Statement by Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim on the Occasion of the Funeral Procession and Burial of Imam Ali Khamenei

Statement by Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim on the Occasion of the Funeral Procession and Burial of Imam Khamenei (May Allah Sanctify His Soul)

Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim has issued the following statement on the occasion of the funeral procession of the martyred leader, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei (may Allah sanctify his soul):

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Reality itself bears witness. Through the revolutionary and self-sacrificing slogans raised in the arenas of the Revolution and the public squares throughout the Islamic Republic of Iran; through the immense multitudes and vast crowds expressing a profound creed, deeply rooted awareness, a living conscience, an awakened spirit, sincere and widespread readiness for sacrifice, and an eager race toward the battlefields in the hope of securing Islam’s victory and attaining the honor of martyrdom—this reality bears witness that there exists in Iran a people whose first and ultimate allegiance belongs solely to Allah, His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and to Islam.

From this allegiance—which constitutes the very foundation—flows loyalty to the Islamic political order and to the rightful, righteous Islamic leadership. From it also springs the willingness to sacrifice wealth, blood, and life itself, and the wholehearted eagerness to attain martyrdom.

This allegiance does not waver even when hearts are stricken by the loss of a guiding sun such as Imam Khamenei, a leader to whom hearts had become wholly devoted. The absence of such a leader, or of others like him, does not extinguish his guidance, diminish his light, lessen the love people bear for him, or bring an end to his leadership over minds, hearts, and souls.

May Allah bless you, O faithful and free people of Iran, for He has chosen you, through His grace and generosity, to bear the banner of Islam in this age, offering everything precious and dear for the sake of keeping it raised, victorious, guiding, and pre-eminent in the service of monotheism, justice, goodness, security, and peace.

O noble people, none but the ungrateful could ever forget your benevolence, your struggle, and your sacrifices for the salvation of the Muslim Ummah and of humanity.

The sincerity of your faith, your courage, your generosity, and your sacrifices shall remain a beacon for the peoples of the Ummah and of the world, guiding them toward the truth and the straight path.

Today, you, together with the believing Ummah and the free people of the world, with bleeding hearts and eyes overflowing with tears, commit Imam Khamenei to the earth, bearing witness to the greatness of his path, the nobility of his spirit, the purity of his heart, the radiance of his intellect, and the purity of his life and conduct.

The day on which the Imam is laid to rest in his blessed grave—while the hearts of the believers, the oppressed, and the free people of the world remain captivated by the spiritual beauty bestowed upon him by Allah, the Almighty—will further establish within noble human souls the truth of Islam, its capacity to guide human life, and its ability to fulfill humanity’s true purpose and genuine happiness with justice and sincerity. It also confirms that humanity has no true savior apart from Islam.

It has now become evident to every fair-minded observer that legitimate leadership, according to the Islamic understanding, even if its official and practical realization is presently confined to a single country, is universal in the realms of intellect, heart, and spirit, and that the world is steadily moving toward embracing it.

There is yet another matter affirmed by the number and diversity of the peoples who took part in the farewell and funeral ceremonies of the martyred Imam, despite the wishes of a number of hostile governments.

This remarkable participation, taking place under such sensitive circumstances and amid an arrogant media campaign directed against the Islamic Republic and its noble leadership—represented by the leadership of the martyred Imam and by its continuation in the leadership of Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei—constitutes a powerful and unequivocal practical testimony to the unity of the Muslim peoples, contrary to what a number of official regimes that impose their domination upon them desire. It also reflects those peoples’ aspiration for the sovereignty of Islam, their readiness to raise its banner, sacrifice in its cause, and place their allegiance to it above every other allegiance, whether to those near or far.

Ethnic, national, linguistic, territorial, and even sectarian differences—as well as particular interests—have dissolved and will continue to dissolve ever more completely before loyalty to Islam and to the Islamic political order and leadership that arise from it.

Every attempt made by regimes and factions hostile to Islam, whether from within the Muslim Ummah or beyond it, is destined to end in failure before the global Islamic advance. Humanity will ultimately return to sound judgment by giving precedence to Islam over every other doctrine, principle, and system.

Isa Ahmad Qassim

24 Muharram 1448 AH

9 July 2026