Speech [Need to show forbearance in the face of post-revolutionary problems]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

You gentlemen are well-aware about our earlier conditions and our present conditions and of our plans for the future. All of you know what conditions prevailed during the previous regime and, in fact, since you were very much present in this country and were involved in its affairs, you would know what the situation and the problems of the country were like even better than me who was out of the country; and later on, too, it was all of you and the rest of the nation that, by the grace of God, got united and got rid of the real crook which is America and all its agents who had brought upon us damage from which we are still suffering. A nation that wishes to stand up on its own strength and stay free and independent has to be geared up to ensure that after victory it is not afflicted with the same problems that were faced by all other revolutions. No revolution can expect to be free from post-victory issues to deal with. We are now in the post-revolutionary era and all the other revolutions, too, had and are still facing the same problems as ours does. We could take for instance the Soviet Union. More than sixty years have elapsed since its revolution and there are some other countries that had undergone revolutions more than twenty or thirty years back. All these countries are still facing problems. And if we find that the problems we are faced with are much less than the other revolutions, it is mainly because our revolution took place at the hands of Muslims. This revolution did not take place at the state level in the form of a coup d'etat. On the contrary, it was a national-Islamic revolution that took place mainly against the shortcomings of the previous regime and the problems that the nation had faced and since the nation had also come to realize that Islam was at stake. With the grace of God, our nation is facing much lesser problems than what the other revolutions had faced. This is mainly because our revolution was an Islamic one and our men and women make sacrifices for the cause of Islam. We can still expect to face problems even in the future. And besides facing the natural problems that are part and parcel of every revolution our country has also had to face the burden of an imposed war! This is because our country is different from most other countries. Many big countries have covetous eyes toward our country, both, because we enjoy a strategic geo-political situation and because of our precious natural resources. And this is the reason why most big powers tried their best to create obstacles for us after the Revolution. Moreover, the internal agents of the big powers are not going to give up so easily. However, the bottom-line is that we revolted for the sake of Islam and we shall bear whatever it takes, for the sake of Islam. I am hopeful that victory shall be ours. The deracination has already taken place.

Our nation was in the clutches of an age-old monarchial system, the last ruler being Muhammad Rida, who was being supported by all the big powers; but you all managed to destroy that system and uprooted it for good. So these are the problems that follow every revolution and they have to be faced patiently, and forbearance in the face of these problems is for the sake of God. The Prophet (s) had faced incessant difficulties in Mecca for a period of ten years and when he reached Medina and the problems of Mecca came to an end, he had to face the difficulty of a chain of wars along with his companions over a period of ten years during his stay in Medina. We have still not suffered that level of difficulty. The extent of suffering that the Messenger of God (s) had to face during the three years of sanction «1» was such that they barely even found anything to eat and they had to go through unbelievable toil to lay their hands on water and other necessities. Iran, by the grace of God, has never faced such suffering. We should take the Prophet (s) as our exemplar. Since we claim to be the followers of the Noble Prophet of Islam (s) as well as the Infallible Imams (`a), we should try to learn about all the problems they suffered for the cause of Islam. The problems that Imam `Ali (`a) faced during the period of his caliphate were greater and much more intense than what he had faced before that or what he had faced during the times of the Prophet (s) and in all the holy wars he had participated in as the most powerful defender of Islam. He faced those problems during his caliphate because besides his regular activities he now also held a major responsibility. Notwithstanding the severity of the situation, he showed great resistance and spread Islam and brought its progress. All our Imams (`a) had to face either imprisonment, or exile, or house arrest. And they could bear all this suffering easily only because it was for the cause of Islam. What we are also saying is that it is easy to bear any kind of difficulty if it is for the cause of Islam. All of us should sacrifice ourselves for the cause of Islam to become manifest.

I hope that you succeed in overcoming all the problems that are facing you, your other brothers, and your country. I promise you that victory is yours by the grace of God. May God grant you success, and victory!

May God's peace and mercy be upon you.