In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Rising for God knows no defeat
I hope that all of us will be among the Qa'imiyyah groups and, under the banner of the Hadrat «2» Sahib [Master of the Age] (`a), «3» discharge the duties that have been decreed by Islam and the Qur'an, give forms their real substance and words their real meaning. Perhaps this attribute mentioned in the case of Hadrat Sahib (`a) ensues from this noble verse that states:" Say (unto them, O Muhammad): `I exhort you unto one thing only; that ye awake for God's sake by twos and singly, and then reflect'" «4» Perhaps it is this sense that we should all rise in a unique uprising, as the most sublime uprising is the promised one of that unique person. All the uprisings should follow that one; they should be for God. God, the Blessed and Exalted, states that He has only one admonition to give us:" Tell the ummah «5» that I have only one admonition for them," and that is, they should rise; the uprising should be for God; rise in the name of God. Of course that Hadrat (the 12 th Imam) will rise for God. That godliness and purity that he has are not for the others. However, the honorable Shi`ah of that Hadrat should follow him by rising for God. If their uprising is for God, if their deeds are for God, if the movement is for His sake, it will not be defeated. The reason is that whatever is done for God is, in reality, undefeatable, even though it is thought to have apparently met defeat. Hadrat Amir (Imam `Ali) (`a) «6» fought Mu`awiyah and was defeated. But it was not a defeat. This apparent defeat was not a real one as it was for God. Rising for His sake knows no defeat. It has triumphed to this day; it will do so forever.
The philosophy of the `Ashoura «7» uprising
The Doyen of the Martyrs «8» (`a) staged an uprising with some of his companions, family members and the ladies of his household. As it was for God, they destroyed the very foundations of that wicked person's monarchy. On the face of it, he( the Doyen of the Martyrs )was killed, but, in reality, he extirpated the foundations of that monarchy; one that intended to turn Islam into a taghouti form. The danger that Mu`awiyah and Yazid posed for Islam did not lie in their usurpation of the caliphate; this was a danger less than that of their attempting to turn Islam into the form of a monarchy. They wanted to render spiritualities into a taghouti form. By calling themselves the successors of the Messenger of God (s), they wanted to convert Islam into a taghouti regime. This was the important issue. The two of them wanted to do, and did, so much harm to Islam that their predecessors had not. They tried to misrepresent the basic principles of Islam to the utmost. Theirs was a monarchy. There was drinking and gambling at their parties. The `successor' of the Prophet attending parties where wine was being imbibed? And present at gambling sessions? And the Prophet's `successor' would also attend congregational prayers, such things notwithstanding! All this greatly menaced Islam. The Doyen of the Martyrs averted this danger. The issue did not concern the usurpation of the caliphate only. His uprising was against the taghouti monarchy itself; the one that wanted to show Islam in a way such that; had they succeeded, Islam would have become something else. It would have become like the 2,500- year old monarchy. When Islam appeared, it wanted to put an end to the monarchies and such regimes, and to establish a divine government in the world. It aimed to destroy" taghout" and replace it with" Allah". They, however, wanted to remove" Allah" and install" taghout" instead- the same issues of paganism, the same problems of the past (pre-Islamic times). The Doyen of the Martyrs being killed did not constitute a defeat as it was for God; rising for Him never ends in defeat.
God, the Blessed and Exalted, says:" All admonishments aside, I have only one that I wish to make. The Noble Prophet is the intercessor; God the preacher; the people, the ones being preached to. I do not have more than one admonishment to make, and that is rising for the sake of God." Rise for God when you see the divine religion in danger. The Commander of the Faithful [Imam `Ali] (`a) rose to defend the faith when he saw it in danger as Mu`awiyah was misrepresenting it. The Doyen of the Martyrs, likewise, rose for the divine school [maktab]. This is not a one-time matter; God's admonishment is for always. You must rise for God whenever you see them act against Islam, against Islam, against an Islamic-humane regime, against a divine one; whenever you see them misrepresent Islamic principles and crush Islam in the name of Islam. You should not be afraid of, perhaps, failing; of the possibility of defeat. There is no question of defeat about it.
When I was in Paris, some of the well-wishers used to tell me that it could not be done. What is to be done when such is the case? One must[ ]a bit. I said that we are carrying out our religious obligation. We are not so particular about succeeding as we do not know what lies ahead. We also do not have the power at present; but we have a duty. We will discharge our religious duty. I had so judged that we should undertake this task. If we succeed, we have fulfilled our religious obligation and attained our goal as well. If, however, we do not succeed, we have, at least, done our religious duty. If we fail, well. Hadrat Amir also did not meet with success. He performed his duty while being confronted by them. His own companions opposed him; he could not succeed. But this was not so significant. Well, we can do as much as our power allows us to do. When we see- or you see- them misrepresenting an Islamic government and that, in the name of Islamic justice, promoting oppression and portraying Islam in this manner, saying that they have nothing to do with Islam, then, the task becomes easier for a person. But when somebody publishes the Qur'an and goes on a pilgrimage to the shrines of the Doyen of the Martyrs and Hadrat Rida (`a), «9» or says his prayers in public, stating that they want to establish Islam; and while loudly proclaiming this, does it in an absolutely wrong way, it is here that( our )duty becomes very difficult. It is here that Islam is in jeopardy with repercussions being felt abroad and, at times, in Iran. If they had succeeded, then the internal reaction at that time would have been," Well, this is it; this is the Islamic government." However, our uprising; your uprising should be for God. When one notices the divine school to be in danger, one should rise for His sake. When Islamic tenets are imperiled, one should rise for His sake. The one who can has discharged his duty and has succeeded at the same time. But the one who cannot has at least performed his duty. Dissimulation [taqiyyah] is forbidden on certain occasions. «10» When a person sees that God's faith is in danger, he cannot dissimulate; he should discharge his duty, come what may. Dissimulation is a secondary matter; it is not one of the main principles. Dissimulation is there for safeguarding the faith. However, whenever the faith is in peril, dissimulation does not apply; there is no room for silence.
Now let us see what our duty is. You have, so far, performed your Islamic duty- may you be rewarded by God- and all of you have joined hands: the clergy, the university, merchants, office-goers, army personnel; a part of it, of course. Each one of you extended your hand (of cooperation) to the others, thereby, pulling down the high wall that had been erected between the nation and the thing it aspired to: Islam. May God reward you. But does the matter end here? Do we now have peace of mind? Can we now go about our affairs or are we still restless? Are we still on the way? We have not yet put the substance and reality of Islam into practice in Iran. It is true that all of us voted for an Islamic republic, but Islam cannot be realized merely by voting for it. Iran is officially an Islamic republic now according to the officially-recognize vote. However, the substance of Islam should become a reality in this country. Just by saying that it is an Islamic republic- while it is un-Islamic in all respect- does not make it Islamic. He (ex-Shah) would also call it" Islam"! Mu`awiyah would also loudly say" Islam"! He used to take part in congregational prayers and was the prayer leader as well. Some of the `Abbasid caliphs were learned people and authorities on religion. Some or all of them would say their prayers in congregation and would outwardly observe the rules of etiquette. But they wanted to strip Islam and the Qur'an of substance. By their deeds, they wanted to have an Islam without meaning to it, like the one currently in vogue. Islam has no meaning without the presence of the clergy. These are the people who give Islam its content. The others wanted an Islam[ ]; they would say," Yes, we accept Islam, but only in name; it should not transcend words and acquire its true substance"!
" Depoliticized Islam", the colonialist contention
Muhammad Rida Khan would also say that he believed in Islam. He would not keep the people back from praying in mosques, though this act of his was because of his fear of something else. When the British came and occupied Iraq, one of the commanders- as I had heard- on noticing someone saying something atop the minaret, asked what it was that he was saying. He was told that it was the adhan[ the call to prayers ]. He wanted to know whether it was harmful to the British Empire, and was told that it was not so. He thereupon told the people to tell the person concerned to say whatever he liked. Our prayers and fasting were not injurious to the British Empire; the British had nothing to do with all this." Go and pray as much as you like; fast as much as you want." What posed a danger to the Empire was Islam; its content, most of which has been unfortunately forgotten. The political aspect of Islam has been forgotten too. In fact, politics (in religion) was considered shameful here!" So-and-so cleric is political." And if a person affecting piety had also been called" a pious politician"- which we read in the Ziyarat Jami`ah «11»- they would have, perhaps, justified it. He would not have dared to say that he, too, is politically-inclined. It was considered a disgrace for somebody to interfere in the affairs of government with the purpose of ensuring that it was acting properly and administrating its affairs correctly. This was the propaganda of those devilish persons who wanted to keep the outward appearance of Islam and us to busy ourselves with those outward forms in which there should be no substance. They wanted the people to go about their work forgetting the meaning of Islam, the important parts of which are striving in the way of God, being active in His cause, averting the oppressors, the cruelty of the tyrants and implementing Islamic justice. We can say whatever we want and pray as much as we like. We should not mention the question of thwarting the taghout; this should not be mentioned! We can talk of everything else but this. We can beat our breasts as much as we want, but should not discuss politics. Even such breast-beating has no substance to it! Breast-beating, too, should have meaning.
Eschewing futile and showy activities
This year you must have illuminations «12» with meaning; but they do not have that benefit for Islam that they ought to have, particularly for those who strive for God, for rising in His cause. These illuminations should be the ray of light of the movement for God, of the campaign against corruption, of the extirpation of the roots of sedition which are once again spreading among the people; these roots that do not want to let this movement succeed on any account. The illuminations should be absolutely grand and useful; they should have meaning to them. This year should be different from the others. This year you must make amends for past lapses. There is a time for awareness, and a time for action. «13» It was a crusade that you embarked on that day; what you are doing today is also a crusade. But you must bear in mind that the movement, the uprising should be for God. Whatever you do should be for God. It should not be a show, it should be for God. It should be well shown, but not for show; for God. Safeguard its essence. Let the orators attend your gatherings to tell you the truth about the various issues.
The capitalist bazaar and the Islamic one
We have not yet reached our destination. Up to now," Islamic Republic" has been just a designation. They have accomplished certain things, of course, but the ones we want have not been done yet. We voted for" Islamic Republic": That regime has gone and another one has been established. However, everything must be Islamic. The day we attain all our goals is the day when all our affairs have become Islamic in nature. The bazaar should be an Islamic one. A bazaar in which a merchant buys an article for a tuman «14» and sell it to the poor for thirty tumans is not Islamic. A bazaar in which a merchant smuggles goods into the country and, selling them at exorbitant prices, intends to upset the economic system of Islam, is not Islamic. These (affairs) should become Islamic; they, themselves, should make them Islamic. That bazaar in which a merchant is not considerate about the weak and poor people, or one who has a poor neighbor but is heedless of him, is not Islamic. A nation that erects luxurious towering apartments on one side with slums on the other is not an Islamic one. All of you have seen the condition of the slum-dwellers; you have certainly seen them; so have I. A country with slum-dwellers in such a state and with the people unmindful of them is not an Islamic country. It is outwardly so, but there is no substance to it.
Following Imam `Ali (`a) in all respects
According to what is said, Hadrat Amir is reported to have stated that there may be somebody in sarhaddat[ border areas ]who is hungry. He was tormented by the likelihood of someone being hungrier than himself. He is the one who is our leader, our master, our Imam.(Should) we repeatedly say" Imam" and then not follow him? Should we not follow him in our actions? Is this the meaning of" Imam?"" Shi`ah" means to accompany, just as they do when bearing a coffin. If everybody follows a coffin (in a funeral procession) it means that they are accompanying it. But if one goes by another side while the coffin is being taken, he is then not taking part in the obsequies. Shi`ah must be like this (the former case); he must follow `Ali (`a). Of course, we do not have his power; nobody has. But we can follow his example in being pious, in simple living, in attending to the poor and the meek. We cannot live as he did; we certainly cannot adopt his ways as we do not have the capability of doing so. He was a marvel, a collection of contrasts. He had brought together within him all the opposites. As it is said, he was a person of power who, on the one hand, would strive and spilt (his enemy) in two; would fight those who were against Islam and kill all of them, while, on the other hand, he was a devout ascetic. A pious and devout person who sits praying until morning is not given to war. Most people who are warlike are not pious, devout, etc. All these (traits) were in him. We cannot be like him, but we can follow him to some extent. We can help the poor of our country, the meek.
An upheaval has occurred in Iran; a spiritual upheaval. This spiritual transformation has surpassed your achievement in overcoming the taghout and casting him aside which, as you say, has amazed the world. The spiritual transformation of the nation- that feared a policeman until recently- was such that young and old poured into the streets shouting," We do not want the Shah." This transformation was a spiritual one that God wrought in us. A people that at one time would haggle over prices in their transactions were behaving in such a humane manner with one another and had been so transformed that one of the gentlemen told me of having seen a woman in those demonstrations- those days when the demonstrations were being held- holding a bowl of money in her hand. He thought that, perhaps, she was a beggar. When he reached her he heard her saying that as it was a holiday, she was holding the bowl of money for the passers-by some of whom might want to make a phone call but not find the small change to do so. This is a small matter, but very significant nonetheless. It is a transformation of great magnificence. At the time of the Revolution when the people were under pressure, when- as I used to hear- these gentlemen would come out into the streets and, while walking past the houses, would be given water, etc. by those living there and also have rose water sprinkled on them. A cooperative feeling had arisen during the Revolution. The magnificence of this spiritual revolution is more than that of the revolutions which took place abroad. The gentlemen should know that safeguarding the revolution would be the greatest of all victories, provided that all of us are able to do so.
Overcharging and smuggling are inconsistent with the revolutionary spirit
Safeguard this spiritual revolution. Now that we have, for example, partially triumphed, in that we have got rid of the obstacles, and now that there have been strikes going on for sometime and- let me say- fall in incomes, it should now not be so that you want to make up for it, that you want to compensate for the strikes by troubling the people. If it is to be so, that divine Islamic spirit will then be lost, and if that spirit is lost, so will our victory. You must safeguard it; you must maintain this spiritual change. It should not be said that the matter is over and there are other matters now; that everybody should see to his own affairs and attend to his own business. And the way they keep on coming to me practically every day complaining of the extent of the overcharging and the smuggling, of the increase in the sales of heroin and opium. If that spiritual transformation- that has been there for sometime and brought you success- is reversed, there is the fear of, God forbid, other gains being also lost and God's favor ceasing
God favored this nation by giving it this victory. Nobody did it; only God did. Nobody other than God favored us. This feeling of cooperation that arose among the people earned them His blessings. God, the Blessed and Exalted, favors his creatures; favors the meek. The blessings of God followed this feeling of cooperation that had sprung up. His blessings and favor took you to victory; make efforts to safeguard it. If so, you will be victorious to the end, the very end. If, God forbid, we forfeit it, I do not know what will happen. I hope that, God willing, this year, this great celebration «15» will be held in all glory and given its true significance. I also hope that the gentlemen enjoy health and prosperity, and Aqa (the 12 th Imam) as well, and all of us take this movement to a successful conclusion by establishing an Islamic republic with an Islamic content in every respect. May God assist all of you.