The Martyrs of Amol, and a Farewell Seventy Years in the Making
Honouring 398 fallen soldiers of the Iranian Army, Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli mourns the martyred Leader — a friend since the day he first entered Qom
Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli has paid tribute to 398 martyrs of the Iranian Army in a video message to a commemoration ceremony in the northern city of Amol, honouring the fallen while mourning a friendship of seventy years brought to an end by the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Among the martyrs he singled out was Major General Sayyed Masoud Monfared Niyaki — a freethinking and widely respected figure of Amol’s noble Sadat lineage who, the Grand Ayatollah said, pursued a military career and ultimately attained the lofty station of martyrdom.
He recalled, too, an earlier generation of the city’s martyrs: the 1981 uprising in which the people of Amol defended their city against an enemy attack and offered forty of their own, an episode recorded in the political-divine testament of Imam Khomeini.
“The Iranian nation has never initiated aggression,” he said, “but it will give no quarter to any invader.”
‘A 70-year companionship is not a small thing’
The message’s most affecting passage came when the Grand Ayatollah, visibly choked with emotion, turned to the martyred Leader — not as a figure of state, but as the friend he had known longest.
“We express our gratitude to the Supreme Leader and pray for our own martyr,” he said. “This dear friend of ours — from the day I entered Qom seventy years ago, despite a slight age difference, we were friends until now. A 70-year companionship is not a small thing. For a person to lose a friend of seventy years, it is no small loss.”
The companions of Karbala
Placing the martyrs of Amol within a longer lineage, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli affirmed:
“Our country and nation are Hussaini. The spirit that manifested in Imam Hussein’s uprising is alive and flowing among our people today.”
He recounted the sacrifice of Saeed ibn Abdullah Hanafi on the Day of Ashura as an enduring example of loyalty to Wilayah and the defence of truth, saying the secret of Ashura’s endurance lies in the sincerity and self-sacrifice of the Imam’s companions — a magnetic force that still draws millions to the Arbaeen pilgrimage.
The presence and sacrifice of ordinary people in defence of their country, he added, was itself a manifestation of divine support, citing the Quranic verse “It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers” (al-Anfal 8:62). The spontaneous mobilisation of men, women, the young and the old was, he said, that promise made visible.
How the martyrs fought
The Grand Ayatollah also spoke of the conduct required of those who take up arms. Citing a narration from Imam Sadiq (AS) that the Prophet Muhammad (S) never launched surprise night raids on his enemies, he said:
“We are students of a divine school unparalleled in time and space. The Holy Prophet, despite facing enemies intent on killing him, never launched a night raid. Islam is a religion of chivalry and nobility, instructing us to fight even disbelievers with integrity, never deviating from humane and divine principles.”
Imam Ali (AS), he noted, would delay battle as long as possible through dialogue and negotiation, preferring to begin later in the day so that the noon hour of divine mercy and the approach of night might limit the bloodshed — unless the enemy struck first and defence became imperative.
Gratitude, and a plea for calm
Thanking those who had held the ground, he said: “We appreciate each and every one of you — elders, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons,” extending his gratitude also to the officials who had safeguarded the struggle.
He closed by urging security, calm, and unity. “God forbid we take a path that lacks divine approval. Never let a displeasing word leave your pure lips. If there is an opinion or a plan, it must be voiced in a friendly atmosphere. Let this country be administered with total calm and security, so that we may deliver this Islamic system to its true owner.”
His final words were a prayer for the martyrs — for Imam Khomeini, for the late president, and for all who have fallen — asking God to resurrect them with Imam Husayn (AS), and to bestow His special grace upon their mothers and their families.
Reference: ABNA24