By; Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
    
Today, the 23rd of blessed Ramadhan, could rightly be called the start of a new year in the life of every person, of every faith, and even of the faithless (atheists, agnostics), although it is not the beginning of any calendar year in any country, since last night was culmination of the previous two alternate nights (21st & 19th) of the month of fasting known as "Laylat-al-Qadr”, on which angels descend with God’s decree for determining the year-long destiny of mankind – with flexibility, of course, depending on a person’s intentions and deeds, whether good or bad.
It means, whether one is conscious and realizes the significance of these nights to engage in prayers, recitation of Surahs of the holy Qur’an, supplications in the Divine Court, and doing of various other good deeds in the interests of family, friends and society; or whether one is neither the least aware of the "Laylat-al-Qadr”, nor believes in it, there is no avoidance with whatever prosperity/misery; success/failure; profit/loss; fortune/misfortune; health/disease; life/death; and victory/defeat decreed in the celestial realm.
It is, however, not fixed and rigid predestination, since the All-Wise and All-Merciful God has the Infinite Power to make necessary alterations when we repent, reform, and sincerely beseech Him. Vice-versa is the case of those who drift away, although it should not be forgotten that the above mentioned factors, whether seemingly good or bad, could be part of the yearly divine tests and tribulations to test the degree of our faith and gratitude, and definitely not permanent parameters for complete success or total loss.
Nevertheless relentless efforts and the spirit of resolute resistance are required, coupled with patience and confidence to ride over the hardships.
The Iranian Muslim nation has thus emerged ‘newborn’ from last night’s vigil till the break of dawn – many in the huge gatherings at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad, of Hazrat Ma’soumah (SA) in Qom, of Seyyed Abdul-Azim al-Hasani (AS) in Tehran, of Seyyed Ahmad Shah Cheragh (AS) in Shiraz, and of the Imamzadehs that dot the country, as well as the sacred Jamkaran Mosque dedicated to the Awaited Imam, and all other mosques and hussainiyahs.
The outcome is a nation spiritually soothed, morally motivated, culturally cleansed, socially solaced, politically prudent, industrially energetic, and militarily mobilised, for confidently facing the unfolding events and developments till the third part of next Ramadhan, including Washington’s doomed economic terrorism and flexing of its self-defeatist over-inflated military muscles.
Besides beseeching God for perfection of faith, salvation in afterlife, and remedy for personal problems, including start of new life for those stricken by floods and quakes, Iranians unanimously sought solution in the Divine Court to the current economic conditions of the country and victory over Global Arrogance, especially the Great Satan US, and its devilish minions, such as the Zionists, and the heretical Wahhabis who are behind all acts of sectarian sedition and terrorism in the region.
Similar were the scenes last night in lands where the followers of the School of Jurisprudent of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) dwell, including Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and parts of mainland Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, etc.; where Islamic solidarity, peace, stability, and of course, freedom from the tentacles of the enemies of Islam, were the main social themes of the fervent prayers, with the holy Qur’an placed over the heads of the supplicants and hands raised towards heaven.
Perhaps the skeptics may ask: What have these spiritual gatherings brought for Iran?
The answer is obvious to anyone with even an iota of insight. The past forty years of the independence of Iran and its spectacular progress in almost all fields, despite the plots and sanctions of enemies, are firm proof of God’s Grace upon the Islamic Republic, whose scientific ingenuity, defence capability, and growing political-cultural influence the US has utterly failed to rollback and mistakenly thinks it can browbeat Iranians into submission.
Even the natural disasters that struck parts of the country recently were a blessing a disguise, when one evaluates the degree of damage and compares it to the far more benefits the rains brought by filling up reservoirs, replenishing almost dried out springs, greening the barren lands, and providing new life to agro-industries and the livestock. Scores of billions of dollars could not have revived these vital lifelines of the nation.
Cast a look around the region to assess the determining power of the "Laylat al-Qadr” which enabled Lebanon’s legendry anti-terrorist movement the Hezbollah to force the Zionist occupiers to retreat; which breathed resolve in the Gazans to blunt the repeated attacks of the cowardly Israelis who in 1967 had defeated the national armies of four Arab countries in six days; which infused confidence in the Ansarallah to prevent the Wahhabi bid to overrun Yemen; which inspired Syria to defeat the macabrely murderous takfiri terrorists; and which freed Iraqis from the tyranny of Saddam, energized them to force the US to pull out its occupations troops, and then helped them vanquish the Saudi-supported terrorists.
The list of God’s Favours is long and unending, for which we should feel grateful, as Iran strives with confidence without the least fear toward the promised goal in the new spiritual year that has definitely sealed the fate of Trump and his team of thugs, as well as of the Zionists and their Wahhabi cousins.