Ayatollah Khamenei: Sayyed Nasrallah Great Symbol of Resistance, Divine Calculations Regard Iran as 1st Power
Translated by Al-Ahed News
On the second anniversary of the martyrdom of the heroic Arab leader and symbol of the Resistance Front, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued a message commemorating Sayyed Nasrallah’s legacy and his place in the history of the Resistance.
Below is the text of his message:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
{And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs, [saying], ‘Bring your people out of darkness into light and remind them of the Days of Allah.’}
The first days of the month of Mehr [September 21–October 21] remind us of the “Days of Allah” and of the great and enduring phenomenon of the heroic defense waged by the Iranian people over eight years during the First Imposed War. In those days, the warmth radiating from the sun of the Revolution shone across the land of Iran, spreading a profound sense of national solidarity and loyalty to the school and path of revolutionary Islam, while the ice left behind by old and modern forms of domination and colonialism began to melt under its influence.
At that time, some members of the Iranian people recalled what had happened more than two decades earlier, including the hostility of the colonial powers and the events surrounding the nationalization of the oil industry and the American-backed coup. Others had only heard accounts of those events, while many had witnessed firsthand the calamities brought upon our country by foreign domination over its affairs.
The days that preceded that period had been dark days, when the ambassadors of the arrogant powers dictated to the country’s monarch what he should and should not do, and he carried out their instructions, willingly or unwillingly, until the great Iranian people’s Revolution, led by the late Imam Khomeini, turned that reality upside down. Thus, through the Revolution, those dark days became radiant days in which the Islamic Republic of Iran was established.
This was an extremely heavy blow to the powers that sought to control the wealth of this land and had, for years, committed all manner of wrongdoing against its people in order to seize it. From that moment on, therefore, they devoted all their efforts and energies to returning the roaring river of the revolutionary people to its former course. The First Imposed War was their most significant move during the first decade of the Islamic Republic’s blessed existence.
From the heart of that war, ignited by the anti-people Baath Party under the illusion that it would last only a few days and bring a low-cost victory, the Islamic system rose like a phoenix, stronger and more resolute than before, with a louder voice and a higher flight. This became a continuing characteristic of the system in the subsequent events plotted by the enemy.
Those days, when the enemy of this people had set its agents upon them and imposed a modern form of colonialism, were transformed, through the blessings of the Revolution and the raising of the banner of Islam and jihad amid the imposed war, into glorious days. Thirty-eight years after the war ended, the details of its events and the truthful accounts of those who returned from it continue to reveal to us role models, each one of whom represents a school in worship, courage, resistance, morality, and humanity, shining like stars over the history of our country.
Those were also days when, at the beginning of the attacks by the followers of the system of domination, our country inherited nothing but empty hands from the tyrannical regime, with which it had to confront numerous threats and defend itself. By the blessing of establishing truth and divine assistance, however, this ultimately led to days when the very aggressors and powers of domination themselves- not merely their agents- were seeking shelter from the attacks of the Islamic fighters and extending a hand in supplication for an end to the war.
The days to which they seek to return our country were filled with backwardness, humiliation, degradation, dependence, and Iran’s diminished standing in the Islamic world. Our present days, by contrast, are filled with progress, dignity, independence, and the highest levels of standing and esteem in the Islamic world and, indeed, throughout the world. Today, some consider us the fourth great power in the world. Of course, they say this on the basis of worldly calculations. Divine calculations, however, regard as the world’s foremost power a country that considers itself affiliated with the Pure Household of the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon them all), whose people hold those great figures dear in their hearts, and who do not fear standing for the truth.
In those days, the two seas south of Iran were an arena in which enemy forces roamed. Today, however, because of the painful blows they have received from the courageous fighters and the defenders of the Strait of Hormuz, they no longer advance beyond the Arabian Sea. Whenever they dare to do so, they inflict harm upon themselves. Soon, the day will come when even the Arabian Sea will be free of them.
There were days when the powers of domination, through psychological warfare and the creation of an atmosphere of intimidation, succeeded in emptying the streets of the capital and staging a coup against this people’s aspiration for independence, after which they plundered the country’s wealth for 25 years. Today, seven months have passed, and our compatriots are filling squares and streets across the country with their responsible and enthusiastic presence, keeping the hearts of the Islamic fighters reassured and plunging the enemy into fear. More than 30 million Iranians have also declared their readiness to sacrifice themselves. When they were asked to renew their declaration of readiness for the purposes of a certain organizational process, the required number was reached- with more than 500,000 people- in the first 100 minutes alone.
Now, throughout the Islamic Republic of Iran, adorned by the presence of Iranians from different ethnic groups, declarations of readiness continue to be made in various forms, particularly armed readiness, creating a field in which they gain glory and their enemy suffers disgrace.
There were days when the courage of the people of this land was represented by its men. Today, however, we are living through days in which women precede men in some fields of courageous participation.
There were also days when the enemy constantly sought to weaken the social base of the system. Today, however, different segments of society, despite their evident differences, insist on holding to their rightful positions, including preserving the Strait of Hormuz, which is full of blessings and bounty.
This comparison between the days of the past and our present days could be expanded upon and explained at greater length. But, in a single statement, I declare, as a servant of the dear people of Iran, that those past days to which our enemy wishes to return us are gone and will never return.
I must, with profound pain and sorrow, recall that the presence of the great Khomeini and the revered martyr Khamenei-may God elevate their noble stations- whose leadership our country’s dignity today owes much to, is deeply missed in these days. Yet, by the blessing of the precious treasure they left their followers in the form of their lives and their illuminating and guiding words, the days ahead, God willing, will be even more glorious and magnificent than these days. For the phoenix that rose from the ashes of the First Imposed War has grown through the enemy’s pressure, particularly the last two imposed wars, to such an extent that the shadow of its flight now extends even over the enemy’s territory.
It is truly fitting here, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the martyrdom of the heroic Prince of the Arabs and the great symbol of the Resistance Front, the noble martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah- may God sanctify his pure soul- to remember him. He sincerely wished goodness for his people and his school, and his sincere and eloquent speeches and courageous initiatives strengthened the hearts of his people and, indeed, the hearts of free people throughout the world. He raised the name of Lebanon, that small country which for years had been turned into a rear base for certain powers, to a position of greatness. Victory and triumph were his constant companions, and there is no doubt that throughout the entire history of the Levant, and to this day, after the prophets and their successors, no man has arisen in that ancient land who matched him in greatness.
Today, his glorious banner is held by His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem, may God preserve him, who continues to follow his path courageously at the forefront of the steadfast and Ashura-inspired ranks of Hezbollah.
These days in Lebanon, in the measure of history- and indeed from this very moment- are significant and glorious days for Lebanon and for all the fighters of the Resistance. They are days that bring humiliation and will ultimately lead to disgrace for those who place their hopes in the false promises of the powers of domination and those lying in wait to do them harm as they confront the Zionist enemy.
Unlike the martyred Sayyed of the Resistance, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, and the Resistance fighters of today, who will continue to shine through the passage of time like bright stars and will serve as guides for those who are lost, seeking the way, and caught in confusion, these others will be buried and quickly forgotten from the opening pages turned by history. Whenever they are mentioned in the future, their names will be associated with wrongdoing and poor judgment, and perhaps even with treachery.
In conclusion, I remain hopeful, through the continuation of divine grace and the special prayers of our Master, may God hasten his noble reappearance and may our souls be sacrificed for his sake, that the people of Iran and all supporters of the Resistance will encounter nothing but victory, triumph, and dignity, while their enemies will meet nothing but defeat and humiliation- by the grace and generosity of God.
