The main goal of our martyrs was safeguarding Islam

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

"Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the Hereafter fight in the way of Allah. Whoever fights in the way of Allah, whether they are killed or victorious, We will grant them a great reward." (The holy Quran, 4:74)

Welcome to the esteemed, honorable and respected families of the martyrs of Fordo, the village that brought honor to Qom and to Iran. Among the martyrs of the Holy Defense, the martyrs of this village have a unique status.

Organizing such memorials to honor the martyrs and their respected families, as well as remembering their path and understanding our responsibilities in contemporary era, are of utmost importance.

Undoubtedly, the stability of the Islamic Republic and raising the flag of Islam in the current era are the result of the blood of the martyrs. These noble martyrs first and foremost understood Islam. They believed in God to such an extent that they made a deal with Him with their own lives. Such descriptions, which we easily pass by, are very important. God pays special attention to the martyrs. As the great martyr Sardar Soleimani said, a martyr becomes a martyr when he is still alive because he reaches a point where he sees himself in the presence of God and his belief in God reaches a level that he forsakes the worldly life.

We have heard and recited this blessed verse many times over the past forty years in which God, the Blessed and Exalted, says that those who rise for the sake of God must have some qualification and meet certain conditions. They should be able to sell the world in exchange for the Hereafter. They should be able to forgo the world and give no value to it. Saying these words is easy, but how did our youth many of whom were below the age of twenty reach such a high level? They did not go to the battlefield because they had become overwhelmed by emotions. The proof of that are the wills they wrote. God gave them a special understanding that He had not given to others.

Our martyrs embraced Islam with all their heart, and in order to ensure that the religion of God prevails and the divine laws are implemented, they fought in the war to defend Islam and the Revolution. Our martyrs did not go to war to just defend our country, although defending one’s country is part of our religion since according to hadith "Love for one’s homeland is part of [his] faith." Therefore, patriotism is a part of faith, and a believer must defend his country wherever he wishes to be! But the main goal of our martyrs was to safeguard Islam.

The martyrs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, above all, went to war to defend Islam, and their message to me, you, and future generations is safeguarding Islam and the luminous ordinances of the Quran. We should not compromise on Islamic laws and succumb to deviant ideas, saying that today society requires us to be somewhat tolerant of disrespecting hijab. If this happens, what excuse do we have in front of God and the martyrs who sacrificed their lives throughout the history of Islam? Compromising on religious laws is done by those who do not have heartfelt belief in religion. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) said, "People are slaves of this world, and religion is just on their tongues." Imam Hussein’s only goal was survival of Islam, and the goal of our martyrs was also survival of Islam.

A crucial question is whether the martyrs achieved their goal or not. Certainly, they did.

Sometimes in books and discussions, we ask why the martyrs are called ‘shahid’? Several reasons are mentioned: first, one of the names of God is ‘Shahid’ which means ‘Witness’, "Verily, Allah is, over all things, a Witness." (the Quran, 85:9) The shahid is a manifestation of God's name ‘the All-Knowing’. A scholar strives throughout his life to achieve a drop of God’s knowledge and become a manifestation of God’s name “the All-Knowing”. Second, a martyr is called ‘Shadid’ because God and the angels bear witness that he is a resident of paradise. Third, a martyr on the Day of Judgment bears witness alongside the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) on the deeds of the Ummah.

These are, according to us, the reasons why a martyr is called “Shahid”. But the question is whether the martyrs of our Revolution achieved their goal? What was their goal?

One of their goals was to invite people to Islam in this materialistic and corrupt world, and indeed, thanks to our Revolution and the blood of the martyrs, today the voice of Islam and Shiism resonates throughout the world. However, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have not yet achieved all the goals that Imam Khomeini (may Allah's mercy be upon him) was and the Supreme Leader of the Revolution is pursuing. There have been obstacles and numerous problems in the way of this Revolution and the enemies have always tried to bring this Revolution to its knees. Despite all that, the blood of the martyrs has not been in vein.

Today, after more than forty years since the victory of the Revolution, it can be observed how much various dimensions of religion is being talked about in domestic and international media. This matter is particularly noteworthy because some ignorant individuals cast doubt that many young people became martyrs in vein. Of course, the dignity of the families of the martyrs is such that they are not influenced by casting such satanic skepticism and doubts!

This Revolution put to display the essence of religion, which was buried for centuries, and exposed its integrity to the eyes of the world. Before the Revolution, nothing of the teachings of the Qur'an was visible in society, neither its verses on jihad, nor its verses on Islamic laws, on ethics, or on politics. There was only a name of the Qur'an and Islam, but thanks to the blood of the martyrs, the religion flourished and was introduced to the world. As a student of the seminary, I declare that the discussions about religion and religious issues that are now held in our seminaries did not exist before the Revolution. Today, these discussions are gradually spreading from the seminary in Qom to universities and scientific centers around the world.

In this very jurisprudential center where you have honored us with your presence, scholars from various countries are present. They are sometimes very surprised that Shia Islam possesses such a wealth of knowledge. All of this is thanks to the Islamic Republic and the blood of the martyrs.

When I read this verse which says, "So let those who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter fight in the way of Allah," I become disappointed in myself. The initial condition for martyrdom is that the martyr, before he dies, conducts a trade with God. He sells his life to God and exchanges this world for the Hereafter. He says, "O God, I no longer want this world. I sell the world, with all its glitter and sparkles, for the Hereafter." When God buys what he sells, he becomes an example of this noble verse, "Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise." (9:111)

The blood of martyrs has borne fruit, and in Iran and abroad, in various parts of the world, the voice of Islam and Shiism has risen. My late father (may Allah make his soul rest in peace) used to say in the early days after the Revolution that the most significant achievement of the Revolution was raising the voice of the Wilayah of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) and the voice of Shiism in the world. Before the Revolution, Shiism, was not well-known. It was a limited and neglected group. But today, everywhere one hears about Shiism, jihad and martyrdom. Shiism has become important for all. Research institutes have been established to study its doctrines. The blood of martyrs has borne fruit despite the ups and downs and despite the challenges and overwhelming events that make many hesitant, but they should not make us cold feet. We must be firm.

Now, what is our duty in response to the message of the martyrs? The goal of the martyrs was survival of Islam. We have to be careful not to deviate from Islamic laws and we should not let some people, under the pretext of freedom, promote usury and immodesty and make regulations that are contrary to Islamic laws.

If the commands of Islam are implemented in society, the community will become an enlightened community. According the goals set by God. Government officials must perform their duties correctly; the clergy must do their duty; all strata of the society must do their duty so that, God willing, the lofty goal of the martyrs, i.e. the continuation of the Islamic government until the advent of the honorable government of Imam Mahdi, is realized. Ignorant people outside the country think that our Islamic government might be toppled by some rebellious movements. Does a family for example that has sacrificed three or four children for the sake of God and still says, "I will not leave the battlefield," allow that to happen?

Infidelity has never lost hope throughout history and has always sought to strike. They never let go of enmity and conspiracy; they think they can strike a blow to this sacred Islamic system. Now, some problems have arisen for some of our youth. The government officials throughout these past decades, the cultural officials of the country, the ministry of education, and even the officials of universities and seminaries have not been successful at their duty of making the present generation aware of the importance of the Revolution and its valuable achievements. This has to be made up for and doing so is the duty of the government officials as well.

As the esteemed Leader of the Revolution has repeatedly stated, we should remember and be hopeful that, God willing, the country and the people of this land will reach the heights of knowledge and prosperity. All of this is because of the blood of the martyrs.

We must not for a moment be oblivious to the presence of the martyrs. They are alive, watching over our actions. The Qur'an says that we should not think that those who were killed in the way of God are dead; they are alive and see our actions. A martyr sees what we are doing and whether we are fulfilling our duty or not. So, we must stand firmly in the path of religion and the Revolution, and we must not give any room for doubt.

In accordance with the narrations, the duty of a believer is to not let truth be covered by falsehood and not allow falsehood to be decorated. One must always advocate the truth and in contrast confront falsehood and whatever is labeled as false.

I hope these actions will be a step towards introducing martyrs to today's generation. Introducing martyrs is not about making people know their names, their families, or their origin. These are basic things. Imam Khomeini encouraged us to read the wills of martyrs. Now, how many textbooks do we have that contain the wills of martyrs?

How much research has the Martyrs Foundation conducted on the wills of martyrs? We must extract the key points from these wills and make them available to the younger generation and the public. Today, both the young and the elderly need to understand the goals of the martyrs. Our conduct, the conduct of our officials, and other groups of our society should be aligned with the desires of our martyrs, desires that were sought by the infallible Imams, the Prophet, Fatimah Zahra, and Zainab Kubra (peace be upon them all).

Allah says about His angels: "They do not do anything except what Allah desires." Concerning the Imams, He says, "They do not desire except what Allah desires." Whatever Allah willed, they also willed. The will of our martyrs is also on this path. We must try to better know the martyrs and utilize this capacity, which is the only way to safeguard the Islamic Revolution and ensure its continuity. May Allah grant us a share of that light He bestowed upon the martyrs and safeguard our sacred Revolution, its esteemed Leader, and the beloved veterans of the war.

Peace and mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you