Speech [Self-refinement and its significance; explaining the problems of the revolution]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

At first, I should thank the clergies, especially those who are convalescing, for coming from faraway places here in the cold weather. I hope that this blessing, especially the bond among the clergies provided thanks to the revolution will last forever. I would like to remind the clergies of a point they already know. We should know what has been the biggest blow dealt to Islam and from which group. And we should know the issue Islam has given utmost importance to, so that we can direct all our efforts in that direction. We should also make effort to put an end to what harms Islam. I think that the thing that has hurt Islam more than anything else is faulty education and training in Islamic morality. If you look at history even that of the prophets you will obviously find that Islam has been hurt most by unrefined and perverted individuals. The same is true about all other religions. The main blight on the monotheistic schools which had hampered their growth and development was unrefined people. Sometimes these people were learned but unrefined ones, but most of the time they were ignorant and unrefined. Perhaps the damage Islam has sustained from unrefined scholars is much greater than the harm done by the ignorant unrefined people, though the later outnumber the former group. All perverted schools of thought were created by scholars and learned people. These people created new, perverted religious and political schools. All deviations were initiated by this group of people. The harm done to monotheistic schools by this learned people which were versed in many sciences can not be compared with damage incurred by any other group.

The Qur'an which is an exhilarating divine book, has not paid as much attention as other issues, as it ha paid to man refinement. Basically, it can be said that Qur'an has been revealed for this purpose; because people need this more than anything else. As far as man's development is concerned, Qur'an is the Book that has a way for all the stages of human development. All the stories depicted in the Qur'an are meant to guide and refine the people. This is stressed as very significant issue. The Qur'an is not just a book about rules; it does mention rules in their totality. The Qur'an is a book that calls for reform of society. After the society has been reformed, the society will be thought to act upon tradition of the prophet and the narrations about the honorable messengers through the righteous Imams. For this reason we should consider the fact that we should also refine ourselves; because it is the most important thing in Islam. Knowledge without self-refinement is worse than ignorance. We should refine ourselves and turn to the Exalted God. We should call upon the society to this path. Thank God, today, almost everything related to refinement and morality can be called for and there is no impediment to this purpose. In the past, if you wanted to spread some divine rules or to mention some corrupt morals, you could not do that even in a very small group, because those who opposed you were so corrupt that when you mentioned any bad quality, they would dissociate with you. However, thank God, today the doors have opened up to reform the people and call them to righteousness. Therefore, the one overriding thing for us is to refine the self and thereby refine the people. If one is not refined, one cannot refine others; one's words will not have any influence. When the clergies, especially congregational and Friday prayer leaders who deal with the majority of the masses, refined themselves, they could reach high level of refinement and call upon people to follow suit. In Islam everything including political issues are related to refinement so as to set the people right. We should not devote everything to political issues. Everything should follow Islamic issues and particularly this aspect of refining the people. If you notice, the Qur'an lays much more stress on this aspect than anything else and there are many verses that touch upon this issue" He who purifies himself from sin is saved indeed and he who contaminates himself by sin and unbelief will be a loser" «2». This shows us that self-refinement is the underlying basis for everything and the basis for every perverse thing is lack of self-refinement and" Dasso" is in the psyche of human being" Dasso" is the devil; therefore, we must give self-refinement the top priority.

Of course, we have lots of problems; that is, no other revolution has been attacked as much as the Islamic Revolution, because other revolutions were either rightist or leftist. If it were rightist, it would be supported by the rightists and the leftists would oppose it and the reverse was equally true. However, the Islamic revolution has been Islamic from the start. This revolution was not launched by a pro-western person who would later call on people to revolt or stage a coup. I was not a question of coup d'etat; it was a question of people rising up against oppression, because they had had enough. This is uprising of a nation against all the powers, and this nation has embraced itself for the attacks of all powers. We do not expect the superpowers to come to terms with us. They all see that if this revolution in Iran comes to fruition in a way that Islam wants, it will be inevitability exported to the outside world. There will not be any need for anyone to do anything; of course, it is a duty to call for it everywhere. Now all people have take notice of our revolution. The powerful one have sensed it with fear, and the oppressed ones look at it as a way to save tem. If this evolution achieve its sublime goal, if Islam rules in here and nothing else is dominant, it will frighten al the superpowers and their associates and be a hope for all the oppressed people which has been the objective of the all the prophets since the beginning of the world till now.

All prophets came to fight the bullies. Of course, those who do not want to accept the prophets and condemn their associates say that religion fool people and the superpowers plunder them. But whoever looks at the story of prophets since the beginning of the world till now, one will see that those who gathered around the prophets were the oppressed people and those who were against the prophets were the bullies. We do not know any prophet who was on the side of a bully and against the people. We do not know of any guardian of the prophets who was against his own nation. The story of the prophets from the first one to the Seal of Prophets has been about standing against the oppressive powers- each one in his own environment. They started from there. Prophet Moses was in an environment and he started from there. But the aim was to uproot the oppressive powers from the world and to save the people from their tyranny. Bearing this point in mind, you are targeted by two groups: first, the superpowers and profiteers and their associates with them. They do not expect to have peace with you; they do not want peace either. They all have the program of Pharaoh in mind; they do not have any intention of compromise. The second group is the oppressed people of the society that constitutes the deprived majority and they are on your side.

It would be fine if you could achieve this program outside. All the oppressed people of the world will gather around you. The present circumstances are not like those in time of prophets, who took a great deal of trouble moving from one city to another. Well, there was not any means of transportation. In Mecca the noble prophet had to stay 13 years before he could get his mission through to Hijaz. To get it through to other places, be faced enormous hindrances. It took a messenger several months to get there. Things like this, were very and many. Now, whatever you say can get spread all over the world in a few hours. Radios broadcast it in minutes. Therefore, our duty is heavier now. The importance of propaganda has increased. Your propaganda here and refining the people is not just about refining them in the mosque, no you refine the people in way that can be reflected and radios broadcast so that it gets to the outside world.

Consequently, today we are up against all our adversaries. We are oppressed too. Propaganda apparatus almost everywhere is either keeping silent or targeting Islam and the Islamic Republic. Those who are a little sensible say that they are not Islamic. For example, Carter's heart or that of Begin «3» goes out for Islam, because we are not Islamic; they are sad because Islam has been realized in Iran. Those who are Iranians and had joined the war against Islam during their regime are sad for Islam because this is not an Islamic country. Those who gone abroad claim that since this revolution was not Islamic they decided turn their back to it and all those ignorant people supporting it. Therefore, today you are up against all the propaganda of the opponent; there are but a few radios which do not attack Iran, the revolution in Iran and the government of Iran but a few. Almost all of them say that the nation is against the as if a few clergies came to power without the nation and the army being at work and took over power without them. Everyone knows this nation not that we know but also these foreign radios and reports reflect it better than we do. They know is going on, what the nation does and whom it supports.

They know all this but they want to create an image for the outside world. This is what propaganda is all about. They are all after the death of the Islamic Revolution lest it should be realized in Iran in the right way and lest their hands would be curbed till the end, being spread to other places in the region from Iran. They fear lest the revolution would be exported and thus curtailing the grip of superpowers from the world.

For this reason they are against you. But what warms up your and our hearts is the support of God. We do not have power, did not enjoy it and do not want to have it. Whatever we have is from Him and whatever power we have is from Him. Anyhow, if nations and governments are on the side of God, He will support them. If they are not on His side, God will let go of them to lead their own life. Therefore, we must do something so that we will not give any excuse to these superpowers to use against us along with their propaganda. For example, if, God forbid, a Friday prayer leader somewhere makes a small mistake and then the hypocrites and their like get wind of it, they will spread it everywhere. We did not do these things; we will never do such things as killing kids and the immature people. However, they keep insisting that the Islamic Republic is committing such crimes regarding boys and girls in Iran and that trial and without investigation. They spread the rumor that we just go out on the street and start killing and things like that. They know that none of these things have happened, but they spread such things about us. If, God forbid, we make a mistake, it will be blown up by their propaganda trumpets.

Islamic Revolution of Iran has various features that other places do not. First of all, it is Islamic and not motivated by anything else except Islam. Wherever you go in the country, people shout that they want Islamic Republic and Islam. This is the way it is. One feature is the harmony among them. The entire nation is in harmony. Well, there are few dissidents just like anywhere else but the bulk of the masses are for Islam. This is also a feature of the revolution.

Another aspect is the change happened everywhere. You can see this change. Perhaps some clergies remember the Qajar era. Though the last dynasty was weak, the government had a king controlling everywhere. The king had the authority of a monarch; he did whatever he wanted to do and even leased many places. Suppose that a governor wanted to go somewhere, which would become his fief. He would pay an amount of money to but the fief from a minister and then would go and do whatever he wished. He even persecuted people to force people give him the original money plus something extra. And nobody was there to here the afflictions of people.

Now, you can see that from the prime minister and the president down to other officials all belong to people and are part of them. The president was just a religious student and later became a clergy. Even after he became a president, he has neither the pomb nor the mentalities of the previous officials, this is true of other officials. These ministers are sometimes mistaken with the people who come here and you cannot tell who is a minister and who is a revolutionary guard. I have seen low-ranking officials and how they used to appear in the street. When they came out, people would line up to pay homage to them. The king and his entourage walked on carpet. It was how officials of a small place behaved, but when our prime minister comes out, he looks like ordinary people. This is one thing which has been realized in Iran. Other places are not like that where everything is ruled by the people and all are together, therefore the people back the government and the army and these two back the people. This is one of the secrets of the great victory.

As it is not fair to say that there should be no mistake or problem. We all know that things are expensive, but everybody is making effort to remove this problem. A revolution has occurred which is a blessing in itself. It is one of the greatest gifts we have received. Perhaps, you remember that in World War II in which we were not involved, there was not enough bread in Iran. I recall that I used to go home and return back to the bakeries but none of them would be open in Qum. The bread baked in Tehran looked just like your black turban and people ate it back then. Today, thank God, we are not worried about our sustenance. People are not today worried about bread any more. Of course, things are expensive, but it is not possible to think that the revolution has no consequences. Inevitably, there are problems, and insurgencies following every revolution. In the past whenever a king died, there would be chaos in the country; all the thieves would suddenly pop up; everything would get so messy that it took great efforts to restore relative peace. Thank God, today these things happen infrequently. Those who remember the World War II in which we were not involved and we only were on their way. The moment the allied forces captured part of our territory, everything became scarce. Nothing could be found. However, now thank God, things can be found everywhere. Sometimes, something might be hard to come by, but in such circumstances people should not get desperate. Well, people have seen or heard of these problems in other places. So what are they complaining about? Thank God, there is abundance; that is, there is no starvation; people can find bread. Sometimes there is shortage, but there is less shortage in the general provisions. At this revolutionary stage some clergies expect everything to be right overnight. No one should have anything to do with us. Well, we who are up against all the powers of the world and all are putting pressure on us and oppress us from all directions, yet the government and nation of Iran has stood its ground and has been at war for one year and a half. When war breaks out in one place, disorder prevails everywhere. There is war here, yet everywhere is calm. Thank God, war is in progress in battlefields. People should not have misplaced expectation. The clergies should advise the people that they should not expect all problems to be overcome all at once. Go and take a look at the Islamic Republic since the beginning till now and compare it to the government of the prophet (s) and that of the Commander of the Faithful (may God's peace be upon him) and even to the subsequent ones. At the time of the Commander of the Faithful not everybody was satisfied everywhere. Actually, lots of them committed offences. There were individuals who caused troubles, and the Commander of the Faithful would take measures and would write a letter to them. There was peace everywhere at the time except during the time of Hadrat Amir; of course it was very ruined from inside.

At any rate, I think that if we grumble about these small problems that are integral to a revolution and should be eliminated bigger ones might be fall upon us. There will come a time when providence would, God forbid, take away its care for us. Thank God, may big problems have been overcome; a lot has been done for people. We should be grateful to God for his blessings. You do not see a bar anywhere in the country. So what is supposed to happen? You do not see a single house of the type existing in the former regime. You all have heard that in Hamadan there used to be more bars than bakeries, and bookshops; Tehran was even worse than the former.

Now, you go wherever in Iran, you will not see such indecent acts. These offenses were harmful to Islam and that was their and they were not ashamed to call it human, what did they want to do, praise be to God they were disposed of and now the country is half Islamic.

Of course, there are problems simply because it is not possible to overcome all of them overnight. You should guide the people. God willing, officials are in agreement with you. You should also be in agreement with the officials in terms of building the country. The people should be aware of the fact that the government works to reconstruct the country. According to reports of reconstruction efforts accomplished so far, what has been done in these two years despite all the problems has not been achieved in fifty years. When statistics is given, well statistics is given, when they give statistics about school buildings, the schools built during this time are more than their entire era and maybe this period is half of their entire period. So, a lot has been done and we should not put our finger on what has been done. So, show a little appreciation for what has already been done. Enlighten the people a little that in the revolution there are plenty of gifts, though costly. It is true that inflation is awful but having this gift among the people is the biggest gift from God, which is lacking in other revolutions. At the moment at some places where revolution has happened, people are complaining about lack of provisions. Therefore, we should not expect that everything will be alright and that everyone working in the government is refined. There is no such a thing. We do not have individuals who go everywhere to call upon the people. The theological seminaries are not equipped to perform these tasks, because everything was out of their hands; they could not even propagate; that is why they could not carry out these tasks. Now, we are short of clergies and money as well; we should gradually put these things right. Do not lose hope. God willing, God is on our side and we are on His. We want to Islamize this country in every sense. You all wish for this country to be Islamic and for the Islamic rules to be implemented. Because of such a wish, God will support you. May God support you and grant you success. Guide the people. Deal with problems in such a way that people should not think we have problems that cannot be resolved. There are problems and we are dealing with them; they are solvable God willing. They will be resolved.

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