Speech [Revolution's triumph through divine assistance]

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

First, I would like to thank the gentlemen, who have taken the trouble of coming here from Kuwait to commiserate with our nation and us. May God render your efforts laudable.

The Exalted and Blessed God destines things, the mysteries of which we do not understand except after ages. Due to the pressure exerted by the government of Iran and by Muhammad Rida Shah on the Iraqi government, they (Ba`athists) surrounded our house and visits and talks took place between the Iraqi government and us. I warned them that the issue was a religious one, that it was my divine duty, and that I could never forego a divine issue and a religious duty because of what they were saying. I told them I would carry out my task and they could carry out whatever tasks they had. They said that they (Shah's regime) had requested the Iraqis and because of the commitment they had to the Iranian government, they could not tolerate the activities my companions and I were carrying out, which went against that commitment. I answered that I did not have any commitment, and that it was they who were bound to a commitment! I had a divine duty that I would fulfill; I would not heed their commitment. I would preach my sermons from the pulpits, issue proclamations, record (speeches) on tapes and send them (to Iran). This was my duty.(I told them) they, too, could perform their duty. After their comings and goings, they (Ba`athists) threatened my brothers (in faith), who were my friends in Najaf. Words reached me that they told my friends that they would not bother me, but they threatened my friends that they would do something to them. I thought that they might harm my friends, so I set off to move, under the supervision of the Iraqi government, to the Kuwaiti border. But even there, the same pressure applied to the Iraqi government was also imposed on the Kuwaiti government. I was not even allowed to cross from one side of the city to the other side. I have no complaint to make against anyone because they had to act according to the agreement they had (with the Shah of Iran). I have no complaint against the Iraqi government or the Kuwaiti government. But God the Blessed and Exalted had pre-ordained this fate and we were unaware.

Our goal was to go to Syria from Kuwait, a couple of days after we had a meeting with the gentlemen and remained there for a long time. But God so destined that our course shifted to another direction and we did not know where this destiny would lead. From there, we returned to Basra and then were taken to Baghdad. I realized that wherever we went, we would be given the same treatment by these Islamic governments. For this reason, we decided, without any previous thought, to go to France. Although I was not willing to leave an Islamic country, God had preordained that the issues (of the movement) be extensively disseminated worldwide from there (France). So many reporters from all corners of the world thronged that I had to hold several interviews in a day. In particular, there were some from America with whom I held interviews, which were broadcast all over America and other countries. We threw light on Iranian problems in a manner that expunged many of the ambiguities stemming from the malicious propaganda spread by foreign powers.

Muhammad Rida, as I have been told, had allocated 100 million dollars annually to fund his anti-nation and anti-clergy propaganda campaigns, which extended to all parts of the world. He and his minions after misrepresenting matters we were in Paris, we were almost able to resolve these issues. The interviews, articles and other writings shed light on these issues for the foreign countries and nations. Gradually, the Iranian nation, armed with the power that God had endowed it with, such as the power of faith and unity of expression, rose up because of these concerns. Nearly a year later, that is from June 5,1963 «1», after massacres and other offenses were committed, we were banished to Turkey, and then Iraq, a brief period of indifference ensued. However, circumstances came about that, within a year or perhaps in less than a year and a half, a movement in Iran started brewing. In keeping pace with this movement, we launched (the struggle) in Iraq. Then we went to France and from there we pursued it. For all the events that have taken place, we are indebted, firstly, to the favor of the Exalted and Blessed God, and secondly, to the Iranian nation, in particular the destitute class, not the aristocracy or the rich and ruling class. Those men and women, young and old, would take to the streets whenever the situation required, and stand fearlessly before machine guns, with their chests bared and crying out" Shoot us!" I have to say that flesh and blood had overpowered tanks and machine guns. And all this is (a manifestation of) the power of the Exalted and Blessed God.

When I studied the situation in Iran and the spread of one single idea and a unified Subject of (establishing) a legitimate Islamic government and when I was deliberating on this far-reaching movement, extending from Tehran to the remotest point and all borders of Iran, to all directions, to every village and hamlet, I became hopeful that the issue was a divine, and not a human-related one. No matter how strong a man was, or how great his power of speech was, he could not exert so much influence on everyone, from a child who had just started talking to a sick old man confined in a hospital, making them speak about the same issue, shout in the streets night and day, say that they wanted independence and freedom, that they did not want the monarchial regime and that they wanted an Islamic republic. Observing this widespread influence, I became hopeful that it was a divine issue and that it was God the Exalted and the Blessed, who was our support in this affair and that we would triumph.

I was very hopeful of such a transformation right from the very beginning when the Revolution began to spread and people became aware and awakened. And thanks God, this became a reality. But no one should say that I did it. Of course, the poems read by this gentleman were very good from the poetic point of view. But I must say that I cannot be eulogized in such words. It was the slum dwellers, who shouted slogans in the streets, and gave their blood and their young sons, who brought about this Revolution. There were mothers who had lost three of their children, and they were saying that even if the fourth one set his foot in the same path, this would be for God's cause. What is very encouraging to me is this spirit of cooperation, spirit of humanity and the spirit of Islam that have blossomed in the Iranian nation. The change that emerged in the nation is greater than that of the regime. There was a time when a policeman would come to the Tehran Bazaar, which is Iran's largest bazaar, and would tell everyone to close down their shops or hoist the flag because of the birthday anniversary of the Shah. No one would ever permit himself to disobey. It would not even cross one's mind to oppose a policeman. But the Exalted God brought about such a great transformation in these cleansed souls and He turned everything upside down in such a way and in such a short time that people poured into the streets and shouted" Death to the Pahlavi monarchy." They would defy the machineguns and jump in front of tanks or on top of them and shout their slogans from there. This change, which occurred in a nation over such a short period, was obviously a miracle. Wherever you went across the country, people, under no circumstances, would obey the police that had been ordered to rout the people and kill them. They would chant their slogans, their Islamic slogans.

This spiritual change is astounding. This spiritual transformation caused this victory to take place for our nation. Pray so that God causes such a change in all Islamic and oppressed nations, and that the Exalted God so destines that we all become transformed. This spiritual transformation and this Islamic Revolution are gifts that God, the Most High, has sent down to our nation from heaven. We should all offer thanks to God, the Exalted and Blessed. I must appreciate this blessing, this grace and these hardships undergone by the Iranian nation. I should thank God for these but am unable to do so. It was the people who did everything; it was God who supported them, and it was God's might and the power of faith, which blossomed on the last days of the Revolution. It was this power, which, through God's hand, uprooted a 2,500- year-old monarchy that was backed overtly by the US and covertly by the USSR. China, Britain; all the superpowers were behind that regime which had in its possession all modern weapons. Our nation was empty-handed, and had nothing, not even a single rifle. But it was the power of faith, the power of God. It should not be surprising that God, the Exalted and Blessed, so destines that a nation, which has nothing and no weapons, but the weapon of faith triumphs over all powers.

They gradually back-pedaled. When we were in Paris, there were many contacts secretly, and, at times, openly, made with us in order to force us to relinquish the cause (of the Revolution). They would say:" We'll give and we will do whatever you want." The former king himself sent a message through some means saying:" I will surrender the country to you and I will remain a figurehead only. You will run all the affairs." But I paid no heed to him. And it was divine power that helped us. The Shah's power was finished and a little of it remained. They tried once more, even through the Republic of France, and the French president sent a message stating:" It is still early (to go back to Iran)." It was, for instance, written by way of sympathy. It was proposed, on behalf of the US, that I should still remain (in France) and that it was premature to go back. From the Iranian side they said the same thing. And indeed this very proposal caused me to have the intention to go back to Iran no matter what happened! I realized that there was something to it. They wanted to keep me in France so that they could support the conspiracies from inside Iran in such a way that we could no longer do a thing. I then declared that I would return. They (authorities) closed down the airports, all airports. I waited and said I would go when airports reopened. They closed them down again. I said again that we would go when they reopened. They understood that the airports could not remain closed forever. They intimidated us and what not. When I arrived (in Iran), and, of course, I was overwhelmed by the show of emotions of the Iranian people who had come from all parts and corners of the country (to welcome the Imam), and while many people had already gone back( to their homes ), Tehran people remained. But here again we heard certain words (from the government) when we came. But we paid no heed to their words and appointed a prime minister. We said that by virtue of authority vested in us by religion and since the nation had voted us (to the leadership), I would appoint (Bazargan) prime minister. The government said it would detain our appointed premier. We said," Well, do it. Another one will come." Later, threats and things of that sort began again. We ordered the people not to let ministers into the ministries, and the employees agreed to do so and did not allow the officials to enter. Even the Prime Minister (Bakhtiyar) used to say that until the time the appointment of a premier remained a jest, they would not bother about it. He had previously said they would arrest our prime minister. But he budged and said that until the time the whole thing verged on the farcical, he would not take any action, but that when it became serious, we would do such and such a thing. «2» We gradually ordered that things be serious! It eventually pushed Bakhtiyar into taking harsh measures, as a man of savage disposition would do. He said he would arrest our appointed officials and would do such and such. He said these because of the ferocious nature that he had. I knew of this bestial disposition that Shapour Bakhtiyar had. I was aware of this because we have had a long record of encounters with them, which led to the crimes he later committed. A massacre took place which, according to his own words (as printed in the newspapers), was perpetrated under his orders and that the armed forces does not do anything other than what he orders them to do. «3»

Later, the Shah took flight and we declared that the Iranian nation and all nations abroad should deliver this criminal to us. Anyone who finds this criminal anywhere should hand him over to us. We shall announce it officially and this statement is tantamount to a declaration. We are making the same recommendation to our friends abroad to arrest him wherever they find him and inform us so that we can ask the government of the country he is in to extradite him to Iran. While we were empty-handed and had nothing but the support of the Exalted God, events that ensued took a turn that led to a situation wherein this man, who had such great power and who enjoyed the support of all superpower governments, has been denied entry by the countries of the world. Even where he is at present, his very close friend, King Hasan [of Jordan], has said, and I saw this in the papers last night, that he did not consider him a king anymore. Other governments have also declared that they would not allow him entry. It seems that, recently, the US has said it would grant him entry. Whether they accept him or not, we shall bring him and his wealth that is abroad, back. And gentlemen, when he fled (the country), you do not know what other possessions of ours he plundered and took away with him.

The country that we now have is in shambles. They (Shah's cohorts) ruined everything it had before he (Shah) left. The oil, which must be utilized in the service of the nation, was bartered for weapons, which were for the US and for the setting up of its faces in our country. Therefore, the weapons they received were not for our country. These weapons were not ours. We could not even use them. These arms belonged to the US itself. Under the pretext that they were giving weapons as payment for the oil, they set up bases (in Iran) against the USSR, so that if a war broke out, the US could use these bases. This was the nature of the betrayals they have committed. The majority of the people may not know this and think that they (the US) have given us arms, but the arms do not serve our interests. But even this has been a treacherous act in that they bartered oil for arms, which served us no purpose. But the (real) issue was they took both what we had given them and what they gave us in exchange (for it)! Both found their way into their pockets. A power, which wants to set up a base here and against all international criteria for that matter, has to pay us millions of dollars to win our consent to build a military base, but it (US) took our oil and built itself a base (here)! This was how they perpetrated their uncountable treacheries. But the Exalted and Blessed God had everything under His control. Later on, people, who were informed of this, but who may not be aware of everything, will gradually come to know. Anyway, this is now the state of affairs. There is now a lot of commotion in this country because of the treason they had committed. They trained the army to be anti-nation and dependent on the foreigners. They had pushed our economy to total bankruptcy. We are in dire need of bringing everything from abroad. If one province of our country had been properly cultivated, its produce would have been sufficient to meet all our needs. We were exporters, but now we depend on imported things for everything. They destroyed our animal husbandry. As I have been told, our pasturelands, our green, verdurous pasturelands, had been described as the most fertile pastureland for animal husbandry in the world by people sent by the Queen of England to study them, and they have been gifted to her. They have" nationalized" our pastureland, that is, they snatched it away from the nation and gave it to foreigners! They" nationalized" our jungles, which likewise, were given to the foreigners. If anyone wants to write and relate the crimes and treason committed against the nation by this dynasty, particularly the second one (Muhammad Rida Shah), it will be a hefty tome.

I hope that those who are informed of these issues- although we do not have anybody who is fully informed of all issues- will write and relate that much they know, so the world will understand what ordeals we have been through. Thanks God, their hands and their masters' hands have been severed; their hopes must also be dashed. They (aliens) should not think that they would return if the nation weakens a bit. But no weakness will be found in Iran. Our nation is vigilant and alert. It is awake; our small children are also awake. Such a nation can never, and will not, be defeated if it relies upon God.

I want to ask my nation, all of you and all Muslim nations to rely upon God in all your undertakings. All powers are nothing before God's powers. All forces confronting those of God will be annihilated. Rely upon God and you will prevail over everything. Although alone, the Prophet of God prevailed over everybody by relying upon God. When he entered Mecca, the people of which had tortured him so severely, he did so victoriously and enlightened its people. The movement of the great Messenger was human and divine. It was unlike other powers which were satanic and which rose up to serve their vested interests or dominate and massacre people. Our movement was backed by a divine power. It was divine knowledge which united the nations worshipping stone figures, idols, fire and other things worse than these, and spread the light and hoisted the banner of monotheism over all the Islamic countries. Because it relied upon God, and Gabriel, the truthful one, was behind it. You, too, should rely upon God, so that Gabriel, the truthful one, will be with you and behind you. And so will the angels.

I hope that all Islamic nations will wake up and stand united against all the propaganda and activities that foreigners had undertaken to disperse them and pit them against one another. I hope they will establish a great Islamic government under the banner of" There is no God but Allah" and make this government prevail all over the world. May God assist you all. May you all succeed and triumph.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you.