Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, called the annual Hajj Pilgrimage a great opportunity and God’s grace and blessing, stressing that a fitting expression of gratitude for this great divine bounty is to properly appreciate it and make maximum use of this unique chance.”

Speaking to the officials and personnel of the recently concluded Hajj Pilgrimage on Monday, he deemed the real capacities and potentials of the Hajj Pilgrimage higher than what they are at present, adding, “One of the great opportunities of Hajj is that it is a grand locale for further promotion of the Islamic ideology based on “unity of religiosity and politics”, and “presence of religion in different scenes of life”.

The Leader said: It is the appropriate place to accurately and correctly offer the pure Islamic teachings to those who have thirst for such realities.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, pointing to the role and behavior of the Iranian pilgrims in introducing the realities of Iran to fellow Muslims, he reiterated: “An Iranian pilgrim should be the symbol of a devout, polite, dignified, disciplined person who is kind to others and believes in Islamic brotherhood; this practical preaching is more effective than any word or discourse.

Ayatollah Khamenei also added, “Hajj programming should be conducted in a way that a Hajj pilgrim could gain the best spiritual benefit from the holy Qur’an, prayers, supplications and Islamic teachings during his presence in the land of revelation.”

Before Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks, the Leader’s representative for Hajj affairs, Hojjatoleslam Qazi Askar, delivered a report in which he pointed to the efforts by Hajj officials to implement the Leader’s guidelines to promote the cultural-spiritual aspect of the Hajj pilgrimage.