Speech [How to behave toward friends and enemies]

[In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful]

It is an honor to have such prolific youths at the service of Islam. It makes me so happy that we are sitting together in one assembly with an ambience of affection. Yesterday, I told a group of men of the armed forces who came here about this matter and now, I would like to say it again. One of the differences between un-Islamic governments of taghout and Islamic government is that in an Islamic government, the environment is an environment of love and brotherhood, and certainly it should be the case. In it, the army is not estranged from the people or vice-versa, nor is there an atmosphere of fear. The Exalted and Blessed God had said two useful issues for the faithful believers who are at the service of Islam: one is that there exists an atmosphere of love between them; another is they are friends of one another and are compassionate among each other «1»; everybody treats each other with kindness. However, when facing the unbelievers and infidels they are very harsh and firm, but friends and comrades among themselves.

Just consider how Hadrat Amir, may God's peace be upon him, who was the greatest man in the world after the Messenger of God, led his life while he was at the helm of a country several times bigger than Iran and was the caliph of an empire extending from Egypt, the whole of Arabia, Iraq, Iran and a portion of Europe. When we look at the way such a great commander, such a government head behaved toward and treated his people and the personalities about him we become aware that he wanted to lead a life more humbly than all the subjects did in his dominion. He said that perhaps somebody was hungry in Yamamah (at the borders). At that time, he would subject himself to such living conditions in a way that his own immediate family would get anxious of the way he lived. While he was the head of his government, his meal consisted of some very coarse food that he would put in a container, which he would then seal so tightly lest somebody would open it and add some oil or something to it. «2» Narrations reaching us shed light into how he treated his subjects. It has been narrated that at nights he would go on rounds alone, carry food on his shoulder and go to houses where orphans and the destitute lived and distributed food among them. This became known only after his death, that is, after his martyrdom. Only then did it become public knowledge.

Another narration tells that in one of those homes he would visit were some small children who were crying and were hungry. When he wanted to leave, having fed them, the children would cry, so Hadrat `Ali would do something to make them laugh. He even aped, for instance, the sound of a camel to amuse them. He said that when he came there the children were crying so he wanted to leave them smiling.

In his everyday life, he would treat people in such a humane way that one time he became so distressed that a Jewish woman, who was living in a territory under his jurisdiction, had been robbed of her anklet by an army soldier apparently sent by Mu`awiyah. He was quoted as having said something like," If a human being died of grief over such an incident, he should not be blamed and there is justification for him from me," «3» or something close to this. Among themselves, the early Muslims were compassionate, friends and comrades and no fear existed in that environment. If someone would enter that setting, there never was any feeling of meeting him (Imam `Ali) with fear. There was no fright of him among people. Justice prevailed in that environment. In a just government, each person should be afraid of his own self lest he may violate the law. Otherwise, nobody should be afraid of a soldier, army, or the police in a country where a just government rules because they treat people with kindness.

Amir, may God's peace be upon him, would treat his subjects with kindness and sometimes would do chores as a simple worker. At the time after people pledged their allegiance to him, he took his tools and went to dig an artesian well he was digging before, he later donated and endowed it (for public use). However, when faced with his enemies, this very same (compassionate) person would instill terror in their hearts when he would cry out (his battle cries). When he drew his sword such a compassionate `Ali, who was famous for his unique, would hit his enemy so hard he would halve him into two and another blow this side would split the enemy into two. He was very harsh toward his enemies.

Affection prevails among the soldiers of Islam. The atmosphere is an atmosphere of affection. Likewise, in the atmosphere we are there rules an atmosphere of love. Before now, no brigadier general would ever attend a gathering like this in Paris, but no such person «4» would participate in it with you or you with that person in such an assembly. They (ex-regime) separated everybody from one another so that each person had become cynical of the other. When one (military) person would enter the bazaar, the people would cower with fear. They had frightened the people. Why? Now, however, in an Islamic environment and country no fear exists as it had been in a taghouti environment. Now, no top official or commander can behave in a way as to intimidate people. Officials will treat people in kindness; officials who are the people's servants treat all people as brothers. People will serve the officials in the same manner that officials will serve the people. There will not be any fear in such an environment, because there is no need to cause fear. On the contrary, in a taghouti environment, the government is afraid of the people because it had treated and harassed people so harshly and looted their wealth. What could they have done to be delivered from this fear they had of the people because they were afraid that the people would do something against them! They created an environment of terror and fear lest someone (would do something against them) When de Gaulle «5» came to Iran, apparently he and the Shah went to the bazaar together. The Shah did not dare get out (of the car), but de Gaulle did and mingled with the people because he was not afraid and the people did not have anything to do with him. However, the Shah himself was afraid. Why was he afraid? It is because he maltreated the people. When someone maltreats another, the former fears the latter. This is a general truth and a lesson for all of us that the people of the country, its citizens and subjects should be treated in a brotherly and compassionate manner:" People are compassionate among each other." «6» They exchange kindness with one another. One treats the other with kindness and vice-versa one extends his affection toward the other and the other the same; and if this same crowd of people stands against their enemy, they will be firm and harsh:" they are strong against unbelievers." «7» It is a general rule that if you want to go home in peace and tranquility and have your night pass through the next day, one must do people good. If you have done good to people, have shown them kindness and were their servant, when you go home at night there is peace in your heart and your conscience will not be troubled. Those who bother people have a perturbed conscience and cannot go about with ease; when they kill somebody, it is not the case that they sit peacefully. Their conscience is perturbed. However, in certain cases, when this act is done more often, they develop the habit; they become savage and are no longer human. They wish for a life of welfare. Life is not for a person to have a multi-storey mansion «8». Many a man has lived in a multi-storey park but lived a life of hell. How do you see Muhammad Rida's life now? He has all the comfort and luxuries of life, but does he have peace of mind? Does he live in peace? He does not.

Human tranquility means that his spirit should be at peace. When the human spirit is at peace, he can tolerate and does not understand any discomfort. Human spiritual peace means that man must establish a spiritual state for himself in such a way that his soul attains serenity. If the human being becomes Islamic, that is, he brings himself up based on the Islamic codes of behavior, the armed forces train themselves to become the servants of the people and not to cause fear among them, to engender compassion, no one will fear each other and no fear will exist among us and there will be an atmosphere of affection: that is, neither am I afraid of you, «9» nor you of me. Nobody has any fear of the other.

Safeguard this environment of compassion. Make Iran an environment of compassion through yourselves, the revolutionary guards, army, gendarmerie, police and everybody. If everyone creates a humane and Islamic situation, the environment will grow into an environment of compassion, where everyone will be at the service of one another. In this movement, when people were still preoccupied with their opposition to the regime, you all saw so clearly that a humane situation had emerged; some sort of marvel occurred that when a soldier would come to street, people would strew flowers before him, who would burst into tears and show his affection to the people.

This spiritual development was bestowed by God the Most High. Preserve this spiritual change; safeguard this affection among yourselves and the strata of the people. However, be harsh against the opponents, enemies and corrupt elements; be unyielding against them like a dam. Be soft with your compatriots and brothers as this is an edict of Islam. The Qur'an commands so. Leaders of Islam lived this way. The Messenger of God, may God's peace be upon him and his household, would not enter the battlefield in order to kill. He was compassionate with everyone that he did not have the heart to kill even one person. However, Imam `Ali, may God's peace be upon him, with all his valor in wars, has been quoted to have said that when the wars would grow so intense, he and his men would take shelter in him. «10» Such a great warrior who knew no peer in the world, according to a narration relayed on his authority, said that in the adversities of wars, they would seek refuge in the Messenger of God. That was how powerful the Prophet, may God's peace be upon him and his household, was. It was the divine power in him. This is a general decree followed by early Muslims, who attained prosperity and caused others to prosper through such obedience.

At present, if we wish to prosper and achieve prosperity, we must act. Everyone should be friendly toward everyone else. Soldiers, enlisted men, officers and higher-ranking officers must be each other's friends and at the same time be obedient to their senior officers. Obedience is one issue and comradeship is another. Senior officers must look upon the junior-ranking men with kindness, and the junior officers must obey their seniors. If they wish to safeguard the country, the armed forces' discipline must be maintained. The army personnel should act upon the order and discipline that exist in the army. If this order is neglected and every soldier tells himself" I am free now, and so I no longer obey anyone," this runs counter to the kind of freedom that God wants. Freedom has limitations. If one says," I am free now and so, I am free to slap this guy on the face," he is not free to do so. If he says," I am free to disobey my commander," this is not freedom. It is within the framework of the laws and regulations that freedom exists. That is, in the place where you are sitting now, you are not afraid of anyone. In the past, you would not dare to fold your legs, nor could you gather here. Even if you would come here, you had the fear that once you left this place, you might be arrested and taken by SAVAK agents. And indeed, they were there to arrest and take you away. It is this sense of the word that we are free now. However, freedom does not mean that I can do whatever I want. I have said it repeatedly that God the Most High is trying us with this freedom. He is testing us now with this grace, which is above all graces and wants to see what we do with this grace of freedom and to see if we use it in a way that pleases Him or we misuse it. If we abuse freedom, we have failed the test, and if we use it correctly, this will be pleasing to God. God willing, He will protect the grace of His for us.

My brethren! Beware that you should preserve the grace that God has bestowed upon you. He has granted you a blessing by the name of" freedom" and" independence". Protect this grace and this may be achieved if you are all friends and compassionate toward each other and among yourselves, and if you are harsh to the enemies. Punch those who want to plunder your wealth in the mouth. To those who are friendly with you, stretch your hands in friendship and kiss their faces. May God support you all and may you all be in the ranks of Imam of the Time's army. May God protect him. «11» May peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.