Speech [Fruits of martyrdom and sufferings for the revolution]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

At times, I think if we have achieved anything instead of what we have lost since the outset of this revolution which should be said was kicked off on Khordad 15. For example, before Khordad 15, a small gathering was held to oppose what was happening at the time. If the ousted Shah had showed some consideration to us, this revolution would not have happened. If he accepted, we did not have big problems at the time.

If he accepted them, well, the opponents would have lost confidence and the events would not have come to this point. The difficulties they created are many and varied, but I do not remember to point out one by one. They are too lengthy. The pressure they put on the clergies and the way they insulted them are worth mentioning. Of course, I did not let them in but once they came. I think it was the time when the late Mr. Hakim «1» had sent a telegraph and they wanted to stop the reply. I think this was the story and perhaps this had happened earlier. The government agents said a number of civil servants wanted to come and meet me. I declined their request because I knew they were the kind of people who would distort whatever I might say in a meeting. So I refused to meet them. However, they met some other `ulama' and the gentleman «2» whom they met came to me in the afternoon of the same day and told me in panicky state that they had came to say that if we respond to Hakim's letter, they would come to our houses and do so and so to us and to our women, and such vile talks. What are we supposed to do now? I said, "Did you believe what they said?" He said:" What are we going to do?" I got up right there and replied to Hakim's letter. If they acted in a pleasant way with us at the time, we would not have gained the desired benefit. The situation would not lead to Khordad 15 which if it had not happened and if all the unpleasant massacres and oppression had not happened, things would not have come this far. There was a benefit in everything that happened.

If on Shahrivar 17, these things had not happened and they had let the people talk, it would not have led to their downfall. The things the `ulama' wanted at the time were not very important so it the depose Shah had accepted to act according to the constitution, this situation would not have been created. But the evil acts they committed finally led to their downfall; the fall of the 2500- year-old monarchy. We gained something good in exchange for any loss we suffered.

You can see that at the time when the late Mr. Beheshti was alive, what condition these rascals brought about and showed a distorted image of him so that on the same day there were demonstrations against him in the streets. People talked about him without knowing the true story. His martyrdom helped us gain a big benefit and prove that they were wrong. Similarly, whenever they wanted to gain something from what was happening, we were the ones who benefited.

Of course, we sustained losses, but loss for the sake of Islam; that is, our goal was Islam. We had a goal and our goal was a divine and spiritual one. Those whom we lost were obviously very important, but we lost them for the sake of the goal. If we benefited for the goal it was valuable, as we did. If such things had not happened, you know what your party would have been like for the people. You would have been shown as an odious ruling party. Now, they keep saying about you, the ruling party; you who are at the top of the party would have been exhibited as odious and perhaps the people, being uninformed, would have believed that you were monopolistic and wanted everything for yourselves. You were presented as the ones who were undermining Islam.

They would bring up such things, but in any harm that came to us there was a benefit; that is, our main point was that we get a benefit for Islam. We wanted to gain a benefit for Islam. Islam lost fifteen thousand people on Khordad 15- as they said- and this was a huge force for Islam but in return, a 2500- year-old tyranny which was the source of destructions, was wiped out. Or Shahrivar was a day when a blow was dealt to Iran. Some individuals imagined that this spelled the doom of the movement, but the benefit Islam gained from this event was the same as the one which was gained in the early days of Islam when the Doyen of the Martyrs- may God's peace be upon him- was killed.

Those who do not pay attention to spirituality, would ask why the Doyen of the Martyrs went there to be martyrdom. Why did he come? The sanctimonious people at that time asked this question. Why did he take his children with him? At first they asked him why he brought his children. But the martyrdom of the Doyen of the Martyrs was a very unpleasant thing in Islam because it was for faith and meant to further the faith; that is, his martyrdom, which put an end to the Umayyad. Whenever something happened, the exalted God granted us a bigger reward in return, it without our need to make propaganda.

You saw that in the morning of the day when the late Mr. Beheshti and serving other innocent people tragically martyred there, the people changed their attitude; suddenly, everything they said was reversed. Those who shouted against him, because they had been indoctrinated and forced to believe that this man was so and so, changed their slogans in his favor; that is, in favor of Islam. In the same way, your party was also presented as being monopolistic. Well, I did not know the whole party, but I know those who established it. I raised Mr. Khamene'i, Mr. Hashimi and Mr. Beheshti. I have been with them since the beginning to the end. I knew most of them very well and I know that they are not monopolistic in the sense they said about them.

We are monopolistic in the sense that only Islam and nothing else has to rule. The Messenger of Islam also said:" there is no God but God"; this is monopoly and excludes everything except Islam. We say that nothing else besides Islam. This is the monopoly to which they raised objection. If by monopoly, they mean this sense, all Muslims are monopolistic. Messengers are monopolists and God is also monopolist. Monopoly per se is not something bad and it does not mean that every monopolist is bad. Monopoly which is aimed at material benefits and is egotistical is vicious. Of course, if we want the privileges for ourselves, and take advantage of the martyrs who offered their blood, we are among the corrupt monopolists. But I know you and I saw that this is not the case; your aim is Islam. Well, sometimes I tell people that it is not true. Anyway, the martyrdom of Beheshti together with the seventy people changed the people and woke them up little by little. Now some of the people have repented and regretted it. It is like the story of the repentants, and whatever happens is like this.

I knew Mr. Quddousi- may God have mercy on him- very well and I knew what kind of person he was and how they accused him of killing people and doing this and that. I knew what kind of person he was. He was prudent, even in financial matters. They complained a lot about him, nagging that he was very prudent when it came to spending, but when he was martyred, suddenly a group woke up to the fact that such persons were being martyred. Whoever they martyr from us and you is in the interest of Islam. We are not afraid of martyrdom. It is to the detriment of our opponents. If they acted wisely in the same way that some political fronts do, the president would have been still the same one, and those corrupt MPs would have been in place and could gradually push the Islamic Republic towards what is Western, and the people would say prayers in direction.

But God decreed that they could not understand politics; they did not understand how to behave. They did not know the nation. They did not pay attention to Islam. They did not know what the Muslim nation was like. This way they got panicky and betrayed themselves. They betrayed themselves in whatever they said; they lost their foothold and began open opposition to Islam. It became clear who they were connected with, where they came from, with whom they had ties and this way they destroyed themselves. Sometimes God acts in such a way that a person knocks himself down; just like the one who was sitting on a tree branch and sawing it. This was how they destroyed themselves and whatever they did was in our favor; that is, one gets to realize that God favors this nation with martyrdom. As God favored Islam and elevated it through martyrdom of our great leader, it is now protecting Islam through its enemies. Our enemies are defaming themselves. The way they chose to lead us astray, they themselves destroy that way. These are things over which we have no control. God controls such things and our heart is set on a source which is controlled by Him.

The thing I want to tell you is that it has become clear right from the start that they had evil intention, just as big governments do. They do not just bring someone here to do things for them all of a sudden. When they drew up the plan for colonization, they had sacred and good agents in the garb of nationalists disguised as clerics or others. One comes to realize that one who cried for the nation for thirty years turns out to be Bekhtiyar. You should pay great attention so that there are not people like these among them.

They might lead a society astray by their propaganda and by such things. They gradually lead it astray and it is possible that when they lose hope in leading it astray they resort to explosion. Either they lead others astray or they start explosion. Now they have lost hope in leading the nation of Iran astray. Whatever they did the Iranian nation understood that they were perverted. Whatever they said revealed their perversion. Now they have were pervert doing political plots and taking advantage of them. They lost hope in Iran. America has lost hope as well. Of course, America might have long-term plans even for twenty years later. But those who act childishly are finished. When they are done for and they get desperate, they become like a cat that jumps at a lion out of despondency; when they get desperate, they do the same.

Now, they are carrying out desperate acts while they know that they are nothing. They argue," now that we are not given so and so an opportunity, no one else must be given as well. I have told Mr. Rafasnjani over and over that this is a very important issue that he must heed. The parliament has always been targeted and you must employ people whom you know very well and who want to protect it. It happens that a guard creates a tragedy. Anyhow whatever has happened and whatever will happen is in the interest of Islam as well as the Muslim nation, but we need each one of you. This country needs each one of you. The departure of any one of you is a tragedy. Those who passed away brought about a tragedy as well as a gain. We too shall go, that's it, but we should not let it happen that way.

I implore God to grant health and happiness to all of you. I hope that your newspaper, «3» will be the one to guide the people and to guide other newspapers now that the situation is no longer the same. That is the way it should be like. I hope you are successful in making your newspaper an Islamic and honorable one beneficial to the Islamic society and the Islamic country, God willing.

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