Speech [Mab`ath (Commencement of Prophet Muhammad's Prophetic mission) , its glory - The worth and importance of lending loan without interest]

[In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful]

I do extend my feliciations to the entire nation of Iran, all the Muslims and you, gentlemen, who are present here on the occasion of this auspicious fast.

The time, the age- by itself is of no importance nor does it have any distinction with others. Time is a moving element, always in motion and progressing. It is a fixed entity. One part of it has no difference with another. The honor or glory of age or time, and likewise the obnoxiousness or ignobility of age or time is for the event or occurrence that happens therein. I must say that the day Muhammad was vested with Prophethood remains glorious and most distinguished in the annals of history from the first beam of light till the doomsday eternally. There is no other day superior to this.

The reason is that there is no event greater than this. Great many things of great importance have occurred in the world; for instance, coming of the Prophets and the advent of the Prophets of greater fame and record are of much importance and due note. But there is no event, no occurrence greater than Muhammad's taking office of the Prophethood and becoming the last Prophet to the world. As such, no fancy can frame an event greater because there is no one greater than the Prophet except God. This is the sending of a last Prophet, a seal of the Prophets, to the world.

The greatest personalities of this existence cannot be seen before the Prophet at who ends the chain of Prophets. The great and glorious laws of God descended for the good of humanity. It is such an event that has glorified the day. A day such as this we neither had before nor shall we have later. Therefore, to the Muslims and to the oppressed ones of the world, I present my congratulations.

There are various and different conceptions of Islam and the Prophethood of Muhammad. The difference in conception emanates from the quality of the person who forms and frames the conception. As the people vary, so their views too. As the people differ, so do their views and this entail difference in the idea or the conception of the subject itself. The idea concerning the Prophet has been different and shall ever be so because of the views and angles that cannot be the same with all. The conception regarding a man is different in congruity and coherence with the views. Similarly the conception about Qur'an too differs on the same line- people differ with one another and accordingly their views. So does the laws of Islam and Islam itself. The limitation of a view is in line with the limitation of the person concerned. Man is a limited being. But he can move without limits. If the view is to be unlimited, it depends upon a man who should be unlimited. Such a man is a perfect man- a man of perfection. A man with perfect beauty and perfect glory can have an unlimited view. And such a man can have a correct and right conception of Islam, man, the Prophet and the universe. Apart from a perfect man, all other men have all things in a very limited view. Therefore, they cannot draw a correct form or a correct concept of Islam, Qur'an, Prophethood, the Prophet himself as in fact they are. A limited one or a limited thing cannot house an unlimited in its or his environment unless he or it should become unlimited and come out of the limits. A perfect man is unlimited. A perfect man's qualities are without limit. He is the shadow of divine. Such a person can draw the concept as it is of Islam, or Qur'an or the Prophet, or the world. Others form the concept in line with their own maturity, which in anyway is limited. So, they should develop their own grades and ascend the ladder of perfection. As such, they can attain the concept of" proportionate" to their grades of perfection; the concept of all the facts and truth inclusive of Muhammad becoming a Prophet. The Prophet is a perfect man at the top and summit of the cone of the universe. God the Almighty is unseen and at the same time evident and obvious. He belongs to all the qualities. In Him you can see the collection of qualities without limit and never to end. In the personality of the Prophet, those qualities glitter and through him take their entity. Likewise, all the names and qualities in Qur'an too shine and glow.

This day is a day wherein God sent the most consummate and perfect being, there is no one more perfect than him, to make His creatures perfect; the man who is initially a feeble creature. He has the capacity to progress and attain the highest grades of perfection. God sent him to give man his due station of progress, to widen his dimensions. Dimensions hidden in man are universal. Islam is to train man in each dimension. Different and various concepts that are formed of Islam are due to the views that the various people hold. There is a great difference. None of these concepts has attained the maturity to recognize or conceive Islam or man or Prophet himself or even the world. All are stagnant to go further. Quite likely, most of the people think that the Prophet and the other Prophets God has sent are to rescue man from tyranny or injustice. This is their duty to exercise justice among the people and the society. That is all. Their job is not beyond this. Most likely some could conjecture in the economical dimension. Prophets came to relieve man from hunger and poverty.

Some might think in a mystical dimension. God sent the Prophets to spread and disseminate the divine knowledge and letters. So they limit the office of the Prophets to this sphere of letters. Likewise, philosophers and jurisprudents might think and confine the duty of the Prophets within their conjecture of philosophy and so forth. So, the believers think in some other ways. The open minded ones think in their own vogue- nations- each in its own taste. All think. All have a thought. But all are short to reach the true point. There is a narration:" He who conceives his own self, conceives his Lord. «2» This saying makes us understand that man is such a being, if discovered and known, paves way for knowing God. God can be known by knowing the being of man. Such a saying cannot be true in relation other creatures except man. No one can know the Lord of man unless the man himself. Self-knowledge entails knowing about God. This cannot be attained but by the Prophets of God. This should not be thought that Islam has come to manage the world or to make the men advertent to the world hereafter- the next world. Or it has come to acquaint the people with divine literature. To make anything limited goes contrary to the reality. Man has no limit. As such a teacher or a trainer of man too is limitless. The receipt of training that is Qur'an is also without limit. It is not limited to this materialistic world nor is it limited to the unseen world. It is not limited to the world of loneliness. It is all. It is everything.

It is said that the first revealed chapter is" Read in the name of your Lord". It is not said:" Read in the name of Allah «3», nor said:" Read in the name of men". He has said:" Read in the name of your Lord". This means Lord of the Prophet; the one who has taught the Prophet. This means God the Almighty with all His names and tributes; All the names including being the Lord of the Prophet and man. The entity of God is with all the names and tributes; the names and qualities of God circumference the creatures of the world. In other words all the creatures are the evidence or appearance of His Names and Qualities. When God commands" Read in the name of your Lord" means the name, which includes all the names and qualities. God is the teacher in all its sense in the world of nature, in a world beyond nature; the teaching that is coherent and consistent with all the worlds- the world of arrogance and glory (`Jabarout'). This is the Lord of the Prophet. Prophet is bound to read and recite. The very first thing commanded to him is to act according to the narration, reading, education, and training. It is as though He wants to say that your Lord, to whom belongs every thing, orders you to read so that you can teach the people and guide the way- the way of Lord of the Prophet, the last and final one. So, the Prophet is obliged to invite the people to the Lord of the Prophet. Qur'an too has come for the same end. Islam too has the same mission- to teach and train the people. If there be no teaching on training to man, he is more wild than all the animals and more harmful than all the beasts. Man is such a wild being. If no teaching is couched to him then no being in the world will be more pernicious than him. No being could be harmful to the extent of the harm that he can do. All the Prophets came to train man. If he (man) is left to himself he will upset the whole world. But regrettably; Prophets were not successful in their mission too." By age, man is indeed a looser" «4». It is likely that the world Age" «5» be a reference to Imam Mahdi in this age. Or a perfect man like the Prophet or the infallible Imams. In our age, the Imam is Mahdi. This is a swearing. I swear by the creatures of age, by the compendium of creatures, or by the brief of the world. It is a copy representing the whole world. The entire world is hidden in this perfect man. He is the brief of the world. He is a compendium of all claims. So God is swearing by his name. God says that man is in a loss. Man is truculent, cruel and ruthless." Except those who believe, that is those who have received training. Not those who surrender; those who believe; the faithful ones, the believers; the people, those who receive teaching from the Prophets. In our age those who received the teaching of our Prophet they are not the same as the believers. All are in a loss. The exception goes only with the Believers, the Faithful ones. The Believers have these qualities too:" They do good deeds and recommend (others) towards the Truth and patience." This is an exception. The rest of us, are at a loss. Islam has come to bring all the losers into the group of Believers. Islam has not come to wage a war or occupy a country or to conquer others. Islam and all other true religions have come to rescue man from this loss and shelter them for the fortification of Faith. Though the Prophets tried, they did not succeed much.

This little perfection that exists in human beings is due to the Prophets' endeavors. Had the Prophets not come, all the people, with an exception of a few, would have been like beasts of jungle or even worse, fighting each other. Now too, you witness those close to the fortification of Faith, are remoter from the crimes. You can see in the courts and the magistracies that the Faithful ones and the Believers have no files as criminal record. All the cases belong to those who have no Faith. The murder cases or the theft or debauchery concern those who have no belief in Islam or even in God. A number of human beings are taught and trained, which has saved them from crimes. If this little amount of training had not been there, all the humans would have been Carters and Hilters. It is the teaching of the Prophets that saved them, particularly from bestiality and madness which man has for power and self-promotion. But the success they had desired and tried for is not attained. The Prophet was anxious and worried because he was inviting the people towards good and receiving no compliance." So you are likely to destroy yourselves. «6» One of the agonies of the apostles was the same that their teachings did not fructify as was due. The Prophet wanted to make all the people like Imam `Ali. But it could not happen. The Prophethood of Muhammad's great yield is Imam `Ali and the Imam of our Age that is Mahdi. This was a great success. God sent the Prophet to turn the human being into perfect conduct. But the Prophet wanted all to become such paragons. But a thorough success was not his lot. Islam is a collection of standards towards making man perfect. Qur'an is a book; but it has the mission of making man perfect. The Prophet took office of prophet hood till the last day of his life and endeavored to make man perfect. All the battles which have taken place in Islam were for this very purpose- to bring the wild and uncivilized humans into the fortification of Islam that is Faith. There was no lust for power. So, we see in the conduct of the Prophet and all the Prophets and the men of piety and Imam `Ali that they were not after power. If Imam `Ali was not bound by duty or had he not been under the incumbency of the Mission resting upon his shoulders, he would not have accepted the caliphate. He was under an obligation to make man perfect. So this was a binding upon him from God. So he had to obey so as to do to the extent he can, to the measure possible to him. Regrettably, he could not make a man out of Mu`awiyah. Likewise, the Prophet could not make man out of Aboujahl and Aboulahab nor their likes. Similarly, Imam `Ali could not make man out of those of Mu`awiyah category. Islam never pulled sword out for gaining power. The Islamic government is not like other governments. If any person pulls the sword out for attaining power, he is distanced from Islam. He has not gained access to Islam. He is a Muslim in name but he has no belief in Islam. The Prophets came to break down these powers, to crush the Satanic Powers. So, our Prophet too came to crush the powers. This is one of the jobs the Prophets had. Prophets had to carry man to the grades of perfection, which was his due. The work or the job is the means. The purpose is the absolute perfection. Prophets want all people to be like Imam `Ali. But this has never happened. Prophets did not come for the sake of the world. World is the means to reach this means against perfection that is contrary to perfection. The battle of Imam `Ali differs in nature with the battle of Mu`awiyah. The difference is in itself. Both pull their swords. One is the shadow of divine upon the earth and he pulls the sword. The other is the shadow of Satan and pulls the sword. As such by nature and in nature, these two are different with each other. One is after power and pelf while the other is after God. Whatever he performs is for the sake of God. Therefore, their doings, their performances differ from each other. Prophets also never took one single step for the sake of the world or money or power. He who does not conceive the Prophets may think that they were after the world or other materialistic benefits. World or the power or the materialistic benefits, all were meaningless for them.

The best of the deeds we are performing or you are performing is the extension of loan without taking any interest, i. e. as it is called `a good loan'. Sometimes a deed is good. For example, the prayer is among the greatest deeds. But the worshippers or the prayer-holder is bad. He prays to show off. He goes to hell with his prayers. A good loan is good. The cashier's job is quite difficult. You have to be an honest cashier. Your job as a cashier is for your own people, for your own needy fellows, and you will be useful to your society. Do not try to make a profit by selling something to them along with the loan. Do the job for God and win the trust. The funds people contribute for these institutes of lending `good loans' (i. e. without interest) are deposits in the custody or in the hands of cashiers. I do not know any of them. Yes, I know some of them. I don't know whether they have any idea of their own job or they have taken the job just by chance? Anyway, I am not acquainted with any of them as a cashier. You know yourself. A man knows himself better. I mean not to perfection. As for his deeds, he himself knows what he is doing. You too know what you are doing with these deposits. Do you act as it is ordered by God? God willing, I do hope that you perform according to God's pleasure. God forbid, if you have any shortcomings, please compensate for it. The nature of the job is very good. Its responsibility is greater. Good loans are among the good deeds. Lending money without any interest is one of the best and pleasing deeds. There is a point in this transaction. A good loan entails work. Anything free can easily create beggars. But here the good loans go to create work. One borrows. He is bound to pay back the loan. There is a moral bondage upon him. So, he goes in search of work that could enable him to repay the loan within the specified period. The surplus enables him to continue the work. But he, who sits by the side of the street and begs for alms, never thinks to go after work. He is under no obligation. There is no credit in his promise to pay back. Loan is very important. More important than that is a good loan. There is no sin as imposing interest against the money borrowed or lent. Qur'an clearly condemns it. The point is here. If interest spread in society, activities will diminish. Secondly, the interest- whatever it is as money or anything else, it is not against labor. The moneylender sits idle in his house and passes his time in debauchery and gets the money, while his money goes on giving birth. So this is a tyranny. Others labor and toil. And he takes advantage because he had lent money. The Qur'anic verse specifies the interest as tyranny. No one will have to work. They lend money and subsist on the interest. Money should circulate and rotate. Thus, work will be created. As such, the means of livelihood will move. Lending money for interest corrupts the society. It encourages corruption. Qur'an says:" Do not do injustice nor do you undergo injustice." Somewhere else it says:" You have got up to battle God" This is very important as lending money for interest is condemned. Giving loan, good loan, without taking or drawing interest is also appreciated in the same proportion.

You have established a great thing. God willing, by your deeds, the interest will depart from this Islamic country. You should pay attention to yourself. Each person should take his account of himself. One of the stations in the way of mysticism is taking account of oneself. One should be careful about himself so that he may not be misled while performing a deed. At night, when he returns home, let him take account of himself in a way as if a third person is interrogating him. Let him interrogate himself. What has he done today? What have you done with this fund of good loans? Ask yourself how you have dealt with this poor man who came to you to borrow money? This is very important. One may give loan or give money freely but with a frown. In other words, he has broken the heart of this borrower, while the heart is a seat where God's glory glitters. You are, anyway, lending money. Why not with a smiling face? Finish the job with him as soon as possible. Don't deal like governmental departments or offices. Treat him tenderly and respectfully. One who borrows feels a shortage in himself. Perhaps he may feel ashamed though poverty is not a matter for shame nor borrowing is to be ashamed of. But, quite likely, he may find himself obnoxious or degraded or vilified. Therefore it is up to you to make him feel at ease and this can be done by your behavior towards him. Since you have the responsibility of giving loan, you yourself by your dealing and conduct can make him not to consider himself in those terms. Such a behavior is more valuable than giving a good loan. Sympathy with the oppressed ones is among the great deeds. Giving a good loan is tantamount to worship. So, for the needy ones, you should keep the cash box open. A borrower may believe in God more than you. He could be more respectable and honorable than you. So having or showing sympathy to such a man is not less than worship. This tops the good deeds. If one gives some money or something for charity and then keeps upon him an obligation this act is repudiated. It becomes void and nullified. Man should polish himself to ward off such doings. I pray to God that all of us, the whole nation, be advertent of Islam and purged from bad qualities.

Finally let me tell you that you should not be sluggish or idle in this campaign. You are still in the middle of the way. You should pace the way with determination and dexterity, strength, a strong will and a closed fist. As long as your fist is tied, no harm will reach you. Don't open your fist. Going after personal benefits, such as a desire for a house or a post, or asking what your responsibility is, is opening the fist. Don't open the fist even before God. Let it be in the same position as it was in the earlier days of the campaign. You had no aspiration, no desire and no demand. The women sacrificed their youth for God's sake. They had no greed. You all worked for the pleasure of God. You'd better preserve that spirit. Keep the closed fists alive. Don't fear the powers. These powers are nothing before the power you trust in. They are trying to hinder the formation of Islamic Republic. But they will not succeed in their aim because our nation is determined. There might be few ones having a different view with that of our nation or with adversary intention towards our nation. But they are not that much to be counted. The determination and the will of our nation are so strong that we know that it will be the winner with all its bounds in all aspects. Your fundamental intention should be this- to push ahead this uprising. The way for pushing ahead the uprising is that everyone should perform his job well, whatever it is and wherever it is. Those who work in the farms and fields should try to work with sincerity. It is said that this year our peasants have toiled much. Our nation should help the farmers in collecting their yield. The campaign can progress in this way. If you can mend the farming, the industry, the culture, which is all yours, then this uprising is carried out to a certain extent. I hope that this uprising be against the self too. I want it to be a spiritual uprising. As other things are being done such as cultivation and industry etc., let us campaign against self. A great change happened in the early days of the campaign. That change should be kept alive and attain perfection. Don't fear any war cry. The words that Mrs. Carter is uttering are nothing but a war cry. The world has already condemned them. The world is free and awake. The world is after you. Your uprising is a miracle for the world. So, this uprising must be kept alive in its miraculous dimension. You must progress trusting God and in unity of expression. I hope that we will reach the desired destination. Let this uprising expand to join the uprising of Imam Mahdi. May God help and prosper you and advance our nation forward, and make our adversaries come to themselves. May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.