Hajj Message 2023 By Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Great Messenger of Allah, Muhammad al-Mustafa, and upon his Pure Progeny, and upon his chosen Companions.

The Abrahamic call to Hajj and its universal invitation has once again addressed the entire world from within the heart of history, making eager and excited those hearts that are ready and those that constantly are in the state of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah). The invitation is addressed to all human beings:

“And proclaim the Hajj to all the people” [Qur’an 22:27].

The Kaaba is an auspicious host and a guide for all of humanity:

“Indeed, the first house to be set up for humanity is the one at Bakkah (Makkah), blessed and a guidance for the worlds.” [Qur’an 03:96]

The Kaaba – as the focal point and the main focus of attention of all Muslims – and also the Hajj ritual – as a small example of the extensive diversity of the Islamic World – can serve to elevate human society and improve the health and security of all people. The Hajj can bless all of humanity with spiritual and moral elevation and advancement; and this is humanity’s vital need in the present-day.

The Hajj can invalidate and render ineffective all of the Arrogant Power’s and Zionism’s schemes for the moral downfall of humanity – in the present-day and in the future. That which is a necessary condition for the occurrence of this global impact is that as a first measure, the Muslims themselves should properly hear the life-giving message of the Hajj and do their utmost to implement it.

The two fundamental foundations of this message [of the Hajj] are “unity” and “spirituality.”

Unity and spirituality are what guarantee the material and spiritual advancement of the Islamic World and its providing light to the entire world.

Unity means being connected both intellectually and in practice. It means that hearts, thoughts, and orientations come closer together. It means a synergy in science and experience. It means having an economic connection between Islamic countries. It means the existence of trust and cooperation between Muslim governments. It means working together against common and definite enemies.

Unity means that the plots designed by the enemy won’t be able to set Islamic denominations, nations, races, languages, and the diverse cultures of the Islamic World against each other.

Unity means that Muslim nations should know each other, not through the enemy’s seditious descriptions, but through communication, dialogue, and interaction. They should be aware of each other’s potential and capacities, and make plans to benefit from them.

Unity means that the scientists and universities of the Islamic World work hand in hand together, the scholars of Islamic schools view each other in good faith and with tolerance and fairness, and they listen to each other’s words. The intellectual elites in all countries and of all denominations should acquaint the people with each other’s commonalities, and encourage coexistence and brotherhood.

Unity also means that the political and cultural leaders in Islamic countries should prepare themselves in a coordinated manner for the situation that will exist in the upcoming world order. They need to determine with their own hands and by their own will the proper place for the Islamic Ummah in the new global experience, which is filled with opportunities and threats. They should not allow the bitter experience of the political and territorial engineering of West Asia at the hands of Western governments after World War I to be repeated.

[And] spirituality means advancing religious ethics. The enchantment of “ethics minus religion,” which has long been promoted by Western intellectual sources, has resulted in this unrestrained collapse of ethics in the West that everyone in the world is witnessing.

Spirituality and ethics must be learned from the Hajj rituals, from the simplicity that exists in the Ihram, from the negation of illusory privileges, from “feeding the destitute and the needy,” [Qur’an 22:28], from “there is to be no sexual contact, vicious talk, or disputing,” [Qur’an 02:197], from the circumambulation of the entire Ummah around the axis of Tauheed (Islamic monotheism), from the Stoning of the Devil, and from the Disavowal of the Polytheists.

My brothers and sisters who are performing the Hajj!

Take advantage of the opportunity that the Hajj provides to contemplate and ponder on the secrets and mysteries of this unparalleled obligatory action (i.e. the Hajj), and make it a provision for the rest of your life.

At this juncture in time and more than in the past, unity and spirituality are subject to the enmity and sabotage of the Arrogant Powers and Zionism.

America and the other centers for the domination of the Arrogant Powers are strongly in opposition to the unity of Muslims, to the mutual understanding between nations, countries, and Muslim governments, and to the religiosity and commitment to religion of the younger generation in these nations, and they will fight these with any means they can.

It is the duty of every single one of us, the duty of all nations, and the duty of our governments to stand against this evil American and Zionist scheme.

Ask the All-knowing, the All-powerful Allah for help. Strengthen the spirit of “Disavowal of the Polytheists” in yourselves, and oblige yourself to spread this spirit and to provide depth to it in the environment where you are living.

I ask Allah, the Exalted, to grant all of you Iranian and non-Iranian pilgrims, success and an accepted and blessed Hajj, and I wish for you all, the accepted prayers for you by the Great Vestige of Allah (Imam al-Mahdi) – may our souls be sacrificed for him.

May Allah’s greetings and mercy be upon you.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei

6th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

4th of Tir 1402

25th of June 2023