In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Verily God loves those who fight in his cause like an impenetrable dam
Brigadier General» ahir-Nejad (Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran) Colonel Sayyad Shirazi (Commander of the IRI Army), Mr. Muhsin Rida'i (Commander of the IRGC), Colonel Mu`inpour (Commander of IRI air force),
I acknowledge the receipt of your consoling and honor-bringing message following the great victories of the triumphant combatants in Fath al-Mubin operations which have made feel proud. Although these braveries, sacrifices and great victories of the greatly valued armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are unprecedented for military dimensions and at the war fronts, they have brought us honor that words fall short of describing their meritorious grandeur when evaluated by normal criteria and military and war measures; limited words and phrases are inadequate to describe the bravery and lightning attack of the Iranian chivalrous forces. Although these victories and braveries are unrivalled and such attacks against the ground and air forces of the enemies who are armed to the teeth and equipped with heavy and light modern Western and Eastern weapons, it was unique in world wars to stalemate the enemy within less than one week in a way that the enemies abandoned whatever they had, escaped or surrendered in such a way that our armed forces have not so far been able to take account of the number of the captives and the dead or estimate the war booty. Although all these were realized miraculously and contrary to normal expectations, what awed one before the combatants at the warfronts and their supports in the battlefield such as the reconstruction Jihad, the selfless camera men, committed physicians, nurses, courageous reporters and million-strong people behind the frontlines was the spiritual side of the events whose grandeur cannot be depicted by any criteria or scale.
With which criteria do we, who are lagging behind and perplexed, those spiritual wayfarers who go into seclusion for 40 days, those `ulama', those punctilious thinkers, Islamologists, intellectuals, writers, philosophers, world viewers, sociologists, philanthropists, and everyone resolve this riddle and analyze this question? How were these youth transformed? These youth had been brought up in a poisonous society in every corner of which the atmosphere had been poisoned by the stench of the tyrannical monarchy with its bazaar and shops, streets and recreational centers, its promenades and cinemas, its print media and mass media corrupt and poisonous, its ministries and offices, its parliament and courts, its educational centers from kindergarten to university being corrupt and the atmosphere prevailing in the country poisonous, and its institutions serving as factors responsible for corrupting the youths, and our young people having been raised in such atmosphere should have been defiled by the corruption in morality and faith in accordance with normal standards and habits. If an ethics instructor struggled to transform only one of them, he would fail even after long years of efforts. How were they transformed from that degeneration into youth fraught with knowledge of God and love of Him? How did these young people emerge from this revolution in a short period of time and developed into youth who wholeheartedly sought martyrdom and who sacrificed their lives for Islam? If we consider normal criteria, they should rather contribute to corruption. How come that they underwent such a transformation that the 80- year old people and veteran spiritual wayfarers had not achieved a ray of the light so profusely permeating these young people? Can this riddle be analyzed except by the unseen hand, divine assistance and celestial criteria?
Whenever I see one of these people and observe the love for martyrdom in his word and visage, I feel embarrassed and humiliated. Whenever I watch these lovers of God and these youths annihilated in the path of Truth on television, assemblies and circles preparing them for an attack on the enemy of God, with their supplications and whispers with the Beloved on the threshold of the attack against the enemy while they are overjoyed by the wish to grapple with death, I reproach myself and feel sorry about my state. Now, our nation has realized that" All days are `Ashoura and all lands Karbala." «1» Their assemblies of estatic love and supplications are reminiscent of the night of `Ashoura of the devotees of the Doyen of Martyrs.
My dear youths and esteemed commanders! Do not expect me to be able to praise you and appreciate your deeds enough. Suffice it to say that you are the beloved ones of the God Almighty. Your God has said He loves those who stand against the enemies of God like a solid dam for His gratification. This is the reward of your deeds.
Let me now thank the groups which help you and serve you at the fronts from different aspects, amid the war conditions and threats of all sorts. May God protect and help you and grant His profuse blessings to your dear martyrs and their honorable families who take pride in their children and kith ank kin with courage and bravery, considering them and their children as the progeny of Islam and for Islam. May the peace of God and the distinguished men of religion be upon the martyrs and their families and upon the combatants in the cause of Islam and Iran! May God's blessing be upon you!
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini