Supreme Leader’s Speech on the Occasion of the 19th Demise Anniversary of Imam Khomeini Print

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on June 3, 2008 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the 19th demise anniversary of Imam Khomeini (r.a.).

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all sentient beings, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his immaculate and infallible household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.

It is 19 years now that the Iranian nation has made time and space the manifestation of its love and reverence for the magnanimous Imam. Most of our people consist of the youth who were born after Imam Khomeini’s blessed life had ended. They were either born after he passed away or were young children at the time. But these faithful youth living in various parts of the country loved Imam and his memory so much that it appeared as if they had been in his company. As we say in Samaat prayers: “We rightly and sincerely put our faith in him without being able to see him.” They enjoyed pure and sincere faith without having been present during Imam’s lifetime and without having had the opportunity to listen to his remarks. This is not peculiar to our nation alone. In many parts of the world as well as in Muslim countries, people have the same feeling towards Imam Khomeini.

This reality is the result of two factors. One is the greatness of the Imam and the various aspects of his personality, which was unparalleled in the recent and contemporary era. The other factor is the greatness of this Revolution. It is the greatness of the deed that our magnanimous Imam accomplished in the present era by relying on his faith, acumen, and strong determination. This deed was his starting the Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. The greatness of this Revolution is indicative of the greatness of our magnanimous Imam. This Revolution was a divine miracle.

While the enemies of Islam and the Islamic Ummah broadcast against Islam and the clergy for about one hundred years, and while a dependent regime sacrificed the interests of the Iranian nation before the enemies and outsiders for 50 years and made the country completely dependent on outsiders – the Pahlavi regime – our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) led an uprising in this country by hoisting the flag of Islam and opposition against domineering powers, and he achieved this great goal in the country.
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