Text of the speech by Sayyid Al-Hakeem on Iraqi Martyr’s Day from the shrine of Shaheed Al-Mihrab “May Allah Sanctify His Soul”, in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf on the first of Raja, 1444H, 2023
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
"Oh God, we want a genuine state with which Islam and its people would be cherished and Hypocrites are exposed, make us the ones who call people to obey your will, lead on your path, and grant us dignity in life and after".
May mercy be upon the immortal Shaheed Al-Mihrab, and may mercy be upon Aziz Al-Iraq
May peace be upon the Reference’s Ambassador, Martyr Mohammed Mahdi Al-Hakeem, the anniversary of his martyrdom coincides with the anniversary of the martyrdom of Shaheed Al-Mihrab this year.
May peace be upon the martyrs who sacrificed themselves praying for their lord, alongside Shaheed Al-Mihrab on a blessed day, in a blessed month, and a blessed land.
May peace be upon the zealous free, who spent their lives serving their country and people, and defending their values, religion, and principles.
May peace be upon the martyrs of Iraq, and mention in particular, the leaders of victory, Haj Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, Iraq’s guest, General Qassim Suleimani. The anniversary of Shaheed Al-Mihrab coincides with the 3rd anniversary of the crime of their assassination alongside their Mujahideen comrades “May Allah’s mercy be upon them”.
May peace be upon Shaheed Al-Mihrab’s wife, who followed him with patience on his 20th anniversary.
May peace be upon you, sons of Shaheed Al-Mihrab, men, women, elders, and youth.
May peace be upon you among our two dearest symbols, Shaheed Al-Mihrab and Aziz Al-Iraq.
On the first day of Rajab, the Iraqi Martyr’s Day, and your martyrdom day, here come the masses that believe in their love of Iraq, and their loyalty to the principles and the projects you died for.
Temptations didn’t deter them, nor words stopped them from being steadfast in their loyalty and project.
They meet again against all the odds and challenges and the storms and turns. They continue to face it with insight, determination, and fortitude.
Here are your men and women who have experienced the fields. They fought as if they were lions. Without fear in using their righteous might.
They fear nothing when it comes to their project, they prove it with actions or words.
They're renewing the covenant. We renew the covenant with them to march the path, support the oppressed, and serve our people and people until the last breath.
Your children have faced suspicion, and are determined to continue the path until victory is achieved.
They're men of actions, positions, values, and principles.
Iraq is in luck to have them. We congratulate their people, families, and movement on their steadfastness.
Sons and daughters of Shaheed A-Mihrab...
My family, my brothers, my sons. In all of beloved Iraq’s governorates…
Every year, we welcome this long-standing national occasion.
We gather and meet to review the situation and figure out the paths.
In this context, I would like to focus on fundamental points in our social, cultural, and political work, which I recommend to myself and you, my beloved to adhere to:
First: adherence to truth, even though non-to-little adhere to it. The Immortal Shaheed Al-Mihrab saw himself as obliged to determine the vision, path, and method before proceeding. And adhere to the righteous side, no matter the challenges, risks, and limitations. In his vision, the truth is to be followed first. So, he recommended to his children and his lovers the need to uphold the good faith and sincerity of intentions, and to follow the guidance of scholars and jurists in their daily lives away from the hustle and bustle of events and variables.
At Shaheed Al-Mihrab’s School, it is the Good Group is the one that cares about its faith, constants, and principles above all. Even if they were abandoned alone to fight for it. Righteousness, truth, principle, and doctrine are necessary even if the people who have them were a small group. So, I call upon you to follow this principle and not be afraid of wasting a few opportunities or interests for the sake of principles and constants.
You must clarify what are the right, principles, and constants of others. This is for mutual trust and respect and is also a prayer for Allah’s contents. The nation will support men with principles more than men with interests.
Second: adherence to social, political, and Movement work ethics, in addition to the individual ethics systems.
Redressing, patience, honesty, modesty, and serving others are moral obligations I n politics and life in general.
Shaheed Al-Mihrab used to see politics as one of the most honorable works and the most dangerous. The honor of politics is adherence to principles and ethics. The danger of politics is neglecting that. We are advocates of the religionization of politics and not politicizing of religion.
The means must be drawn from the objectives. Honorable, noble, and doesn’t negate constants and ethics.
Al-Hikma National Movement took it upon themselves to be a model of peace, moderation, openness, and active presence in the nation. Al-Hikma National Movement also adhered to dealing with partners and friends, even rivals, with honesty, just, virility, and fidelity. This is a method we take pride in and forever adhere to it.
We learned from the school of Ahl Al-Bayt “PBUT” that we mustn’t return adversity with adversity, sin with sin, nor lies with lies. No matter how badly we were wronged, no matter the lies or accusations.
- Today we suffer from a few trying to deprive our society of values, morals, and constants. I address them and say: our people, despite your desperate attempts, show generosity, originality, and roots to the world at every opportunity, affirming their adherence to its social, moral, and values systems despite the intruders, and those who seek chances.
- Honorable sons and daughters of Al-Hikma, adhere to your ethics, values, wisdom, moderation, and your religious, clan, and social roots. Fear no one of words nor actions. Victory is the ally of the steadfast, the wise, the ethical, the religious, and the one who upholds values and origin.
Third: loving the homeland and adhering to the roots, soil, and the Iraqi national unifying identity. Shaheed Al-Mihrab fostered unity, nationality, and the Iraqi identity with all of its urban, humanitarian, and Islamic roots.
Our Iraq, is the country of prophets, imams, scholars, scientists, and sanctities. Iraq of civilization, culture, arts, and fine arts. Iraq of co-existence, moderation, hospitality, bravery, generosity, and history.
Al-Hikma’s sons must always be messengers of peace, advocates of co-existence, platforms of moderation, and pillars of unity in this country, and they must adhere to their original Iraqi identity as a reflection of their principles, constants, and giving.
- Regarding the national level, one of the reasons to support and aid the current governmental procedures, although we do not participate in the government, is our belief in the necessity of supporting the political path and disallowing wasting unity and national integration efforts.
- The new government, headed by our brother Al-Sudani has begun, “praise the lord”, with effective, assertive, and field steps towards implementing the government program and ministry approach with published time frames. We believe that our brother, Al-Sudani, owns the honest will and intentions to achieve more structural reforms in the necessary fields of administration, service, security, economy, and finance. We also affirm supporting these steps and hope for its continuation with the same strength to turn to a new page of stability, building the state, and strengthening its institutions.
We declare our support for this government and will seek to support it to succeed in its mission, even if we’re outside of the government formation. Our support of the government program isn’t attached to our governmental representation. Yet, our obligation towards it is the same as the obligation of the citizen who supports, aid, and observe.
We affirm our support for every political or governmental procedure that aims to enhance the stability of the country, enhance social and economic development opportunities, and confront youth unemployment with tangible realistic solutions.
Without first having political stability, no building, investment, or economy will be fit for our country.
No government can succeed without real political support to stand by its correct positions and helps reform the desired paths. We have seen sound steps taken by the government in many fields within a short period of assuming its responsibility.
Yet, there is more to come, facing several challenges that must be reckoned with and need decisive, swift, and bold procedures to address them. We will list a highlight of them:
- Legal and judicial efforts must be focused on combating corruption, curbing money smuggling, and everything that destabilizes the Iraqi Dinar against the US Dollar. As well as figuring out the supports and beneficiaries of these crimes. No one is above the law and this should never be allowed no matter the cost.
- Focusing on completing strategic and infrastructure projects. Real achievement is through preparing the foundation for rebuilding and finishing the primary steps for big projects to start from. The sole winner is the one who paves the way for success for others and establishes its support pillars.
- Sound preparation for governorates councils’ elections, through legislating a just law, and assertive executive procedures for fair and transparent elections.
The current situation of all governorates can’t be improved or reformed without free and fair elections where all Iraqi can have equal and just opportunities.
So, I call upon the legislative and executive powers to seriously reconsider reinstating governorates councils with sound mechanisms that build avoiding past mistakes, without burdening the state. And opens the doors for voluntary social work to serve the districts and sub-districts. The governates councils can be a real test for those qualified who want to become a candidate for any election, political, or executive mission.
We must promote a culture of social service, and present it as one of the first criteria to assume executive and political positions. There are many experiences of people and countries who succeeded in this field, which we can study to learn its mechanisms and benefit from them in what goes in line with the Iraqi reality and environment.
Fourth: combating drugs which have become a plague that eats fast through our society and youth.
This requires collaborative efforts starting from a way to safeguard society from the dangers of this plague, drying up the sources of the crime, punishing drug dealers, and helping addicts with their addiction. This means doubling the governmental efforts on this sensitive issue.
Fifth: addressing unemployment and benefit from the unemployed youth energies through active procedures in the public and private sectors to employ and activate as much as possible of the country’s labor.
Today, Iraqi families face unemployed youth, delayed from their normal life stages i.e., starting a family, financial independence, and career stability. in addition, this delay causes drifting toward drugs or worse, organized crime. So, we demand serious work to find a swift and working solution to this dilemma and invest the energies of our youth to build their home and society.
Sixth: solve the housing issue through broad solutions i.e., granting lands, providing infrastructure for new residential areas through legalization and provision of services, and completing low-cost investment housing complexes.
Seventh: Improving the living and health conditions of the dignified pensioners who have given their lives, youth, and safety to this nation and its service, and it is their right for their State to honor and preserve their rights and ensure their stability.
Eighth: following up on the perished and limited income who suffer harsh living conditions, so we call upon the Government to pursue a package of urgent measures to combat poverty and advocate for the poor.
Ninth: Families of martyrs and wounded who deserve more attention, follow-up, care, and activation of relevant laws and regulations by granting them parcels of land and facilities, and essential services.
Tenth: Strengthening political, cultural, economic, security, and scientific relations with neighboring States, the region, and the world to serve Iraq's interests first, promotes our country's growth and the prosperity of the countries of the region, the world, and its peoples, and contributes to the establishment of balanced regional and international partnerships that underpin the region's stability and move it away from the specter of differences and conflicts that have plagued us for decades.
We have been very encouraged by the success of the 25th Gulf Cup tournament in Basra Al-Fayha. It is a successful start to the return of our Gulf and Arab people and brothers.
Appreciation to the Federal Government, the local Government of Basra, our brilliant national team that was the highlight of this tournament, and all the sincere national efforts that have been put forward to make this glorious tournament a success.
We made a promise to our people before Allah to complete the march of martyrs and mujahideen. Under the banner of our wise Reference. To complete the journey of change, reform, and construction with the help of our young, loyal, and zealous sons of our beloved country.
O, Loyal sons, sons and daughters of Shaheed Al-Mihrab, and Aziz Al-Iraq.
You must follow Allah in your homeland. You must follow Allah in your people. You must follow Allah in following your references, scholars, and the families of your martyrs. They are your support, credit, and compass toward a safe, independent, stable, and prosperous Iraq.
May Allah’s Peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
