Speech [Opposing mentalities of Muslim combatants and the enemies; non-compromise with criminals]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I also extend my condolence on the demise and martyrdom of the great lady of Islam to all Muslims, you, dear brothers in the army, sepah, Basij and Hadrat Baqiyyatullah may our soul be sacrificed for him. The humble house of Fatimah (`a) and the family members who were raised in that house were not more than four or five in terms of number and in actuality manifested the entire power of God, the Most Blessed and Exalted. They rendered services that have amazed you, all human beings and me. The sermon read by Zahra (`a) against the government, the uprising of the Commander of the Faithful and the patience he showed in 20 or so years, while at the same time rendering assistance to the ruling government and the sacrifices in the cause of Islam and selflessness of two of his sons, Imam Mujtaba, who served greatly by disgracing the tyrannical rule of the Umayyads and the great services of his dear brother the Doyen of Martyrs are feats we all are aware of. Despite their meager number and small tools of war, their divine spirit and the spirit of faith enabled them to overcome all the oppressors of the time, and keep Islam alive, becoming models for us and you dear brothers to put up resistance in the face of all powers which have risen up to fight against us despite our meager number and arms. As shown by our saints (`a), we should stand against the arrogant powers sometimes through propaganda and sometimes using arms and subdue the arrogant powers. We follow their model. You, the youths, demonstrated that in the battlefields of the right against the wrong you stood against and defeated all of them despite their countless arms, countless numbers and assistance from Egypt, Jordan and other countries that directly helped them in the form of financial help and weaponry, while you were small in number but glorified and strong in terms of spirit.

Brothers! Preserve this faith; maintain this divine power and preserve your commitment to Islam and the nation and advance forward. Like that mad man in the proverb, who throws a stone in a well and fifty wise men or more cannot bring it out, Saddam was a mad man who did an act and threw a stone in the well and generated this trouble for his and our people and other nations. Now, he has resorted to governments to come and intervene so as to save himself. He is no longer worthy of being saved and we will not retreat even a single step.

Compromise and conciliation with criminals is a crime against the committed people and Islam. Our stance has been clear up to now and will be so in the future: the criminal that has invaded part of our country should go. Muslims are obliged by the pure canonical law to come and expel them. The holy Qur'an says:" And if two parties of believers fall to fighting then make peace between them. And if one party of them does wrong to the other, fight you that which does wrong till they return to the ordinance of Allah; then, if they return make peace between them justly, and act equitably." «1» We consider the Ba`ath Party to be criminals who are engaged in crime at peacetime and at wartime. In the course of their rule in Iraq, they were at war; they committed crimes against Islam, Muslims, the people of Iraq, prominent religious authorities and the `ulama' of Islam every day. Then, he (Saddam) acted madly. Madness and insurgency constitute the natural disposition of Saddam, who acted so foolishly that wise men of Islam and the world together could not untie the knot he made unless they employed armaments and the power of faith. You demonstrated that you could stand against powers. Your epic deeds in battlefields will be recorded in history.

Today, if the powerful ones and propaganda blatherers write out against you and the Islamic Republic, deliver speech or concoct plots, they cannot hide the truth. You are right, as the Doyen of Martyrs was right. He fought with a small number of fighters. Although he achieved martyrdom and his children were martyred, he kept Islam alive and disgraced Yazid and Umayyads. You are the partisans of that Imam. In great wars such as the battle in Abadan, Chazabeh Defile, Bostan and the like, you worked miracles. It was a miracle. A small population with meager instruments but great faith created this miracle. Saddam, who had done this wrong act in pursuit of his illusions, has become repentant. He has now extended his hand for help towards all governments and an approximately overwhelming majority of them helped. However, all the help they have rendered to him has not been able to bring him into the faith because they are bereft of faith.

The mistake lies here. They imagine that a big population and armaments will suffice; they do not know what brings victory is the strong faith and love of individuals. Small individuals with confident hearts attentive to God, the Most Blessed and Exalted, and love for martyrdom and gaining proximity to Him bring victory. Victory is not achieved by sword; victory is obtained by blood. Great numbers do not bring victory; victory is gained by the power of faith. «2» There are many pilgrims who go to Mecca, but those who perform the divine Hajj are few. Sepah and Basij and all these, the army and the like are in minority in the war as the holy verse says:" How often has a little party vanquished a numerous host by Allah's permission"

There is a difference between your ideas and those of your enemies. They are fighting against Islam for gaining power, for displaying power, for power, but you are fighting for God, for His gratification and for the oppressed people in the course of history. Your defense of Islam and your victory is not limited to a victory in the battlefield. You are triumphant in all dimensions; you are victorious in all spiritual and material aspects. You are victorious in the course of history; your victory is the backbone of the victory of the oppressed people of the world in the course of history. You, who proceed towards Allah with open arms, towards proximity to God and towards martyrdom, are victorious, whether you emerge victorious in the battlefield or, God forbid, suffer defeat-though you will not. That which you have, the enemies do not; you have God's gratification while they have God's resentment and wrath. You are accompanied with faith and they countenance disbelief; you enjoy peace of heart and believe that in this war if you are martyred, you will be victorious and if you are victorious, then you are still victorious. You have this belief and they escape from death. There is a difference between these two categories. One welcomes death for it is martyrdom, it is of Islam, it is defense of the right and the one who runs away from death and fights for the booty. These people are different from those who volunteers for martyrdom and victory. I hope that volunteers grow in number, register and go to the battlefronts. There is a difference between such people and those who go to battlefields at bayonet point. If they donot go to the warfronts, they will be killed from behind their backs. They get engaged in war as volunteers but are, in fact, impelled and coerced, pressurized and bullied with a thousand threats into fighting and disowned by their own nation. There is a difference between you, whom the nation supports and thus God, the Most Blessed and Exalted, is your protector and those who want to fight for Satan, for the Satan of the self. There is a difference between the Islamic Revolution of Iran and other revolutions in the world which are not accomplished for faith and for God. The Islamic Revolution of Iran, however, is for God; it was staged with cries of" God is the Greatest" from the outset, and will go on with this goal to the end.

These poor people who have fled the country or have been living abroad to go after their hollow satanic greed are spreading mendacious reports. One of their whooping lies aired by radios every night which was broadcast on two or three occasions last night is that Iran purchases arms from Israel. Iran has been at war with Israel for the past 20 years and has lambasted Israel and, according to its religious laws, is banned from holding any form of relation, nor will it have such relations with Israel. On several occasions this very last night, it quoted so and so person who claimed that Iran had purchased material from Israel. They are living in foreign countries and think of coming back to Iran, which they will surrender it to a bunch of devious individuals after the sacrifices made by you, the youth. Their thoughts are the same as those of Saddam, who entertained a delusion which the Great Satans strengthened in him to attack Iran. Now his country has fallen into chaos and disarray without a powerful army, but he still calls himself the conqueror of Qadissiyyah as Sa`d Waqqas «3» did. However, they were ignorant of the fact that minor and small children here would stand against him and they cannot do such a thing for as long as these children exist.

You, brothers, obtained these victories with the power of faith, and Islam, particularly, with this recent victory in Chazweh Defile, you made them understand that their thoughts were wrong and that their wishes were dashed. As you have told me to pray, I always pray for you; I am a supplicant for you. I love you. You are my brother, my sons. In the presence of God, the Most Blessed and Exalted, I take pride in your victories, which mark your sincere commitment to Islam. In the presence of God, I am proud of having been living at this juncture when our youths are such, when the hands of those who dragged our youths towards corruption were curtailed. In obeisance to the US, they employed all powers, all propaganda schemes and made centers of corruption, gambling, drinking to drag our youths to corruption. God, the Most Blessed and Exalted, came to our aid, to the aid of our country and our nation. The Almighty God mobilized you, the young Basiji (volunteer paramilitary forces), and made this mobilization a divine one to safeguard this country and reject all evils and powers. And you are victorious.

May God grant you victory in the future in the same way that He has made you victorious here. May God make you victorious over the inner Satan! May you overcome the self and, God willing, be in His presence bearing badges of honor.

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