In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds and peace and blessings be upon the Great
Messenger of God, Muhammad al-Mustafa and upon his Pure Progeny and
upon his chosen Companions.
The Abrahamic call to Hajj and his universal invitation have once again
addressed the entire world from the heart of history, making eager and excited
the hearts that are ready and which remember.
The invitation is addressed to all human beings: “And proclaim the Hajj to all the
people” (Holy Quran 22:27). The Kaaba is the blessed host and a guide for all
people: “Indeed, the first house to be set up for humankind is the one at Bakkah
[Kaaba], blessed and a guidance for all nations” (Holy Quran 3:96).
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. Hajj can bless all humanity with spiritual and moral elevation, and
this is the vital need of humankind today.
Hajj can annul and render ineffectual all the plans of the Arrogant Powers and
Zionism for the moral downfall of humanity – today and in the future.
That which is a necessary condition for the occurrence of this universal impact is
that as a first measure Muslims themselves should properly hear the life-giving
message of Hajj and do their utmost to implement it.
The two main foundations of this message are “unity” and “spirituality.” Unity
and spirituality are what guarantee the material and spiritual advancement of
the Islamic world and its enlightening 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, definite enemies. Unity means that the plots
designed by the enemy cannot 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 acquaint the people
with each other’s commonalities, and encourage coexistence and brotherhood.
Unity also means that 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 WWI to be repeated.
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 should be learned from the Hajj
rituals, from the simplicity that exists in Ihram, from the negation of illusory
privileges, from “feeding the destitute and the needy,” from “there is to be no
sexual contact, vicious talk, or disputing,” from the circumambulation of the
entire Ummah around the axis of monotheism, from the Stoning of the Devil
[shaytān], and from the Disavowal of the Polytheists [mushrikīn].
My brothers and sisters who are performing the Hajj! Take advantage of the
opportunity that Hajj provides to contemplate and ponder on the secrets and
mysteries of this unparalleled obligatory action 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. The US and other centers of Arrogance are strongly opposed to the
unity of Muslims, to the understanding between nations, countries, and Islamic
governments, and to the religiosity and commitment to religion of the younger
generation in these nations. They are intensely opposed to these and they will
fight these with any means they can. It is the duty of all of us, the duty of all
nations, and the duty of our governments to stand against this evil scheme of the
US and Zionist regime.
Ask the All-knowing, All-powerful God for help. Strengthen the spirit of
“Disavowal of the Polytheists” in yourselves, and oblige yourself to spread and
strengthen this spirit in the environment where you are living.
I ask Almighty God to grant all of you Iranian and non-Iranian pilgrims, success
and an accepted and blessed Hajj, and I wish for all of you the accepted prayers
of the great Vestige of Allah remaining on earth [Imam Mahdi (aj)] – may our
souls be sacrificed for him.
May God’s greetings and mercy be upon you.
Sayyid Ali Khamenei
Dhu al-Hijjah 6, 1444
June 25, 2023