Ayatollah Khamenei's Eid al-Ghadir Message: Our Strength Lies in Qiyam Lillah, Unity, and Resistance
The Leader says the enemy has shifted from military confrontation to hybrid warfare after suffering defeat, focusing on weakening public resilience and disrupting the calculations of Iranian officials
Iran, PUREWILAYAH.COM — On the occasion of Eid al-Ghadir, the 37th anniversary of the passing of Imam Khomeini, and the anniversary of the beginning of the leadership of Shaheed Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued a comprehensive message emphasizing the centrality of Qiyam Lillah (rising for the sake of God), national unity, and steadfast resistance against foreign aggression.
The message was read Thursday at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini by Hujjat al-Islam Mohammad Hassan Haj Ali Akbari.
In it, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei congratulated Muslims worldwide on Eid al-Ghadir and described Imam Ali (as) as the supreme exemplar for all believers, stating that the greatest distinction in the lives of the two leaders of the Islamic Revolution was their commitment to following the path of Amir al-Mu’minin.
Qiyam Lillah as the Foundation of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei identified Qiyam Lillah as the fundamental principle of Imam Khomeini’s school of thought and the driving force behind the major transformations witnessed in Iran over the past decades.
Referring to Imam Khomeini’s earliest revolutionary writings, he stressed that the call to rise for the sake of God awakened a nation that had been trapped under foreign domination, political repression, and dependence on Western powers.
He pointed to key historical moments—including the uprising of June 1963, the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and the massive public mobilizations following the martyrdom of Shaheed Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei—as evidence of the enduring power of this spiritual and revolutionary principle.
According to the Leader, the Iranian nation has repeatedly demonstrated extraordinary readiness to defend Islam, the Islamic system, and the values of the Resistance Front whenever called upon.
Tribute to Imam Khomeini and Shaheed Ayatollah Khamenei
The message described Imam Khomeini and Shaheed Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei as architects of a profound historical transformation extending beyond Iran to the broader Islamic Ummah and the world.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Imam Khomeini discovered and revived the latent capacities of the Iranian people, while Shaheed Ayatollah Khamenei spent nearly four decades deepening that transformation through institution-building, intellectual development, and trust in the younger generation.
He stressed that the school of Shaheed Ayatollah Khamenei is a continuation of the path of Imam Khomeini and Pure Muhammadan Islam, founded upon devotion to God, the establishment of truth, and resistance against oppression.
“The students of this school stand ready, rank upon rank, to establish truth, remove falsehood, and struggle in this luminous path,” the message stated.
Enemy Shifts to Hybrid Warfare After Military Defeat
A major portion of the message focused on what Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei described as the enemy’s transition from military confrontation to hybrid warfare.
He stated that after suffering defeat in direct confrontation with Iran’s armed forces and experiencing what he called a profound humiliation on both the battlefield and in the public sphere, the enemy has concentrated its efforts on two primary objectives.
“The wicked enemy has concentrated its efforts in hybrid warfare on two points: first, the endurance of the people; and second, causing errors in the decision-making calculations of the country’s officials.”
According to the message, the primary instruments of this campaign are the cultivation of doubt, despair, fear, suspicion, and division within society.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned that preserving national unity, mutual trust, social cohesion, and public confidence remains essential to neutralizing these efforts.
He further emphasized that any action that creates pessimism, frustration, or distrust among the people effectively serves the interests of the enemy.
Support for the Oppressed Remains a Fundamental Principle
The Leader also reaffirmed principles repeatedly emphasized by Imam Khomeini and Shaheed Ayatollah Khamenei, including support for oppressed peoples as an Islamic, human, and national duty.
He stated that the global system of domination, led by the United States, continues to oppose Iran because of its independent identity, refusal to submit, and commitment to supporting the oppressed.
The message specifically referred to Israel as a military outpost created by the system of domination and asserted that hostile powers remain determined to prevent the emergence of a strong and independent Iran.
Call to Build the Future
Concluding his message, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called on youth, intellectuals, artists, and all sectors of society to continue advancing the path laid down by Imam Khomeini and Shaheed Ayatollah Khamenei.
He described the current period as a new opportunity to introduce and realize the principles of the Islamic Revolution on a global scale, urging the nation to remain confident in divine promises and committed to building a stronger future for Iran.
The Leader prayed for the ultimate victory of the Iranian nation, the continued advancement of the Islamic Revolution, and the elevation of the souls of the two leaders of the Revolution alongside the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in defense of Islam and the nation.
The full text of the message of the Leader is as follows
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
All praise belongs to Allah, Who made the perfection of His religion and the completion of His blessing through the guardianship of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).
I congratulate all Muslims and all lovers of the Father of the Islamic Ummah, Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in Iran and throughout the world on the blessed Eid al-Ghadir, and I send greetings and salutations to the pure soul of Imam Khomeini (may Allah have mercy upon him).
This year marks the thirty-seventh 14th of Khordad since the separation from the Great Khomeini, and it is the first 14th of Khordad in which the compassionate father of the Ummah, the devoted disciple and outstanding loyal companion of Imam’s school, the great martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei (may Allah elevate his noble station), has become a guest at the Divine Banquet, and the resonance of his powerful voice and wise, penetrating words is no longer heard at the sacred shrine of Imam.
Yet the collection of the statements and writings of the founder of the Islamic Republic over ten years and of the great martyred leader over thirty-six years remains a priceless and unparalleled treasure for all of us and a guiding light for the path ahead.
Firstly, today is Eid al-Ghadir, the Greatest Divine Festival; the day of the established covenant and the taken pledge, in which God determined the responsibility for the management of society and the Islamic system, and completed the religion and perfected His blessing through the continuous guardianship and Imamate of the Infallibles (peace be upon them all).
Ghadir reminds us of one whose every moment of noble life, from his birth in the Kaaba until attaining the honor of martyrdom, was for God and in the path of God.
Accordingly, after the noble existence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), that great figure, in every period of life and for all Muslims and believers, is the supreme exemplar and a comprehensive model. It is fitting and necessary that everyone—from young children to the elderly, and from ordinary members of society to intellectuals and leaders—follow his example, just as the greatest source of pride in the lives of the two Leaders of the Revolution was precisely this emulation of that noble figure.
Secondly, today is the anniversary of the passing of the Imam of the Ummah (may Allah have mercy upon him) and a valuable opportunity to reflect upon and discuss this famous yet insufficiently understood personality.
He was a charismatic figure whose path and luminous goal, if deeply understood, serve as a guiding light for the future of Islamic Iran. Yet many members of the nation who are now young did not have the opportunity to know him directly, and even many of those who lived during his lifetime never fully grasped the depth of his personality and his path.
Allah the Exalted says:
“Say: I only exhort you to one thing—that you rise for Allah, in pairs and individually.”
In this noble verse, Allah, Blessed and Exalted, commands the Greatest Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to tell the people: “I exhort you only to one matter: that you rise for the sake of God, whether two by two or individually.”
This noble verse was the opening of the first message and one of the earliest documents in which the unparalleled servant of God and great soul of our age, the Great Leader of the Revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic, called the Iranian nation to rise for God.
Indeed, rising for God is the foundation of Imam’s school. Among the greatest effects and blessings of his existence was his guidance, education, and profound influence upon society based upon this very principle.
It was this divine movement that became the source of heavenly blessings and divine attention, and the manifestation of God’s tradition in guiding society toward the path of truth:
“And those who strive in Our cause, We shall surely guide them to Our ways.”
Is it not true that the greatest mass movements and awakenings of the Iranian nation during the eras of the Great Khomeini and the Great Martyr Khamenei occurred through their direct or indirect guidance?
What immense force could have awakened a nation that had fallen asleep under the spell of arrogance and colonialism in the conditions of repression, suffocation, and total dependence on the West, and bring it to life on the 15th of Khordad 1963?
What power of attraction could have drawn millions into the streets on 1 February 1979 to welcome Imam and on 4 June 1989 to bid farewell to the Imam of the Ummah?
And in the latest astonishing example, what firm force and iron will was it that, from the dawn of 28 February 2026, so resurrected the Iranian nation and brought it into the field that, motivated by a lofty purpose, even after more than three months they remain passionately present, seeking justice for their martyred leader and other fallen martyrs, defending the sanctity of the Islamic system and their beloved homeland, and strengthening the ranks of tens of millions of devoted followers for the realization of the ideals of their martyred leader, the establishment of truth, and rising for God?
Indeed, it was the Great Khomeini and the Great Martyr Khamenei who discovered and revived this potential and readiness within the noble Iranian nation and always held it in special esteem.
The great Imam, who undoubtedly exercised exemplary piety regarding everything that flowed from his pen, made a tremendous claim in his testament and wrote:
“I boldly claim that the Iranian nation and its millions today are better than the people of Hijaz during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and better than the people of Kufa and Iraq during the time of Amir al-Mu’minin and Husayn ibn Ali (peace and blessings be upon them).”
Today, the noble nation proudly stands with its renewed resurrection alongside the Axis of Resistance and has become a source of honor before the eyes of the aware and the free peoples of the world, once again demonstrating the truth of this passage from Imam Khomeini’s testament.
As the martyred leader (may Allah elevate his station) stated, it was that powerful hand, that steel-like personality, that tranquil heart, and that Zulfiqar-like tongue of the great Imam and the mighty Khomeini that was able to stir the vast ocean of the nation, bring millions of people into the arena, keep them there, and teach them the direction of movement.
And indeed, another example of such influence belongs to dear Khamenei himself, who followed the path of his righteous predecessor and, during nearly four decades of leadership of the Revolution and the Islamic system, by trusting the youth and deepening and elevating the people’s understanding and vision, brought society to such a level of readiness that after the great event of his martyrdom, a new standard of national resurrection emerged.
Indeed, the school of dear Khamenei is the same school as that of the Great Khomeini, continuing the path of Pure Muhammadan Islam, whose foundation is rising for God. The students of this school stand rank upon rank, prepared to establish truth, remove falsehood, and strive in this luminous path.
Imam Khomeini (may Allah have mercy upon him) was the creator of a great and historic transformation in Iran, the Islamic Ummah, and the world. The martyred leader expanded, deepened, and sustained that transformation and worked toward its perfection through institution-building and society-building.
For this reason, in addition to preserving Imam’s school through word, writing, action, and his numerous meetings, he transformed the 14th of Khordad into an annual occasion for the nation’s renewal of allegiance with Imam Khomeini and explained a comprehensive framework of Imam’s principles, policies, and intellectual foundations.
Among the teachings he frequently emphasized were that the Iranian nation is a believing, intelligent, and courageous nation; that the people are the true owners of the country and the source of its power; and that whenever the people pursue a correct transformation, they can achieve it and bring the slogan “We Can” into reality across different fields.
Another of these teachings was the necessity of supporting the oppressed as an Islamic, human, and Iranian duty, and that the system of domination, led by America, has a problem with this nation, its unique identity, and its refusal to submit.
Indeed, the system of domination, which created a military garrison called Israel nearly eighty years ago, cannot tolerate the existence of a strong and independent Iran possessing every form of advantage on the eastern border of the false and fictitious geography of Greater Israel—that is, east of the Euphrates—and leaves no effort unmade to prevent its progress.
At this point, I say to the noble nation:
The wicked enemy, having suffered defeat in confrontation with your brave sons in the armed forces, and especially because of the decisive blow it received, both on the military battlefield and in the streets, has experienced a profound and meaningful humiliation that has visibly caused countries to distance themselves from it. It has therefore concentrated its efforts in hybrid warfare on two points: first, the endurance of the people; and second, causing errors in the decision-making calculations of the country’s officials.
Its principal tool in both areas is the planting of seeds of doubt, despair, fear, suspicion, and division.
Therefore, in confronting these hostile intentions, everyone must neutralize the enemy’s sinister plans through steadfastness, awareness, preserving unity and cohesion, maintaining mutual trust, and refusing to echo the enemy’s narrative.
In this regard, the role of officials in supporting these matters is extremely important. Any action that causes distrust or disappointment among the people constitutes a form of assistance to the enemy of this country and its people.
A new opportunity has now emerged to practically introduce and realize the school of the Great Khomeini and the dear martyred Khamenei throughout the world as the oppressed yet powerful—and indeed victorious—leaders of the Islamic Revolution.
This important responsibility rests upon all members of the nation, especially the youth, intellectuals, and people of thought and art, so that, based upon this school, trusting in God’s promises, under the attention of our Master (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance), and along the path of Pure Islam—the luminous path drawn during the two hundred and fifty years of the presence of the possessors of infallibility and supreme guardianship (peace and blessings be upon them all)—they may build the bright future of beloved Iran.
I ask Almighty God to grant this resurrected nation final victory and the magnificent summits of progress and greatness; to resurrect the celestial souls of the two Leaders of the Revolution and the pure souls of the martyrs of the Islamic Revolution, especially the martyrs of the Second and Third Sacred Defense, alongside their master Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace and blessings be upon him); and to make the sacred and luminous heart of our Master, the Imam of the Age, pleased with the Iranian nation, and to grant this noble nation and its servants the benefit of his special prayers and intercession.
By His grace and generosity.
Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.
Sayyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei
14 Khordad 1405
(PW)