Khamenei got martyrdom, the best gift from Allah during Ramadan: Iran leader's aide

The assassinated Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, refused to leave his Tehran residence and move to a safer place or a bunker, amid the airstrikes by the combined force of the United States and Israel. Despite repeated pleas from his associates, the erstwhile Supreme Leader stayed in his Tehran residence, saying that he would not move until the safety of all 90 million Iranians is ensured. 

Speaking about Khamenei's refusal to bunker, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, said that Khamenei achieved martyrdom in the month of Ramadan, and it was the best gift from Allah. He further mentioned that Khamenei had long aspired to attain martyrdom as the ultimate honour.

"I remember that a few months ago he repeatedly said, 'I have become an old man now, I am 86, and I am afraid that I might die in a hospital, or due to an accident or fever. That would not be good for me. I would prefer to be martyred'," Ilahi said. "The martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei and the shedding of his blood are more valuable than his continued existence in life. His martyrdom first brought unity among Muslims, both Shia and Sunni," he further explained.