Excerpts from the Supreme Leader's Speech with Participants of the 32nd International Quran Competitions

Excerpts from the Supreme Leader's Speech with Participants of the 32nd International Quran Competitions

On the 23rd of May, 2015 –which coincided with the birthday of the heroic son of Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Abul Fadl Al-Abbas, the Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei delivered a speech in a meeting with the participants in the 32nd International Quran competitions. The participants included instructors, reciters and memorizers of the Holy Quran.

We should establish a close relationship with the Holy Quran. Reciting the Holy Quran is an introduction, not a goal. The goal is to follow the Holy Quran.

The Holy Prophet's (peace be upon him and his Household) behavior was the Holy Quran. This means that he was the manifestation of the Holy Quran. Our behavior, our conduct and our personal temperament should be based on the Holy Quran. This is necessary. Reciting the Holy Quran is an introduction and it is not the only necessary task. Besides individuals, our society and our living environment should become Quranic as well.

Today, the world of Islam is suffering from weakness, poverty, discord and domestic wars. Today, it is using its great resources and forces against itself. This has been imposed on the world of Islam. The Holy Quran wants to liberate us from the pressure of these impositions.

We should learn the Holy Quran and establish a close relationship with it and submit to it. We should show determination in order to move towards Quranic goals. If we do so, then we can reach that point. If we take one step forward, Allah the Exalted will give us great power. This is what Muslim peoples should understand today. They should understand it. We should take one step forward and experience this.

We have experienced it. We people of Iran have experienced it. We did not surrender to the enemies of Islam and the Holy Quran and we resisted. This was why God gave us power. The more we resisted the more powerful and capable we became and the more hopeful we became about the future. This is the cure for the world of Islam.

One of the things that the enemies of Islam have always pursued in the Islamic Ummah - today too, they pursue it in a very serious way - is to create discord. This should be prevented. Any throat that speaks in favor of discord is the enemy's megaphone, whether knowingly or unknowingly. We should take care not to let our throats become the enemy's megaphone and stimulate discord. Denominational and nationalistic discord, Shia and Sunni discord, Arab and non-Arab discord, discord among different countries and discord among ethnicities and peoples are things whose fire is being ignited among Muslim societies. We should stand up against such forms of discord.

The main factor is our determination and willpower. Foresight and determination are two other main factors. First of all, we should have foresight so that we can identify enemies and friends. Today, there are certain Islamic countries in which officials do not have foresight. They cannot differentiate between friends and enemies. They consider enemies to be friends and friends to be enemies.

If there is foresight, if we identify the path in the correct way and if we show determination and willpower, then the path will be taken easily. God's assistance means this: "if you help the cause of Allah, He will help you". What can we say which is clearer than this? "If you help the cause of Allah, He will help you and make firm your feet" [The Holy Quran, 47: 7]. God's assistance means this. It means that we should find and follow God's path and avoid giving in to the enemy's plots, tricks and impositions. It is the Holy Quran that provides this for us.

Our annual Quranic gathering is thankfully a successful gathering. The Holy Quran has gradually been revived in our society. The lovers and followers of the Holy Quran and those who establish a close relationship with it are thankfully increasing in our society on a daily basis.

How can a person who is not familiar with Quranic teachings, who does not pay careful attention to the Holy Quran and who does not establish a close relationship with it provide guidance in a society that wants to move forward on the basis of the Holy Quran? Our intellectuals should become familiar with the Holy Quran. Our youth too should become familiar with the Holy Quran and get closer to it. When the mind becomes full of Quranic teachings then: "The pitcher pours what it contains" [The collected poems of Sheikh Bahai].

When the mind becomes rich with Quranic concepts, this will show its effects in one's words, actions, decision-making - big decisions - and behavior. This is the goal that we are pursuing. The officials of the country should continue to pay serious attention to the issue of the Holy Quran. You should not underestimate this issue. You dear youth - who are taking the path of learning, reciting and getting close to the Holy Quran - should pursue this path in a serious way. The Holy Quran clarifies the future for us. It shows the straight path to us and it makes us happy.

As we said, today, the world of Islam is suffering from many weaknesses, but the movement towards Islam and the Holy Quran has fortunately begun in Islamic societies. The Islamic Awakening, which showed itself in regional countries, cannot be destroyed. This Awakening will continue to exist and thrive and by Allah's favor, it will show its effects in the future. The Islamic Awakening is a reality. By Allah's favor, this reality will show itself on a daily basis.

I hope that Allah the Exalted will make you successful and approve of your actions. I hope that by Allah's favor, Muslim countries and peoples will benefit from the Holy Quran. I hope that God willing, Muslim governments and rulers will get close to the Holy Quran in action, not just in words. I hope that by Allah's grace, the world of Islam will experience a happy future in the shade of the Holy Quran.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings