Hajj Message 2020 By Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds,
and peace and greetings be upon our Master Muhammad, his pure progeny, his chosen companions,
and those who follow them in their good until the Day of Judgment.
The season of Hajj, which has always been coupled with the feeling of dignity, greatness, and the blossoming of the Islamic world, has this year been afflicted with the sorrow and the longing of the believers, as well as with a feeling of separation and disappointment for those who looked forward to it. Hearts feel lonely due to the loneliness of the [holy] Ka’ba and the [sad] call of those not able to go are mixed with tears and sighs.
[But do not despair, for] this deprivation is a short-term one and by Allah’s favor and grace, it will not last long. Yet, the lesson [that we learn from this] – [which is] the appreciation of the great blessing of Hajj – should become eternal and should liberate us from [our] negligence.
This year, more than ever, we must tangibly feel and contemplate upon the secrets of the greatness and power of the Islamic Ummah, manifested with the extensive and all-inclusive gathering of believers in the [holy] sanctuary of the Ka’ba, in the [holy] shrine of the [holy] Prophet (S), and in the [holy shrines of the] rest of the Imams (A).
Hajj is a unique obligation. Among Islamic obligations, Hajj is a flower with a hundred [different] petals. It is as if all important religious aspects [such as the] individual and social, worldly and heavenly, and historic and global aspects [of religion] are reviewed.
There is spirituality in Hajj, but without any seclusion, isolation, or reclusiveness. Hajj involves congregation, but without any conflict, disagreements, or evil intentions. On the one hand, Hajj involves spiritual ecstasy resulting from supplications, transcendence, and divine Dhikr (remembrance of Allah). And on the other hand, Hajj involves bonds of friendship and contact with the people.
With one eye, a Hajj pilgrim watches their long-standing bond with [the] history [of mankind] – with Ibrahim, with Ismaeel, with Hajar, and with the Messenger of Allah when he victoriously entered Masjid al-Haraam accompanied by a large group of [10,000] believers in the early era [of Islam] – and with the other eye, they watch the crowds of their contemporary believers, each of whom can stretch out a hand to help [each other] and all together hold on to the rope of Allah.
Contemplation and deliberation on the phenomenon of Hajj leads the Hajj pilgrim to firmly believe that many of the ideals and aspirations of religion for humanity will not yield results without the synergy, solidarity, and cooperation of an assemblage of the religious. And via this solidarity and cooperation, [even] the tricks (obstacles) of enemies and opponents won’t be able to create serious problems on this path.
Hajj is the [strategic] maneuver which shows [Islam’s] power in the face of the arrogant [powers] who are the center of corruption, oppression, killing the weak, plundering [and looting], and today, the body and the life of the Islamic Ummah is wounded and bleeding due to their oppression and crimes.
Hajj is the display of the soft and hard capabilities of the [Islamic] Ummah. This is the nature and the soul of Hajj, and one of the most important goals of the Hajj. This is what our late Imam Khomeini – the Great – described as an “Ibrahimi Hajj”.
And if those in charge of the Hajj – who refer to themselves as the servants of the two Holy Places – commit themselves honestly [to this manifestation of Hajj] and if instead of the American government’s satisfaction, they choose Allah’s satisfaction, they can solve the great problems of the Islamic world.
Today, as always and at all times, the obligatory interest of the Islamic Ummah is unity; a unity which creates a united hand in the face of threats and enmities. A unity which lets out a thunderous call (a shout) at the embodiment of Satan – America the transgressor and treacherous – and at its chained [and leashed] dog, the Zionist regime. A unity which like a shield, will bravely resist [the] bullying [of global powers].
This is the meaning of Allah’s commands:
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah stretches out for you, and be not divided among yourselves” [Quran 3:103].
The wise Qur’an defines the Islamic Ummah on the basis of this:
“Those who are with him are strong against the unbelievers, compassionate amongst each other” [Qur’an, 48:29].
It also demands that the Islamic Ummah carry out the following obligations:
“And incline not to those who do wrong” [Qur’an 11:113],
“And never will Allah grant to the unbelievers a way to triumph over the believers” [Qur’an 4:141],
“Fight the leaders of Kufr” [Qur’an 9:12], and finally, “Take not my enemies and yours, as friends or protectors.” [Qur’an 60:1].
And in order to identify the enemy [at hand], the [holy] Qur’an issues the following command:
“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for your faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them” [Qur’an 60:8].
These important and fate determining commands [of Allah] should never be left out of the ideological and value systems of us Muslims and they should never be forgotten.
Today more than ever, the foundations for the [Islamic] Ummah, for concerned intellectuals, and for wise thinkers to bring about this fundamental transformation is at hand.
Today, the Islamic Awakening – meaning the attention of Muslim intellectuals and youth towards their ideological and spiritual assets – is an undeniable truth.
Today, liberalism and communism – which were considered 50 or 100 years ago as the most prominent gifts (achievements) of western civilization [for the world] – have completely lost their glamor and their deadly flaws have become [clearly] visible. The system built on the basis of the latter (communism) has collapsed and the system founded on the basis of the former (liberalism) is struggling with deep crises and is on the verge of a downfall.
Today, not only is the cultural model of the West – which [right] from the beginning stepped into the arena with impudence and infamy – but even its political and economic model, its money-centered democracy, and its discriminatory and class system capitalism have [all] shown their inefficiency and corruption.
Today, there are many intellectuals in the Islamic world who challenge all the ideological and civilizational claims of the west with absolute honor, pride, and dignity; [those] who openly put forth Islamic alternatives.
[And] today, even some western thinkers who in the past would arrogantly introduce liberalism as the end (completion) of history, now have no option other than to take back their claims and to admit to their confused (wrong) theories and practices.
[Take a] look at the streets in America, at the behavior of American politicians towards their own people, at the deep valley (rift) of class inequalities in that country, at the lowliness and stupidity of those who have been elected to manage that country, at the appalling racial discrimination, at the cruelty of an officer who tortures to death in a cold blood manner an innocent person on the street [right] in front of others walking by; [this all clearly] reveals the depth of the moral and social crisis within western civilization, as well as the distortion and falsehood of its political and economic philosophy.
[Furthermore,] American behavior towards [the] weak nations [of the world] is an extension of the police officer’s behavior who put his knees on the neck of a defenseless black person, pressing for so long that the man dies. [And] other western governments are yet another example of this disastrous situation, each within the scope of their own power and resources.
An “Ibrahimi Hajj” is a magnificent Islamic phenomenon against this “modern Jahilliyah” (modern ignorance). Hajj is an invitation to Islam and it is an emblematic display (microcosm) of life in the [global] Islamic community. It is the best symbol of a community of believers in an inter-connected movement around the pivot of Towhid (Islamic monotheism).
[Yet,] the necessary preconditions are to refrain from dispute and conflict, from discrimination and aristocratic privileges, and from corruption and impurity. Among the main responsibilities of Muslims is to throw stones at Satan, to express one’s hatred of those who ascribe partners to Allah, to establish a close bond with the poor, to help the needy, and to display the signs of the faithful people.
The mid-term and end goals are to gain access to public interests and public benefits accompanied with the remembrance, gratitude, and servitude of Allah.
This is an overall picture of the Islamic community [as reflected] in the mirror of the “Ibrahimi Hajj”. And when one compares this (Ibrahimi Hajj) with the reality of arrogant, yet hollow western societies, it fills the heart of every determined Muslim with the enthusiasm to work hard and to fight for the sake of attaining such a society [based upon the “Ibrahimi Hajj”].
We, the people of Iran, with the guidance and leadership of Imam Khomeini – the Great – took a step with such a zeal and we were successful. We don’t claim that we were able to practically implement [all] what we know and [all] what we would like to, but we do profess that in this path we have greatly moved forward and we have removed many of the obstacles from the path.
Our steps have remained firm due to the blessings of having faith in Qur’anic promises. The greatest bandit Satan and traitor in this era – meaning the American [rogue] regime – hasn’t been able to frighten us, nor dominate us via their tricks and deceptions, nor obstruct our material and spiritual progress.
We consider all the Muslim nations to be our brothers; and we will treat with kindness and justice [all] those non-Muslim [nations] who aren’t a part of the enemy’s front. [And] we consider the griefs and tribulations of the Muslim Ummah as our own tribulations, and we are trying [our best] to solve their problems.
We determine helping the oppressed [nation of] Palestine, compassion (sympathy) for the wounded body of Yemen, and a concern for the Muslims under oppression in all places of the world as our eternal effort.
We consider it our [religious and brotherly] obligation to advise the leaders of some of these Muslim countries. Leaders who instead of relying upon their Muslim brothers take refuge in the arms of the enemy, and those [leaders] who bear the humiliation and bullying of the enemy for their personal benefit which is to last just a few days, and those [leaders] who beat up their own nations’ honor and independence with the cane of discount (to sell cheaply), and those [leaders] who accept the permanence of the usurping and oppressive Zionist regime, and either openly or secretly extend the hand of friendship to the enemy; we advise them to be wary of the bitter consequences of these actions.
We regard the presence of America in West Asia as being detrimental to regional nations and a cause of insecurity, destruction, and backwardness for [these] countries.
[And as regards to] the current situation in America and the anti-racial discrimination movement in America, our firm stance is to side with the [American] people and to condemn the cruel behavior of America’s racially supremacist government.
At the end [of my statements], I wish to send my peace and salutations to hazrat Baqiyyatullah (Imam al-Mahdi) – may our souls be sacrificed for him – [and] commemorate the memory of our late Imam [Khomeini], as well as extend my salutations to the pure souls of the martyrs.
And I request Allah – the Exalted – to help the Islamic Ummah conduct a safe, accepted, and blessed Hajj pilgrimage in the near future.
Greetings be upon the righteous servants of Allah.
Sayyid Ali Husayni Khamenei
7th Dhul-Hajj 1441
7th Mordad 1399
July 28, 2020
