In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
If a revolution is for God, He will support it
" Say (unto them, O Muhammad): I exhort you unto one thing only: that ye awake for Allah's sake, by twos and singly, and then reflect" «1» There have been many movements in the world and many revolutions, but most have been of one tyrant rising against another tyrant, and one oppressor against another oppressor. All of them have not been genuine movements. In fact, most of the movements have concerned an oppressive regime emerging to eliminate and replace another oppressive one, only to continue the oppression.
With regard to uprising, the command of the Holy Qur'an, mentioned in a few words, about the type of a movement that ought to be staged, is this noble verse: I exhort you unto one thing only He has commanded the Noble Messenger to tell the Ummah that He has one exhortation to make; and that is to rise for His sake. If there is only one individual, he must rise for God, and if there are many, they must rise for Him. That is, rising for the sake of God as against all the movements that are taghouti. And if the uprising is not for God, it is then of a satanic nature. It is taghout against God. The rising, too, is either for God or for entities that are not for God. In such a case, the uprising is a taghouti one; an oppressor overcoming another, a plunderer overthrowing another one. The uprising that the Blessed and Exalted God has commanded is a divine one. We should realize that the uprising for the sake of God is supported by God. If you undertake a movement for the sake of God, it means that you have risen for Him; you have risen to eradicate oppression and to implement the commands of the Blessed and Exalted one. In such a case, God the Almighty is with you.
Divine assistance in the victory of the Iranians
You have seen the Invisible signs (of assistance) from the outset of the movement until now, and the divine guidance you have received in the course of it. The reason for this is that your movement has been a divine one. Since the time your movement got underway, nobody thought that a people who were not militaristic and had no (proper) military training, no weapons and no implements of war overthrow a power that had everything. Nobody in the world thought it likely for such a thing to happen. There were many people, politicians and thinkers, from among our own people and the nation, who used to say that this (overthrowing the regime) was not feasible, and that it was not possible to rise empty handed against such a power. They said that it would have no effect and bring no result other than leaving many people dead.
They were exercising prudence. But I told those people who spoke to me that we have a duty which we will carry out. I said that we were not going to stage an uprising on the condition of gaining victory and that it was a duty that we would discharge. In case we emerged victorious, we would have got the (desired) result. But in case we were defeated and killed, it would not matter as even many of the prophets and saints failed in attaining their objectives in the uprisings they used to stage. I said that we were obliged to take action, regardless of gaining victory or not, against such tyranny that is on the verge of overturning Islam and against the faulty understanding of Islam that is harming it. We had to make a stand against such heresy.
Even some of the world's thinkers- those who knew all the aspects of revolutions- were of the same opinion; that such a task could not be accomplished. But they overlooked one point: there is a difference between rising for God and the movements that are not for Him, but are carried out for material gain or to enable one entity or power to prevail over another. They were unaware of the difference between the essence and nature of a divine uprising and the other ones- whatever they be- that are not carried out for His sake. A divine movement is backed by God. It is not backed up with guns or machine-guns; it has the power of God behind it. No power can assert itself when faced with God's power. It was a divine movement in that the people, all over the country, clamored for Islam and revolted in order to uproot impiety, discord and oppression and replace them with justice and an Islamic republic.
The proof of this being a divine uprising lies in the people readily sacrificing themselves. They entered the fray and smilingly offered the lives of their children. Another pointer is by what means we prevailed over them!
What did we have? They had everything! They had (the support of) America, the Soviet Union and a few Muslim countries. And their army was so modern that, it is said, there was no such power this side of the East. Though we possessed nothing, we had God with us. You ought to realize that if it was not for heavenly assistance, they could have destroyed Iran within one night. The deposed Shah had stated that if he was to go, he would leave behind a ruined country and then go. But God, the Blessed and Exalted, instilled such fear and terror into their hearts that they were not able to do anything. God dissuaded them from committing such a great atrocity. He made them change their minds about bombing Iran and Tehran. They could have done so, but the Blessed and Exalted God turned their attention to another thing. He instilled such fear into them that they fled the country. It was all because of this being an Islamic movement. But this question of fear and gaining victory by instilling fear, has also existed in early Islam. In those days, a small number of people faced large hordes equipped with the modern weapons of the time. But sometimes they (the latter) would be overtaken by such fear as to result in victory for Islam. «2» And you subsequently saw that within a year and a few months, our people voted for and realized everything necessary for a governing system.
You should know that some countries, where revolutions- satanic revolutions- have taken place, have no constitution even after a lapse of twenty, thirty years. This Iraq in our proximity that has a despotic government and where one despotic government has overthrown another despotic one, has not as yet been able to frame a constitution for itself though it is crushing its people with all its might. Some godless people are now ruling over the country; (it is) a despotic government worse than any other dictatorship. There is no precedent, none at all, for a country whose people revolted and did away with that corrupt regime, to have established all the institutions that a government ought to have, after, for example, a year and a half. The Constitution has been written and the Islamic Republic, the president, the Assembly of Experts members and the Islamic Consultative Majlis representatives voted on and elected. And after a few days, the prime minister will present his cabinet ministers. Thus, everything will be fully realized. This sort of thing has no precedent in the world.
The government being of the people in the Islamic republic system
Other countries where revolutions have not taken place are under military rule as the people are not in agreement with the government. Many cities of Turkey, a country near ours, are under martial law, and it is several months that martial law has been extended because the people are not in concord with the government. Why is there no concord? The reason is that the people are Muslims and the government does not act in an Islamic manner. In Iraq, the people do not agree with the usurper government which is, therefore, not able to maintain calm in the country. It always has to persecute the people, and is not able to set up the proper institutions that a government ought to have.
Our own government is of the people; it is not one that has been imposed on us from abroad. Rida Khan was imposed upon us by the British, while Muhammad Rida was imposed by the British, the Americans and the Soviets. It was so from the beginning. Perhaps few of you remember that when he fled, the people thought they were preoccupied with the allies and the aliens rejoiced that the coming of the allies had, at least, resulted in his departing the country. When Muhammad Rida left as well, you, yourselves, saw that there was rejoicing and jubilation everywhere. And the people were happy also when he died.
But when a country's government is with the people and of the people, the people of such a country become anxious when their president is involved in a mishap. That accident was really one of the miracles «3», because, as you may have seen it on Television, the pieces of the (crashed) helicopter were strewn all over the ground, but none of those on board who are our leading figures- the President, the Commander of the Ground Forces and other chiefs- were harmed. Subsequently, the people throughout Iran held thanksgiving services, sent telegrams, held (joyous) demonstrations and paraded (in the avenues). Where can such things happen? (They happened here) because Mr. Bani Sadr did not come from abroad to be forced on you. He did not have the power to impose on you. He was a person like the rest, without any power. But he spoke, he expressed himself and made the people pay attention (to what he was saying). The people cast their vote in his favor; he is their choice. When something happens by the wish of the people, the whole nation support it.
In case Saddam Husayn in Iraq or Anwar Sadat in Egypt are to meet with an accident now, the people will mourn if they emerge unscathed! But if they get killed, the people will rejoice! This is because the people of our country are not divided; the Prime minister is not apart from the people. He «4» is from among those who were in jail under that government, that despotic government, and had undergone persecution and suffering. He is from among you; no (foreign) power has imposed him upon you. You, yourselves, appointed the President and the Majlis; nobody forced them on you.
Safeguarding the movement by Islamic conduct and (adhering to) Islamic ethics
You ought to appreciate this Islamic government and this Islamic movement. You should know that everything has been given by God. Do not think that I, you and whoever, have prevailed. we had nothing, did we? Let it not enter your minds that we Iranians accomplished everything ourselves. Not at all! As it was a divine movement and a divine revolution, the thing that supported you was the absolute power of God. It was your supporter and helper. Always keep this fact in mind, and always be thankful to the Blessed and Exalted Lord because He transformed a nation from what it was in the past to an Islamic reality blessed with Islamic morality and Islamic behavior!
Brothers, keep up your Islamic practices. By conducting yourself in an Islamic manner and by safeguarding this movement and taking it to success, by bearing in mind that the Blessed and Exalted Lord is supporting us and by adhering to Islamic ethics and practices, you must safeguard this power that has brought you victory. Maintain this divine power, this everlasting power that He has so lavishly bestowed upon you up to now, by means of your sincerity of purpose and the determination to take the movement forward for His sake. God will be with you as long as you keep all this in mind.
I pray to God the Blessed and Exalted for the health and prosperity of those of you who live in the border regions or near them. And I wish to thank the `ulama' of Kermanshah, the honorable Aqa Bozorg and Aqa Isfahani «5», as well as the other honorable `ulama' who have taken the trouble of coming from there. I also thank all of you who are brothers, and are our brothers- all of us want to take this movement forward in a brotherly manner- and pray for your well-being.
May God's peace and mercy be upon you.