Speech [The importance of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (the Majlis) and the responsibility of the MPs]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I have a few words to share on the Majlis and its environment and on the country and those who are busy serving it.

You gentlemen must have heard on television, most of what I have to say as regards the Majlis, which I had also mentioned in my speech last year. However, I regret to say that things are not how I would have liked them to be. My wish was for this Majlis to serve as a teacher for the entire nation as well as the following Majlis and to be able to demonstrate for the future generations, the meaning of consultation and how a representative should be. Our Majlis should not be like the ones of the previous regimes, and particularly not like ones of the last fifty years. You gentlemen should express your views peacefully within a calm environment. Even differences of opinion over the various affairs of the country should be expressed peacefully and settled amicably. Only in a peaceful environment do minds function judicially. Wisdom departs the moment anger and rage step into affairs. The moment rage is activated it sidetracks the intellect and makes a person speak imprudently. A judge cannot pass a verdict when he is enraged because such a verdict would not be issued on the basis of the laws of the religion and the intellect. I understand that you have certain reservations. At times you may wish to criticize something; and it is alright to express criticism as long as it does not insult someone or some group and does not eliminate them from the scenes. Criticism is necessary for the rectification of affairs. There should be criticism in every Majlis. However, criticism should be expressed peacefully and response to it should also be peaceful and free of rage and fury. Only in such case can logic prevail. If you decide to resolve every issue by raising a hue and cry and in an atmosphere of turmoil in which each side is bent upon crushing the opposite group like an enemy, then there is no room for wisdom, and it will be replaced by rage which is the worst of instincts. And, needless to say, when rage gets activated and is not harnessed it only ends up making things worse, leave alone resolving them.

Man can have only one of these three different views on any given issue. He either agrees with it, or disagrees with it, or else he remains neutral. However, the view that is based on one's likes or dislikes cannot be too sound. Man's love for a thing makes him blind and deaf. «1» The same rule applies to one's dislikes; it extinguishes the light of one's wisdom. Extreme love for a thing makes man oblivious to the fact that his opinion regarding it has stemmed from his love for it and, hence, cannot be correct or sound and reliable. It is not easy for man to know himself. Man is caught up in things within of himself, of which he may even be quite oblivious, right until the end of his life or until the time of departing from this world. We should place ourselves in the hands of someone neutral. When man is caught up in egotism or self-love, his entire focus remains on trying to justify the means of attaining whatever his desires demand, even if they are illogical and unethical. And the moment one becomes biased over anything, he stops being able to see clearly. He even goes to all extents to justify his own actions and to prove any opposing views as wrong. That is why we find that whenever anything takes place or anything is said by anyone, it evokes two basic kinds of reactions: those who like the person approve of his action while those who are not his friends, disapprove of it, irrespective of whether the act is logical or not. Man is generally bound to be caught up in either of these two reactions and it is very rare to find people who can hold an unbiased view. No one can ever be completely unbiased within himself, but if one has to offer an opinion, he should base it upon the truth and should only be swayed by the truth. And even if one's enemy is in the right, one should be able to praise him because he is correct. On the other hand, even if a wrong has been done by one's friend, one should be able to accept that he is in the wrong. Even if one does hold certain preferences, if his opinion is sought and if he has to offer a view that concerns others or is involved with the country, he should put his own bias and prejudices aside and should instead base his view upon that which is right or wrong.

Truth should be sought wherever it is and it should be embraced with open arms even if it happens to be against our personal preferences. Similarly, wrong is wrong and falsehood should be shunned, no matter through whom it comes. Personal or group preferences should be shoved aside and right and wrong should remain the only criteria for judgment. Moreover, even if one ends up getting enraged or wrathful while trying to prove the truth or reject falsehood, neither will he succeed in establishing the truth and nor will he be able to eliminate the falsehood.

It is important for everyone and especially for you gentlemen in the Majlis- since the Majlis is the fountainhead of whatever transpires in a country- to refrain from dealing with things while supporting or rejecting an issue or while discussing matters through the power of anger instead of resorting to the power of the intellect. Even if you find someone speaking against you, try to approach the person logically because yelling back or, God forbid, using abusive language will not rectify matters. In fact, such unbecoming behavior will instead gradually form a trend in the Majlis. Vices do not appear in man all of a sudden. The inner devil in man is very shrewd. It will never drag man into corruption all of a sudden. At the onset, it will incite man to commit small sins. Once man does that, the next step will be a little further. It sends man to hell gradually and drags him to corruption step by step. It was not as if all these corrupt people that you see around you were at this level of corruption right from the beginning. A Prophetic saying mentions that" every child is born, naturally inclined to monotheism [tawhid]". «2»

And it was also not as if they leapt suddenly from one level of corruption to another much greater level. All this takes place step by step. Those who have ended up becoming dictators were not born this way. They, too, were like all others (to begin with). Even when they gained a certain level of power, they did not start dictating terms immediately. They became dictators step by step and little by little. And a Hitler emerged at a certain point! A Stalin emerged at a certain point! The devil within man drags him to destruction very insidiously. If he had to incite man into committing a murder all of a sudden, he would never succeed. He begins by poisoning the mind of man by inciting him to anger against others. Then he gradually prepares man to be capable of committing murder. All these corrupt people have become so gradually and none of them was born like this. None of us should imagine ourselves to be safe from corruption. All of us carry the risk of being afflicted. All of us are in the clutches of the Shaytan, and especially the shaytan of egotism. He has held all of us by our collars. No one was born totally corrupt and no one is safe from the clutches of corruption and the deception of Shaytan. If one remains on guard and keeps his focus upon acquiring human virtues and takes himself to account for all his actions and if for instance one day he says or does something in a certain gathering and if he evaluates his action that night to check if his action was prompted by the devil or whether it was a divinely-inspired one and if he holds himself to account each night, it is quite likely that he will eventually rectify himself. But if he neglects this vigilance and if he continues unbridled, do not be surprised if even an ascetic and obedient Muslim eventually emerges as a ruthless and corrupt being. No one is assured total safety.

I am hopeful that from now onwards, more attention will be paid to the atmosphere within the Majlis- which is in the limelight throughout the country and elsewhere- so that when the internal scenes are exposed to the people, they do not end up regretting their choice of representatives. The Majlis should never deviate from the path that is being followed by the people.

The Majlis should harbor an atmosphere within which all the issues of the nation are dealt with, in total understanding and keeping in mind the welfare of the nation and the country. Even if there is criticism, it should be with a good intention. The response to criticism should also be well-intentioned. The Majlis should have a healthy atmosphere so that when people see their representatives in action, they are left feeling satisfied with their choices. The people should never, God forbid, end up regretting the votes they have cast.

I stress once again that the Majlis is the topmost office within this country. If the Majlis ratifies a certain law and if the Council of Guardians, too, gives its approval, no one then has the right to challenge the issue. I do not mean that no one has the right to voice his opinion but he should be clear that it is only a personal opinion. However, if he wants to create mischief and damage public opinion with regards to the Majlis and the Council of Guardians, this clearly is corruption and such a person can only be corrupt and should face prosecution under the charges of spreading corruption. Many people have sacrificed their lives for this Majlis to be formed today. This Majlis is the fruit of the excruciating efforts of this Muslim nation. It has been formed with the national slogans of" God is the Greatest". And if any step is taken by this Majlis that goes against Islam, it would have deviated from the prescribed path of the Muslims. The Majlis should powerfully deal with issues without fearing anyone or any power. And it should calmly address issues, without creating mayhem or commotion and based on healthy interaction and positive criticism. Opponents should express their objections without raising a hue and cry. Supporters, too, should express their approval without much ado, following which a general vote should be taken and if, after a majority has voted in favor of a certain issue and the Council of Guardians, too, has found it to be within the accepted framework of Islam and the Constitution, anyone wishes to create mischief, it is only out of spite and corruption. The decision of the Majlis should be honored obediently as long as it is not against the teachings of Islam. And even if there are certain un-Islamic acts that have taken place within the Majlis, the general public opinion should not be poisoned against it. This is a very fundamental matter which should be given due significance by everyone. Just because a certain issue may prove to be against the personal preference of one person, he should not end up criticizing the entire Majlis and the Council of Guardians. He should instead alter his own opinion. Our nation certainly faces this challenge today.

I am hopeful that this Majlis proves to be an Islamic Majlis working in the service of Islam. It should, God forbid, not be a place in which sins take place and derogatory acts or abuse becomes a trend. All this is against the teachings of Islam and should not be permitted.

And now, the issue that I wish to generally address is that our nation which initiated a revolt and favored us by entering into the scenes and confronted all the powers and voted for this Islamic Republic and defeated the opposition is standing firmly in resolve. All these satanic forces that claim all kinds of stuff as regards our nation are only sitting behind their closed doors and evaluating things. They do not bother to consider the views of this nation and see for themselves that, with the exception of a small handful of people, this entire nation will respond positively to the call of Islam as and when the need arises. And even this small handful is bound to mingle into the entire nation once the wave takes over. They keep on harping upon gaining national approval. The nation has opted for Islam and is there anything better than Islam that they can be ensured of? What better thing do they want to do for the nation? The Iranian nation has voted for an Islamic Republic. And this nation has sincerely put everything at stake for its choice of Islam. If you have any problems with Islam, move out to Europe or America, and live wherever you wish to. And if you want to be with this nation, then live here. Do not make claims of national support. The nation is with Islam. It is neither with me, nor with you, and nor is it with anyone else. If I were to utter a single word against Islam, this same nation will rush to destroy me. The nation wants Islam. The nation is not interested in personalities. The nation is not into some kind of hero-worshipping. This nation wants to establish Islamic laws in this country. The nation has gone through all this great hardship only in order to establish Islam in this country in which efforts have been going on for hundreds of years and especially in the last fifty years to sidetrack Islam and to sidetrack and weaken the clergy. It is because the nation wants Islam that it is in favor of the clergy. And even if a cleric happens to, God forbid, act against Islam, he would be no different from a SAVAK agent. He would be no different and he would in fact be worse than a SAVAK agent. You gentlemen need to clear your ears of talks like" this nation no longer supports the Islamic Republic". No! It is you who have deviated. You need to rectify yourselves. You need to cure the illness of your own souls so that you no longer write things like" this country has been ruined". This nation is not ruined and this Islamic Republic is very much in place. The public, too, supports the Islamic Republic, as long as the Majlis is Islamic and as long as the government is Islamic and as long as the President is Islamic, they all have public support. The public will stop supporting you if you slip because it is Islam that they are seeking. If ever a choice has to be made between any one of us and the Prophet of Islam (s), which Muslim would ever choose any of us?! If ever a choice has to be made between you and Islam, would any Muslim ever prefer to choose you over Islam?! Purge your heads of ideas about these people having changed their minds! The people desire Islam and will continue to do so till the end.

These writers need to get a better perspective. They cannot just sit behind closed doors and pass verdicts upon the national situation. Well, you can clearly see this nation and its participation in the scenes and in the markets and at the warfronts. We have people coming up everyday, insisting on being sent to the warfronts. Only you and I do not constitute the entire nation! The masses make up the nation. They are the criteria. Do not sit around spreading tales of national dejection and despair. Oh no! The nation shall never despair in Islam. As and when they find discrepancies in any individual acts they point them out but all of them want an Islamic Republic.

Control your pens and control yourselves. Do not obey your carnal self so much. Do not obey the Satan so much. Write about appropriate issues and do not chase corrupt issues. Do not sit and dictate what needs to be done. Well, by the grace of God, a lot of constructive work has been done. Of course, you cannot expect everything to go right overnight in a country that has been under fifty, nay 2,500 years, of destructive rule and you cannot expect all the organizations to become Islamic overnight. But, if you as well as all those who are busy causing corruption leave the country alone everything is possible. Things will improve even if you continue your acts although it will take a little longer. You people are supposed to be Muslims. This country is already facing attacks from all sides; the least you can do is to stop attacking it and to give it a breather.

Even though the nation as well as the clergy are ready (to take any required action), our aim always is to settle matters peacefully. Remember that all committed clerics have complete national support. Stop your futile efforts to sidetrack the clergy. What has been your contribution toward this country in the past few years for you to demand that the clergy be sidetracked? Have you done anything positive and constructive? You have nothing but hollow talk and keep repeating that you have said this and that. But show us what you have done. This nation has always wanted Islam and the clergy and it considers the clergy as the symbol of Islam. Of course I am not talking about each and every cleric. I consider some of them to be worse than even Shimr! I am referring to the clergy that has protected Islam thus far. Had it not been for the clergy, no signs of Islam would have remained! Who has safeguarded Islamic sciences and have handed them over to us? Has it been anyone but the clergy? Right from the days of Imam Sadiq (`a), when the Shi`ah jurisprudence took form; it was the clergy that passed it on generation to generation. Even during the period of occultation[ ghaybah al-kubra ]it has been the clergy that has safeguarded the Islamic laws and has passed them on from generation to generation until they have reached us. It was the clergy that repeatedly stood up against the previous regime during the past fifty years; and you were all witness to this fact. It was the clergy that rose against Rida Khan in Isfahan «3» and in other places although it faced defeat because the people were under extreme suppression. It was the clergy that revolted in Azerbaijan and was again defeated because the people were not much aware of what was happening. It was the clergy that raised its voice on Khordad 15 when no one else had the courage to utter a word. And it was the clergy that started the movement two years ago. Do not brag so much about your activities. Be fair. Do not say:" the clergy has done nothing and it was we who did everything". No sensible person would say such things and become the object of ridicule. It was the clergy that inspired our people to pour onto the streets and it was Islam that prepared our people for martyrdom, without which, no party or group could have succeed in inspiring our people to volunteer for martyrdom. Where in the history of mankind have you heard people come voluntarily and say:" I want to attain martyrdom; pray for me to become a martyr"! This is the power of Islam. You must value Islam and the clergy. You do not understand. If this group (the clergy) is sidetracked, fifty years from now, there will be no sign of Islam. Since you believe is Islam you should know very well that it is the clergy that has protected Islam and it continues to protect Islamic jurisprudence in the seminaries. A couple of days ago one of the teachers of the Qum Seminary had come to see me and on my inquiry on the conditions of the Qum seminaries he told me that the theological students were earnestly studying and striving in the field of Islamic jurisprudence. You should value these clerics. If they get sidetracked, you will have no place in society; just like what it was earlier. It was because of the clergies that you have become ministers, MPs, etcetera. What makes you oppose them? The nation is behind them and they are managing the affairs of the country with the support of the nation. Why do you then say that the nation does not support them anymore? Is it possible for the nation to give up Islam? There may be some clerics who have committed unlawful acts. But why do you forget your own unlawful acts? I agree that our judicial system is not ideal and that there are some shortcomings. I also agree that there are some young clerics who are naive and inexperienced and commit some unlawful acts; but you should join hands and rectify things instead of raising a big hue and cry over a revolutionary guard's unlawful act and generalizing it. The revolutionary guards are the same people who saved you from the atrocities of Rida Khan and Muhammad Rida Khan. Thank the Lord and encourage them (instead of criticizing them). At the same time, if they commit an unlawful act they should be corrected. Do not sit in criticism. It is our army that is serving the country under heavy fire. Who are they doing it for? They are doing it for Islam and the Islamic country. They are the same people who worship their Lord in the middle of the night and serve (at the fronts in the daytime). They are the same people who are fearless of death and desire martyrdom and freedom from this world. You may perhaps have gone through some of their wills. Let this power of Islam prevail! If this power of Islam is- God forbid- defeated, all of us and you and all the intellectuals and writers will be ruined. It is this power that protects you. It is the power of the nation and Islam that prevents America and the Soviet Union from ruining this country. This nation wants to protect its country and is prepared to make all the necessary sacrifices for it. You should protect this power of the country. As soon as one utters the word" religious" these people sit in ridicule. Being religious means being Islamic and anyone who ridicules it has, in fact, ridiculed Islam. And if he does it on purpose, then he is a heretic[ murtad-e fitri ]which would mean that his marriage would be annulled, his property would go to his heirs, and he would face execution.

I am always in favor of everyone- all the various strata and those who are active on the scenes- to sit together and find solutions to problems. Do not sit and try to eliminate each other from the scenes and bring matters to a standstill and drag the country to a deadlock. It is you who have reached a deadlock and you are mistaken if you think that the country has reached a deadlock because an Islamic country can never reach a deadlock. These same old men and women and the youth and the children can pull the country out of all deadlocks. And it is only because you all have reached a deadlock that you are left wondering what to do. You are willing to sacrifice Islam and the country for your own selfishness. You are actively destroying the country. Put an end to all this nonsense! Work for God and foster peace for the sake of God! Invite everyone to peace for the sake of God! Just a few days ago, Mr. Hujjati had approached me with the proposal of forming an association- an association for unity, etcetera. I told him that it would be of no use. And that even if they formed several associations, it would be of no use, because such things are not the solution and giving counter interviews will not help anything. Sure, sitting in private face-to-face discussions to find solutions would be the answer but they needed to take care not to allow the situation to get disastrous enough to ruin all of us. No one should get pompous about holding this and that position and sit and blow trumpets!

Our people have opted for Islam. And if you swerve from the path of Islam, even this cleric who is sitting here will oppose you with all might! The entire Islamic nation, too, is seeking to establish Islam. I had suggested at the onset of this year that this year be recognized as the" year of the law". All limits should be clearly defined. If the President wavers even a step from his legal limits, as defined by the Constitution, I will oppose him. Similarly, the Prime Minister, too, should not overstep his defined limits and even if he were to do so, I would stand in opposition against him. The legal limits of the Majlis, the Judiciary, the Executive, and the Council of Guardians have been defined by the law. It will not be acceptable for you to declare that you do not recognize the law. How dare you not recognize the law! The law rejects you! No one should be allowed to say that they do not accept the Council of Guardians. They cannot do that. The people have voted for them. More than 16 million people have voted in favor of the Constitution. When the people have voted for the Constitution, they expect it to be implemented. How can it be acceptable for any Tom, Dick, and Harry to wake up one fine morning and declare that he does not recognize the Constitution or the Council of Guardians or the Majlis or the President or the government! Everyone should firmly abide by the law even if it is against your desire. You have to accept it since the decision of the majority is the criterion. The discretion of the Council of Guardians is the criterion, as long as it is not against the Constitution and Islam, and should be honored by all of us. Even I, as a simple cleric, could find certain issues objectionable but if they have the consent of the law then I would need to honor them. Once a certain issue gets legalized, bickering about it in a way that could incite people would amount to pure mischief-making and calls for commensurate legal action. And even if one wishes to oppose something, he should do it peacefully. No one is opposed to peaceful opposition. Your contention is that even though you may not have given your consent, in practical terms, you do respect the law. That is fine. However, as far as clear Islamic issues are concerned, even if you oppose them verbally, you need to be castigated. But as far as your opposition to certain political issues is concerned, fine, the others could be mistaken and even a million people could be mistaken! And even if you believe that the others are mistaken, you have no choice but to honor their decisions. Likewise, as far as those of you who have been elected from Tehran or the other constituencies are concerned, there could be many who feel that you are unqualified and should not have been elected. However, since you have managed to gain a majority of the votes, the humble people have accepted everything. It is only you and I who, wherever it goes against our favor, cry out opposition to the fundaments. Wherever and whenever someone opposes" me", he is not even a Muslim! And whoever favors" me" is an" Abou Dharr", even if he is really a" Shimr"! «4» This is a tendency that is potentially present in everyone. Mend your ways! There is a tendency within everyone to praise all those who agree with him and to criticize all those who oppose him. The divinely-commanded criteria for judging the good and the bad are immaterial and what matters is only who is good with" me"! The laws that suit" my" interest are the criteria. The Majlis that suits" my" interest is the criterion; the army that caters to" my" interest is the criterion! And whatever is not in" my" favor is corrupt! All human beings have a tendency to such an attitude and it is not confined to one or two individuals. Everyone, with the exception of people who have risen above such things, wants everything only for himself. Nevertheless, as far as the management of the country is concerned, all of you as well as all the other officials and the entire nation should honor the dictates of the Constitution. Everyone should honor the decisions of the Majlis that have been endorsed by the Council of Guardians to be in agreement with the Constitution and the laws of Islam. And do not blow the trumpet of law while breaking them yourselves. Respect the law! All of you should act within the legal framework. If everyone acts within the legal framework, there will be no differences. All differences arise when lines are crossed. If each person stayed within his own purview, there would be no problems. But all problems arise the moment people overstep their bounds.

Our disputes are not for the sake of God. You all need to get that out of your heads! All of you and all of us need to clear our heads of the illusion that all our disputes are for the sake of God and for the welfare of Islam. No! That is not true. You cannot fool around with the ego. All your and my and everyone's disputes are only for our own selves. Everyone wants everything for themselves. Everyone desires all the power and everything they can lay their eyes on. I cannot ultimately understand what kind of power you are chasing now. If we saw Muhammad Rida chase these things, it was clear what he was after, because there was a satanic kind of power available for him to pursue since no one dared to utter a single word against him. But in today's times, when even a grocer can approach the Prime Minister or the President and say:" Hey brother Prime Minister! You are wrong here!" or" Hey brother President! You are wrong there!", there is no question of power! It is just a mutual brotherhood at work. It is just like a group of brothers and some of them happen to sit in one place (as officials) while the others are supporting them. There is no" power" for us to chase. These are all the guiles of Iblis that have taken control over us. And if you respond positively to such guiles, they will finally dispatch you off to hell and will ensure your destruction in this world too. These capricious guiles are lying-in-wait right round this corner and this satanic caprice of the soul is only waiting to bring doom to everything in this world. Hitler did not hesitate to destroy the entire humankind so that he and Germany could remain in power. All those fancies of a" superior race" that were in Hitler's mind are present in all your minds too. It is you that is unaware. What lies at the very core of all these issues is self-adulation and egotism.(All this goes on endlessly) unless and until one starts focusing on things like justice and service to God and unless one starts questioning one's motives for every action. Am I willing to bring destruction upon this entire nation only for establishing my own self and eliminating all others? No! All of you can establish yourselves and all of you can safeguard the interests of this country together. Act as per the law; refer to the Constitution and establish your purviews. Inform the nation, too, about the responsibilities that the Constitution has charted out for the government, the President, the Majlis, the army, and the others. Let them know about the responsibilities that the Constitution for which they have voted has earmarked for each of you. Make sure that you do not limit all this to verbal claims while your actions speak otherwise! Humble yourselves sincerely before the law and before Islam! Everyone can offer lip-service. Even if you had to ask the Satan, he, too, would probably claim to be a revolutionary! Today, everyone has turned into a revolutionary and everyone makes claims of having the nation's interests in mind! Everyone today claims to have fought at the warfronts! You all saw for yourselves how a certain group has now claimed to have been at the warfronts from the very onset of the war! Even I can lie right here and make claims of being right at the fore of battle! Do not debilitate this Islamic Republic and serve these oppressed people who have voted for you all with fairness, justice, and conscience. Fear the day your secret intentions are exposed in front of the people, causing an explosion! Fear the day, God forbid, another" yawmullah" (lit. Day of Allah) possibly takes place! That day no one will be able to speak of returning to

Bahman 22! It will be doomsday for all of us! I am hopeful that God Almighty will bless us and guide us on His favored path! And that He will guide our pens to write that which has His consent! And that He will cause our tongues to speak that which earns His satisfaction!

May God's peace, mercy and the blessings be upon you.