Supreme Leader’s Speech to Government Officials and Ambassadors of Islamic Countries

Supreme Leader’s Speech to Government Officials and Ambassadors of Islamic Countries
31/08/2011

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on August 31, 2011 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with government officials of the Islamic Republic and ambassadors of Islamic countries. The speech was delivered on Eid ul-Fitr in Tehran.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I would like to congratulate the dear audience, the empathetic officials of the country and the esteemed ambassadors of Islamic countries who have attended this meeting on auspicious and great Eid ul-Fitr. I would also like to congratulate every member of the great Iranian nation and every member of the great Islamic Ummah throughout the world.

Muslims celebrate this day, no matter which part of the world they live in. Eid ul-Fitr is indeed a genuine Eid for faithful human beings and those who have achieved salvation. In fact Eid ul-Fitr is the day on which people are rewarded by Allah the Exalted for a month of practicing voluntary asceticism, a month of tolerating hunger and thirst during the day, a month of curbing human passions. These things are very valuable. Such practices enable human beings to curb their misleading human passions with a firm determination throughout their life. We human beings need this firm determination in order to curb our passions. It is our mistakes and insubordination that make life difficult for ourselves and for other people. This is a kind of practice that Allah the Exalted has specified for all human beings. Believers accept this divine call and go through this asceticism and practice for one month. This practice is in fact the solution to the great affliction of humanity - that is to say, following our human passions and surrendering to the greed of our human nature. It is necessary to appreciate this practice. Thankfully Muslims throughout the world hold this month of fasting in high regard. Similarly, our honorable nation truly held this month in high regard and it fulfilled its responsibilities in the month of Ramadan. I hope Allah the Exalted will reward the entire Islamic Ummah on Eid ul-Fitr.

Today the Islamic Ummah is involved in great events. My understanding is that the experience which certain Islamic countries have gone through is one of the essential and precious experiences in the history of Islam. Islamic Awakening has caused Muslim peoples to be present in the arena of determining their own destiny. What you see in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and certain other countries is one of those extremely great and decisive events: the people have stepped into the arena, determined to take control of their destiny. This can determine the path of the history of the Islamic Ummah and the destiny of this region for a long time.

If Muslim nations manage to remain cautious during the movement they have started and if their willpower overwhelms the willpower of those who try to interfere in the affairs of Muslim countries, they will have a progressive movement for a long time. But if, God forbid, the enemies of Islam and Muslims - namely, the world of arrogance, the leader of global hegemony and Zionism, and the arrogant and oppressive American regime - manage to ride these waves, if they manage to overcome the willpower of Muslim nations and take control of the situation and if they manage to channel the events the way they want, once again the world of Islam will definitely suffer from big problems for decades. The Islamic Ummah must not let this happen. Prominent political and cultural figures must not let the enemies of Islamic countries overcome the willpower of Muslim nations.

Today Islamic countries and Muslim nations have to go through a great test. Until today, nations were not so much aware of their capabilities. Today nations have come to know what power they have and how effective their willpower can be. The knowledge that nations have acquired about themselves is a great blessing. Of course global hegemons and the leaders of empires of hegemony and power have also realized what is happening in the world of Islam. Therefore, they will not stand by and watch. They will design plots.

Today is the day when Muslim nations should return to their original Islamic identity. The power and glory that we enjoy originate from our faith in Islam, our reliance on Allah the Exalted and our faith in divine support. This is the kind of power that cannot be overwhelmed. We need to show this power in our hearts and actions.

The honorable people of Iran have managed to maintain this steadfast persistence on the straight path with all their power and today they can see the result of this persistence. This 30-year stage of our Revolution is one of the most brilliant stages of our history. Over the past 30 years, different generations - yesterday's youth, today's youth - have been moving forward in these difficult arenas with a common goal and motive. For 30 years, we Iranian people have been resisting the arrogant powers' malevolence and pressure - their sanctions and threats, including military, political and security threats. And thankfully we have overcome our enemies. They did not want to see the Iranian nation powerful, glorious, progressive and hopeful. But despite their will, today the Iranian nation is glorious, progressive and powerful and it has a lot of confidence and bright future prospects.

I pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow increasing glory on the Iranian nation and other Muslim nations. Dear God, make Islam and Muslims prouder on a daily basis.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings

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