Speech [Molding human beings: main objective of the mission of the prophets]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Movements that have been initiated by the prophets and Imams (`a) are worth studying. We who are followers of the doctrine of the prophets must study those movements and understand what those movements were and what was their purpose; what was the objective of the prophets from campaigns; what was the objective of the messenger of Islam (s) from the Islamic movement; what was the objective of our Imams (`a). Was it only to cut off the hands of tyrants? Was the invitation of the prophets solely to defeat and wipe out the oppressors, and as soon as they overcome and banish them, their mission is over? Is the objective of the prophets only to banish the oppressor or is it loftier than this? If the objective is loftier than this, then we also, who are the followers of the prophets and followers of the doctrine of Islam must, in obedience to those greats of religion and the world, pursue the same objectives. Were the banishment of the Pahlavi regime and invalidation of the monarchy our total objectives? Are the welfare of the nation and fulfillment of the material needs of the nation our final objectives? Have the prophets come in order to promote the material welfare of the people and of the society? Were the objectives of the prophets to drive away the arrogant and enable the deprived to attain worldly luxuries or were their objectives loftier than these were? So many prophets came and preached and were killed, they fought wars and bore hardships. Were the prophets' objectives only because they wanted to eliminate the arrogant and enable the masses to attain welfare or was the objective loftier than these were? Did the Sublime and Glorious God, who sent the prophets, send them only for the betterment of the world or is the goal more than these are and loftier than these are?

If the objective was solely the defeat of the arrogant, we have almost achieved it and have defeated them. Our nation defeated the foreigners. It chopped off the hands of the traitors. And, it will chop off the hands of these remnants too. But, the objective is not just this. If the objective was that the slum dwellers should come out of their slums and their living conditions be improved- which also God willing, will be done and must be done with the efforts of everybody- but again this is not the objective. The objective is that our country should be an Islamic state; our country should be run under the guidance of the Qur'an, under the leadership of the honorable Prophet and the rest of the honorable saints. The departure of the arrogant is a beginning. The welfare of the deprived is one of the objectives of Islam.

An Islamic regime is unlike material doctrines and regimes. All the efforts of the material schools of thought are to improve farmlands! All their efforts are directed towards possession of houses, to have welfare- those who speak the truth- whereas the objective of Islam is loftier than these things. The ideology of Islam is not a worldly ideology. It is a material-cum-spiritu doctrine. Islam accepts materialism under the protection of spirituality, Spiritualism, moral behavior and purification of the soul. Islam came into being for the purification of the soul of human beings; it came into being for the making of human beings. All the monotheistic doctrines have come for molding human beings. We have a duty to mould human beings. You ladies, who took the trouble of coming here, have a duty to build human beings, have a duty to rear pious human beings in your bosoms. The objective of Islam and of all the prophets is to educate people; to mould human beings into spiritual and genuine humans. In the opinion of the prophets, it is important that those human beings are made righteous. If a human being is trained, then all problems are solved. A country that has pious human beings has solved all its problems. An enlightened and pious human being will secure all the dimensions of happiness for the country. A human being who has faith in the Sublime and Glorious God is a devoted human being. A human being who is pious will cut off the hands of the tyrant- but this is not the only objective. This is one of the services that he renders. He secures freedom for the people. But this is one of the objectives; this is not all. He secures independence for the country; but this is not the only objective. He secures the welfare of the people but this is not the objective.

A human being is not an animal. A human being is a creature that can attain the highest levels of happiness; that can achieve the highest levels of perfection among all creatures; and if he is deviant, then he is meaner than the meanest of creatures. Prophets who saw that the people were totally astray from the point of view of morality; from the point of view of beliefs; from the point of view of deeds were inspired by the Sublime and Glorious God to save the human being with all the aspects that he had. If a human being were an animal like the other animals but an animal that has intelligence, an animal that is industrious, if he was such, then there would be no need for the prophets to come because this path is a path that the materialists themselves understand quite well. The coming of the prophets was to teach mankind those ways of which he is unaware; those truths that a human being does not know. Prophets came to guide towards a higher status, to a more sublime humanistic status. The Qur'an is a book that shapes human beings and has come in order to build human beings. It is not a book to mould animals; it is not a book to restore materialism; it is everything. It trains a human being in all his dimensions. It acknowledges materialism under the shelter of spirituality; and gives spirituality precedence over materialism.

Our country is an Islamic country only when Islamic teachings are practiced in it. If Islamic teachings are not established in it, it is not Islamic. However much we claim it to be an" Islamic Republic", the words ring hollow. With our vote, an Islamic Republic will not be established. Yes, the official regime is a republican regime but it shall not be Islamic unless and until the laws of Islam are practiced in it. With the enforcement of the constitution, it shall not become Islamic either; with the Islamic Consultative Assembly also it will not become Islamic. All these are preliminaries. You can claim to be an Islamic country when the market (bazaar) becomes Islamic; when there is purification of the inner self; not like our bazaar, which is a bastion of profiteering and unfairness! Our country will become Islamic when the men and women become Islamic; when all the individuals are Islamic. The role model is Her Holiness Fatimah Zahra (`a). The role model is the prophet of Islam. We can claim our country is Islamic and we can claim to have an Islamic Republic installed when all the objectives of Islam are realized in it. We are now at the beginning of the road. We established the Islamic Republic with our votes; we have cut off and shall cut off the hands of traitors- but this is not enough. After that, there is still a long way to go; both the path towards the achievement of a decent life for the poor, which is ahead of us and must be moved forward; and the path of spirituality, which is the loftier path.

Honorable ladies! Purify yourselves, and purify your own children. Bring up your children in the Islamic way, because there is everything in Islam. Honorable gentlemen! Respectable ladies! Answer the call of Islam in the affirmative. Islam was not born to provide food! Islam came into being to provide spirituality. Not all the cries should be for materialism alone; it is against the ideology of Islam. If spirituality is established, materialism will become spiritual and will be in adherence to spirituality; it does not accept materialism exclusively. The basis is spirituality. A country is considered by its spirituality. It is not that everybody is free to do whatever he or she wishes and can even steal and even commit treason. Today is examination day for you. You have become free; you have become independent. But, have you become free so that you say as you please? And do as you please? Not at all! The Sublime and Glorious God granted you freedom and will put you to test to see what you would do. How we use this freedom; how we behave with our subordinates; how we conduct ourselves with our brothers; how we conduct ourselves with our sisters. Freedom alone does not ensure the happiness of the nation; independence alone does not bring happiness to the nation; materialism alone does not guarantee the happiness of the nation. All these are joys only under the sanctuary of spirituality. Spirituality is important. Strive to attain spirituality. Knowledge alone is useless; knowledge combined with spirituality is knowledge. Culture alone is of no use; culture with spirituality is culture. It is spirituality that insures the salvation of mankind; and you should strive for the attainment of spirituality. Universities should seek spirituality; schools should seek spirituality; classical schools should seek spirituality; so that God willing, they attain salvation. May God make all of you blissful.

May God's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.