In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Unmasking the plots of the imperialists
At the outset, I would like to say something in connection with what this gentleman states. You reminded us that somebody came here fifty years ago and established a school. Do not think that these people established schools for the sake of Christianity. These plunderers do not believe in either Christianity or Islam; or in any of the principles.
They came for the purpose of distancing our children from Islam. This plan does not exist only in the Aba Basir «1» Organization; it has existed in all the organizations. From the time that the Westerners first appeared in the East ages ago- they appeared in Iran perhaps almost three hundred years ago- they had been sending their experts to conduct studies of Iran and the East. They not only studied Iran, but also the whole of the East. Among the things they surveyed were the tracts of land, the mineral-rich areas and such things here, as well as the underground resources of these Eastern countries. These constituted one kind of the studies they made at that time when the present modes of transportation did not exist. According to history, they used to ride on camels, visiting even those waterless, grassless deserts and mapping them, no doubt. By mapping the mineral-rich areas of these counties with their scientific instruments, they would gain information about them. Once when I was in Hamedan long ago, one of my acquaintances brought me a map of Hamedan measuring more than one meter by one meter. This was the map of Hamedan that they had drawn and on which there were large number of dots of a different color. The person who brought the map said that each of these dots denotes the presence of a mineral-rich area or an underground reserve. This was one of the surveys they made in order to find out what the countries of the East possessed that could be made use of; that could be plundered. There was another kind of study that concerned the beliefs of the people: how strong they were and to what extent they were able to prevent the acts of plunder. This was another one of the extensive studies they conducted in this matter. Another kind of their studies concerned the mentalities of the different groups that have existed in these countries. Talking about our own country, they studied the tribes and such groups that have been living here. They went among these tribes, spoke to them and studied their mindset so as to find out how each one of them could be dominated. These were the things- and more than these- that they studied. They studied all the Eastern countries to see in what way they could be plundered and which of the local groups were powerful enough to prevent the plunder of their countries, and in what way these groups had to be controlled and thus rendered incapable of stopping them.
Among the things they came to realize regarding the factors of power was that it was the power of Islam and Islamic beliefs in these Muslim countries that, more than any other factor, had the ability to prevent them from plundering and dominating these countries. They began to oppose the very basis of Islam. In these Muslim counties, their missionaries of all denominations engaged extensively in opposing the essentials of Islam. They tried to portray it in a way different from what it really was, and to divert the people who lived here and had Islamic beliefs, from the path of Islam and to belittle it and show it in a bad light. Unfortunately, the remnants of the people that had accepted all this blindly are still around. Even now, people are to be found who have inculcated their way of thinking without having any knowledge of Islam and its tenets and without knowing what an Islamic government or an Islamic regime really is. It is enough for these people that the Westerners are cynical toward Islam and indulge in propaganda against it. In order to show that they are enlightened, they have followed in the footsteps of the Westerners and have criticized the very basis of Islam! Even at the present time, you will find people- not all; there are many thinkers among them who are good people- among the ones who consider themselves to be intellectuals who did not want the" Islamic" part of this Islamic Republic. They used to say that it should be a" republic," a democratic" republic". This was the sequel to the indoctrination and the propaganda of the foreigners to whom these people, lacking in knowledge of Islam, succumbed blindly and became Westernized.
The imperialists' fear of the power of the clergy
One of the powers that they asserted should be broken up was that of the clergy. They experienced and saw in various places the clerical power that could prevent the mischief which they wanted to create, and stop them from deriving benefit from us and keeping us in a backward state. They saw that the clergy was able to do this. The issue of the Tobacco Movement in the days of the late Mirza «2» made them realize that a fatwa [religious edict] issued by a clergyman living in a village in Iraq, caused the setback of an empire. The king at that time was not able to safeguard the agreement, in spite of all his efforts, when the people of Iran rose and had that agreement of theirs abrogated. It was an experience for them to see that when a cleric, residing in a village, wrote that the use of tobacco at that time amounted to waging war with the Imam of the Time, how the edict inundated Iran like a wave, and how the pen of this clergyman crushed the bayonets of that period. This made them (the foreigners) realize that they had to neutralize this power (of the clergy). They knew that until such time as this power existed, it would not let them do whatever they wanted to do, nor give their governments free rein to do as they liked. Therefore, they did their utmost in making propaganda against the clergy, and in addition to that, they also perpetrated certain acts. In the days of Rida Khan- which most of you do not remember, and perhaps just a few remember the beginning period of his rule that I remember well and everything that happened from the time he came until now- they began clobbering the clergy through him. They removed the turbans of the clergymen and shut down the madrasahs. They had the clergymen change their dress in a manner that makes one ashamed of their behavior toward this class. All of it was done in the name of carrying out reforms; the same" reforms" that his son wanted to implement! They wanted to break the power, and they did so at that time on the pretext of instituting reforms; in the name of bringing uniformity to Iran and to make the nation this and that. With these unjustified words, they wanted to break this power. They did so at that time, and in the most severe manner. They also crushed the several uprisings staged by the clergy, one of which began in Isfahan and spread in a wide circle to most of the cities of Iran. The clergy with the late Nourullah «3» at their head gathered in Qum and opposed Rida Khan. But they crushed this uprising as well by means of their powers and trickery, just as they crushed the uprising of Azerbaijan staged by the `ulama' of Azerbaijan, and the uprising of Khorasan and the `ulama' of Khorasan. They broke these up by means of their power. Some of the `ulama' told us at that time that the late Aqa Nourullah, who passed away in Qum, had been poisoned (by the regime) We are not aware of this, but this is what was said by some of the people of Isfahan; the `ulama' of Isfahan, that had come here. And they also took away two of the leading `ulama' of Tabriz from there to- it is thought- Sunqur where they were in exile for a period of time. After they were permitted to leave that place, the late Haj Mirza Aqa Sadiq «4» who was the leading clergyman of Tabriz at that time, came and stayed in Qum and died there. He never returned to Tabriz; he could not have done anything even if he had gone there. They also arrested the `ulama' of Mashhad and brought the whole lot of them to Tehran where they were imprisoned. They used to take the late Aqazadeh, «5» who was then the leading figure among the `ulama' of Khorasan, to court in order to stand trial. He used to be accompanied by a conscript to the court to stand trial! The satanic power of that time aimed to destroy this force. But they were not able to make a good job of it; God protected these people.
In the time of this one (the former Shah), when the period of that sort of bullying has passed, or when they did not think it advisable to conduct themselves in this manner, they started carrying out propaganda. They made much propaganda against the `ulama' and the clergymen. The propaganda was extensive. They started using force, but not with that severity. They did not allow meaningful sermons in the mosques. They set up preachers to oppose Islam; clergymen in appearance, but against Islam. They also made propaganda everywhere, especially in the universities. The extensive propaganda against the clergy in the universities reached a climax such that they totally separated the university from the clergy. They destroyed the university as well as the clergy. I mean they wanted to.
Attempting to break the authority of the Muslims
These people whom you say had set up schools there or, subsequently, had schools everywhere, was not because of their belief in some principles. They used to say that Islam should not exist, but Christianity should. These people want neither Islam nor Christianity; they have nothing to do with these matters. They want to protect their own material interests in whatever way possible. They want to mislead our children; to turn them away from Islam. Even Christianity cannot do nothing, the reason being that the things that exist in Christianity today is that the people pray, praise God and attend church on Sundays and not have anything to do with their governments, just as this Christian organization does not bother itself about the influence of these people. In fact, it is well disposed toward them. It was Islam that was dynamic but, unfortunately, they had estranged us from it. They did not even let us study the Holy Qur'an properly. Whoever reads it will see that it is a book which makes mention of wars and action against the people who want to destroy the downtrodden. They made such propaganda that we, ourselves, were not able to use it to that extent to find out what is written in it and what it is about. It was the Qur'an that mobilized the people in the early period of Islam and enabled them to confront two great empires «6» with a limited number of Arabs, every few of them possessing just one camel and one sword to themselves, and that, too, the sword of those days. They confronted the powers that possessed Rome at that time and the powers that possessed Iran. In the war that took place between Iran and the army of Islam, their (Iran's) advance guard consisted of a detachment of 60,000 troops followed by a division of 700,000 or 800,000! One of the commanders of the army of Islam stated that it was beyond them to join battle (with such a large host). The entire army of Islam consisted of 30,000 personnel; an army of 30,000 strong lacking in the implements of war. In fact, they did not even have sufficient food to eat. They were poor but they possessed faith. The commander said that if they were to fight them in the conventional manner, they would be no match for the enemy. So he would pick thirty people and take them that night to fight the 60,000. The Muslims asked him how it was possible with thirty people. It was ultimately arranged for sixty people to accompany him so that each one of them confronts a thousand of the enemy! That is, each person with a blunt sword of that period- now if they had sharpened them, perhaps with the equipment the enemy had- [...] These sixty launched a surprise night attack and made the 60,000 retreat! The result was that the Roman army was utterly defeated by them. «7» The foreigners have witnessed Islamic history. They have- I should say- actually seen it in their own time and have been dealt a blow by it. They have seen what the power of Islam is; the power of faith. This power had to be neutralized. So what did they have to do in order to take it away? Should they concentrate on Islam in particular? No, on all the religions initially.
Religion is not the opium of human societies
" Religion is basically like opium"! «8» That is how they made propaganda against religion. And, unfortunately, it had, and has, an impact in Iran and on our youth. It has also had an effect on some of these intellectuals who belong to those same remnants. Its effect still lingers: religion is just like opium! The opium of society! It means that religion came- it was invented by the powerful entities- to" lull the people to sleep" so that they could rob them! Just as an opium addict falls asleep on taking opium and does not care about anything, these people portrayed religion as being similar to opium and invented by the powerful entities in order to make the people occupied with it. They wanted to make the people negligent like an opium addict so that they could come and plunder them; and destroy them. This is what they said about religion, and this they extended to (include) Islam which was the most powerful religion. They extended this kind of talk to Islam. They said that Islam was appropriate for the period of 1,400 years ago. This is being said by some of the people among those remnants that have remained here. They say:" All the tenets of Islam cannot be put into effect now. They belong to the past; not to the present!" Such things that these people sometimes say, and at times without realizing it, is perhaps more out of a lack of understanding; not that they have enmity. It is because of this lack of understanding as they do not know what Islam really is, let alone being aware of the period to which Islam belongs. They are not at all aware of what Islam is. They contend that the powerful ones" created" the prophets for the purpose of bringing religion so that it should protect these powerful entities. But if these people have read history, or at least Islamic history which is quite recent; if they have read it to find out who opposed whom; if they have studied the history of the prophets to find out the class to which they belonged and whom they were opposed, they will see that the prophets belonged to the deprived class. They belonged to this same third class of society. And they compelled the people to fight those arrogant ones. One of the prophets was Hadrat Mousa (Moses) who is a bit nearer to us (in history). Hadrat Mousa was a shepherd bearing a staff. He served Hadrat Shu`ayb (Jethro) as a shepherd for a considerable period of time. Outwardly he was like the ordinary people. This same Hadrat Mousa who rose from this class of people, mobilized them against the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh did not" create" Hadrat Mousa in order to protect his throne. Mousa led the people and overthrew the Pharaoh-" Religion is opium"! According to them, the Pharaoh created Moses to make the people indifferent so that he could reign over them! It is contrary to the fact that Moses had mobilized the people. He mobilized this lower class and took them to sweep away the throne and crown of the Pharaoh.
Well, regarding the history of Islam that is quite recent, did the Quraysh and the powerful people of the Quraysh create the Noble Prophet" to put the people to sleep" so that they could continue with their practice of usury, their trade, their extortion and plunder, or did the Noble Prophet confront the Quraysh? He, himself, belonged to the Quraysh, but he was a person who was of the lower class. He belonged to the nobility in the sense that he was of noble birth. But he possessed nothing. As he was not able to live in Medina because of these wealthy people and those bullies, he went into a cave in the mountains where he stayed for some time to carry out his underground activities. Subsequently, he went to Medina. Who was with the Prophet in Medina? These same powerful people? The same bullies? The same usurers? The traders? The affluent, authoritative Jews? Or did the Prophet come like one from the lower class, accompanied by some poor people. He had a house with rooms; not a room like this one, but made with the bark and branches of the date palm! There were some rooms in it for himself. His mosque was also like that. Among his companions was a group, the ashab as-suffah ["sitters on the platform"] «9» who lacked homes and would go there and sleep on the platforms. And this is just how they used to live. He took them with him and defeated them (the enemies in Medina). He mobilized the poor and deprived people; the ones who were of the lower class and did not even possess a house, and were so poor that when one of them would find a date fruit during battle, he would put it into his mouth and remove it, and then put it into his friend's mouth who would, in turn, remove it and put it into another's mouth, and so on. The date fruit would be passed around in this manner. These were the ones that the Prophet mobilized in the wars against the Quraysh; they with all their implements of war and these people, stricken with poverty and adversity, with nothing but their faith. The reality is different from what they have been telling our youth and publicizing that the religions- Islam and all the other ones- are like opium! No; Islam and the rest of the religions have been stimulants; they awakened the people. The teachings of the prophets awakened the people. They mobilized the people against the powerful ones; against the polytheists. It could be said that the Qur'an is a book of war. It is a book that mobilizes the people to fight. While possessing all the human teachings, it states:" [The companions of the Prophet] are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves." «10»" And wage war on all the idolaters." «11» The Qur'an encouraged and awakened the people. It comforted the people by telling them that the angels were with them; and the angels were with them. A small group of people would march forward and inflict defeat upon a mighty power with that same power of faith and that stimulus which the Noble Prophet and the Holy Qur'an had created in them. Therefore this" teaching" that has, unfortunately, had an effect on some of our youth, is the propaganda that they have been doing in order to break this power, that can withstand all these powers, and to plunder us.
Talking about the clergy, are they affiliated with the court? Did the British create them to put the people to sleep so that they could plunder the people? Who staged these uprisings of the past hundred years? How many uprisings took place during these one hundred years? Who led them? The Tobacco Movement was led by the late Mirza. The Constitutional Revolution was inspired from Najaf by the clergy of Najaf, and from Iran by the `ulama' of Iran. All of these several uprisings that we witnessed were initiated by the `ulama'. When the `ulama' of Isfahan rose, the late Haj Aqa Nourullah- may his soul rest in peace- led the uprising. The `ulama' of Tabriz, and the `ulama' of Mashhad staged uprisings. Once when I was in Tehran, the late Aqa Qummi «12» set off and came to Hadrat `Abdul-`Azim. «13» We went there to visit him. He had risen (against the authorities), but they imprisoned him there itself and later sent him into exile. It was because of his power. Almost all the uprisings of the last one hundred years were carried out by these people. One of the non-clerical figures in the Tabriz uprising was Khiyabani. And yes, they were also present in the Jungle Movement. «14» They, too, took part, but they were in a minority. These people (the clergy) constituted the majority. Therefore, it is incorrect for them (the enemies) to say that the clergy were affiliated with the court- that is, they were in the service of the court- and that they did things to make the people negligent so that the court could rob them. Wherever you go, you will see that the clergy of that place have been opposing the authorities clandestinely, though they have not been able to do so openly.
I am not saying that every single turbaned person (clergyman) is upright. We had turbaned men who were worse than the agents of the security apparatus! I am talking about the clergy. They say that all the clergymen are like this. But I say no; it is not so. I do not want to say that whoever has a turban on his head is a clergyman, and whoever has a turban on his head has opposed the regime. No, many of those with turbans have been for the regime, and very much so. But it is not right to say that all the clergymen were like this. Their aim (in saying this) was to destroy this power. By breaking this power, they, on the one hand, belittled Islam in the eyes of the people, and on the other, also belittled the clergy. They took away these two powers from us, enabling them to do whatever they wanted to do.
The plot to drive the clergy and the university apart
On the other hand, they came and alienated the universities from the clergy. They made propaganda in the universities against the clergy. Groups of clergymen made propaganda against the university in the mosques, from the pulpits and, I should say, other places. It was not for the sake of Islam that they would come and say that the university professors were, for instance, like this and like that. No, this was not the case; it was a plot. It was a well calculated matter. They wanted to separate these two powers that could work: the university was able to work and the clergymen as well. And they did separate them. You could not mention the name of the clergy in the university- at that time; not nowadays. The clergy could not be mentioned. The university could not be mentioned in the clerical circles. They drove these two powers apart. That is, two energetic powers that, if united, could have put an end to this plunder altogether and cut off foreign hands that had reached out to this spread of booty. They separated these two powers. These were the plots they hatched.
Sowing discord: the plot of the enemies of the Islamic movement
Well, thanks to God that the Muslims attained victory in this movement, with all of them awakening, and achieving solidarity and unity. Now that we have reached this stage of our victory and have curtailed their power, and the plunderers have left, plots are, unfortunately, again afoot to sow discord and split the people into groups. It is the same plot that existed previously; in the time of this former regime, whether before the month of Ramadan and before (the months of) Muharram and Safar. These were the two occasions they used to sow discord, the reason being that the month of Ramadan is the divine month and the display of the clergy's power is greater at this time. The gatherings of the Muslims are also larger. The month of Muharram is also the month of Imam Husayn, and their power- of the clergymen and preachers- is also greater at this time. They used to create some mischief before the month of Ramadan and also before Muharram. The month of Ramadan is approaching once again, and they have been up to something. Something has been done now in Isfahan, and likewise, in Mashhad. They have fallen upon one another over a trivial matter. What a lack of concern this entails. Now that the circumstances are such that Islam's destiny, its Constitution, its government, and the president of the Islamic Republic are priority issues, they have dropped all these matters. They have calculatedly created parties which have accomplished their functions according to their own aims. Many others have been set up out of a lack of awareness. They have formed a hundred groups! They have set up a hundred parties and groups in this short period. They have, unfortunately, split up into groups; in Isfahan, in Mashhad and some in Tehran.
Now that it is just before the month of Ramadan, and now that the authorities should get together and determine the country's destiny, and also make the government Islamic, they are arguing about somebody «15» being a Muslim or not! What is it to me if he is a Muslim; what is it to you if he is not a Muslim! Why do you dissipate all your energies because of Zayd( some Johnny )being a Muslim or non-Muslim? You considered the matter of the late Shamsabadi «16» to be an ordinary one. This was also one of those plots that they would hatch in various ways. At times they would bring up the matter of Shahid-e Jawid, «17» from this side and that! Throughout the months of Muharram and Safar, and beyond, all the sermons from the pulpit dealt with what Shahid Jawid was! Some people would confirm, and others deny. Once this talk would die down a bit, they would start something else. The late Shamsabadi's case was also one of those cases. Perhaps they had done it themselves- but I am not aware of it- that is, kill somebody to raise a hue and cry, and have groups, for and against, disputing with one another. And then bring somebody else into the picture as soon as this controversy has subsided a bit, questioning and debating over his books. One would say that he was an unbeliever; another would say that he was a Muslim. Somebody would say that he was a thorough Muslim like the prophets, for instance, while somebody else would say that he was an unbeliever, worse than Abou Jahl! «18» But there is a plot afoot! Those who are doing all these things have no belief in Islam and neither in spirituality. They do not believe in anything. They only have materialism in mind and want the Muslims to fall upon each other so that they can plunder them. Today that our need for unity of expression is greater than ever before and today that the conspiracies in the border regions and other places are afoot, we are engaged in quarrelling over a petty matter. This is nothing but ignorance on our part. We have not developed enough to know what should be said and when. Those that are plotting know what they are doing. They know when and what to print and publish, and compel some people to refute it and some to endorse it.
Today is the day when all forces must be united
We ought to be alert, sir! We ought to be attentive. It is not the time today to quarrel over individuals. It is the time for us to unite all our forces and for the groups to become one. Just as we jointly defeated this power, we should now advance together. Having defeated this power, we should not allow them now to disperse us for another power to appear and destroy us. It is now the time for unity of expression. It is now the time for all of us to combine our forces. It is now the time for all of us- I, a seminarian, you gentlemen, these distinguished `ulama' from Isfahan or the other places- to train our thoughts on what ought to be done now. Now that the Constitution is being planned, they should give their proposals and opinions. They should inform the people of the issues. They should also nominate Islamic experts for the Assembly of Experts that is to be set up in the future. It is now the time for these matters. We may see them bring some proposal at some time causing somebody to abuse somebody else and a group from this side giving its endorsement, and another group from that side (saying something else)! They would be the same matters as in the days of Muhammad Rida prior to the month of Ramadan, and occurring once again in our month of Ramadan, that, too, in such a situation. The month of Ramadan and this month of Sha`ban are different from the other Sha`bans and Ramadans. It is the month of Ramadan that determines our destiny. We have to combine our forces and attend to this distressing problem. We should not become engaged in something that has no value for Islam; no value at all. We should not go after such matters. We should dwell upon the basic issues. These were a few words concerning what he said.
The dimensions of man
But what I wish to tell these dear ones, these dear children is that man's essence is his spirit, his insight. All of us have things in common with animals such as ears, eyes, legs, and hands. But these do not constitute the basis of humanity. The thing that makes man different from all creatures- from all the natural creatures- is the heart of man; the insight of man. You are a human being if you have insight. Without insight one cannot be human as Abou Jahl had eyes but he was not a human being. Some of the prophets, too, had no eyes, «19» but they were prophets nonetheless. The criterion of being a human being is spirituality. Make efforts to develop the (spiritual) essence. Develop spirituality within yourselves. And do not worry at all that a human being has no hands, no feet, and whatever.
It is mentioned in the narrations that some prophets lacked body parts; they did not even have hands and feet. Hadrat (Prophet Muhammad) states that he observed somebody- I do not exactly remember who he was- who had no hands and feet. They were prophets; of course not in that sense, but they were prophets. Many of the `ulama' were geniuses who were blind. In our own time, we have met many people who were `ulama', who were geniuses, who possessed vast and extensive knowledge, who were (decent) human beings. Do not worry at all about your not possessing a certain faculty. You ought to reinforce your spirituality, God willing and your morale. And many have more insight than all the people with eyes. May God protect you and make all of us be of service to Islam. And may we be able to continue up to the end along this path that we have traversed, God willing.