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 The
following is the full text of the speech delivered on June 4, 2015 by
Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, on the
occasion of the 26th demise anniversary of Imam Khomeini (r.a.). The
speech was delivered at Imam Khomeini's shrine.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and
greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, the beloved of our hearts,
Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad and upon his immaculate, pure and
chosen household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.
O Allah, be for Your representative, the Hujjat, son of al-Hassan,
Your blessings be on him and his forefathers, in this hour and in every
hour, a guardian, a protector, a leader, a helper, a proof, and a
watchful eye until you make him reside on the earth, in obedience , and
cause him to live in it for a long time.
Dear God, bestow on him, on his descendents, on his followers, on his
people, on his special ones, on all those who obey him, on his enemies
and on all people of the world what You brighten up his eyes with and
what You make his heart happy with.
In the beginning of my statements, I would like to show my respect to
the great Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake).
All Ibrahimi religions believe in an end-times savior. All Ibrahimi
religions believe that someone will emerge who will save the world from
the morass of oppression and cruelty. In Islam, the name of this savior
has been mentioned. All Islamic denominations refer to this divine
person and this great and extraordinary individual as Mahdi. Perhaps,
there is no Islamic denomination that does not believe Mahdi (a.s.) will
emerge. He is a descendent of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). Islamic
denominations have even specified the name and epithet of that Hazrat.
The characteristic of Shia ideology is that it completely and clearly
introduces this personality. It considers him as the son of the eleventh
Imam - Hazrat Imam Hassan Askari (greetings be upon him).
From the viewpoint of Shia historians and writers, his birth date is
completely clear. Most of other Islamic denominations have not specified
his birth date or they have not accepted it, but the Shia prove the
existence and birth date of that great personality with strong and
cogent reasons. Some people have dismissed the possibility of the
existence and survival of a person over this long time. This is the only
question that opponents have raised regarding the issue of Hazrat Mahdi
(a.s.). However, the Holy Quran dispels this doubt with its clear
words. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) says about Hazrat Nuh, "We sent Nuh to
his people, and he tarried among them a thousand years less fifty" [The
Holy Quran, 29: 14]. This does not mean that he lived for 950 years. It
apparently means that his mission - to invite people to God - lasted for
950 years. Therefore, this questioning is groundless.
The greatest characteristic of this belief among Shias is that it
engenders hope. The Shia community is not only reliant on its past
history. It is hopeful about the future as well. A person who believes
in the issue of Mahdaviat on the basis of Shia ideology does not empty
his heart of hope even in the most difficult circumstances. There is
always a ray of hope in the heart of such a person. They know that this
dark era and this era of oppression and illegitimate domination will
definitely come to an end. This is one of the most important results and
achievements of this belief.
Of course, Shia belief in the issue of Mahdaviat is not confined to
this point: "People all over the world feed from his blessings and the
heavens and the earth gain strength thanks to his existence" [Commentary
on Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 4]. Belief in Mahdaviat is like this. This
bright flame and this shining light has existed in Shia societies in the
course of past centuries and it will continue to exist. By Allah's
favor, the anticipation era will come to an end. Yesterday was the
birthday anniversary of that great personality. I presented this short
description - with the purpose of showing our respect for that Imam
(r.a.) - among you dear brothers and sisters on the occasion of this
auspicious birthday anniversary. |
