Speech [The duty of the clergymen, the prayer leaders and the preachers]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I must say a few sentences to the clergymen, the prayer leaders and the preachers concerning their duties in general, and then mention the difficulties that exist.

The gentlemen of the clergy, particularly the prayer leaders and the orators, are the spokesmen of Islam. If the government needs Islamic spokesmen, the orators are there. These gentlemen can be the spokesmen of Islam- the Islam that has everything in it- if they make themselves Islamic, the topics of the speeches are Islamic and emanate from clean Islamic hearts. They are then competent to be the spokesmen for Islam. The spokesmen of the other governments are not at all concerned whether they believe in their own words or whether the words come from the bottom of their hearts. They have nothing to do with the sincerity of their words or otherwise. Their only concern is to speak well and to enunciate any governmental issue nicely. Whether he believes it or not from the bottom of his heart is not his concern; and nor will anything be detracted from his speech.

But Islam is not like this. It does not pay as much attention to the tongue as it pays to the heart. The heart is the center; the essence of man is the center. If all the words one speaks are Islamic, but, God forbid, do not emanate from an Islamic heart, then that person is not worthy of preaching on Islamic issues even though he speak eloquently. And if the words pour out from an Islamic heart; that is to say, a heart that believes in Islam and in the fact that Islam is everything, that the school of Islam- together with divine schools which are all Islam as well- is the school that can train human beings in all their dimensions, establish the system in all its dimensions, and take the people to that place which is the position of humanity, and possessing such belief and faith, if a preacher preaches, a mulla (mullah) admonishes and a clergyman acts (according to his duties), with all their words emanating from such a heart, the clergyman, then, is an Islamic clergyman, the preacher is also an Islamic preacher and the orators who speak from the pulpit are also the spokesmen for Islam. And the clergy, too, are the spokesmen of Islam.

At first, it starts from the heart. Everything begins from the human heart. Not from this heart which is an animalistic one, but the human heart. Everything springs from the human heart. If the fountainhead of light and guidance is present in the heart, the tongue, too, will become enlightened by the light from the heart; the eyes, too, will become enlightened by it, and all the faculties of man will turn divine when the heart becomes so. That is, the human being will speak divine words when talking, and hear divine words when listening. And he will also tread the divine path. These are the same considerations for which the prophets had come to train human beings. They aimed to pull this animalistic human being, which is the same as, or even worse than, the other animals, from this quagmire and make a divine person out of him, a person steeped in the knowledge of God and the Unity of God, a person who does not do anything except that which is divine." And thou (Muhammad) threwst not when you didst throw, but Allah threw." «1» It does not mean that God has shot an arrow. It is the Hand (power) of God. You (Muhammad) have had no physicality in you for this shooting that you do to be ascribed to you. You are divine; a divine creature. All the aspects of a divine creature are divine. His shooting arrows is divine, his essence is divine; everything of his is godly.

We, the turbaned men, we who call ourselves clergymen- whether the preachers, the prayer leaders or the other segments- must endeavor to make this establishment an Islamic one. We who have been given such power by God- the power which He has bestowed upon us- were such because of the partial attention that had been given to Islam; as everybody had demanded it. We, you, did away with such powers. All the strata of the people had a hand in it: women, men, children, elders, clergymen, academicians; everybody. Now that we have eliminated these powers and claim that our government is an Islamic one and that our republic is an Islamic republic; we should not be content with the fact that we removed a name and replace it with another, or that we overthrew a regime and installed another one instead. In this clerical establishment, in this clerical environment, that has to do with people's hearts, that invites the people and deals with their inner selves, you whose work entails dealing with people's lives, should at least endeavor to reform yourselves and your hearts so that when you ascend the pulpit, it should be like- of course, it is not possible- the pulpits of the partisans of that true preacher, Hadrat Amir (`a), all of whose utterances issued forth from a divine heart:" A blow of `Ali on the day of Khandaq is superior to and greater than the worship performed by the jinn and men." «2» But this does not mean that this happened because of the fact that the entire world of kufr [unbelief] opposed Islam. Supposing that someone other than Hadrat Amir had delivered that blow and handed out that defeat, it would not have been clear whether it would have had any virtue, let alone being greater than even the mandatory daily prayers [namaz] of the prophets. It was a blow that had sprung from the soul of the heart of the Commander of the Faithful. The days that he used to strike (with his sword), the virtue in the strokes was greater because his heart was a divine one, one in which nothing could find its way but God. The worth of the stroke that springs forth from that heart, the determination that springs forth from that heart, is that which, he says, is greater than everything in the world. Of course, this position is not attainable for us and those greater than us, but we should try to the extent that is possible for us. Now that it is not attainable, let nothing be! Now that we cannot be Hadrat Amir (`a), should we not even be his Shi`ah (partisan)?! No, he, himself, has said that we cannot be like that but we should assist him by being pious, and such things.

You ought to be the spokesmen of Islam. This is your calling and, if properly carried out, is greater than all the other professions. The reason is that the aims of Islam are realized by means of your tongue. The aims of Islam and the responsibility that your profession carries are more important than everything else. If, God forbid, one of the persons who claim to be preachers or prayer leaders, or those who ascend the pulpit or enter the altar to pray; if he who sits on the pulpit says something contrary to the principles of Islam, it will not be like an ordinary person sitting in his shop and committing an offense such as shortchanging the people. It puts the school in danger. You are the spokesmen of Islam. If an Islamic spokesman says something at some time which is against Islamic programs and purposes, the responsibility for having said so is greater than what any ordinary man says. Either you must not enter this profession and make such claims, or if you do so, you must stand by it; all of us, every one of us. We must undertake to fulfill the obligations that this attire of our entails, and is said to be the roves of Islam and the clergy. We must endeavor to maintain the dignity of these roves that we say mark Islam. Not safeguarding their dignity, God forbid, means that we have taken them forcibly; we are swindlers. The reason is that we have put on this dress which we have seized but which should be worn by somebody else who is Islamic. We have to think about this. The first condition for being a clergyman- whether those that are preachers and orators dealing with the spirit and spirituality, or those that are prayer leaders, scholars, jurisprudents and the like- is to accept responsibility. This is a matter that is important, difficult and entails responsibility for everybody to a greater or lesser extent. A person- let us suppose- during something wrong can, God forbid, mislead a whole country because of his wrongdoing. One can, God forbid, mislead a city, one can, God forbid, mislead a village and also a mosque. Of course, these people are different, but all of them have a responsibility in common. And all of them have it in common to discharge this responsibility properly. The establishment is now an Islamic one based on the people's vote.

Our system is no longer a monarchy. It is an Islamic Republic. But the only thing that has happened so far is that we voted for a certain purpose and the world also recognized Iran as an Islamic republic. But a part of the substance of this Islamic Republic concerns the government and governmental organizations which is not the topic of our speech of this time. The important part of it has to do with this establishment; this clerical establishment. We have to do something for this clerical establishment to become Islamic, so that we are able to say that we live in an Islamic republic. We are free now; we are not suppressed. Previously, we were not able to speak about Islamic issues and abide by Islamic principles as we should have. We were not free; the preachers and the prayer leaders were not free. We have now become free, but not free to say and do whatever we want. No; we are free in that we were not able to abide by Islam nor mention Islamic objectives before. Now we are free to speak on Islamic objectives.

All eyes are now fixed on this country and, perhaps more so, on this establishment that, in Islam, stand on top. They are instructors; their aim is to train, and they are the spokesmen for Islam. What are they doing? Is the situation the same as before, with just a change in name, or not? Are they at present making basic changes and also changing the condition? Have they changed? Just as their government changed from a taghouti one to an Islamic government, has this class also changed? All eyes are now watching to see what this clerical class- whether the Islamic religious reference authorities, the `ulama' of Islam, the preachers of Islam, and all these people who speak on Islamic issues- that are of this establishment, are doing, and what their situation is at present. Has any change occurred in their mindset and their actions? Or are their mentalities and practices the same but with one name replacing another? And, likewise, in the government, the ministries, the government offices, and the army; this matter is the same everywhere.

The eyes of the enemy and of those that are not our enemies are fixed on us. There are not just a few enemy eyes in Iran, and there are many abroad, that are watching us. They are watching us to see if they can find fault in us; to censure us; to make much of our faults so that they appear big; to multiply them a thousand times and to assail us in magazines and newspapers, explicitly abroad and in an indirect and veiled manner in Iran. They will not assail you and me; they will assail the school. The point is that because of our actions, they will be given an excuse to say that our school is like this; if some aberration is found in you, they will attribute it to the school itself. The reason is that all of them are concerned with the material matters. Whatever they have to do with Islam concerns its material aspects. But you and all of us claim that we deal with the people's spirituality. We wish to nourish their spiritual aspect. As we deal with the spiritual side of Islam and the realities of Islam, in case they see something amiss about us- the prayer leaders, the high-ranking figures, the preachers- they will not say that such-and-such preacher is like this. They will say that the entire clergy and all the preachers and orators of Islam are like this. After that, they will finally attribute the wrongdoing to Islam and say that Islam is actually this; that this government is the same as the previous one but with the name changed; that certain individuals, certain oppressors, have gone and other oppressors have taken their place; and that certain perverted ones have departed and others have come instead. They will say such things against us.

Our responsibilities today are not responsibilities concerning one's own person in that I am obliged to safeguard my prestige. Everybody has this duty. It is the duty of all to protect their honor and prestige. It is not up to him to disgrace himself. It is not a question of my own or your own prestige being marred at some time and we regaining our responsibilities to the extent we had. The question is that our school stands to be wiped out by our actions.That is, now that we have got our Islamic Republic and made it loudly known that we do not want oppression but want justice, and now that we are more responsible than anybody else in implementing this justice, and in straightening out all the irregularities, if, God forbid, we do anything against the path of justice, it will constitute deviation. In such a case, the Islamic Republic will meet with defeat.

Islam will be wiped out if this Islamic Republic is defeated. Do not think that you will be able to make amends later on; such is the responsibility involved. The responsibility is one for which the prophets and the saints sacrificed their lives so as to fulfill it. All of them, whether the previous prophets or the Noble Messenger, offered their lives in order to safeguard their schools. All of you are aware of these past occurrences. They sacrificed everything of theirs to keep their schools safe and free from irregularities. The Doyen of the Martyrs (`a) had staged that uprising because Mu`awiyah and his son had distorted Islam. Mu`awiyah was the congregational prayer leader, the Friday imam and also the preacher. He was also a drunkard and everything else; the school was being destroyed. It so happens at times that one may say that he is Rida Khan Pahlavi. Whatever wrong he does, will not harm the school. The people will say that he is that sort of a person. It can also happen that one says he is the caliph of the Apostle of God. He delivers the sermon, leads the congregational prayers and holds the caliphate of God's Apostle. But he does crooked things and commits sins in spite of his being the head of the caliphate of God's Messenger. This is different from the sins of Muhammad Rida and Rida (Khan).

The sin of Yazid was not killing the Doyen of the Martyrs. This was one of his lesser sins. His great sin was that he had distorted Islam. The Doyen of the Martyrs came to Islam's rescue and saved it. Narrating the tragedy of Karbala' at commemorative gatherings is for the purpose of preserving his school. They who tell us not to narrate it are not at all aware of what his school was and its significance. They do not know that all this mourning and narrating have safeguarded this school. It is now 1,400 years that these sermons, narrations of the tragedy and breast-beating have safeguarded us and brought Islam up to here. Some of these young people who are not the type that bear malice think that we ought to talk about the topics of the day! Talking about the Doyen of the Martyrs is the topic of the day; it is always so. The Doyen of the Martyrs has always been bringing the topic of the day and placing it in our hands. All this lamentation, this narration of the tragic events, this din and noise, the breast-beating, and these flocks of people have preserved the school. If it was just a holy person sitting all by himself in a room in his house, repeatedly reading the `Ashoura prayer (the special prayer commemorating the tenth of Muharram, the day of the tragedy) and counting beads, there would have been nothing left of the episode. A vociferous commemoration is needed.

Every school demands vociferation. Much should be made of it. No school can be preserved without such manifestations as mourning and lamentation over its cause. They are mistaken; they are but children! They do not know what the role of the clergy and the preachers in Islam is. Perhaps even you are not much aware of it! It is a role that has kept Islam alive. It is a flower that has been kept through repeatedly watering it. This mourning, this narration of the tragedy, has kept alive the school of the Doyen of the Martyrs. We must hoist a flag, recite sad songs, weep and wail for a martyr whom we lose. Others cry, others wail when one of them is killed. Supposing that a person belonging to a party is killed; commemorative meetings are held and people mourn for the dead person. This is a meeting, a mourning ceremony to revive the school of the Doyen of the Martyrs. These people do not understand (the import); they do not consider the issues involved.

It is this (tradition of) mourning that has kept this school alive up to now. And it is the recital of the sad songs and such things that have kept us alive. These are the things that have brought success to this movement. It would not have succeeded had there been no Doyen of the Martyrs. He is everywhere. Every place is Karbala'. Manifestations of him are everywhere. All the pulpits are manifestations of the Doyen of the Martyrs. All the altars (praying) are there because of him.

Had it not been for the Doyen of the Martyrs, Yazid, his father and their descendants would have consigned Islam to oblivion. If Islam had been forgotten, a taghouti regime would have shown its face to the world. Mu`awiyah and Yazid had been presenting an Islamic government as a taghouti one. And they would have strengthened it (the taghouti one) and so taken it back to paganism had it not been for the Doyen of the Martyrs. Even if you and we were Muslims, we would be taghouti Muslims! Not the Muslims of Imam Husayn. He saved Islam. Should we remain silent over one who saved Islam and was killed in the process? We ought to mourn every day. We should speak from the pulpit every day to safeguard this school and these campaigns. These movements are indebted to Imam Husayn (`a). These people do not understand; they are children but they bear no malice. Well, yes, it is possible that some of them are malicious, and that some others are working according to a plan as it was in Rida Shah's time. But he (at first) did it out of ignorance and, later, out of understanding. He stopped the preachers from preaching. He treated the prayer leaders in another manner and stopped them. We could not hold a single commemoration service. It used to be said that in the whole of Qum, to the extent it was at that time, there was only commemorative meeting, held by Aqa Sadouqi, «3» which would end in the night itself before the dawn call to prayers, or before sunrise. There was something to all this. It was not just by chance that Muhammad Rida came and prevented the preachers and the prayer leaders (from performing their functions) and make the clergymen dress like the others. No, it was a plot; a plot to crush this force- this force comprising the preachers and prayer leaders that had it in them to motivate this nation in such a way as to eliminate such a monarchy- and destroy it; to deprive us of this power.

The political figures do not know what service the pulpit and the altar have rendered to this country. In case they are nationalists- we are not bothered whether or not they have God in mind- if they be nationalists and say that they love their country and their nation, they ought to increase these mourning services because these meetings have safeguarded your nation. It is these gatherings, these recitals (of the tragedy in Karbala') and this mourning that have safeguarded your country. Yes, in case they are the people who are implementing that plot designed to neutralize the power of Islam and of the clergy and the preachers, in order to pave the way for those who are bent on profiting- and have profited- they are, then, people of a different kind with whom we cannot talk. But there are others who go to the mosque, who listen to the preachers and the sermons, but when it comes to attending a mourning ceremony, they falter and fail. The reason is that they do not understand what it is. It is the mourning ceremonies that have safeguarded the pulpit and the altar. If it was not for them, there would have been neither pulpit nor sermon. The mourning ceremonies have preserved these. We must mourn for our martyrs; we must be vociferous and awaken the people.

There is, of course, another matter that ought to concern all of us. It is that we have to make the people understand that it is not that we merely want to acquire merit. It is the progress that we have to make. The Doyen of the Martyrs did not sacrifice himself for the sake of acquiring merit. This was not very important to him. He set forth to save this school, to advance the cause of Islam and to revive it. You recite sad songs, preach and deliver sermons, and by reciting mournful verses, drive the people to tears. And they weep and wail. All these things should be aimed at safeguarding Islam. We want to safeguard it by means of such loud lamentation. Your aim should be the preservation of this school- just as it has been preserved up to now- by this public mourning, weeping, recital of mournful songs and verses, and threnodies. The people should also be told and reminded," Sir," this matter of narrating the mournful events is not that I say something and the others cry. The point is that the school has been safeguarded because of this; this lamentation. Even appearing as if you are crying is also meritorious. The reason for this is that it helps this school; it is of help to it. It is a mistake on their part to look at one side of the matter and not the other. Unfortunately, we- I mean Islam- has always been afflicted by this one-sided view; it has always been so.

It appears in the narrations that Islam is (like) a stranger. It has been so from the beginning and still is. The reason is that a stranger is one whom nobody knows. It is present among the people, but nobody knows it. They do not know Islam. It has never been known for what it really is.

We had difficulties with the mystics for a long time. Islam had difficulties with them. They did a good job, but the trouble was that they would interpret everything in that way. Whatever verse of the Qur'an they dealt with would be interpreted from that angle, like the commentary of Mulla `Abd ar-Razzaq. «4» Well, he is a very learned person possessing many virtues. But he has interpreted the Qur'an from that aspect. It seems that the Qur'an has nothing to do with such matters. We had difficulties also with another group who used to interpret all spiritual matters from this angle (worldly aspects). They have nothing at all to do with spiritual matters; as if to say that Islam has come to seize the world. Islam is also like Hitler who had come to seize the world and conquer countries. Islam has also come to conquer countries! I say that they have interpreted whatever concerns life, whatever concerns nature, whatever matter they deal with, whatever spiritual matters there are, from this angle. Some of the commentaries; some of the people who want to show their superiority, for example, have, please note, interpreted all matters from worldly angle. They have sacrificed everything for the sake of animalistic considerations. The mystics have sacrificed everything for the sake of humanity. Well, it is good of them; at least they have done something good. But these people have been negligent about it. Islam is everything, sir. Islam has come to perfect man, who is everything; who is the whole world. The one who trains man ought to be familiar with the whole world and also familiar with all the stages of man so that he is able to take man to the levels that exist for him. He must be conversant with Islam in all its aspects.

Somebody comes along and studies a few of the Islamic wars and later becomes an expert on Islam! Well, he is an expert on warfare. As regards Islam, he must say that he knows only this part of it. A faqih [jurist] has no right to say that he is an expert on Islam. He ought to say that he is an expert in Islamic jurisprudence and that he is familiar with it. He who knows better than all the others is the one who knows Islamic jurisprudence. A philosopher has no right to say that he is an expert on Islam. He ought to say that he understands a part of the Islamic contemplative sciences, for instance. Even he who has made a study of the government in Islam and has come to know what its circumstances have been has no right to say that he is an expert on Islam. He ought to say that he is an expert on Islamic government. The claim of being an expert on Islam can only be made by the one who is fully conversant with all the aspects of Islam and knows all the particulars of Islamic spiritualism and materialism. `Ali ibn Abi Talib was an expert on Islam. His actions were wonderful. He was a marvelous creature. We, therefore, see that the jurists consider Hadrat Amir to be one of them. And so do the preachers, the athletes and the zourkhaneh [traditional gymnasium] sportsmen. The zourkhaneh sportsmen talk only about `Ali when they come here. And you, too, do the same. He was such a wonderful person that everybody considers him to be one of them. He belongs to all, but is unique. He belongs to all because of the fact that each one of his characteristics attracts the attention of one group or the other; those that are very observant in this respect. He, therefore, also belongs to you in that respect, and to another group in another respect. It was not because of his possessing only one characteristic. Who is it that is everything! 

My speech has turned lengthy and has inconvenienced the gentlemen. But we have to say what we ought to act now. At present, we are beset with many difficulties. That is to say, our difficulties now are more than the ones that were there prior to the Revolution. Before the Revolution, the issue was that there were two powers- one empty handed; the other possessing everything- that confronted each other. One is the power of faith; the other, the many satanic powers. It was a struggle; a conflict. There was no other aim. Everybody was following this path (of the revolution). Some of the people, who had an aim, were proceeding in line with it while the others who lacked the intention, were being pulled into the fray. When a people are on the move, even the one who does not want to join them is, perforce, pulled in. Now, if all of you start clamoring (for something) we will also inevitably do the same. Such is the predisposition of society and the people. All of them were pulled to one side. Everybody followed everybody else, their purpose being to smash this barrier. And thanks to God that they did smash it and went their way. At that time, the only matter was to go and smash the barrier. Everybody was shouting," Allahu akbar"; even the little children. Though they did not know what they were saying, they learned to say it from their fathers. Even small children, sitting on the shoulders of their fathers, would follow suit and utter something. But now it is not like that. At present, an aim, which is our basic aim, remains while various currents and troubles have arisen. At that time, there was no talk of anything happening in the border regions. There was no talk about it. There was no talk of anything (contrary to the movement) being done in the factories. There was concord among the people. The factory workers, the staff, the `ulama', you, and all the strata of the people had joined hands, clamoring for Islam. Though we were basically not very familiar with Islam, just this extent to which we clamored for Islam, the display of sincerity and Islamism and oneness of purpose made you victorious.

Various groups are hatching plots of the present time, and on the other hand, we, who were united and together at that time, are now, unfortunately, disintegrating from deep inside, while the ones who were defeated are increasing and getting united. It was just today that someone sent a letter- who was it; these things happen daily- to say that such and such people have formed an alliance in such and such a place. They have united and will, perhaps, do something within the next few days. Though it is hearsay, well, they are busy. They will not succeed; but this is another matter. The point is that they are busy. If efforts are not made, they will succeed at some time or another. The difference between this time and that is that we used to get together in those days to carry out the task; and we did so. This solidarity is now coming apart; it is disintegrating from within. They, at that time, had lost their unity and were defeated. That is, the army turned away, the gendarmerie, the- I should say- police, the offices, the workers, the staff members- everybody turned their backs on him (the ex-Shah). And the unity that existed then- all their forces had coalesced- was ruptured. There was unity on this side and disunity on that. You succeeded, but now the situation is just the reverse. Plots are afoot to dissolve the bonds of unity that these various classes had forged. And the plotters, meanwhile, are forging links among themselves. They are developing ties among themselves and we are becoming unfriendly with one another. What will be the outcome of this state of affairs in that our enemies are strengthening their ties and we are undermining ours? It will end in our defeat; it is inevitable. They have obtained the secret of our victory, and we have now acquired that factor which occasioned their defeat.

If you look closely at these matters that have turned up, you will see at what time they appear- before the months of Ramadan and Muharram which are the consequential months of Islam. It was like this from the beginning, in the days of the Shah's regime itself. You will see a story being made up suddenly: Shahid-e Jawid. «5» Sir! This preacher, that preacher, that prayer leader, that prayer leader, that prayer leader; everybody throughout the country was talking about Shahid-e Jawid! What was he that you talk so much about him? Why? They would raise the matter of Shahid-e Jawid with the approach of the month of Muharram, as they would see that if these forces remain united, it should not so happen that they pay attention to their own problems. They should pay attention to the matter that had ensnared them. And we, heedless of the current affairs and the political issue, would start assailing one another. The question of Shahid-e Jawid kept Qum occupied the whole time until the matter died down. At another time after that, with month of Ramadan approaching closer, they raised the matter of Aqa Shamsabadi. «6» Perhaps they, themselves, had killed him in order to bring the matter up. After this, too, had somewhat subsided, they brought up the matter of Shari`ati. «7» They kept on making big issues out of these matters! This side calls him an unbeliever, while the other side extols him. Both sides are unaware that they are being deceived. Both the groups are not aware of it. Both of them, the preachers and the prayer leaders, say that it was for God. He (the disputant) used to say that the contentious issue he had mentioned was for the sake of God; this is while the religion of God was in the process of getting extinguished!" The things which that young man said: He is also for God; he acquainted us with Islam." Both of you (the disputants) have been deceived; they (the enemies) have benefited, and now they are thinking about setting off a ruckus over this. It is the duty of the preacher and prayer leader not to say a word about these problems at present. This is not the time to speak about them. It is now the time to combine your forces and select those people who have to be nominated to the Assembly of Experts, and also urge the people to elect them.

If, at this time, a few of those crooked and deviant people enter the Assembly of Experts, it is possible for these few plotters, acquainted with foreign issues, to influence the others; many of them. You should make efforts- we and you- to ensure that the people who are elected are knowledgeable about Islam, concerned about Islam, who believe in the fact that Islam is able to safeguard our independence and freedom, that it can make us progress and protect our economy. They ought to be people who have acknowledged that Islam is a progressive school and that our country should become an Islamic one. Such people should study, review and draw up our constitution. If we are negligent from now itself, and just sit by and keep on giving proposal- and to me at that- it will delay matters. At present, I am not involved in this. They should submit their proposal to the Senate that has assembled there for the purpose. Whoever has a proposal should hand it in there.

All of you, all of us, ought to combine our forces at this time lest they hijack our Revolution, while we waste our time over Husayn Khan's horse being better or Hasan Khan's horse! This is not our main concern. Do not allow them to make us stray from our path; somewhere else and then accomplish their task. There is a plot afoot at present for us to leave the scene gladly and willingly. This pulpit, this pulpit, that pulpit; well, the people are present in these mosques in front of the pulpits. When a preacher speaks on a topic that is, for example, misleading albeit justified; it is misleading nevertheless at this juncture as the minds of the people seated in the mosque will gradually be influenced by what is being said. The devils will lead us astray from that vital issue that we are dealing with at present- laying the basis and foundation of an Islamic government of truth- and will involve themselves with those task. They will ridicule us and laugh in our face, and will set about accomplishing the tasks. You should now think about the auspicious months of Sha`ban and Ramadan, the weapon that God placed in your hands and which the others do not have. This weapon that is one of the blessings of Imam Husayn (`a) is now in your hands. Use this weapon which is like the sword of Abou `Ubaydah «8» which he himself could only use. Not everyone can use this sword which is in your hands. Do not be neglectful. Do not let them lead you astray! It is possible for certain people to come and tell you close to your ear," See how Islam was wiped out; what happened!" Such people are spiteful. They do not have good intentions. You tell them that you want to establish Islam (in the country)! And after doing so, you will look into the question of who is a Muslim and who is not. Our course (of action) at present is this. And in your mosques and from your pulpits, you must invite the people to gather. These congregations have safeguarded Islam. These congregations, this clamoring, these cries of" zendeh bad" (Long live), and these cries of" mordeh bad" (Down with) are the things that brought us success.

Increase these congregations in the mosques. Invite the people to the mosques. Make them understand the significance of crying. We do not cry just because we are in mourning. People cry for their fathers and children for two or three days and they stop. Why has this not ended? Because there is no end to the school, and this is our school. It is our school's document. We want it to protect our school.

The other topics that he mentioned, concerning the elections and these things, are topics with which I should not involve myself at present for certain reasons. Whoever has a proposal can give it to that assembly, which is there for this purpose, to consider. The important point is that the people be elected. The gentlemen there, the gentlemen of every region, the `ulama' of every region, should elect the people and tell the preachers whom they have nominated. And they, too, should introduce these people. And perhaps this matter will be such that they would find those who are presently under consideration. And most of them are supposedly from among the `ulama' as they know what they are going to do.

May God guide all of you. May you succeed. Continue with your noble and respectable occupation, and bring the people to tears. And you, yourselves, cry for the martyr, who revived Islam. «9»