A meeting with the government officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 30th October, 2005 CE. / 27th Ramadan, 1426 A.H.
Every year, on one night during the holy month of Ramadhan, the representatives, senior officials and executives of the country are the guests of the Supreme Leader of Iran for iftar. Before iftar, his excellency delivers lectures generally addressing epistemic and ethical issues. The following is one of those lectures delivered in 2005, in which individual and social sins, as well as seeking forgiveness for each of them are spoken about. The topic that has been dealt with more is about the sins which directly touch people and society. Although at first glance, the addresses of these statements are only government officials, the social outlook that has been given to committing sins and seeking forgiveness in this speech is beneficial for any person associated with a community or a group.
In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our master and Prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad and upon his immaculate, pure and chosen household, especially the one remaining with God on earth.[1] All-Wise God says, “Plead with your Lord for forgiveness, then turn to Him penitently. He will provide you with a good provision for a specified term and grant His grace to every meritorious person.”[2],[3]
This is an important gathering and these days are also important days. The month of Ramadhan, with all its divine blessings, is in its last few days. We, the officials of this great country, who have always been hoping to benefit from divine assistance in performing our duties in the best possible manner, are passing through this valuable month. All of this, while we do not know how much we have been able to gain from divine mercy and grace during this month and during the Nights of Qadr. We cannot afford to let this great blessing and grace pass us by. Our responsibility is heavy. There is a long way to go and we have a heavy responsibility to fulfill. Such heavy responsibilities cannot be accomplished except through divine assistance. For this reason, it is necessary to make the best of these opportunities. This is the main topic of my statements today.
Everyone should seek forgiveness
In the Holy Qur’an, including the verse I referred to, God the Almighty has repeatedly ordered human beings to seek forgiveness and repent to Him. Repentance means returning. This returning can be manifested in word and in action. In certain cases, we have been negligent. We need to reform ourselves, and this is the priority. Surah Hūd starts in this way: “In the Name of God, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful. Alif, Lām, Rā. [This is] a Book, whose signs have been made definitive and the elaborated from One [who is] all-wise, all-aware, declaring: ‘Worship no one but God. I am indeed a warner from Him to you and a bearer of good news. Plead with your Lord for forgiveness, then turn to Him penitently. He will provide you with a good provision for a specified term…”[4],[5] In other words, the Quranic mission is primarily the issue of monotheism. Returning to God and pleading for His forgiveness are discussed immediately afterwards. This applies to people from all levels, ranging from prophets to people at lower levels, but the sin for which we repent is different in our case from the case of pious people. “Do not compare the affairs of the righteous with your own.”[6],[7] However, even those people need to plead God for forgiveness; they too might make mistakes. “Disgraceful acts never separate from creatures in both worlds, only God knows.”[8],[9] They too need to plead for forgiveness and compensate for their failure and relative hesitation. In our case, mistakes and sins are not few; we commit different kinds of mistakes. This is the essence of what I want to say.
Let me quote a narration here, “Close the door to calamity by pleading for forgiveness.”[10],[11] In the Surah I recited before, God says, “He will provide you with a good provision.”[12],[13] In other words, making good use of one’s life will be possible through pleading for forgiveness and repenting to God the Almighty.
There is another narration, which says: “The best praying is pleading for forgiveness.”[14],[15] This is from the supplication of Sha’baniyya, “O’ God, I have no doubt that you will not reject me with respect to my need I have spent my life asking you for.”[16] What is this need? This need – on which a lifetime has been spent – is pleading for divine forgiveness.
Everything we do is a prelude to reforming ourselves
Divine forgiveness results in correcting our mistakes and compensating for the harm that we have done to ourselves and to others. If human beings seriously go after rectifying their mistakes and sins, the divine path will be everlasting and human beings will have a good destiny. The main problem with us human beings is that we neglect our mistakes, that we fail to recognize the need for correction, that we fail to reform ourselves and rectify our actions. If such cases of negligence are eliminated and this determination develops, all mistakes will be corrected. At the first stage – which is the preliminary stage and among our greatest responsibilities, we correct ourselves. That is to say, everything we do is a prelude to reforming ourselves, a prelude to achieving divine satisfaction. “Take care of your own souls. He who strays cannot hurt you if you are guided.”[17],[18] The purpose of all efforts and struggles is to make God satisfied with us and to achieve the kind of perfection that has been ordained for us since the beginning of creation.
The communal forgiveness and social reform
The other stage is communal forgiveness and social reform. We should reform the collective path and goal and collective performance to the best of our capabilities. This is the clearest example of the effect of seeking God’s forgiveness and the genuine meaning, content and essence of seeking forgiveness. This should not be considered as difficult. If we have determination, it is easy, and we can do it. These nights, you have recited in the supplication of Abu Hamza Thumali, “And truly traveling to You is short in duration.”[19] The main thing is determination, taking action, and making efforts. “O’ God, You will not disclose Your creature’s secrets except when they have already disclosed them in public.”[20] We create a rift between ourselves and God with our own hands, with our mistakes. There is no distance between us and God the Almighty. We are very close. If we achieve any success, this is a sign of God’s mercy. If you manage to plead for forgiveness from the bottom of your heart and then develop the determination to take action, be sure that divine grace and attention will be bestowed on you, that you are being attracted and pulled towards God. In several places in the Holy Qur’an, God has attributed repentance to Himself, “then He turned clemently toward them so that they might be penitent.”[21],[22] God repented so that human beings would repent. What is the meaning of repentance? Repentance means attention and return. God turned His attention to you and this caused your hearts to become inclined towards God the Almighty.
“Unless
there is attraction from the beloved,
Efforts by the helpless lover are futile.”[23],[24]
In the supplication of Abu Hamza Thumali, we recite, “O’ my Lord, You have brought me up in Your gifts, and bounties since I was youthful, and elevated my designation as I grew older, So, O’ the One who brought me up in this life with His benevolence, bountifulness and blessings, and indicated to me His forgiveness and generosity in the hereafter. My knowledge, O’ my Master, is that which guides me to You and my love is my intercessor to You, and I am trusting in my evidence with Your guidance and comfortable in my intercessor with Your intercession.”[25],[26] The fact that You guided me towards Yourself, the fact that You presented a proof to me, is a sign that You are guiding me, that You are attracting me. If you see that in the month of Ramadhan our youth go to the mosque, raise their hands towards the sky and shed tears for forgiveness to the extent that their voice fills the general atmosphere of our society, be sure that this is an indication of God’s attention to our nation, an indication of divine attraction, the kind of attraction that God the Almighty has caused because He wants to bestow His mercy. “O’ God, I ask for the causes of Your mercy.”[27],[28] This will prepare the ground for God’s mercy. God the Almighty wants to bestow His mercy and blessings upon this nation.
Repenting for three types of sins: individual, taking others’ rights, communal
There are three kinds of sins for which one should repent. Knowing these three kinds of sins is useful for people like us. We need them in our managerial work. Forgetting about these sins has caused immense damage. There are three types of sins. One kind is the sins that only involve injustice to one’s self. Oppressing one’s self has been mentioned many times in the Holy Qur’an and in narrations. This kind of sins is committed by the individual and its direct impacts only affect him, such as common personal sins.
Another type is a sin that a person commits, but its direct consequences affect other people as well. This is a heavier sin. It is an injustice to one’s self as well, but, because it affects others too, it creates more problems and is more difficult to counteract – such as oppression, usurpation, violating others’ rights, trampling upon the rights of other human beings. This kind of sins is mostly committed by governments. It is mostly committed by managers. It is mostly committed by politicians. It is mostly committed by international personalities. It is mostly committed by the people who can change the conditions of families and sometimes even an entire nation with a single word, with a single signature, with a single dismissal, with a single appointment. Usually ordinary people do not commit such sins, and, even if they do commit such sins, their scope is far more limited – like a person who steps on the foot of another person deliberately. This is the scope of their sins. But if people like us commit such a sin, its scope will be vast. As I said, one single signature, one single decree, one single word, one single judgment, and one single decision by people like us can affect a large number of people.
Repentance for this kind of sin is different from other kinds of repentance. In the case of a sin of the first type, the individual need only plead God the Almighty for forgiveness in a sincere manner, but in the case of a sin of the second type, the issue cannot be solved with simple repentance; rather, one must compensate for the damage that has been done. This is the point where we come across the issue of rectifying errors and compensating for the damage that has been done.
The third type is the communal sin, which is committed by nations. It is no longer the case of a single individual committing a sin whose consequences would affect only a limited number of people. Sometimes an entire nation or a significant portion of it is involved in a sin. It is necessary to repent for this kind of sins in a different way. A nation might keep silent in the face of a sinful act or in the face of tyranny and fail to show any reaction to it. This too is a sin, perhaps a sin that is even graver. This is an instance of the verse, “Indeed God does not change a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their souls.”[29],[30] This is the kind of sin which obliterates great blessings. This is the kind of sin which causes great calamities for communities and nations.
The people who stood by and watched a great religious scholar like Sheikh Fazlollah Nouri[31] being hanged, the people who knew he was among the founders and leaders of the Constitutional Movement, yet he was accused of being against the Constitutional Movement simply because he refused to collaborate with the English – and West – oriented trend of the Constitutional Movement (baseless and irrational lies which are still being believed and repeated by a number of speakers and writers) received their punishment fifteen years later when, in the city of Tehran, a constituent assembly was formed, which ratified transfer of power to Reza Shah[32]. They were a group of ordinary people and their sin was one that would affect the entire nation. “And beware of a punishment which shall not visit the wrongdoers among you exclusively.”[33],[34] Sometimes punishment is not limited to those who have committed a sin; rather, everybody is punished. This is because the sinful act is committed by the people even though not all people may be directly involved in it. However, the same Iranian nation took to the streets and faced the military tanks of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi[35] without fearing death. In other words, they compensated for fifty years of sinful silence and they were rewarded by God the Almighty. The oppressive government collapsed and a popular government replaced it. Disgraceful political dependence was destroyed and the movement towards independence started. And, God willing, this movement will continue and our nation will reach its goals while relying on God’s mercy and its own efforts. This was because our nation took action. Therefore, there is a different way of pleading for forgiveness in the case of a sin of the third type.
“Repentance” has been repeatedly mentioned in the Holy Qur’an alongside “reform” and “good deeds” such as; “…except such as repent, make amends…”[36],[37] and “excepting those who repent, attain faith, and act righteously.”[38],[39] In one occasion, even an instance of this reform has been mentioned, “except such as repent, make amends, and clarify…”[40],[41] These people have been contrasted with “Indeed those who conceal what We have sent down of manifest proofs…”[42],[43] or “except for those who repent and reform, and hold fast to God and dedicate their religion [exclusively] to God.”[44],[45] This verse is about those who acted hypocritically and wavered. It says that repentance and reform of these people depends on their decision to free themselves from doubt and impurities. Therefore, reform is a requirement for repentance.
Five types of sins affecting the community
We need to plead for divine forgiveness. The forgiveness we seek is far beyond ourselves. I should seek forgiveness for myself and you too should seek forgiveness for yourselves. In fact, it cannot be said that we are simply sinful; rather, we are immersed in sins. There are so many failures, so many infringements and so many flaws in our actions that we must plead God the Almighty for forgiveness. Pleading for divine forgiveness enlightens the heart, the mind, and the soul. This is personal repentance: it is only between us and God. However, there is communal forgiveness as well. Because the people who have attended this meeting are government officials of the country, heads of the three branches of government and senior managers of the country, I have written down five topics to discuss in this meeting, but, due to lack of time, I will not go into detail and will only mention them in passing.
One is the issue of disputes. We should repent and seek divine forgiveness for our disputes. Discord and dispute harm us. Sometimes dispute is caused by provoking ethnic, religious, local, and political sentiments. Other times, a dispute is caused when differences of opinion develop into conflicts. Differences of opinion may exist, and nothing is wrong with it, but it should not develop into a conflict.
This is why we criticize those who write provocative articles against people’s beliefs, against the truths that exist in society and against historical facts that have not been distorted. Otherwise, we do not have any problem with freedom of expression. I believe in freedom of expression in its real and broad sense. But some comments should not be made while in public addresses. Rather, they should be discussed in meetings of experts. Yes, a number of Islamic jurisprudents may sit down together with a number of jurists, philosophers or sociologists to discuss the most fundamental issues. They may even exchange views about the principle of monotheism: they may reject or support the principle of monotheism and present their reasons. Then, the results can be presented to the people, but first the issue should be debated in meetings of specialists. The same is true of the obvious facts about the Revolution and of basic issues relating to the Islamic Republic; such issues should be discussed in meetings of specialists. This is the purpose of the movement for freedom of thought, which has been discussed earlier. Of course, universities and Islamic seminaries made a good move in the beginning, but I see no noticeable changes in practice. They should organize scholarly meetings and arrange debates. However, if it is decided that people may make public announcements about matters which should be discussed and debated within a specialized domain, then this is not freedom of expression.
Of course, these are ideological differences which are possible to not have led to dispute. These are political differences, differences and gaps between different pillars of the government that they tried for years to foment discord among. Obviously, when there is dispute and discord among senior officials of the country and they cannot come to an agreement and they constantly think of harming each other, it will not be possible to move things forward … In my opinion, this is one of the issues which were neglected in the past and now we should ask for divine forgiveness and prevent this negligence from perpetuating.
The second issue is the issue of selfishness in the broad sense of the word. We should seek forgiveness from God for selfishness. Being self-centered is the opposite of being God-centered. The heart of a self-centered person is devoid of worship of God to the same extent that it is filled with selfishness and self-worship. This selfishness is broad in meaning. That is to say, it includes unreasonable, biased and fervent support for one’s self, one’s party, one’s faction, one’s relatives and associates and one’s close friends. This is wrong. Many of the disputes which existed in the political atmosphere of our country, were the result of this attitude. A long time ago – perhaps twenty years ago – I said that differences that have emerged in the form of leftist or rightist ideas in our country are similar to the tribal disputes of the past. We should not allow such a thing to continue. We should not let such self-centeredness seep into us and change us.
The third point is about neglecting the people and neglecting to serve them. If we have had negligence in this regard, we should seek forgiveness from God and we should repent. We should not let our hearts neglect the people…
The next topic is related to neglecting national power and the prerequisites which serve as the main pillars of this national power. It is necessary for a nation to be strong and powerful, so that it can achieve spiritual happiness and freedom and conquer the peaks of knowledge, even though these things are among the prerequisites for national power. A nation that is weak, a nation that has suffered humiliation, a nation that is dependent and imitates other nations, a nation that relies on others cannot reach the peaks it aspires to. It is necessary to achieve national power. How can national power be achieved? Through knowledge and ethics. We have discussed the issue of knowledge on many occasions. In this meeting, we will speak about ethics. We should not receive a low score in ethics. Our Prophet (saw) was a promoter of ethics. The flag of spiritual purification and moral perfection was raised by the Holy Prophet (saw) as his prophetic mission. We must not suffer from backwardness in the area of ethics. Social behaviors, discipline, sense of responsibility, abiding the law and the spirit of religiousness – some unjust people have attacked the spirit of religiousness within our youth and they have undermined this spirit through their hollow and irrational comments in the name of freedom – maintaining the spirit of religiosity and legalism are the foundations of authority.
We should not neglect existing capabilities and capacities. One of the pillars of national power is that our government officials and people should have faith in their capability to follow this path and accomplish these goals. They should not feel that they are incapable and helpless. They should not feel that they have reached a dead end. We should instill this spirit into the people. This is among our responsibilities. This is among the things that the government should do. The prerequisites for achieving national power are among the responsibilities of the government and governmental organizations. Of course, we should not develop delusions of being powerful. We should not resort to delusions and fantasies whenever we are not capable of doing something. We should not neglect our real and true power.
The last topic which I would like to discuss is related to failing to watch the enemy. We should plead for divine forgiveness and we should repent for what we have neglected regarding the enemy and his plots. This repentance means warning oneself, becoming vigilant and opening up one’s eyes. For some time, they created uproar, saying that we are always speaking about the enemy, that we have developed delusions of conspiracy. They said that we are always concerned that a plot is being hatched against us. Turning one’s attention away from a plot will not make that plot go away. Today, everything has become clear. The day they were making such comments, certain things were not announced openly, but today they are openly announcing that there are plots against the Islamic Republic, against our constitution, against our nation and against our interests. By ignoring these plots, one cannot make them go away. We should vigilantly assess and identify the enemy and his plots and defend ourselves and our national interests in a vigilant and wise manner.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household (saw), we plead You to make us successful in seeking Your forgiveness and in repenting to You.
Enlighten our hearts with the light of repentance.
Relieve the Islamic Ummah and all Muslim nations from the malevolence of the enemies.
Dear God, make the dear people of Iran more powerful on a daily basis.
…Dear God, associate our dear martyrs with the holy Prophet (saw).
Increase solidarity among our government officials on a daily basis.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household (saw), we beseech You to make the officials in the three branches of government successful in accomplishing their responsibilities.
Greetings and God’s mercy be upon you.
[1] اَلحَمدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ العالَمينِ، وَ الصَّلا×ُ وَ السَّلامُ عَلي سَيِّدِنا وَ نَبيِّنا اَبِيالقاسِمِ مُحَمَّد وَ عَلي آلِهِ الاَطيَبينَ الْأَطْهَرِينَ الْمُنْتَجَبِينَ الْهُدَاةِ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ سِيَّمَا بَقِيَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرَضِين.
[2] قالَ اللهُ الحَکيمُ: “وَ اَنِ استَغفِروا رَبَّکُم ثُمَّ توبوا اِلَيهِ يُمَتِّعکُم مَتاعًا حَسَنًا اِلي اَجَلٍ مُسَمًّي وَ يُؤتِ کُلَّ ذي فَضلٍ فَضلَهُ.”
[3] The Holy Qur’an, 11: 3
[4] “بِسمِ اللهِ الرَّحمنِ الرَّحيمِ. الر کِتابٌ اُحکِمَت آياتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَت مِن لَدُن حَکيمٍ خَبيرٍ * اَلّا تَعبُدوا اِلَّا اللهَ اِنَّني لَکُم مِنهُ نَذيرٌ وَ بَشيرٌ * وَ اَنِ استَغفِروا رَبَّکُم ثُمَّ تُوبوا اِلَيهِ يُمَتِّعكُم مَتاعًا حَسَنًا إِلىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى وَيُؤتِ كُلَّ ذي فَضلٍ فَضلَهُ”
[5] The Holy Qur’an, 11: 1-3
[6] کار پاکان را قياس از خود مگير
[7] Rumi, J., The Spiritual Couplets (Masnavi Manavi). Vol. 1, S. 11
[8] سيه رويي ز ممکن در دو عالم جدا هرگـز نشد، و الله اعـلم
[9] Shabestari, M., The Secret Rose Garden (Gulshan-i Rāz). S. 7
[10] “اِدفَعوا اَبوابَ البَلايا بِالاِستِغفارِ”
[11] Hadith: 18th
[12] “يُمَتِّعکُم مَتاعًا حَسَنًا”
[13] The Holy Qur’an, 11: 3
[14] “خَيرُ الدُّعاءِ الاِستِغفار”
[15] Hadith: 1st
[16] “إِلَهِی مَا أَظُنُّکَ تَرُدُّنِیفِیحَاجَهٍ قَدْ أَفْنَیْتُ عُمُرِیفِی طَلَبِهَا مِنْکَ”
[17] “عَلَيكُم أَنفُسَكُم لا يَضُرُّكُم مَن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهتَدَيتُم”
[18] The Holy Qur’an, 5:105
[19] “و أنَّ الرّاحِلَ إلِیكِ قَرِیبُ المَسافَه”
[20] “وَ اَنَّکَ لا تَحتَجِبُ عَن خَلقِکَ اِلّا اَن تَحجُبَهُمُ الاَعمالُ دونَکَ”
[21] “ثُمَّ تابَ عَلَيهِم لِيَتوبوا”
[22] The Holy Qur’an, 9: 118
[23] تا که از جانب معشوق نباشد کششي کوشش عاشق بيچاره به جايي نرسد
[24] Anonymous poet.
[25] “مَعرِفَتى يا مَولاىَ دَليلى عَلَيکَ وَ حُبّى لَکَ شَفيعى اِلَيکَ وَ اَنا واثِقٌ مِن دَليلى بِدَلالَتِکَ وَ ساکِنٌ مِن شَفيعى اِلى شَفاعَتِکَ”
[26] Hadith: 10th
[27] “اللّهُمَّ اِنّي اَساَلُکَ موجِباتِ رَحمَتِکَ”
[28] Hadith: 2nd
[29] “اِنَّ اللهَ لا يُغَيِّرُ ما بِقَومٍ حَتّى يُغَيِّروا ما بِاَنفُسِهِم”
[30] The Holy Qur’an, 13: 11
[31] A prominent Shia Muslim cleric in Qajar Iran during the late 19th and early 20th century. (Trans.)
[32] Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878-1944)- the founder of Pahlavi dynasty (Trans.)
[33] “وَاتَّقوا فِتنَةً لا تُصيبَنَّ الَّذينَ ظَلَموا مِنكُم خاصَّةً”
[34] The Holy Qur’an, 8: 25
[35] Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (1919-1980)- the last monarch of Iran
[36] “إِلَّا الَّذينَ تابوا وَأَصلَحوا”
[37] The Holy Qur’an, 2: 160
[38] “إِلّا مَن تابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صالِحًا”
[39] The Holy Qur’an, 25: 70
[40] “إِلَّا الَّذينَ تابوا وَأَصلَحوا وَبَيَّنوا”
[41] The Holy Qur’an, 2: 160
[42] “إِنَّ الَّذينَ يَكتُمونَ ما أَنزَلنا مِنَ البَيِّناتِ”
[43] The Holy Qur’an, 2: 159
[44] “إِلَّا الَّذينَ تابوا وَأَصلَحوا وَاعتَصَموا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخلَصوا دينَهُم لِلَّهِ”
[45] The Holy Qur’an, 4: 146