In an interview with Hawzah News Agency in Qom, Hojatoleslam Mohammad Mehdi Taskhiri, Deputy for International Affairs at the University of Religions and Denominations, stated that the martyred leader's popularity transcended geographical borders and became a spiritual asset for Muslim nations worldwide. "His popularity was the fruit of his moral authority, his defense of the oppressed, and his deep bond with Muslim peoples. The funeral of his blessed body can become a turning point in the developments of the Islamic world and the Resistance Front," he said.
Moral Authority and Practical Sincerity: The Secret of the Leader's Transnational Influence
Elaborating on the dimensions of the martyred leader's transnational standing, Taskhiri stated, "One cannot truly offer a comprehensive analysis of the unbreakable bond between lofty human ideals and his guardianship-centered truth."
He identified the manifestation of moral authority against the hollow might of arrogance as the first factor. "His greatest asset was courage in speech and sincerity in action. At a time when many world political leaders felt compelled to accept the dominance of great powers or observe false diplomatic considerations, he proclaimed an independent Islamic identity with steadfast logic and penetrating expression. This forthrightness was a balm on the wounds of humiliation suffered by nations that had lost their identity for years under the shadow of Eastern and Western colonialism."
Balancing National Interests and Ummah Ideals
Taskhiri pointed to the simultaneous observance of national interests and transnational ideals as the second defining feature. "His dual yet convergent view of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Ummah saw Iran not as a walled fortress, but as the 'Mother of Cities of the Islamic World.' This worldview transformed him from a mere political leader into the spiritual father of the oppressed. His pronouncements in support of the downtrodden peoples of Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Kashmir were not simply political statements; they were heartfelt concerns that resonated with the souls of those nations."
Wilayah: The Link Connecting Muslim Nations Beyond Political Borders
The third factor, Taskhiri continued, is the profound bond of Wilayah (guardianship) with Muslim nations. "In societies such as Iraq, Lebanon, and Pakistan, his standing transcends the legal structures of a statesman. Many people in these lands see him as the embodiment of the justice of religious authority and the wisdom of Wilayah. When he stood with people during existential crises—such as the Daesh sedition in Iraq or natural disasters in Pakistan—with decisiveness and wisdom, and by employing capable arms like the martyred commander General Qassem Soleimani, a spiritual and emotional bond was forged between the leadership and the peoples of the region that no media propaganda of the enemy can sever."
Unity Among Islamic Schools: A Strategy for a Single Ummah
Taskhiri cited Ummah-building and the avoidance of division as another factor behind this lofty standing. "His sincere efforts to bring Islamic schools of thought closer together and prevent ethnic and sectarian strife, particularly in the civilizational sphere of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, made him the axis of unity. People across the Islamic world saw him as a figure who strode not for territorial hegemony, but for the revival of the dignity of a single Ummah."
Martyrdom: The Beginning of a New Chapter for the Resistance
Addressing the martyrdom of the leader, Taskhiri declared that his oppressed martyrdom was not the end of a path but the beginning of a crushing blow against the body of the global arrogance front. "Martyrdom is the highest degree of a leader's bond with divine ideals, and it is this sanctity of blood that will prepare the ground for liberation movements across the Islamic world to rise, more resolute and motivated than ever, to uproot the oppressors."
The Bond of Ummah and Wilayah: A Truth Beyond Material Calculations
Posing the question of whether the contemporary world is capable of solving the enigma of love for leadership through material calculations, Taskhiri asserted, "For the world's arrogant powers, who understand only the language of force and material measures, the massive and surging presence of Muslims from all corners of the globe in mourning for this sage leader is an incomprehensible phenomenon. They are incapable of grasping the truth that the bond between the 'Wali-e Faqih' and the 'Ummah' rests not on transactional equations of interest, but on 'transcendent love.' This all-encompassing love, which has crossed geographical boundaries and stretched from Lebanon to Palestine and from Iraq to every corner of Asia and Africa, points to the luminous truth of a personality who was, beyond a politician, the spiritual reference for hearts longing for truth."
A Funeral Beyond a Historic Ceremony
Taskhiri emphasized that the funeral of the martyred leader would be far more than a ceremony—it would be a manifestation of truth. "What will take place will not merely be a funeral procession; we will witness a transition from time to history. As it has been said, 'A man who thinks globally will be thought of globally.' When a leader, beyond the geographical borders of one nation, bears the heavy burden of the world's oppressed, the world, in response, finds itself bound in his mourning. This event is the rise of a 'global identity' beyond conventional nationalities."
The Funeral as Manifestation of Ummah Unity Amid Diversity
He described the funeral as heralding the collapse of the unipolar order and the reckoning of the power of the oppressed. "From the perspective of political science, this funeral will be a symbol of the paradigm shift in power, from the center of the arrogant to the margins of the oppressed," he stated.
Taskhiri linked the popular participation across Iraq and other nations to a form of historic revenge against the forces of arrogance. "This presence binds the oppression of Karbala to the oppression of the present age, just as the Holy Quran states: 'And We intend to bestow favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors.'"
He described the funeral as a political manifesto against all symbolic faces of tyranny. "From Yazid ibn Muawiyah to all contemporary tyrants—Trump, Netanyahu, and other politicians of colonial policy—all stand before this message. It signifies the moral defeat of power systems based on force in the face of the power of spirituality rising from the nations."
End of Western Hegemony, Dawn of the Age of Truth
Taskhiri concluded by declaring that the funeral of the martyred leader embodies the revival of the Karbala tradition and the bond between blood and martyrdom. "This funeral is the practical manifestation of the theory of 'martyrdom' in Islam. The link between the name 'Khamenei' and 'Hussein ibn Ali' in the consciousness of the masses conveys the message that the path of truth, from Karbala to the contemporary era, is a single, unalterable path."
"The world on this day will witness the end of the era of 'Western hegemony' and the beginning of the age of the 'emergence of truth.' This funeral is not an end, but an epistemic and historic revolution that shakes the structures of power to their core, delivers the glad tidings of the divine promise to the ears of the world, and prepares the ground for the advent of the establisher of divine justice and the eradicator of oppression and oppressors—the savior of humanity, Hujjat ibn al-Hassan al-Mahdi (PBUH)."
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