In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
" Say I exhort you unto one thing only: that ye awake, for Allah's sake, by twos and singly." «3»
In these noble words, God, the Exalted, has expressed everything from man's dark origins in nature to his ultimate destiny. It is one of the best admonitions that the Lord of the worlds has chosen and recommended to the humankind. This word (rising) is the only way of refining both worlds. It is rising for the sake of God which has led Abraham (`a), the Friend of God[ Khalil ar-Rahman ]to the position of God's friendship, and released him from the various appearances of the natural world.
" Like Khalil call for the certain knowledge [`ilm al-yaqin];
Say aloud, `I love not things that set'." «4»
It is rising for Allah's sake that caused Moses, the Interlocutor with God [Kalim Allah] to overcome the Pharaoh's entourage with a stick, topple down their throne and kingdom, and led Moses to the Beloved's tryst [miqat] and drove him to the position of s a`q «5» and s ahw. «6» It is rising for God's sake that caused the Seal of the Prophets (s) to overcome all the customs and beliefs of the Age of Ignorance [yawm al-jahiliyyah] solely by himself to abolish the idols from the House of God and to establish monotheism and piety instead; it also led that Sacred Essence [dhat-e muqaddas] to the position of `two bows length or nearer' [from God]. «7»
Selfishness and abandonment of rising for God's sake has made us this wretched, and has caused the whole world to overwhelm us and has brought Muslim countries under foreign influence. It is rising for personal interests, which has suppressed the spirit of unity and fraternity in the Islamic nation. It is rising for carnal desire that has divided the population of more than ten million Shi`ah such that they have become easy prey to a handful of lustful office-holders. It is rising for the individual's sake, which caused an illiterate Mazandarani «8» to prevail over a group of millions, letting him exploit their offspring and estates to his lustful ends. Rising for personal interest is the reason why some street kids have now gained rule over the Muslims' belongings, lives and honor. Rising for the sake of lust is what has resulted in the submission of the schools of science and knowledge to a handful of immature children and has turned these centers of Qur'anic studies into centers of obscenity. It is rising for the `self' that has submitted the mortmain of the blessed seminary and religious institutions to a bunch of dishonorable vagrants, without any resistance, and nobody dares to say anything in protest. It is rising for the `self' that took the chadors of chastity away from the heads of the chaste Muslim women, and this practice, which is against the law and religion, is now being executed in the country and nobody speaks against it. Rising for personal interests is the reason why the newspapers, which have become the means for advertising immorality, follow the same plans which have their origins in the sterile mind of the dishonorable Rida Khan, and issue it among the people. It is rising for the `self', which has given the opportunity to some of these unauthorized MPs to say whatever they like against the religion and clergy and nobody dares to raise their voice against it.
O Islamic clergymen! O divine `ulama! O pious scholars! O speakers of the religion of the Friend (God)! You God-seeking pious ones! You Truth-loving God-seekers! You honorable Truth-lovers! You patriotic honorable ones! You zealous patriots! Read the admonition of the Lord of the worlds, and accept the only way He proposes for reformation, and abandon personal interests so that you will attain salvation in both worlds and embrace an honorable life in both:" Lo! There are zephyrs from God during your lifetime. Behold! Turn your faces toward them." «9» Today is the day when the spiritual divine zephyr is blowing and it is the best time to rise for the reformation; if you miss the chance and don't rise for God's sake and restore the religious rites, a bunch of lustful vagabonds will prevail over you tomorrow and exploit all your faith and honor to their own vain ends. What excuse do you have in the presence of God today? You all witnessed the books of an ignoble Tabrizi «10» who brought insult to your faith and honor and profaned Imam Sadiq (`a) and the occulted Twelfth Imam (may my soul be sacrificed for him) a great deal in the center of Shi`ism and no words of objection were issued by you. What is your excuse today in the court of God? What is this weakness and misery that holds you? O honorable gentleman who collected these pages and presented them to the `ulama' and preachers of the cities! Why don't you provide them with a booklet, for bringing them together and uniting them for Islamic purposes, collecting their signatures, all swearing that if in a corner of the country a profanity is directed against religion, they would all rise in unison from every corner? You'd better learn devotion from the Baha'i community who are in contact with each member from the center even though he lives in a village, and would rise against the slightest aggression toward him. When you failed to rise for your legal right, the obstinate secularists got up and began silently to advertise against religion from every corner and in no time they will prevail over you, who are stricken by disunity therefore, you'll have harder times than during Rida Khan's period." And whoso forsaketh his home, a fugitive unto Allah and His messenger, and death overtaketh him, his reward is then incumbent on Allah." «11»
Sayyid Rouhullah Khomeini
Jamadi al-Awwal 11, 1363 AH