among the parts of the Muslim Ummah are dangerous diseases which must be treated with all might. Our enemies have long been making great efforts in this area. Today, those who have become terrified due to the Islamic awakening have intensified their efforts. All that the caring people are saying is that the differences must not turn into conflicts and that plurality should not lead to belligerence. The Iranian nation has named this year as the year of Islamic solidarity. This naming was used due to the awareness of the intensified plots hatched in order to sow the seeds of discord among our brothers. These plots proved to be effective in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and some people in these Islamic countries were instigated to oppose some of their own countrymen and to spill their blood. The traces of this conspiracy were visible in all these bitter and tragic incidents and people with keen sights noticed the hands of the enemy in them.

The command of "being compassionate amongst themselves" in the Holy Koran is tantamount to the extirpation of such pugnacities. In these glorious days and during the various rituals of Hajj, one may see Muslims from all over the world and from various faiths going around one single house, praying in the direction of one Qibla, stoning in unison the symbol of the rejected Satan, acting in the same way to sacrifice the carnal desires and passions and, in unison, practicing supplication during the Arafat and Mashar gathering places. The same closeness and togetherness is also visible among all the Islamic faiths in terms of the most basic religious percepts, regulations and beliefs. Therefore, why should the prejudices and prejudgments be allowed to kindle fire among them and why should the treacherous hands of enemies be allowed to stoke this ravaging fire?

Today there are some who, under false pretexts and due to their narrow-mindedness and lack of prudence, consider a great number of Muslims as infidels and even consider spilling their blood as lawful. Whether they are aware of it or not, they are in the servitude of idolatry, unbelief and arrogance. Many a person who used the term of infidelity for the reverence of the holy shrines of Muhammad the Great Prophet of Islam (S.A), the Pious and the Imams (PBUH) which is actually honoring religion and religiousness, became the servants of infields and oppressors and collaborated with them in attaining their wicked goals. The real religious figures and scholars, committed intellectuals and sincere authorities must combat such perilous phenomena.

Today, Islamic unity and solidarity are definite religious duties which may be materialized and practiced through cooperation among the wise and caring people.

Formation of a fortified front against the Arrogant powers on one hand and compassion and convergence on the other are the two pillars of dignity. Accompanied by the third pillar which is comprised of the courtesy and obedience to God, these pillars enable the Muslim Ummah to tread steadfastly on the same path which led to the pinnacle of glory and dignity for Muslims during the very outset of Islam. Consequently, the Muslim Ummah will be saved from the humiliating backwardness which has been imposed on it in recent centuries. The precursor of this great move has emerged and the awakening waves are more or less on the move in the Muslim world. The media and propaganda belonging to the enemies try to attribute any freedom and justice seeking movement in any part of the world to Iran or Shi‘ism. They try to hold Iran, which was the first flagbearer of the victory of the Islamic awakening, responsible for the blows dealt to them by the zealots in the Muslim countries in the areas of politics or culture. The peerless epic of Hizbollah created in the 33-Day War, the prudent ressitance of the Iraqi nation which led to the formation of a parliament and a government not favored by the occupiers, the astonishing patience and perseverance of the legal government of Palestine and its self-sacrificing people and many other signs of the revival of Islam in Muslim countries are all accused of being linked to Iranism or Shi‘ism in order to impede the unanimous support of the Muslim world. However, such a ruse will not be able to withstand the Divine tradition which heralds the victory for the strugglers in the cause of God and the victory-bearers of the religion of God. The future belongs to the Muslim Ummah and each and every one of us may contribute to the nearness of that future proportionate to the amount of responsibility or capability we have.

Hajj rituals are a great opportunity for you fortunate Hajjis to prepare yourselves for this cause more than before.

I hope the Divine aid and the blessing of Hazrat Al-Mahdi, May God hasten His arrival, will be with you in this great aim.

Greeting to you Peace of God and his blessings and bounties upon you Sayyed Ali Al-Hosseini Al-Khamenei 4 Zil-Hajja, 1428 December 15, 2007