HAJJ Message 2013 - Vali Amr Muslimeen Ayatullah Ali Khamenei - [ENGLISH]
Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, delivered a message to this year’s hajj pilgrims. The following is the full...
Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, delivered a message to this year’s hajj pilgrims. The following is the full text of the message:
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 the Master of Prophets and Messengers and upon his immaculate and pure household and chosen companions.
The arrival of the hajj season should be regarded as the great Eid of the Islamic Ummah. The great opportunity which these precious days provide for Muslims throughout the world is like a miraculous elixir. If the value of such days is appreciated and if we benefit from such days in an appropriate way, many of the maladies of the world of Islam will be cured.
Hajj is the bubbling spring of divine blessings. Each and every one of you happy pilgrims has gained the opportunity to cleanse your hearts and souls with these religious practices, which are full of warmth and spirituality, and to collect many blessings for your entire life by using this source of mercy, dignity and power.
In this divine arena of self-edification you can express your humility before Allah the Merciful, carry out the responsibilities which have fallen on the shoulders of Muslims, show enthusiasm and dynamism in the affairs of the world and in your religious duties, offer mercy and forgiveness when you interact with Muslim brothers, demonstrate your courage and determination in the face of difficult events, become hopeful about divine assistance in all arenas and, finally, build your human character the way Muslims should.
When you are ornamented with these precious resources and when you have benefitted from them, then you can offer yourselves as gifts to your country, your nation and the Islamic Ummah.
More than anything else, the Islamic Ummah needs individuals who can utilize thoughts and actions as well as faith, sincerity and purity, who can show resistance in the face of the spiteful enemies as well as exercising self-purification and piety. This is the only way for the liberation of the great Muslim community from the problems which have been created, either by the enemy, or as a result ofthe lack of determination, faith and foresightamong Muslims. Muslims have suffered from these things for a very long time.
Without a doubt, the present era is an era of awakening, one in which Muslims can find their true identity. This truth can be easily discovered through the challenges which Muslims are faced with. It is exactly in such conditions that our determination- which is based on faith, reliance on God, foresight and wisdom- can help Muslim nations achieve victory against these challenges and bring about a dignified and honorable fate for Muslims.
The opposing camp which cannot tolerate Islamic Awakening and the dignity of Muslims has entered the arena with all its power and it is using all kinds of psychological, military, security, economic and propaganda tools to suppress Muslims, make them inactive and busy them with trivial things.
Taking a general look at the conditions of West Asian countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine and countries surrounding the Persian Gulf, and North African countries such as Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan and a number of other countries- reveals many truths.
The existence of civil wars, religious and denominational prejudices and political instabilities, the prevalence of cruel terrorism, the emergence of extreme groups and orientations- which like savage tribes in history, cut open the chests of human beings and rip their hearts out with their teeth- the emergence of armed mercenaries who kill women and children, cut off the heads of men and rape women and who do such horrible and disgusting crimes in the name of religion are all the products of the satanic and arrogant plots of foreign intelligence services and their regional agents.
Such plots are implemented in countries in which the ground is prepared before-hand and as a result, they create a disastrous situation for these nations and peoples. In such conditions, it is clear that one cannot expect Muslim nations to remedy their material and spiritual shortcomings and to achieve security, welfare, scientific progress and international dignity which are the results of achieving awakening and finding one’s true identity.
These disastrous conditions can abort the progress of Islamic Awakening, destroy the mental awareness which has been created in the world of Islam, drag Muslims- once more- towards stagnation, isolation and decline and consign to oblivion important and fundamental issues such as the liberation of Palestine and other Muslim nations from the transgressions of the USA and Zionism.
The most important cure for this situation can be summarized in two key phrases, both of which are among the clearest lessons of hajj:
First: unity and brotherhood of Muslims under the flag of monotheism.
Second: knowing the enemy and confronting his plans and methods.
Strengthening the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation is a great lesson of hajj. During hajj, even quarrelling and arguing with others is forbidden. During hajj, wearing the same clothes, following the same practices, making the same moves and behaving in a kind way,all mean equality and brotherhood for all those who believe in and rely on monotheism.
This means that Islam strongly rejects any idea and belief which views a number of Muslims and believers in Ka’bah and monotheism as people who are outside the circle of Islam. Theseorientationswhich are based on takfirism, which have become playthings in the hands of the treacherous Zionist politicians and their western supporters- commit serious crimes and shed the blood of Muslims and innocent people, and the people who claim to be religious, who call themselves clerics and who fuel the fire of fitna between Shia and Sunni and otherdenominations- should know that the hajj pilgrimage will thwart their claims.
I, like many Islamic scholars and sympathetic personalities in the Islamic Ummah, announce that any statement or action which fuels the fire of discord among Muslims, any insult to the sacred beliefs of each one of the Muslim denominations and any act of takfirism against Islamic denominations equals serving the camp of atheism and polytheism and betraying Islam. All of these things are haraam.
Knowing the enemy and its methods is the second important factor. First, we should not forget about the existence of a spiteful enemy. Performing the ritual of the stoning of the jamarat during hajj is a symbolic sign of this awareness. Second, we should not make a mistake in knowing the main enemy, who in the present time is global arrogance and the criminal Zionist network.
Third, we should properly identify the methods of this hostile enemy which is creating discord among Muslims, promoting moral and political corruption, threatening and tempting outstanding personalities, exerting economic pressures on all nations and arousing doubts about Islamic beliefs. Moreover, we should identify their agents and those who are, knowingly or ignorantly, dependent on them.
Arrogant governments, headed by the USA, conceal their true character with the help of comprehensive and advanced propaganda tools. By claiming that they support human rights and democracy, they deceive public opinion in different countries. They speak about the rights of all nations while each day Muslim nations feel- with their bodies and souls- the fire of discord more than the past.
For decades, the oppressed Palestinian nation has been receiving strikes as a result of the crimes of the Zionist regime and its supporters. In the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, terrorism - which originates from the policies of global arrogance and its agents in the region - has ruined the lives of the people.
Syria has come under the attack of arrogant powers and their regional agents because of supporting anti-Zionist orientations and it has experienced a bloody civil war. In Bahrain and Myanmar, Muslims have been ignored and their enemies are supported. Other nations are threatened by the USA and its allies with military attacks, economic sanctions and different acts of sabotage. Taking a general look at all these countries can reveal to all people throughout the world the true face of these leaders of global arrogance.
Political, cultural and religious personalities throughout the world of Islam should consider it their responsibility to draw everyone’s attention to these facts. This is the moral and religious responsibility of all of us. North African countries, which are unfortunately suffering from deep domestic conflicts today, should pay attention to this responsibility more than other countries. They should pay more attention to the issue of knowing the enemy and its plots and methods.
The continuation of these conflicts among nationalist orientations and Muslims’ negligence about the threat of domestic wars in such countries is a great danger. The loss that may be inflicted on the Islamic Ummah because of such events will not be quickly compensated for.
Of course, we have no doubts that the people who have risen against global arrogance and who have become the embodiment of Islamic Awakening in such countries will not, by Allah’s favor, allow time to go back so much so that the era of the corrupt, dependent and dictatorial rulers starts again. However, ignorance about the role of arrogant powers in creating discord and bringing about destructive interference will create a difficult situation for such countries and will cause a very long delay in achieving an era of dignity, security and welfare.
We believe, from the bottom of our hearts, in the capability of nations and in the power, faith, determination and foresight which Allah the Omniscient has offered to the masses of the people.
For more than three decades, we have seen this in the Islamic Republic with our own eyes and we have experienced it with all our hearts and souls. Our determination is an invitation forall Muslim nations, to this experience of their brothers in this dignified and indefatigable country.
I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow peace on Muslims and to foil the plots of the enemies. I ask Him to accept your hajj pilgrimage and bestow physical and spiritual health on you. I ask Him to provide you pilgrims of the House of God with an overflowing supply of spiritual blessings.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s Mercy
Sayyid Ali Khamenei
11m:47s
44393
[23 Oct 2013] Iran cancer patients, hemophiliacs main victims of US...
Will the United States lift its illegal unilateral sanctions on Iran? Well, it seems like it won\'t unless Washington stops listening to Israel....
Will the United States lift its illegal unilateral sanctions on Iran? Well, it seems like it won\'t unless Washington stops listening to Israel. But who is mainly affected by the sanctions? Reports from Iran\'s health sector show cancer patients and hemophiliacs are hurt far more than the country\'s nuclear program. The sanctions have hindered Iran\'s international financial transactions. And that has made the importation of vital medicines extremely difficult. The country\'s pharmaceutical industry is also unable to produce those medicines because of a shortage of raw materials. But after the latest round of nuclear talks with Iran, the United States hinted that it\'s ready to ease the pressure. However, Washington is under immense pressure from Israel and Saudi Arabia not to lift its illegal embargo, which is hurting ordinary Iranian citizens.
4m:42s
7297
[20 Nov 2013] Gaza leukemia patients adversely affected by israeli...
The Leukemia patients\' lives in the impoverished Gaza Strip remain in danger as they have not received medications for over 11 months. The...
The Leukemia patients\' lives in the impoverished Gaza Strip remain in danger as they have not received medications for over 11 months. The ministry of Health expects that the patients are to suffer severe complications if they don\'t get their medications promptly.
1m:56s
5069
[06 Dec 2013] North Korea deports 85-year-old American war veteran -...
North Korea has deported an American veteran who\'d been held since October for alleged hostile acts against Pyongyang.
North Korean officials...
North Korea has deported an American veteran who\'d been held since October for alleged hostile acts against Pyongyang.
North Korean officials say they\'ve released 85-year-old Merrill Newman after he apologized for his alleged crimes during the Korean War, and also because of his age and health condition. The war veteran was pulled from a plane on October 26th while preparing to leave the country after a 10-day tour. He\'s now landed in Beijing, expressing happiness to be on his way home. Meanwhile, U-S Vice President Joe Biden has hailed North Korea for releasing the man, saying it was wrong to detain him in the first place. Biden has also called for another detained American to be swiftly released.
0m:40s
6918
[11 Dec 2013] Security forces fire tear gas on Egyptian student...
Egypt is witnessing another day of violence. Clashes have broken out between security forces and pro-Morsi protesters in the capital Cairo and the...
Egypt is witnessing another day of violence. Clashes have broken out between security forces and pro-Morsi protesters in the capital Cairo and the country\'s second largest city, Alexandria.
Security forces attacked student protesters on the campus of al-Azhar University in Cairo. Reports from Egypt say several other universities in the capital have also become the scene of violent clashes between security forces and student protesters. Clashes have also been reported from two areas in Alexandria as people demanded an end to the military rule and the reinstatement of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi. Several people were detained as police tried to disperse demonstrators. On Tuesday, security forces clashed with students on two university campuses in Cairo and the Asyut governorate. The health ministry has confirmed that 36 people were injured in the violence there. Egyptian universities have recently witnessed mass student rallies in support of the toppled leader.
5m:18s
6081
Iran successfully sends second monkey into space - English
Another step forward by Iranian scientists in their quest for space; the Pajouhesh explorer is Iran’s latest indigenous space rocket that uses...
Another step forward by Iranian scientists in their quest for space; the Pajouhesh explorer is Iran’s latest indigenous space rocket that uses liquid fuel and capable of sending a living creature into space.
The animal astronaut aboard the explorer is a male Rhesus monkey named “Fargam”. He is the second member of the simian family with an outer space experience from Iran since January this year. In 2008 Iran managed to complete the cycle of its home grown space industry from A to Z. Iran officially joined the group of countries with indigenous space technology in 2009 by launching its first homemade satellite Omid into space. Scientists in Iran say that the success of Pajouhesh explorer and its bio-capsule will open the way for further advancements in Iran’s space technology. After liftoff sensors simultaneously transmitted information on Fargam’s health condition including his cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The research enabled Iranian scientists to further complete their studies in the area of biology in space, airspace and medical engineering. And there it was; a safe return to earth by this tiny creature which received a hero’s welcome back at the base by the team of young scientists who celebrated their success in building a safer and more advanced bio-capsule.
2m:32s
6030
[15 Dec 2013] Palestinian killed by israeli fire in southern Gaza Strip...
Israeli soldiers have killed yet another Palestinian in the south of the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army says soldiers opened fire at the...
Israeli soldiers have killed yet another Palestinian in the south of the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army says soldiers opened fire at the Palestinian man, after he entered a forbidden security zone in the east of Khan Yunis. According to Palestinian Health Ministry sources, he was hit by Israeli tank fire. The military often targets Palestinians in the area. Tel Aviv has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, which has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
0m:34s
5650
[15 Dec 2013] Saudi spy chief pushing to expand his power - English
A new report has revealed the reality of a power struggle in Saudi Arabia. The country\\\'s spy chief is pushing to expand his power in the...
A new report has revealed the reality of a power struggle in Saudi Arabia. The country\\\'s spy chief is pushing to expand his power in the Persian Gulf Kingdom.
The report says Bandar Bin Sultan is doing all he can to remove Saudi King Malek Abdullah\\\'s successor crown prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz from power. Bandar has apparently spread rumors of Salman\\\'s bad health condition and his inability to conduct his official duties. According to the report, Bandar and his lobby are campaigning to persuade the king to remove Salman from power and replace him with House member Muqrin bin Abdulaziz al Saud. The issue has been rejected by the Allegiance Council, which is from now on in charge of selecting the king\\\'s successor. Bandar is accused of being behind numerous deadly terrorist acts in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq.
4m:22s
6633
[15 Dec 2013] Thousands of Gazans evacuated as flood hits - English
Thousands of people have been evacuated from flood-damaged homes in northern Gaza. The United Nations and Gazan officials are talking of a...
Thousands of people have been evacuated from flood-damaged homes in northern Gaza. The United Nations and Gazan officials are talking of a humanitarian crisis.
The flooding, caused by days of torrential rains, has been so severe that many homes could only be accessed by rowing boat. The Gaza Health Ministry says one person has been killed and score of others injured as flood waters damaged poorly-built homes in the coastal territory. The government also says schools and other centers have turned into temporary shelters for thousands of homeless Palestinians. The deadly deluge has added to the woes of Palestinians in the coastal enclave, which continues to suffer from electricity cuts, a sewage crisis, and drinking water shortages-- all under a crippling Israeli blockade.
2m:11s
5365
[02 Jan 2014] Several killed in car bomb attack in Beirut...
A powerful car bomb explosion has rocked the southern part of the Lebanese capital city, killing several people and injuring dozens more....
A powerful car bomb explosion has rocked the southern part of the Lebanese capital city, killing several people and injuring dozens more. Lebanon\'s health minister said the attack only targeted ordinary citizens, and not any officials.
2m:0s
4663
[15 Jan 2014] Iran FM ends regional tour in Syria - English
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamad Jawad Zarif in Damascus and discussed preparations made for the upcoming...
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamad Jawad Zarif in Damascus and discussed preparations made for the upcoming Geneva 2 conference on Syria.
During the meeting, Assad warned against the dangers of the Wahabi extremist ideology, saying it threatens the entire world. Zarif, on his part, expressed his country\'s support to the Syrian leadership and people. He also stressed that only the Syrians have the right to shape their future. Zarif also held talks with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi. They discussed economic relations and means of developing them especially in the fields of oil, electricity, trade and health.
2m:12s
5774
[26 Jan 2014] Mass funeral held for victims killed on 3rd anniv. of...
Egyptians have held a mass funeral for victims of the violence that broke out on the third anniversary of Egypt\'s 2011 revolution.
The...
Egyptians have held a mass funeral for victims of the violence that broke out on the third anniversary of Egypt\'s 2011 revolution.
The situation remains tense across the country, a day after deadly clashes pitting supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi against the security forces and rival demonstrators. The Health Ministry says nearly fifty people died in the clashes during demonstrations marking the anniversary of Egypt\'s 2011 revolution. Most of the victims are believed to be supporters of Morsi. Amnesty International has issued a report saying that Egypt has seen violence on an unprecedented scale since Morsi\'s ouster in a military coup in July. Meanwhile, Egypt\'s interim government announced on Sunday that it had decided to hold the presidential election before the parliamentary polls. The move is likely to intensify speculation over whether army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be a candidate in the presidential election.
1m:26s
6123
[05 Feb 2014] Gaza cancer rates on rise due to Israeli use of banned...
Patients and doctors have protested inside Gaza\'s Shifa hospital as they marked the World Cancer Day. The number of cancer cases has been on the...
Patients and doctors have protested inside Gaza\'s Shifa hospital as they marked the World Cancer Day. The number of cancer cases has been on the rise in recent years following two Israeli wars on the blockaded coastal strip. An average of one thousand cancer cases has been recorded annually among Gazans for the last two years.
The Gaza Health Ministry says the Israeli regime\'s use of internationally banned weapons has sharply increased the number of cancer cases. During the 22-day Israeli war at the turn of 2009, Norwegian Doctor Mads Fredrik Gilbert who volunteered at Gaza\'s Shifa hospital said that some victims had traces of depleted uranium in their wounds. The majority of Israeli high-tech weapons contain depleted uranium. Most cancer patients lived in areas that were heavily bombarded by Israeli forces during the last two Israeli wars. Lack of medicines as well as cancer patients\' inability to receive treatment abroad due to closure of crossings by both Israel and the Egyptian military is putting their lives at grave risk. Experts have said that Israeli forces used internationally banned weapons like White Phosphorous and weapons containing depleted uranium against the civilian population of Gaza. Experts say such weapons are carcinogenic.
2m:6s
6951
[17 Feb 2014] Palestinian farmers suffering under Israel blockade...
An Israeli blockade, repeated airstrikes targeting their lands, and an Israeli threat on their lives along the no-go buffer zone; this is the story...
An Israeli blockade, repeated airstrikes targeting their lands, and an Israeli threat on their lives along the no-go buffer zone; this is the story of Palestinian farmers in Gaza.Palestinian farmlands have been the target of many Israeli attacks during the years. The airstrikes and bombings have polluted the farmers\' lands, making it unsuitable for healthy plant cultivations.The misery of Gaza\'s farmers does not stop here as they lack the needed machinery and seeds and Israel does not allow them to export their goods to the outside world.
The Ministry of Health and the farmers in Gaza have called on the international community and human rights organizations to end Israel\'s continuous attacks on Palestinian farmers and civilians.As the Israeli blockade and airstrikes on the coastal enclave continue, farmers in Gaza are the ones to pay the price.
1m:44s
4956