In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The 17 th of Shahrivar 1357 (AHS) is one of those" days of God", the memory of which will always remain alive in the hearts of the noble people of Iran. The great nation of Iran has seen days like the 17 th of Shahrivar in the course of this movement. And, praise be to God, by overcoming all difficulties, by offering worthy martyrs to the cause of dear Islam and the country and by means of its exhausting devotion, it emerged honorably and triumphantly from the field of conflict. That feat [it accomplished] has attracted the attention of the people worldwide. Our enemies were under the impression that with the help of their harassing plots, they would be able to lead this Islamic movement and the glorious Revolution of this martyr-nurturing nation towards a state of indifference and inertness, heedless of the fact that an uprising staged for the sake of God and based upon faith and spirituality will never lose ground. Our people have now become accustomed to martyrdom and sacrifice. They do not fear any enemy, any power or any plot. The people whose doctrine is devoid of martyrdom are the ones who are afraid.
What should a nation fear when its newly-wed couples volunteer to meet martyrdom and have prepared themselves for all eventualities for the cause of God? A nation that considers martyrdom a blessing is victorious. A nation that devotes itself and everything belonging to it to [the cause of] Islam, is victorious. We are victorious whether we kill or get killed. The enemies of the deprived nations and those that follow the powerful tyrants who have summoned their devilish henchmen to sow discord among the Muslims will become aware of their blunder when millions of Muslims inflict a disgraceful defeat on them and nullify their treacherous plots. Let these dregs of history rise against Islam in the name of Islam, and be treacherous to the Qur'an in the name of the Holy Qur'an. It is not something new.
The honorable religion of Islam has seen many such traitors and has sent them all to the realm of the Satans. Those days when our people had nothing except their empty hands and pure spirit, they were able to prevail over the great satanic powers with the cries of:" Allahu Akbar". And now, thanks to the Almighty, our combatant youths; our sisters and brothers throughout the country, who with their military training have deprived the enemies of Islam and Iran of their ability to think, will overcome all difficulties and all the satanic forces by relying on divine power and devoting themselves to the Islamic cause. A nation that has successfully and honorably gone through 15 th Khordad, the" bloody day"; the 17 th of Shahrivar, the day of the" victory of blood [over the sword], and Black Friday, the day when it jolted the regime, dose not fear these economic and military embargoes. Those who fear [such things] are the ones to whom economic considerations mean everything, whose appetites are their central concern and the [material] world their end purpose.
O, warrior nation of Iran! Muster your great power to confront the military powers. O, [the personnel of] the armed forces who are the soldiers of Islam, the self-sacrifiers for the cause and the sentinels of the country: equip yourselves with both virtues and weapons; do not give way to fear and apprehension as the Almighty is your Supporter and the great nation, your votary. You must help God's creed and the monotheist country so that the Omnipotent Lord gives you victory. I pray to the Almighty for the glory of Islam and the crusading nation. May He shower His mercies on the martyrs of the Revolution, especially those of Shahrivar 17 th, and give patience and His blessings to the bereaved families of the martyrs of the Revolution; particularly the martyrs of the 17 th of Shahrivar. I pray that He cast aside and destroy the enemies of Islam, especially the ones that sow discord among the ranks of the Muslims. May God's peace and mercy be upon His righteous servants.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini
Shahrivar 16,1359 AHS