In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The respected and most learned Isfahani scholars residing in Qum, may their graces last:
I do acknowledge with gratitude the receipt of the respected letter of the gentlemen, which conveys their kindness to me and expresses sublime sentiments. It is hoped that the honorable gentlemen and the young class of students, may Allah assist them, taking into account the heavy responsibilities which, God willing, will be shouldered by them, and the protection and preservation of Islam and the interests of Muslims that will be entrusted on them, will prepare themselves right now to defend this magnificent fortress. Through inner struggle and strengthening of the foundations of piety, they have to purge from their hearts the love of the world and carnal desires, which is the fountainhead of all sins, so that the problems of life will become easy for them while the hardships in the way of serving Almighty Allah and the sacred laws of Islam will become sweet for them. Although the extent of sufferings, troubles and tyrannies inflicted on the Islamic seminaries, the esteemed scholars and other devoted brothers is unpleasant and hangs heavy on my shoulders, from other angles it was to the benefit of Islam and the Muslims. It was the divine mercy and grace that awakened the Islamic nation and revived the path of the pious predecessors to some extent. In this second stronghold of my exile «1» under the protection of the holy domes, «2» I pray for Islam, the Muslims, religious seminaries, and the painstaking and suffering young class. May God's peace and mercy be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini