Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli has reaffirmed the bond between the Iranian people and the culture of Ashura, saying the spirit of Imam Husayn’s uprising (AS) remains alive among them today.

The senior cleric was speaking in a video message to a commemoration ceremony in the northern city of Amol for 398 martyrs of the Iranian Army. He paid tribute to all of them, singling out Major General Sayyed Masoud Monfared Niyaki — a freethinking and widely respected figure from Amol’s Sadat lineage who, he said, pursued a military career and ultimately attained martyrdom.

The culture of sacrifice is not confined to any one region, he said: “The Iranian nation has never initiated aggression, but it will give no quarter to any invader.” He recalled the 1981 uprising in Amol, when residents defended their city, and forty were killed after an enemy attack — an episode recorded in Imam Khomeini’s political-divine testament.

‘Islam is a religion of chivalry’

Much of the message concerned the conduct of war. Citing a narration from Imam Sadiq (AS) that the Prophet Muhammad (AS) never launched surprise night raids on his enemies, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli said:

“We are students of a divine school unparalleled in time and space. The Holy Prophet, despite facing enemies intent on killing him, never launched a night raid. Islam is a religion of chivalry and nobility, instructing us to fight even disbelievers with integrity, never deviating from humane and divine principles.”

He noted that Imam Ali (AS) would delay the start of battle as long as possible through dialogue and negotiation, preferring to begin later in the day so that the noon hour of divine mercy and the approach of night might limit the bloodshed — unless the enemy struck first and defence became imperative.

The presence and sacrifice of ordinary people in defending the country, he said, was a manifestation of divine support, citing the Quranic verse “It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers” (al-Anfal, Chapter 8, The Spoils of War, Verse 62). The spontaneous mobilisation of men, women, the young and the old, he said, was that promise made visible.

The magnetism of Ashura

“Our country and nation are Husayni,” the Grand Ayatollah affirmed. “The spirit that manifested in Imam Husayn’s uprising is alive and flowing among our people today.”

He recounted the sacrifice of Saeed ibn Abdullah Hanafi on the Day of Ashura as an enduring example of loyalty to Wilayah and the defence of truth, saying the secret of Ashura’s endurance lies in the sincerity and self-sacrifice of the Imam’s companions — a magnetic force that still draws millions to the Arbaeen pilgrimage.

He thanked the people for their steadfastness: “We appreciate each and every one of you — elders, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons — who have held the ground,” adding his gratitude to the officials who had safeguarded the struggle.

A friendship of seventy years

In the message’s most affecting passage, the Grand Ayatollah — visibly choked with emotion — spoke of his friendship with the martyred Leader of the Revolution.

“We express our gratitude to the Supreme Leader and pray for our own martyr,” he said. “This dear friend of ours — from the day I entered Qom seventy years ago, despite a slight age difference, we were friends until now. A 70-year companionship is not a small thing. For a person to lose a friend of seventy years, it is no small loss.”

He closed by underlining the importance of security, calm, and national unity as the country’s most pressing needs. “God forbid we take a path that lacks divine approval,” he urged. “Never let a displeasing word leave your pure lips. If there is an opinion or a plan, it must be voiced in a friendly atmosphere. Let this country be administered with total calm and security, so that we may deliver this Islamic system to its true owner.”

He ended with prayers for the martyrs, for Imam Khomeini and the late president, asking God to resurrect all martyrs with Imam Husayn (AS) and to bestow special grace upon their mothers and families.

Reference: ABNA24