In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Advice to the president and officials
I hereby congratulate this auspicious feast of Fitr to the Iranian nation, all oppressed nations around the world and Muslims in all Islamic countries, particularly the audience.
What I deem necessary to tell the president and all the country's civil and military servants is that whatever befalls an individual, whether favorable, or unfavorable, is the result of that individual's own conduct. It is man's own efforts that elevate him to high peaks of humanity or to degeneration in this world and the hereafter.
God has created human beings in a way that they are able to select the right or wrong path. All prophets from the first one to the last were sent to guide man to the straight path. If we manage to refine ourselves, we would succeed in all our other affairs. If, God forbid, we fail in achieving our Islamic and humanitarian objectives, we would still benefit from the divine success reserved for God's righteous and committed servants.
We should not fear that we may fail in achieving success in what we do, whether in our personal affairs, that is just between God and us or in our social commitments. Our main concern should be lest we may unable to perform our divine responsibilities. We ourselves are the source of concern. If we perform the duties determined by Almighty God, we need not worry about suffering defeat, either in confrontation with the West, or with the East; either in dealing with the internal difficulties or in facing the external problems. Yet, if we fail in performing our divine tasks we are defeated; in fact, we would be the ones who defeated ourselves.
Insusceptibility to posts and positions
Today, I should give a piece of advice to Mr. Raja'i just as I did to the former president «1». Posts and positions, whatever they might be, may alienate man if one's vision is confined to material objectives and he considers them valuable.
Consider the size of the planet we live in, called earth, in comparison to the solar system and that of the solar system, of which our earth is, but only a small planet, to galaxies so far discovered. Man has so far discovered stars existing as far as six billion light years form our earth. This means if the light of the last star would move toward earth, it would take six billion years to reach us. Consider the undiscovered galaxies beyond. Rest assured, that they exceed far beyond our observation. Still they are insignificant in comparison with the grandeur of the Creator. Consider how weak we are in this tiny plant, which along with the solar system is only a small particle compared to the endless universe. If our planet gets lost, no one would ever be able to keep track of it in this colossal culture of universe. How much of this plant is at our disposal? Just Iran that is a small part of the planet earth, and the political system in Iran is also a minute government in this planet which is in turn a small particle in comparison to the galaxy which is a tiny particle when compared to other galaxies, all of which have been created by the Creator. If we accept servitude to God and heart is brightened up by God's light to servitude, this insignificant matter that is not counted in the world should not impress us. You «2» were a prime minister yesterday, a minister the day before that, a teacher prior to that, and a student earlier than that. Tomorrow, no one knows for sure when you would leave here. It is even possible that as you are leaving this room or here a bomb may, God forbid, explode and kill all of us. When such is the case, why should a man differ greatly before and after accepting responsibility as a president? What is a presidency after all? What is the whole world in the eyes of one whose heart is brightened with the light of monotheism? What is the whole universe? The whole universe is nothing compared to the grandeur of God. Yet, the whole material universe is nothing compared to the existing spiritual worlds. Then, should we assume to be something and belittle others as soon as we become the sheriff of a small village, a city, or a country? If you look at yourself of which none save God is aware and of which you yourself are somehow aware and see that the position you have achieved as the result of the interest. God implanted in people's heart to vote for you, has taken hold of you, do not hesitate to refine yourself. Beware lest you may, God-forbid, ruin your life in this world and the hereafter.
President's responsibility towards people's vote
Almighty God is Omnipresent, and the whole world is His court. Thoughts occurring to our mind, all moments of our lives and what crosses our heart are present before God. We have to return to him and answer for our deeds. The greater the number of votes, the heavier the responsibility. If you had won five million votes, your responsibility would have been lighter. Now that it is thirteen million your responsibility is heavier. Every one of the people who has voted for you and chosen you as the president of Islam, as the president of an Islamic country, will tomorrow call you to account. I appoint you to be an Islamic president and to approve of Islam and implement it in this country. But if you fail to perform that duty, at lEast thirteen million and some hundred thousand people would question you. Would you then be able to answer before God? Such a crowd would question you on the day of resurrection, and you have to answer them, but we cannot. Therefore, you should be careful lest your yesterday may differ from your present status. You should serve people in all circumstances. Those who struggled, sacrificed their lives and property and were at pains to bring you gentlemen to this position. You were once a prime minister and are now the president. They want you to be answerable to them.
If you would step in crooked deals, the very thirteen million people who have voted for you today would chant" down with" you tomorrow. That is the nature of a revolution. Such is a revolution. The people would no longer yield to one blindly. Every one of these people has his/ her comments. You notice when TV conducts an opinion poll, men, women, the young and old give their opinion. They are not indifferent. If any of us violates the demands of this nation- that is- Islam and Islamic comands, not only will we be called to account by people here, but also we will be held accountable before God on the day of resurrection with no answer to give. These people would not leave you alone; they will call you to task here in this world. The resurrectin day is a different story. These thirteen million plus people who have trusted you and voted for you would turn their back on you if, God-forbid, you would divert form Islam and the path this nation has chosen. On the day of resurrection your account will be examined meticulously. Here, once people turn their backs on you, you would get back home and sit there, but condition on the Judgment Day is different and unescapable. You need to be fully prepared for that day. If our souls are so attached to this world, collapsed and unable to resist temptations and we do not care to purify our souls, this attachment to the world and debased allurement and abandoning spiritual values would transform us into beasts of burden. The same thing befalling us in this world has an image in the next world. All the things that take place in this world have an image there. If man, with his upright posture would pay all his attention to material aspects of life, he would lose his standing position in the hereafter. He would then resemble animals, with his head on the ground and legs in the air. All torments in the next world are the results of our own deeds in this world.
Almighty God does not impose torments except our own deeds; all the torments are the result of the deeds carried out by us. There are several holy verses in the glorious Qur'an that refer to this fact, arguing that what befalls us is triggered by our own deeds; nothing is imposed on us outside our own deeds.
An account of the ascendance to heaven (Mi`raj) quotes the holy prophet as saying that some of the angels were busy planting trees and doing other things, while stopping work at other times. The holy prophet inquires about this, to which Angel Gabriel responds- as having been quoted- that these (trees ...) are the raw materials man provides in the world for the next world by one's deeds. The same thing applies to Hell. If, God-forbid, we do not believe in Heaven and Hell, we will still suffer the punishment in this world.
No excuse acceptable from officials in serving the nation
You should notice that since you have won very many votes, your responsibility is great as well. This does not mean that the other gentlemen are not responsible; they are also responsible. We are all responsible towards Islam. We should pass the Islam which has been entrusted to us and for which we are now responsible, down to the posterity. There was once a day when some of us, or maybe all of us, provided excuses to the effect that we were not free to act in accordance with Islam. During the previous regime, there were many who argued that there was no opportunity to change the situation and that if there had been the opportunity, they would have done something. Today, the situation is quite different. Everyone is free to do it.
Today, the Majlis (parliament) is free with no domineering power to impose its dictates on it. The government is also free and has the support of the parliament. The president is free and has the approval of the nation. Today, we have no excuse. If any sort of destruction is brought about the country and we fail to mend it, we will not be excused. All of us, both the military commanders present here or not, and those who are serving the country and other people are all responsible. You are all shepherds (of this livestock), and you are all responsible «3». When we are all responsible and should all provide answer before God we need to think of this country and Islam that has found its way to this country and that is welcome. We should not be preoccupied with trivial things associated with status of president. This is indicative of a weakness in one's self, a myopic outlook, driving us to assume such posts as being valuable. However, it is something conventional. One might be president today, but stripped of it the other day. One would then have to go after the his own business. You should serve this nation which has made so many selfless efforts, scarified its children, wealth and lives to remove that regime and bring you to power. The army, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, gendarmerie and all armed forces should serve this country that has fallen into their hands. This is a trust in your hands. It is not merely the question of today and here. If, God-forbid, the army displays laxity and suffers a defeat, it will feel the point of disgrace in this world. However, the question is not this world; it is the world of which we are neglectful. All your deeds and all your serious efforts are fully recorded in the world and we have to provide answer. Our military officers need to respond if, God-forbid, they fail somewhere. Those holding the rein of affairs should also provide answer. You should work for the oppressed masses of people who have always been ignored by the upper classes. The authorities' main concern was to keep the upper classes pleased and, as the saying goes, made friends with the sheriff in order to loot the villagers. You should, however, spend all your efforts to serve the oppressed people who are painstakingly safeguarding the country in the warfronts, and who are making sacrifices behind the frontlines. They were always ignored by the former regime.
Do not be pleased with the services offered in certain places. I know something has been done for people and that a lot has been done. Nevertheless, you should not be pleased. You should join hands to provide for the well-being of these people. We are indebted to them; they have cast thirteen million votes for you, and therefore you are indebted to them, although you are also indebted to the rest of the nation. Also, when a new cabinet takes shape, that cabinet should alse be indebted to these people. If it were not for the efforts made by these people, you would have still been in prisons suffering those pains. You are therefore indebted to this nation that has taken your hands and placed you in such a high position. You should be at their service. You, we and all of us need to serve them. Being at the service of people is a great pride and dignity for all of us. They are the servants of God and He loves them. We are responsible to serve them. I hope Mr. Raja'i, who commands a refind spirit, will not be beguiled by this position. You are the one who should mount on this position and not vice versa.he will harness it, and will get close to happiness. If, however, he has a weak spirit, as soon as he achieves a post, that position will mount him, take him wherever he wishes and lead him to destruction. I pray to Almighty God to assist you succeed in serving the people, and all those in charge of responsibility wherever they are, be they in the parliament, the Judiciary, the government, or in the armed forces. I wish them all successful. We are under attack form inside and outside. The insiders are, thanks God, no longer to be taken into account. We are in dire need of getting united to save this country. We should not be like those people who conduct corrupt acts stealthily, like thieves who pick up something and sneak away.
God willing, I hope you and us will succeed in serving this society.
I am deeply sorry that these developments, which I tried hard to forestell, have take place. Yet it happened. As the saying goes," good lies in what comes about." May God protect all of you. May your deeds be sanctioned.
Advice to saboteurs and wrongdoers
Let me give a piece of advice to those who have sneaked to corners and are engaged in wrong acts. We are willing that you come to serve your country. We wish all are servants of this country which is subject to attacks from all sides, while superpowers are ready to devour it. You, who claim to love this country and this nation, join hands to build the country together. Why are you at loggerheads with one another? Is killing the people who are serving this nation a way of serving the people? Let us take this respected gentleman, who has attended this gathering with much difficulty, and I am delighted to see Mr. Khamenei, may God grant him full health. What wrong had he done after all? Name one wrong deed that he did reason for your effort aimed at assassinating him, but you failed. What had the others, whom you killed and eliminated, done, except accusation of being totalitarian leveled by you in the ruckus you mounted? This has not been the case. We are aware of the root of these charges. Nevertheless, we pray to Almighty God to guide all to come back to the fold of Islam and to become the servants of this nation. I do not like those who left Iran to sink themselves in greater filth. I advise them not to go with the germs that fled the country, and not to sit together and talk to them so that they would also realize that duty is to serve and safeguard this country.
Perhaps you will come back to Iran after ten or twenty years; leave a way open to you. Do not get detached form the nation, heeding your own business, seeking alliance with Bakhtiyar, who has announced he would not accept you. You really do not need to go.
You can all be servants of your own nation; return to this country; the nation welcomes you back. I pray to Almighty God to guide us all to the right path, to bring this Islamic Republic to fruition, and to turn us into servants of this country.
Let us all be kind with one another and serve this country in a friendly atmosphere. Why enmity? Why should we be the enemies of one another? Let us all be friends in reconstructing the country.
May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.