Alwaght- On the sidelines of the large-scale commemoration for the martyred Iranian Supreme Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Alwaght's reporter talked to Ali Akbarov Vesal, a Russian citizen who visited Iran to take part in the mourning events that will culminate in burial service on Thursday. Vesal believes that though the martyrdom of the former leader is a big loss to the Muslim world, it opened aspects of his life, personality, and thoughts to the people of Russia, and even to the the non-Muslims.
The Russian citizen opened the conversation by explaining why he attended the funeral of the martyred leader, saying he viewed it as a religious and moral duty. According to him, Ayatollah Khamenei was never just a political leader, but also a towering, inspirational figure, and being present to bid him farewell was a profound honor.
He added that speaking about the leader's martyrdom still feels impossibly difficult.
"When we heard the news, we couldn't believe it at first. Accepting it was agonizing because he was our guiding light. Through his leadership, we distinguished right from wrong, and we saw him as the deputy of Imam Zaman (may God hasten his reappearance)," Vesal said.
He noted the massive reverberations across Russian society, saying the event pushed many people, who previously knew little about Ayatollah Khamenei, to delve into his life and ideas. Even many non-Muslim Russians, he said, grew familiar with his character, stances, and personal qualities after his martyrdom, and expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
Vesal went on to say that one of the most significant outcomes of the event was how it laid bare the leader's way of life.
He held: "Everyone saw how he lived, and that he was martyred in an ordinary place. That alone refuted years of claims about his lifestyle. Many who had been swayed by media propaganda finally saw the reality of who he was."
He maintained that even among the non-Muslims of Russia, one of the known feature of him was his honesty and behavior. Vesal said that many Russians believe that just contrary to many world politicians, Ayatollah Khamenei did what he said and there was no contradiction between his words and actions.
The Russian citizen drew a direct contrast between Iran's martyred leader and Western heads of state, saying: "Today, when people look at leaders in many countries, they see politicians who operate through deceit and lies, but the martyred leader of Iran was never like that. Even non-Muslim Russians believed he never spoke anything but the truth, never uttered a pointless word, and never said anything he didn't genuinely believe. Take Trump, for example; he is a full-blown criminal, and there is a chasm between his words and his actions. But Iran's leader always stood on the side of truth."
Vesal closed by stressing that the leader's martyrdom would not derail his followers. Muslims, he said, remain committed to his line of leadership and are confident that the Islamic Republic will continue to overcome its enemies and drive them from the region.
While the loss is irreparable for Muslims worldwide, he went on, the leader's intellectual and spiritual legacy will continue to inspire millions, and his name and ideas, after his martyrdom, will become even more widely known across the world.
