Leader: Revolution continues till establishment of truly Islamic society

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Monday August 28 granted a 3-hour long audience to a group of scholars and students of the Islamic seminaries of Tehran Province on the threshold of start of the academic year at theology centres.

He pointed to the advantages and characteristics of Islamic governance for fulfillment of the main responsibilities of religious scholars, saying: “Nowadays, humanity, particularly the younger generation, strongly needs new propositions and Islam has new and appealing things to say with regard to humanity, society and politics, which, if brought to the attention of the world, would be embraced by many.”

He added: The Revolution continues; the assumption that the Revolution has ended, and now we can go back to normal life, is perfidy against the Revolution. The Revolution never ends.”

Now we have excerpts of the Leader’s speech as follows:

In the session, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed pleasure with his meeting with young seminarians and hearing their encouraging and good remarks, adding, “You, young seminarians are like the tall saplings of the garden of Imamate and Wilayat and your intellectual progress and the growth of your practical capabilities will astound those who nurture you and enrage enemies.”

Pointing to an ayah from the Holy Quran on the fury of the infidels at the spread of Islam, he said, “If the enemies of Islam and Qur’an are not infuriated by our presence, determination and advance, we should doubt out usefulness.” 

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said the religious scholars and seminarians are heirs to the legacy of the Prophets and “Just as the prophets were seeking to create the grounds for the rule of a monotheistic worldview and the creation of life based on virtue, your most important responsibility is also the fulfillment of this duty.” 

He added: “The creation of lifestyle based on virtue will definitely have opponents just as there also were opponents of the Prophets; therefore, you must prepare yourselves for arduous, lengthy and at the same time, influential and lasting work and efforts.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution outlined how the Revolution negates the previous norms and creates new ones, which means the maintaining of new norms are a continuance of the Revolution. He said: “If the Revolution needed a fight to achieve victory, then, today a fight is needed to establish the revolutionary norms and make them fruitful; so that, we can achieve in establishing a truly Islamic society.”

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out: “We do not yet have an (an exclusively) Islamic society. We do not even have an Islamic government. We managed to create an Islamic revolution, that is, a revolutionary movement. We managed to create an Islamic system based on that revolution. These are important things we gained so far; however, thereafter, creation of an (all exclusive) Islamic government, and Islamic administrations are needed for the country. We still have a long way to go in this regard.”

He remarked, "Of course it does not mean that there is no hope. Despite all oppositions and challenges working against us, we, no doubt, move on and progress. Thus, we must fight."

Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Globally there exists a feeling of disappointment over Marxist and Liberal thoughts as they could bear no fruit: This has paved way for Islamic thought to bring forth new ideas."

He pointed to the importance of successfully conveying Islamic ideas to the people of the world, by adding: “If we can make Islam's new, striking ideas on humanity, society, as well as politics spread out and be conveyed to the people of the world, particularly, the younger generations, these ideas will certainly be embraced.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the existence of mass media communications devices and means shaped by the virtual space as advantages of the modern era, which can be used to convey the reviving message of Islam. He said in this regard: “The great advantages of the new era we live in, are the many questions that people have in mind. The many questions activate minds for responses, and they pave the ground for mankind to move beyond the borders of science.”

He added: “Just as we should not stop on questions and doubts, we should also seek logical and correct solutions in the quest for answers.”

In his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei discussed some of the issues raised by the seminarians in the meeting and mentioned some points about them. He urged the seminarians to “take the lessons and academic debates seriously” and said, “To be influential in the society, we should boost erudition and promote academic standards, just as the great Late Imam Khomeini, who was at the highest academic level, succeeded in bringing to fruition the huge campaign and movement of the Revolution.”

The Leader said the prerequisite for reformative proposals for seminaries is their “practicality” and added, “The plan is in fact paving the path toward the destination; therefore, it should be based on realities, and potential obstacles and solutions should be included and foreseen in it.” 

He said the path to removing weak points and achieving a favorable state hinges on a resolute will, motivated movement and serious campaign, adding: “Campaigning means efforts and struggle, sharing ideas and organization.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution strongly urged all young seminarians to observe piety, practice self-restraint, worship and establish affinity with the Holy Qur’an as well as prayers. He said: “Know that this path needs practical promotion more than verbal promotion and we have to be our own selves.”

He added: “If lessons, academic debates and active minds are accompanied by piety, our academic and religious society, will certainly have a much better future than today.”

At the beginning of this meeting, a number of students of the Tehran Province seminary raised their concerns and expressed their views.

AS/ME