I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Fatimah Zahra (`a), a complete paradigm of humanity
Tomorrow is the birth anniversary of the immaculate and pious Fatimah Zahra (`a); it is Women's Day. All the dimensions that are imaginable for a woman and are imaginable for a human being are manifested and was present in Fatimah Zahra (`a). She was no ordinary woman; she was a spiritual woman; she was a celestial woman; she was a human being in the complete sense of the term, she was a complete paradigm of humanity; a total reality of woman, a total reality of human being. She was not an ordinary woman; she was a heavenly being that had appeared in the world in the form of a human being; rather a divine, majestic soul had taken the form of a woman. Therefore, tomorrow is Woman's Day. All the marks of perfection that are imaginable in a human being and are imaginable in a woman- all of them- were present in this woman. And tomorrow is the birth anniversary of such a woman; a woman in whom all the characteristics of prophets are incorporated. A woman who if she had been a man, would have been a prophet; a woman who if she were a man would have been in place of the messenger of God. Therefore, tomorrow is Woman's Day; all the honor of a woman and all the personalities of a woman came into existence with her birth. Spirituality, heavenly manifestations, divine manifestations; glorious manifestation, manifestations of splendor and human nature- all- were gathered in this human being. She is a human being in the complete sense of the word. She is a woman in the complete sense of the word. There are various dimensions prescribed for a woman, in the same manner for men and for human beings. This face of nature is the lowest rank of a human being, as well as the lowest rank of women and the lowest rank of men, but from this very base rank is the movement towards perfection. A human being is a mobile creature; from the position related nature, to the within the invisible world to annihilation in divinity. For the pious and immaculate one- Fatimah Zahra, these matters, these meanings hold true. She had started from the rank of nature, has moved spiritually; with divine power; with invisible help; with the upbringing of the Messenger of God (s) she had passed through the stages until she reached the stage to where no hands reach her. Therefore, on a day such as tomorrow, all the manifestations of a woman found meaning and a woman in the true sense of the term found true expression. Tomorrow is Woman's Day.
Two historical instances of the oppression of women
Unfortunately, women were oppressed in two instances, one in the period of ignorance. In the period of ignorance, women were oppressed, and Islam has done a great favor to human beings; which was to extricate women from the oppression they faced in the period of ignorance. The age of ignorance was an age when women were treated on par with animals- and perhaps worse than them. Women were oppressed in the age of ignorance. Islam pulled out women from the marshland of ignorance. In yet another instance, women were oppressed in our Iran; and that was during the reign of the former Shah Rida Khan Pahlavi and the latter Shah Muhammad Rida. On the pretext of wanting to liberate women, they oppressed the woman, they committed atrocities on women; they pulled down women from the lofty position of honor and dignity that she enjoyed. They degraded women from the spiritual status that she possessed to that of a material good- all in the name of liberation of free men and women. They took away freedom from both men and women. They made our women and youth morally corrupt. The Shah had this regard for women that he would say that women must be enticing. Of course, with that bestial view that he had; with that lowly physical, material, bestial opinion that he had of women he was justified in regarding them as enticing. «1» He dragged down women from the loftiness of humanity to the base rank of an animal. On the pretense that he wanted to raise the status of women, he dragged down women from their rightful position. He made women become like dolls, whereas a woman is a human being; and that too a great human being. A woman is a teacher of society; from her bosom are human beings created. The first stage of a righteous man and woman begins from the lap of women. The teacher of human beings is woman. The happiness and adversity of a country is dependent upon the existence of women. With her proper training, a woman shapes a human being; and with her right training makes a country prosperous. The source of all happiness springs from the lap of women. Woman must become the source of all happiness. Unfortunately, this father and son made a plaything of women- and especially this son. The number of crimes committed against women by them, were not committed against men.
Woman and Islamic training
Woman is the source of all goodness. You saw and we saw what women did in this uprising. History has been witness to what women have been in this world and what a woman is. History is distant; we ourselves have seen what women Islam has trained, what women have arisen in this modern era. And the women that have risen in revolt were these very same veiled women of the downtown areas of cities and of Qum and of the rest of the Islamic cities. Those who were brought up in the monarchial upbringing were not at all involved in these affairs. They were brought up with the morally corrupt upbringing and were kept away from Islamic trainings. Those who had Islamic upbringing gave their blood; they were killed; they took to the streets, and made the movement triumph. We are indebted to women for our uprising. Men would take to the streets following the example of women. Women would inspire the men. They themselves would be at the forefront. A woman is such a human being that can kill a satanic power. During the reign of Rida Khan and Muhammad Rida Khan, they lowered the woman from her rightful status. They also degraded men. They also caused the degeneration of the youth. They built many numbers of centers of prostitution for our youth in the name of freedom; in the name of progress; in the name of civilization. They dragged our youth towards vices. In the name of freedom, they took away all our freedom. Those who lived during the reign of Rida Khan know what I am saying. They saw what they did to us, and what they did to our honorable women. Those who lived during the reign of Muhammad Rida have also been witness, to how with deceptive names and cosmetic words, they brought ruin to our country. More important than all, they corrupted our youth. They kept our manpower backward. Women in the era of Muhammad Rida and Rida Pahlavi were an oppressed lot and were unaware of it themselves. The amount of oppression that took place in these two reigns, it is not known if it took place in the age of ignorance. The amount of decadence that took place in respect of women in this century it is not known if at all it occurred in the century of ignorance. In both centuries, women were oppressed. At that time, Islam liberated them from enslavement and in this period, I am optimistic that Islam will once again help them and rescues them from the whirlpool of decadence and oppression.
O honorable women, wake up! Beware! Do not be manipulated. Do not be deceived by the devils that want to drag you into the arena; do not be deceived by these people; they are deceitful. They are after" tempting women"- just like the damned Shah. Seek refuge in Islam. Islam brings about your happiness.
Tomorrow is Woman's Day. It is the day of that woman of whom the world is proud; it is the day of that woman whose daughter «2» resisted the tyrannical rulers and recited that sermon and spoke those words that you all know about; a woman who stood up to a tyrant- who would kill men if they even dared to breathe- and was not afraid at all, and confronted and condemned the ruler, who condemned Yazid, who told Yazid that he was not worthy of being a man, that he was not a human being. A woman must have such a status. The women of our period- praise be to God- are very much like them. They stood up to a tyrant with clenched fists- children in their arms- and assisted the movement. May God deliver us from the evil of the satans. May God deliver our youth from the evil of these devilish human beings. May God deliver our maidens and ladies from their evil.
Peace be upon to all the listeners.