Speech [Following the dismissal of Bani Sadr; warning and advice to those deceived by the deviant groups; cautioning the group," Nahdat-e Azadi" (Freedom Movement)]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I thank all of you from the Wahdat (Air Force) Base of Dezfoul and the Basij of Isfahan and the rest of the gentlemen for being present here. And my gratitude is directed to all the combatants serving at the warfronts and behind them.

Today, with the grace of God, the Iranian nation is a nation of pious believers and soldiers that possesses a firm ideology and is striving toward it. And till the time that this high spirit is embedded in our nation we do not need to fear the conspiracies, deviation, or any other hazards that had been and are facing this nation. Only a nation that does not have faith (in God) needs to fear in the face of tribulation. A nation as this, that has faith and a firm ideology and has arisen in sacred defense of this faith and belief and believes that sacrifice in the way of God Almighty is victory and attaining martyrdom is also a victory, is invincible. The conspirators who want to spread dissension in this nation with their conspiracies and think that they will succeed in doing so within this consolidated Islamic Iranian nation and will succeed in causing conflict between the various groups are mistaken. They have not recognized (the power of) this valiant nation. They do not know that the entire heroic Iranian nation has deep faith and is ready to strive (for its ideal) and will sever all criminal hands from its country with the power of its commitment and will thwart all the conspiracies one by one. Today, the nation is consolidated and active and is on full alert toward all plots and conspiracies. And the moment it finds that a group or certain individuals are going against the path that has been chosen by this nation; which is the path of humanity, the path of truth, and the path of striving for one's faith and ideals, it- the armed forces, the gendarmerie, the police, the basijis, the revolutionary guards, and the other national forces as well as the rest of the nation that is armed with faith- is well-equipped and prepared, without the need for any motivation, to deal with any anti-Revolutionary moves. And, by God's grace, there is no need for anyone to mobilize them. Such a nation is bound to finally succeed and every martyr that it sacrifices only adds to its determination and diligence.

All these groups which are, unfortunately, deceiving our youth as well as our precious children who should be working for Islam and their country and are instigating them against this Islamic Revolution that has severed the hands of the (evil) powers from this country and are dragging them onto the streets to stand up against the nation are committing a grave mistake. Let me offer some advice to these youth who have been deceived by a handful of wolves and let me advise their fathers and mothers to rescue their children and youth who have fallen into the hands of wolves in the form of man who wish to deviate you all. Closely examine the incident «1» that took place a couple of days ago and study it carefully and check out what it was all about, what purpose it served, and in whose interest it was. Are you all standing up against America and the Soviet Union in sacred defense or not?! Do you wish to liberate your country from the clutches of America and the Soviet Union or not? You have already been deceived and the treacherous heads of the MKO have deluded you. While they sat safely in their shelters, they instigated you all to fall into the streets and brought about that unfortunate incident through your hands. Who were you standing up against? Whom is the declaration for armed attack aimed against? This declaration for armed attack is aimed against a nation that has been sacrificing its blood for nearly twenty years and especially in the past two to three years and has severed the hands of the Western and the Eastern blocs from this country! Your uprising was aimed against such a nation! They coerced you into acts that have blackened the face of history. Have you even given a thought to what you are up to and what kinds of people have instigated you? All those who had invited you to insurgency and resistance have deserted you and have fled off! Resistance and insurgency against whom? Against Islam? Against the Islamic Republic? Against the Noble Qur'an? And against Islam and the Qur'an in the name of the Qur'an?! And assaulting Islam in the name of Islam?! Assault against freedom in the name of freedom?! Wake up! Counsel your youth. Even if you gather all your strength, you are no more than a droplet in the face of this roaring wave of the noble Muslim nation of Iran! Why are you dragging yourselves to destruction and why do you want to throw Iran into the clutches of those powerful wolves in the name of liberating it? Just give it some thought! And let our nation give a thought to the plight of these people. The fathers and mothers of these deceived youth- girls and boys- need to find a way to guide them. We are your well-wishers. The Islamic Republic wants the best for you in this world and in the hereafter. The Islamic Republic wants you to be truly self-reliant. The Islamic Republic wishes to free you all from these wolves of the East and the West. These ill-fated criminal groups are misleading our youth. They sit safely in their shelters and instigate the youth of this nation against Islam and against the Muslim nation and in the service of the superpowers and especially America.

This plan has been in the hatching for a long time and its impious plotters have been busy planning it; and I had been studying them and observing their conditions until they finally, ingeniously exposed themselves and revealed their inner intentions, and the nation realized what they had been up to and how they entered into this country with a sincere and righteous facade and implemented the evil plan of the big powers or in other words, wanted to bring back America to this country. They did not know the truth of this nation. They did not know the truth of this Islamic nation. Even with all their shrewdness and knowledge, they had no idea what an Islamic nation is and what the power of Islam is! They tried to pave the path for America while the supporters of America gathered all around them. They did not pay any heed to my advice and ignored my plans for their welfare and for the welfare of our country and brought upon themselves exactly what I had feared. I did not want things to turn out like they were in the times of Rida Khan and how when he was ousted from the country, the first thing that their dear" friend" said in the Majlis was:" Everything happens for the best"! I did not want our awakened Islamic country to have people who would refuse to pay heed to good counsel and consequently lead matters to a point where the same people who supported them yesterday would turn into their enemies today! They have no idea what Islam is and what an Islamic nation is! They were under the notion that they could succeed in playing political games like the ones that the political groups play with the people in the East and the West and create dissension and rifts among the people with their political games and mobilize them against Islam and the Islamic Republic and coerce them into dissolving this Majlis. And oust this government, dissolve the Judiciary, bring ruin to the Islamic Republic with their own hands, only to pave the path for the superpowers that have lost their favorite baits, until this country becomes a bait for America and the Soviet Union once again. They had not recognized Islam. They thought that Islam is just another political school like the rest, that can be tricked with their evil political games, so that they can drag these people away from their chosen path for which they have sacrificed their blood and their youth for the past twenty years and drag them from the path of truth to the path of falsehood and from light into darkness and pave the path for their own friends.

It is a matter of regret that despite all my efforts to prevent such things from happening during the first term of presidency «2» these people refused to pay heed. I advised them in different forms to change their ways and not to betray the trust of the nation. I desired for all the statesmen of this country to remain in their posts until the end and to carry this revolution through until the final and absolute victory is achieved. However, there were hands at work and there were some wolves among them that did not allow our intentions to materialize. When it was felt that these people had joined hands in a satanic plot with the hypocrites who had poured onto the streets a couple of days ago beheading our youth, setting public property to fire, and causing street riots in order to drag this country to ruin, and as soon as I sensed that things had gone too far, I too, as I had warned them earlier regarding dismissing them from the responsibilities that were earlier handed over to them, acted upon my warning.

Such is the behavior of people claiming loyalty to Islam! Such is the behavior of people who claim to be the protectors of the interest of the people declaring themselves to be the" well-wishers of the people"! I do not know in which part of the world, those people that they claim to be the well-wishers of, live?! Are those people in Iran, or are they in America or are they in the Soviet Union? Are these elements the" well-wishers of people"- the people of Iran?! Then why do they stand in confrontation with these millions of people and wage an armed conflict against them?

Unfortunately, I find that many of them have been misled and many of them were actually unsuspecting youth who had been deviated by these wolves. And I am hopeful that these youth will return to the arms of the nation and the arms of Islam. That is why I counsel them and counsel the fathers and the mothers of those who have been misled, not to allow their youth to get ruined for the ambitions of a handful of traitors who want to gain power in this country with the support of America and the Soviet Union. They had not recognized (the power) of the Iranian nation. And they had no idea of the power of our armed forces. They had thought them to be like the army of the deposed Shah. They were under the notion that our army even today is like the army of the monarchial regime. They thought that our nation, too, is a nation that can be fooled and that is why they used all their force to stand up against the nation. Unfortunately, various groups, some of which comprise" religious" and pious people were and are also involved in their game.

I had repeatedly advised him «3» to dissociate himself from these corrupt groups and to guard his dignity and to go to the public and renounce them. And that they would ruin him. (I warned him that) All these wolves that are surrounding you- with the exception of a few- want to drag you to ruin; drive them off! But since he could not grasp the true meaning of Islam, the true meaning of an Islamic country, the true meaning of the Islamic nation, the true meaning of an Islamic army, and the true meaning of the armed forces of Islam, he dragged himself to ruin. I would still prefer the Muslim and pious groups who have not severed their ties with God and Islam to stay alert and to dissociate themselves from those who have rebelled against Islam. «4» Let them go to the public through the radio and television and condemn the groups that committed so many crimes a few days ago. Let them renounce those people who with the support of these groups wanted to cause dissension within the Iranian nation and to ruin the Iranian cities one by one. Let them go and renounce them and dissociate themselves from the corrupt conspirators and those who have no faith in Islam and who created turmoil a couple of days ago. Let them renounce all those who believe Islam to be outdated and believe its laws to have been suitable for fourteen hundred years ago. I know what is in your best interests. Do not, God forbid, wait for the same plight that overtook the others to come your way too. My desire is for all of you to join hands under the banner of Islam and stand up against America and the Soviet Union and not against each other. Do not stand up against each other. Join hands and salvage this country. All these differences that you want to create through your speeches and writings are not in the interest of Islam or the country or the nation. Where are you dragging this country to? Where are all you religious people striving to drag your country into? Into the arms of America? Into the arms of the Soviet Union? You may be unaware of the fact that even if you do somehow manage to create differences between the Islamic groups it will not bear any fruit excepting that it will put the country at the disposal of either America or the Soviet Union. Are you unaware of that? How could all you scholars be oblivious of this fact?! Do you want to sell this whole nation off to America?

Since my desire is for all of you to unite together, I once again advise you to learn a lesson from this experience. Do not forget that this Majlis has stood up against all kinds of deviation. This Majlis is not controlled by any particular party or group. Most of the members of the Majlis are independent representatives who think and act independently. They can see all the deviation but they strive to gain divine satisfaction and to reach (this country) to its goals. Do you know what you are doing when you ask for the dissolution of such a Majlis? Are all of you educated religious people oblivious of the situation? Have the devils succeeded in making you so negligent? Or then, God forbid, are you doing all this knowingly? Wake up and reform yourselves! All these incidents that take place in this world are necessary for us to learn our lessons and all you have to do is to get that lesson and stop trying to swim against the roaring wave of Islam and this Islamic nation. I am your well-wisher. I wished everyone well. I also wish these groups well. They need to quit and to stop rebelling against Islam and the Islamic country. Let those who have not yet actively rebelled, repent and return to Islam. Let these youth who have fallen into their traps wake up and return to Islam. Let them not sacrifice their lives for the Satan in vain. Let them not sacrifice the lives of their own brothers for their evil whims. Their leaders are devils who wish to ruin our youth and our young boys and girls and they want them to stand up against the nation and to destroy them all. These are all basically small insignificant groups and if only our misled youth were to return to Islam and to the nation their fate would soon be known. The nation, too, is crying out to me to settle accounts with them once and for all. However, I have the welfare of all the Muslims and the non-Muslims in mind. (I want) all of them to quit this mischief and for our young and beloved boys and girls not to be fooled by them. Let them flee from their traps and return to the arms of Islam because these people do not have the interest of this nation in mind. And this is evident from the fact that they are rebelling against the nation everywhere. Was all this commotion that took place a couple of days back and was all that mischief directed against protecting (this nation) from America? Were these people who got martyred American? Do all those crops that you set to fire belong to America? Do all those factories that you closed down belong to America? Do these agriculturists whom you invited to slow down or to stall work or the ones whose life's labor you set to fire belong to America? Are you the supporters of the masses?! Are you the supporters of the Iranian masses? Are you the supporters of your own nation? And are you gentlemen who are endorsing such people supporting Islam and the Islamic country? And do you believe that their acts are actually Islamic? You all do not consider our efforts in the Islamic government as Islamic; but do you consider the actions of these groups who have started armed conflict against the people in the streets and in other places as Islamic?! Why don't you bother to think for yourselves at least once?" An hour's contemplation is better than seventy years of worship"! «5» If you have spent seventy years in worship, sit and spend one hour in contemplation; sit and contemplate upon your actions and sit and contemplate upon what evil repercussions you could be creating for yourselves. Were those words that you all sent out, that were also discussed in the Majlis, for the sake of God?! Were all those allegations made for the sake of God? Are all these actions of yours- unfortunately coming from you who hail from the religious and the Muslim section- in the interest of your country? Are they for the sake of Islam? Does religion make it obligatory upon you to oppose a government that is already involved in so many problems and to put a spoke in the wheel of a government that is striving day and night to work for this nation? Is all this for the sake of Islam? Or for the sake of the Islamic nation? Is all this in the interest of the country?

I have the right to be most disappointed with the current state of affairs we are involved in. I truly do not want you to suffer the same plight as the others did. I do not want them to face the same fate. I have and shall keep track of your situation and do not want my suspicion that you are, God forbid, probably no longer interested in serving Islam and that all of you are only thinking of your own selves, to prove true. After all how much longer are you and I going to live? How much longer do you all think you are going to be around? And no matter what post or position you may succeed in attaining, do you think it will be higher than what Rida Khan and Muhammad Rida possessed? Take a lesson! Take a lesson from this historical event! History is the teacher of man. Take lessons from all these incidents that take place all over the world. You all are not going to be in this world from more than a few more years. Chamran, «6» too, is no longer among us. Chamran sacrificed his life with honor and dignity and with commitment to Islam and ensured honor for himself in this world and has gained divine mercy in the other world. All of us will also leave this world. Die like Chamran! Die like all these soldiers who are sacrificing their lives at the warfronts! Go through the wills that these beloveds write out. You have spent fifty years in worship and may it be acceptable to God Almighty; so spend at least a day in going through one of these wills and in contemplation. Our war-disabled youth, even now as they come here, ask me to pray for them to attain martyrdom; they have lost their legs but with crutches in their hands, they still cry and ask me to pray for their martyrdom. Take some lessons from them.

Why did you not dissociate yourselves from that well-known group «7» which issued a statement that was against the fundamentals of Islam and against the Qur'anic words despite my repeated suggestion to you? I repeatedly asked that gentleman «8» to dissociate himself from these hypocrites and to declare that those people were not from Islam and to disown them. But he refused to pay any heed and had to suffer the plight he did. I wish that he repents and that God Almighty, too, accepts his repentance so that he does not face shame in the other world. You still have the time. There is still time left for you to repent. There is still time left for you to dissociate yourselves from the groups that rebelled against Islam. Place a foot upon the caprice of your souls; place a foot upon your evil desires and dissociate yourselves from those who had issued the" National Front" leaflet against Islam and especially from those of them who were aware of its contents and have turned into apostates. Dissociate yourselves from those who fell out on the streets a couple of days ago and committed so many crimes declaring an armed conflict against the Islamic Republic. I am your well-wisher. I am fond of many of you even if you are unaware of it. I must say that even though you all have spent years in politics you have no political acumen. Just as Mr. Bani Sadr who also had no political acumen.

I am still advising Mr. Bani Sadr not to fall into the traps of these wolves that are sitting abroad and lying-in-wait. You will end up losing whatever little reputation you may have left. I do not want you to ruin yourself any further. I would like all those who live in this country to live a divinely-inspired life, worthy of man. Take care not to fall into the traps of people who are now totally exposed to this nation; and do not take their support and fall into their traps because then you will lose everything in this world as well as the hereafter. If only you had paid heed to my good counsel you would not have been facing this plight. But those who feigned fondness for you- while they disliked Islam- did not spare you and they continued their acts until they ruined you. Do not ruin yourself any more. Do not fall into the traps of those who have opened their mouths like dragons to devour you and to ruin your reputation. It will be in your interest to repent and to cut off from these corrupt and criminal groups and to instead dedicate yourself to writing. If you had only paid heed to the advice that I had offered you while I was lying sick in hospital, things would have been different today. And I never wanted things to turn out this way. That day one of the things I had spoken to you about, which is the root of all man's problems, was that" love for the world is the source of all man's slips and sins". «9» All our slips are because of love for ourselves and love for position and wealth. If only you had paid heed to this one advice, things would have been different today. And all the groups and your friends- except of course those groups that wish to exploit you to reach their own goals- would not have abandoned you. Your closest friends have abandoned you. All the groups that supported you and made loud claims about you have disowned you. And all this shows that you lack political acumen. The biggest proof of this is that you have lost your 11 million votes! «10» All this has left bitter memories and I did not want this to happen. And yet, there is always some possibility for repentance for everyone, no matter what one has done. The doors of repentance are open. God's mercy is never-ending. Repent and take a step forward and abandon the evil desires of the soul and God will accept you. He will ensure that you regain your lost reputation. He will return to you your lost dignity.

And as for those of you in the Majlis and active in other offices, take my humble advice and trample the evil desires of your soul. And drive off all those groups that wish to ruin Iran and have waged an armed conflict against Islam and dissociate yourselves from them. And also drive off those who believe Islam to be outdated and dissociate yourselves from them. There is always room for repentance. The biggest sin is to support those who have rebelled against Islam or those who issue statements against Islam. I am your well-wisher. From my side, I have forgiven you for whatever you have said against me personally. But I am thinking of your own welfare when I advise you to stop making the mistakes that you have made so far and to unite with the nation. And sever your ties with those various groups that wish to gain importance for themselves by associating with you because the more they become important, the greater will you lose your reputation. Return to Islam; to what you believe in! But the caprice of your soul does not allow you to do that. And let all of us take lessons from these soldiers who are sacrificing their lives at the warfronts. They are sacrificing their lives for Islam and for the welfare of this country while we are sitting over their blood and fighting! This is one of the biggest sins according to Islam and in the eyes of humanity this is greatly abominable. How abominable it is that one group should go to the warfronts for the welfare of their nation and put their lives at stake for our welfare and sacrifice their blood and spend their days and nights in this great divine service while you and I sit here and write articles and publish newspapers and grab each other's throats! How abominable this is and how shameful!

May God save all of us from the caprice of our souls! May God guide all of us on His right path! May God protect our country from the mischief of the foreign hands!

May God's peace and mercy be upon you.