Speech [The danger of the downfall of the school]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The revolutions that occur in the world are of two kinds: Islamic and non-Islamic. If a revolution is non-Islamic, there is no subsequent restraint or discipline. They behave as they like with the people; there is no control. But if a revolution is Islamic; that is, based on Islamic ideology and Islamic tenets, it should be Islamic and subject to Islamic tenets from the beginning to the end- for ever- that it and its effects are there. Thanks to God that our nation has reached this stage and has been victorious up to now. But victory is not that we have just got rid of the taghout. True victory lies in our being able to transform ourselves into beings that are human, godly and Islamic, and whose deeds, beliefs and morals are all Islamic.

The eyes of almost all the thinkers of the world are now riveted on Iran. They have now given their attention to see what kind of people these Iranians are who have achieved this victory and claim that Islam is the highest school, more impeccable than all the schools in the world; what type are they who are now making such a claim. Now that the Islamic Republic has been established in Iran; that is, the government is now an Islamic republic, what has been the effect of this Islamic system in Iran? Are the same former problems there but with changed pawns? The policemen and government officials used to oppress the people in those days. Do the Islamic guards, the Islamic people and the Islamic bazaar oppress them now? Is it that only the name and the individuals have changed, but the policy and the issues remain? Or it is not so has the substance also changed?

I am afraid that we will suffer a big defeat in the world. And that is the defeat of our school. I am greatly apprehensive about this. It does not matter if our school suffers a defeat but remains safe. Many of the saints of God were defeated by other people, but their school remained secure. If, God forbid, we emerged victorious in the sense that we drove out those groups of oppressors and plunderers that were here, but another group of oppressors with certain limitations, and other plunderers with some popularity came to replace them, it would result in our school being portrayed in the world as not being the right one, and would also result in its failure. The defeat that cannot be compensated for is this one.

At present we can see that there is a state of confusion throughout Iran. There are discrepancies and there are things that should not be done. Happenings that are going on in the country displease God and are contrary to the orders of the Noble Messenger and those of Islam. Not that everyone is doing so; but there are people everywhere who are doing these things. There is the fear of this being attributed to Islam; to the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the people abroad saying that such is the Islamic system and the Republic of Islam which is like the previous regime except that the individuals are different. Just as they used to enter people's houses in former times and arrest the inmates, which was not according to any rule except the" rule" of tyranny and oppression, now, also, it is without any basis. For example, they go into people's houses and carry out searches. This will be attributed to Islam. If it were attributed to us, well, the school would remain sound and safe. But those who want to stay on in this country are committing offenses, just like the actions of the former regime which would not be attributed to Islam. They were a clique who would do things according to what the taghouti regime wanted. This would not harm our doctrine at all; it would harm our country. Our school, however, would remain secure. And those people would be considered as being opposed to Islam and opposed to the Islamic system. But, God forbid, if certain people among the ranks of the nation, especially among the clergy, which stands at the helm and represents Islam; if certain people clothed in clerical robes do something in the clergy's name and in such-and-such committee's name and their actions are contrary to religious principle, then it will not be said that the government is taghouti. They will say that the government is Islamic and is doing these things! These are the things [that would be said]

Nowadays, there is a menacing matter that merits consideration. If, at that time, we had been defeated by the taghout, we would not have denied it; well, we were defeated. Even Hadrat Amir (`a) was defeated by Mu`awiyah. It was not to be denied. Well, we were stating a point that was our right to state. However, we did not succeed; they defeated us. But, today, this is not the issue. It is that the Muslims, our people, overcame the taghout and voted for the Islamic Republic, following which the country became an Islamic one. But if we now do something wrong and the enemies abroad and within the country make capital out of it; if they show Islam, here and abroad, to be like all the other schools; rather, inferior to them, we will suffer a defeat for which we will not be able to make amends. Hadrat Amir's `defeat' by Mu`awiyah was not important at all as it was not the defeat of the religion; it was that of a person. But, claiming that our government is now Islamic, if on going to the bazaar we find it to be the same as in former times and the usury, the fleecing, the extortion and excessive overcharging are just what they were before; if on going into the offices we find the same individuals, the same situation and the same disorganized state of affairs as before; if on going to the university we see the same old problems, and wherever we go we find the problems to be what they were, then all this would be reflected as a corrupt regime having gone only for another corrupt one to take its place. We did nothing apart from defeating a corrupt regime whose deeds were not ascribed to Islam. There was no danger of an act of oppression committed by Muhammad Rida or something done to the people by the Security Organization being linked to Islam; not at all. There was no connection. Their paths were separate. This danger did not exist then. In fact, Islam used to be strengthened wherever they would oppress the people." The religion of God is always confirmed in the presence of wicked men." «1» Whatever oppression a wicked person, a lewd person or a tyrant does serves to confirm the religion. The reason is that religion is justice. No matter how much oppression such a person does, the people become more heedful of religion. But now that the country and the government are Islamic and there is freedom for the people, if, God forbid, this freedom is misused and oppression perpetrated, then- I should say- if such things that are contrary to the path of the Revolution are done, it will not be like the defeat we suffered at the hands of Muhammad Rida which was of no importance at all to us. Today, the religion will be defeated, and that is what is important.

All of us should be alert. We should be careful not to misuse our freedom. Now that we are free, if there is to be chaos and everyone for himself, then the people ought not to have such freedom. This kind of freedom is not advocated in Islam in that one is free to trouble the people, to overcharge them and, likewise, to be free in all other matters. We are all the trustees of Islam now. Islam has now cast its shadow over our heads in that the monarchial regime was replaced by an Islamic one. Now that this trust has come into our hands, if, God forbid, we betray this trust and do something to give an excuse to the Westerners, to our internal and external enemies and those that intend to tarnish and discredit this movement, we will have betrayed Islam. We should open our eyes. The clergy are above everybody else; it ought to be very careful. Things are different now from the former period. The clergy were not able to do anything previously. Even if they did something, they would be called SAVAK is (members of the Security and Intelligence Organization). If a clergyman did something wrong, the people would say that he was a SAVAKi and a servant of the tyrant. But such things cannot be said nowadays.

Today, if a clergyman does something wrong, God forbid- which a person in clerical garb will not do- or enters into the committees and does a wrong thing, they will not say that he is a SAVAKi. They will say, nowadays, that he is a clergyman who is doing such a thing. Yesterday it was the SAVAKi who was doing wrong; today it is the clergyman. It is the same in your case, too: yesterday, the bazaar was a taghouti one; today it is the bazaar of Islam. But has its essence changed? No; the usurer is the same old usurer; the profiteer is the same old profiteer; the fleecier is the same old fleecier. And it is the same in every part of the country to which we go. If the essence does not change, there is the danger of our school being subjected to insults, and the people turning away from it. This would be the biggest defeat that could possibly be dealt to us. Now, suppose that these people forged ties among themselves- this will not happen, but supposed that it did- and that America came up to support them, and a coup d'etat took place. Suppose that they killed all of us and took our place. This would not be a defeat for the religion; we were defeated; but it was a physical defeat, not a spiritual one. But if we, ourselves, do certain things that create problems among the people, in the community and among the thinkers- with the internal and external enemies aggravating our problems- our school will suffer a defeat for which amends can never be made. It would be a defeat which the prophets used to ward off, and the saints resisted so that it should not occur. They sacrificed their lives so that their school remained safe and secure. In any case, we have come up to here. The matter, however, is going to be more difficult from now onward, and its importance, greater.

I thank you gentlemen for having come from afar to meet us. Please convey my best wishes to your colleagues and to our friends and brothers. May God assist all of you and give you success.

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