Leader releases message on Hajj

TABNAK, May 26 - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued a message on Tuesday, May 26, on the occasion of the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.

News ID: 7441

Date: 26 May 2026 - 11:52

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, in a message marking the Hajj season, described the rituals and remembrances of Hajj as signs for all humanity to migrate toward God Almighty.

He stated that these signs guide people to break free from the shackles of Satan and his aides, strive tirelessly to fulfill divine duties, and liberate themselves from selfish desires to achieve worldly and eternal happiness.

The following is the full text of the message, released by Khamenei.ir:

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

O God! I respond to Your call. You have no partner and all praise, all blessings and all dominion and power are from You and belong to You…

This year’s Hajj season has once again arrived and the pilgrims of the Islamic Ummah have worn the ihram of servitude, reciting the talbiyah (the call of the pilgrims during the Hajj: “Here I am in answer to your call, O Allah”) so that they may migrate from a material and mundane life to a divine and blissful life: a tawhidi (monotheistic) life centered on worshipping God, the Majestic and Exalted, and on the rejection, negation and renunciation of false deities associated with God.

But the opportunity for this migration is not limited only to this year’s visitors and pilgrims to the baytullah (holy sanctuary of Mecca). It includes all Muslim brothers and sisters of Iran and from across the world – from those who have already performed the Hajj in their past years of life to those who have not yet been granted the opportunity to undertake the rites of Hajj.

The condition for this migration is to wear the perpetual ihram  of divine remembrance, to perform a constant circumambulation (tawaf) around the Axis of Truth, to strive relentlessly (sa’i) between the momentous peaks of divine duties, to strike (rami) the evil Satan and his alluring manifestations and all his followers without cease, to stand (in vigil) in a state mixed with attention and humble supplication, to feed the disabled poor and the wayfarers, to sacrifice selfish desires and deviant inclinations and to cleanse inner impurities, and in all states, to be ready to serve and raise high the banner of defending the Truth.

And it was in this manner that the Iranian nation stepped onto the path of this very migration at the miqat (the appointed spiritual threshold where pilgrims enter the ritually purified state) of the Islamic Revolution.

They answered the Abrahamic call of the Great Khomeini, cast off the garments of submission to domination, put on the ihram of worldly and eternal felicity and with fervent cries of labbayk, sought to perform their tawaf around the pure Islamic teachings of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam), drawing near to the all-illuminating light of universal justice and the Supreme Wilayat (Divine Guardianship).

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. La ilaha illa Allah. Wa Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. Wa lillahi al-hamd. Allahu Akbar 'ala ma hadana.

(God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah. God is the Greatest. God is the Greatest. And all praise is due to Allah. God is the Greatest for what He has guided us to)

Yes, Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest) …

And it was precisely with this (divine) weapon – Allahu Akbar – that the Muslim nation of Iran rose up 47 years ago, toppling the tyrannical, dictatorial and dependent Pahlavi regime, severing the grasping hands of the greedy and arrogant United States from the country and completely eradicating Zionist influence.

It was with this very weapon – Allahu Akbar – that after the Ba’athist regime of Saddam invaded Iran’s soil, the devoted mujahideen and selfless youth forged the epic of the 8-Year Sacred Defense and put the Ba’athist regime in its place despite it being backed by all the global powers from the East to the West.

They firmly continued this steadfast resistance for years to come, in the face of economic siege, coups, unjust sanctions, and countless political, propaganda and economic attacks by enemies against the Islamic Republic.

Allahu Akbar…

It was this very weapon of Allahu Akbar that strengthened the bonds of connection of the Islamic Ummah and the young mujahideen of the Resistance Front – from Iran to Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Syria, from Africa and Yemen to Afghanistan, Pakistan and all the free nations of the world, so that this Firm Rope (habl al-matin) may rise to defend the very essence of the Islamic Ummah against the usurping Zionist aggressors, crush the agenda of Daesh (ISIS), unleash the Al-Aqsa Flood and to leave the teetering Zionist regime to gasp its final breath.

Allahu Akbar…

Yes, God the Blessed and Exalted, is greater than can be described… It was this weapon of Allahu Akbar that enabled the Islamic Republic of Iran to reduce the Zionist regime to helplessness under its crushing blows during the Second Imposed War in the month of Khordad 1404 (June 2025), to deal the American aggressor a hard slap and to thwart the enemy’s objective of subjugating Iran.

And the weapon of Allahu Akbar granted the Iranian nation such strength and power that after the heart-rending martyrdom of our illustrious Leader – the rightful successor of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei (may God elevate his noble station) at the hands of the most evil forces in the world today, that it (Iranian nation) experienced a divine bi’tha (prophetic rising up to be active on the scene) and through its all‑embracing presence in every arena where it was needed, transfixed the eyes of the world by its feats of honor.

Allahu Akbar…

Truly, God the Blessed and Exalted, transcends all description… It was this weapon of Allahu Akbar that in the Third Imposed War, secured the valiant fighters and self-sacrificing Armed Forces of Islamic Iran alongside the mujahideen of the Resistance Front – especially those in beloved Lebanon – decisive victories against the two terrorist, American-Zionist armies which were armed to the teeth.

By putting their trust in the Lord and by utilizing their missiles and drones across land, air and sea, they performed the rami (stoning) of the Great Satan, America, and its trained beast, the Zionist regime, witnessing firsthand the fulfillment of God’s true promise of victory for those who fight on His path.

And once again, Allahu Akbar…

Beyond all doubt, God the Blessed and Exalted, is greater than can be described. His forces prevail over every power… And it is with this same weapon of Allahu Akbar that in the wake of the bi’tha of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, the bi’tha of the Islamic Ummah will be forged.

Renunciation of the polytheists (the act of barā'at) will spread from the Hajj rite of stoning the pillars (rami al-jamarat) into the personal, social and political spheres of Muslims’ lives across the farthest corners of the world.

The Islamic Ummah and the nations of the region possess many shared capacities and common interests that will shape the new order and the future architecture of the region and the world. I, with sincerity and purity of intention, invite all Islamic countries and governments to friendship and cooperation in goodness, so that by working together we may take steps toward the advancement of the Islamic Ummah and the resolution of the Islamic world’s problems.

What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for US bases. The United States not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region but day by day, it is growing more distant from its former status.

The shaken Zionist regime and the cancerous tumor of Israel are likewise approaching the final stages of their wretched existence, and by God’s grace – and in accordance with the decisive and forward-looking words of our magnanimous martyred Leader (may God sanctify his pure soul) ten years ago – it will not live to see twenty‑five years after that date, God willing.

For this reason, the issue and act of renunciation of the polytheists (barā'at) carries even more significance in this year’s Hajj. Its depth and scope regarding the US and the Zionist regime extend far beyond the formal rite of renunciation (bara’at) during the Hajj season and at its miqat. In various parts of Iran and the world – and continuing well beyond these blessed days – “Down with America” and “Down with Israel” shall become the common chants of the Islamic Ummah and the world’s oppressed, especially among the youth.

The future belongs to the Islamic Ummah and the New Islamic Civilization.  Each of us can play a role in realizing this future and bringing it closer, in accordance with our resolve, capacity and sense of responsibility.

In this year’s Hajj, Iranian pilgrims have a prominent and effective role in narrating the victory of the Third Imposed War to their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters and in inspiring hope in them for a bright future.

I ask all dear pilgrims to diligently pray for the hastening of the reappearance of the Savior of Humanity -may God hasten his reappearance - and to pray for the unity of the Islamic Ummah, the liberation of Palestine and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the resolution of the great hardships facing Muslims and the attainment of final victory against Global Arrogance. I ask that you also include me in your benevolent prayers.

O Lord! Send blessings upon Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad, envelop the pilgrims and the entire Islamic Ummah with the radiance of Your mercy and compassion.

Bestow upon them the blessing of an accepted Hajj, illuminate their hearts with the rays of divine knowledge and penetrating insight and strengthen their resolve and will to move on the path of reforming the state of the Ummah and achieving final victory over the enemies of Islam.

O Lord! Send down Your boundless grace and mercy upon the pure souls of those who were martyred on the path of God – especially the martyrs of the Resistance Front and foremost among them our magnanimous, martyred Leader (may God elevate his noble station).

Grant his celestial soul abundant reward from the Hajj of the pilgrims, the worship of the worshippers and the striving of the strivers from among those who were graced by the guidance and leadership of the Leader of the Ummah, and aid the Iranian nation and the Islamic Ummah in steadfastly continuing along his path and purpose.

O Lord! Bestow Your most excellent blessings and greetings upon our master and mawla, the Awaited Imam Mahdi - may God’s blessings and peace be upon him and his pure ancestors.

Encompass all of us and the entire Islamic Ummah with his pure and accepted supplications. Illuminate and adorn the world with his blessed arrival, as You have promised, for our hearts are overflowing with certainty in that inevitable promise.

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession (to authority) on earth, just as He did for those before them and that He will firmly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will surely replace their fear with safety” (Holy Quran 24:55).

May Allah’s greetings, mercy and blessings be upon all our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei

Khordad 5, 1405

Dhul-Hijjah 9, 1447