Dallas Mosque Scholar Honors Ayatollah Khamenei in Sermon

<p>An Islamic scholar at a Dallas mosque praised Iran’s slain former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as a martyr during a sermon on August 21. Sayed Jawad Wahedi, the resident scholar at the Metroplex Organization of Muslims in North Texas (MOMIN), stated that Khamenei's blood would not go to waste.</p><p>Wahedi argued that the killing of Khamenei by “the enemy” was a “huge and grave mistake” and that martyrdom would further the cause for which Khamenei lived. He emphasized that a life lived for Allah ensures that one's death is meaningful, particularly if it is a martyr's death.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shiite Scholar Jawad Wahedi Praises Khamenei in His Dallas Friday Sermon: Khamenei Yearned for Martyrdom and to Meet Allah; The Enemy Made a “Huge and Grave Mistake,” His Blood Will Not Go to Waste <a href="https://t.co/jFoSBqemJh">pic.twitter.com/jFoSBqemJh</a></p><p>— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) <a href="https://x.com/MEMRIReports/status/2095483899572854968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p>Khamenei was killed in February during a U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran, which also resulted in the deaths of several family members and injuries to his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has since succeeded him as Iran’s supreme leader. Wahedi stated, “When you live your life for Allah, purely for him, your death won’t be void, especially if you’re killed, especially if you’re martyred.”</p><p>He described Khamenei as a prime example of practicing God-consciousness and urged worshippers to study his life alongside those of other Islamic scholars and martyrs. Wahedi referred to Khamenei as “one of the best individuals” to remember and highlighted the sincerity in Khamenei's path.</p><p>Wahedi has been MOMIN’s resident Islamic scholar since 2022, having studied Islamic jurisprudence, philosophy, and Quranic studies in Qom, Iran, for nine years. He has taught for over 15 years and travels to various Islamic centers in the U.S. for lectures and sermons.</p><p>Previously, Wahedi praised Khamenei at a memorial in New York, describing him as a martyr whose death advanced the cause of Islam. He stated, “This great martyr Khamenei is indeed without a doubt, one of the greatest martyrs, and without a shred of doubt he is the greatest martyr in our era.”</p><p>Wahedi claimed that a martyr's death can achieve more than their life, saying, “Sometimes martyrs do things that their lives cannot actually do, but their blood can actually achieve something greater than even their lives.”</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://x.com/hashtag/ICYMI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICYMI</a>: Texas Shiite Scholar Jawad Wahedi at Long Island Mosque Memorial for Khamenei: His Martyrdom Served Islam More Than His Life; Mojtaba Khamenei Will Be Even Better Than His Father <a href="https://t.co/fHcFX347aD">pic.twitter.com/fHcFX347aD</a></p><p>— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) <a href="https://x.com/MEMRIReports/status/2045302288940413088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p>Wahedi attributed Khamenei’s death to the U.S. government and Israel, calling it an “attack,” “assassination,” and “terrorist attack” against a senior Shiite religious authority. He expressed that Shiites are mourning a leader who lost his life for the children of Palestine.</p><p>Wahedi also expressed confidence in Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership, stating, “We lost a great martyr, but alhamdulillah we have Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei. You will see his leadership, inshallah. He will be just like his father in some sense, even better, inshallah.”</p>