Imam Khamenei, Aug 25, 2024

In Ziyarat Ashura, you address Imam Hussain (pbuh), saying, “O Abu Abdallah! I am at peace with those who are at peace with you and at war with those who are at war with you until the Day of Judgment.” What does “until the Day of Judgment” mean? It means that this battle, the battle between the front of the followers of Imam Hussain (pbuh) and the front of people like Yazid [oppressors], is a never-ending battle. This battle is ongoing. The front of Imam Hussain (pbuh) has introduced itself. In Imam Hussain’s journey to Karbala, he clearly announced in several places what his message was and what his goal was.

He said, “The Messenger of God (pbuh) said, ‘If someone sees a tyrannical ruler who makes lawful what God has forbidden, who breaks God’s covenant … and who oppresses God’s servants with injustice and aggression [and they don’t try to change the situation with a word or a deed, God will put them in the same [evil] place as that tyrant in the Hereafter].’” [So,] the issue is that of oppression. It is that of tyranny. That is the issue.

This is the front of the followers of Hussain. It is active and fights against oppression. The opposite of this is the front of tyranny, the front of injustice, and the front that breaks the divine covenant. You can see this in the world today. These two fronts existed before the time of Imam Hussain (pbuh) too. They also existed after him, and they exist today as well. They will exist forever. In all of these [periods, Imam Hussain’s followers say], “I am at peace with those who are at peace with you,” [meaning] I am at peace with whoever is in your front, “and at war with those who are at war with you,” [meaning] I will fight against anyone who fights against your front.

This war takes place in various shapes and forms. It was carried out in one form in the era of swords and spears, and in another form in the age of atomic [technology], artificial intelligence, and so on. But it exists. In the era of propagation using poetry, odes, hadith, and spoken words, it was carried out in one way. And [now] in the era of quantum [physics], the internet, and the like, it is carried out in another way. But it exists. When a person is a university student, it appears in one form, and when people become a manager or when they have an official responsibility, it takes on another form. It exists in all circumstances. [The concept,] “I am at war with whoever is at war with you,” must not be forgotten.