News - Middle East:  Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has sent a message to the 2022 Hajj pilgrimage, inviting Muslims around the world to turn away from what leads to “disunity and division” while also talking about Islamic awakening and resistance.

In a message published on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei named the Hajj pilgrimage as a manifestation of Muslims’ “unity and harmony”, noting that “The unity of the Muslim nation is one of the two basic foundations of the Hajj Pilgrimage.”

Pointing to the “extensive” efforts of enemies to “weaken the two life-giving elixirs of Islamic unity and spirituality”, he named “promoting a western lifestyle” as a tool that enemies typically use.

Ayatollah Khamenei further noted that this Islamic self-awareness has led to the creation of a “wondrous, miraculous phenomenon” of “Resistance”. 

He went on to name Palestine as one of the manifestations of resistance as it has been able to “bring down the rebellious Zionist regime from its state of aggression and howling to a defensive, passive stance.”

Hailing the “proud model of power and political Islamic governance in Islamic Iran”, Ayatollah Khamenei said the “stability, independence, progress, and honor” of the Islamic Republic is attracting the thoughts of “every conscious Muslim.”

According to Sayyed Khamenei , “the sovereignty of Islam in the legislative and executive branches of governance, reliance on the vote of the people in the country's most important administrative matters, [and] complete political independence and a refusal to rely on any oppressive powers” are among the basic principles in the Islamic Republic.

This trend in the Islamic world, continued Ayatollah Khamenei, is a source of worry for arrogant powers as they will “employ all their resources” to confront it. He went on to name soft warfare, inducement, intimidation, and the criminal Zionist regime among the tools used by enemies to fight Islamic awakening. 

Noting that enemies’ efforts “have failed in most cases”, he added, “the arrogant West has become weaker by the day in our sensitive region and, more recently, throughout the whole world.” 

Sayyed Khamenei stressed that the failure of the US and the Israeli regime can be seen clearly. “The distress and failure of the United States and its criminal accomplice, the usurper [Zionist] regime in the region, can clearly be seen.”
 
Below is the full text of Sayyed Khamenei's message:
In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, upon his Pure Progeny, and upon his chosen Companions.

Hajj: A symbol of the unity of the Islamic nation

Praise God, the Almighty and Wise, for once again having made the blessed month of Dhu al-Hijjah a meeting place for the Muslim nations and for having made this path of His grace and mercy available to them. The Islamic nation can once again observe its unity and harmony in this clear, timeless mirror, and [take this opportunity to] turn away from factors that lead to disunity and division.

Unity and spirituality: Basic foundations of Hajj

The unity of the Muslim nation is one of the two basic foundations of the Hajj Pilgrimage. When combined with spirituality and the remembrance of God (dhikr), which comprises the other basic foundation of this religious duty that is so full of secrets, they can lead the Islamic nation to the heights of honor and bliss. They can enable the nation to become an example of [the verse], "All might belongs to Allah and His Messenger and the believers." [Qur'an 63:8] Hajj is a combination of these two political and spiritual elements. And the sacred religion of Islam is a glorious, majestic fusion of the political and spiritual spheres