Speech [Endeavor and attention to spiritualities, seeking welfare and palatial residences are the sources of deviation]

In this start of the New Year, I would like to extend my congratulations to all the sirs that are present at this gathering, to the entire nation and especially the troops that are engaged in self-sacrifice on the frontlines, the families of the beloved martyrs and to the war disabled and their relatives. I hope that in the same manner that the Blessed and Almighty God right from the start of this movement, guided us step by step on the path of victory, He continues with His favors for the victory of Islam and the Muslims. The sirs mentioned a gist of what has been performed in these past few years, but of course not all that has happened for one cannot explain all of them in these speeches and gatherings and nor do we have the power to explain them. I have repeatedly asked the relevant authorities to explain the tasks of that magnitude that have been undertaken to the nation. This is especially when you are seeing that all the mass media and all the deviant individuals of the world are constantly telling the people of the world that this victory has not been achieved for Islam until now; rather that this republic is on the decline.

Say to the people what you have done. It is possible that these propaganda may God forbid have an influence on a group of people that are not familiar with the issues. What we have heard from the administrators is that in every aspect we have seen that the amount of work that this Islamic Republic has done for the poor and underprivileged classes is huge and was not achieved throughout the reign of the Father and Son. «1» We are seeing that wherever these officials go to and take action, the people there usually complain to them of what they have and what they do not have. They had not even constructed a road for these poor and wretched people and nor a clinic for these rural people and these villages are existing in the most oppressed conditions. In this short period that it was faced with all the internal and external problems, the Islamic Republic, the administrators and the nation itself have worked so hard that it was not expected of them despite those problems. Yet because they enjoy the blessings of the Exalted Truth, those same blessings have motivated the people to serve and thus a lot of success has been achieved.

What has passed is more than what we can describe. However, I shall mention what is to be done from now on. Until now many victories have been achieved and those that caused disruptions inside and outside the country have been crippled; have God willing, been destroyed or shall be destroyed soon. However, what must we do from now on? One subject that is topmost priority is the question of spiritualities. We must strive to implement spiritual values among this beloved nation and among the Muslims, invite the people to spiritual values and invite them to Islamic morals and rituals of Islamic culture. Thank God, our nation is well prepared to pursue spiritual values and so far it has also taken many steps but the road is long and the road to spiritual values is such that a person must strive throughout his life. Perhaps many assume that material comforts and having bank deposits, property or owning land or parks and their likes brings happiness to a person; this is a mistake that a person makes.

A person is under the impression that his happiness lies in owning so many orchards; owning so many villages; having money deposited in banks; being so and so in trade; perhaps this is what a person imagines. However, when we take notice and measure happiness, we see that those persons were happy that were dwelling in slums. Those that are in palaces are not happy. The amount of blessings that circulates around the world from the slums are not found at all in the palaces. We had a four to five person slum at the dawn of Islam and that slum dweller was Fatimah Zahra (s). There are far more humble slums than this one, but what are their blessings? The blessings of this few occupancy slums is such that it has filled the whole universe with radiance and the road is long for a person to attain those blessings. These slum dwellers in their humble slums are at such a lofty level in the field of spirituality that the hands of heavenly beings also cannot reach them. In the field of training, it has been to such an extent that whatever blessings exist in the Muslim lands and especially in lands such as ours is by their blessing. The honorable Prophet himself- may God's peace be upon him and his household- who is at the head of all had a slum-dwelling existence. Do not think that they had a single room like those of the middle-class families of this society. It had a few chambers; humble chambers. In addition, the light of this high-ranking person illuminated the earth and the heavens from this humble chamber and the range of his message extended throughout the world. Although what he wanted has not been opened and humankind cannot reach up to him except God willing, his pious successor «2» and with his blessed hands the lofty ideals shall be realized. Apart from the spiritualities that we mentioned, in these cultural affairs, in these material affairs, in the affairs that inventions and discoveries are present, if you move around the dwellers of mansions, I do not think you will find a single dweller of mansion that has succeeded in making an invention. It was the lower strata that have succeeded in making inventions. The inherent characteristic of the rich is to pay attention to seeking pleasure and enjoyment and devotion to the world and attention to wealth and affluence so that lust and gluttony cannot give the time to think on an issue and reflect. Those that are inventors, those that have worked hard and placed valuable books at the disposal of society on every subject- they were from the lower strata. Wealth and affluence is inherently opposed with proper training; it is in conflict with invention, composing, compilation and hard work. If you travel throughout the world, you may succeed in finding one, two, or a few. Almost all the writers were from the lower strata and almost all the inventors were from these same lower strata. When we take note of our own religion in which our jurisprudence is so rich and our philosophy is so rich, those persons that made this jurisprudence rich and those that made this philosophy so rich were not the affluent residents of mansions; they were from the lower strata. `Shaykh Tousi' «3» who is the source of these affairs and the most valuable individual in Shi`ite society was not from the affluent palace dwellers. If he were of the affluent class, he would not have been able to hand over these books to the society and to train those pupils and hand them over to society. Such a job cannot be done by the affluent strata. When we take note of the latter theologians, we see that" Sahib Jawahir" «4» wrote such a book which if a hundred human beings wanted to write, they would not be capable of writing it- and he was not from the affluent strata. It has been narrated that when he was writing the book there was no basement in Najaf and `Shaykh Ansari' «5» took it as a gift from Iran to Najaf. He had a humble home and the door of one of the rooms opened to a corridor and as has been quoted, in the heat of Najaf, a hot wind would keep blowing while he kept busy writing the book" Jawahir". Such tasks cannot be expected from a person who is fond of food, lusts, wealth and ambition and so forth; the natural inclination of the subject is that he cannot do so. Everybody or perhaps most have heard of the life of Shaykh Ansari and his ascetic circumstance. Was it not for that circumstance, he would not be able to train those great students and would not be able to write those invaluable works and present them to society.

We must try to eliminate the moral conduct of affluence from this nation. if you wish that your nation should remain eternal and to realize the ideals of Islam in our society in the manner that the Blessed and Almighty God has wanted, bring down the people from that nature that is characteristic of the affluent. Dwelling in mansions, itself brings about this nature. It is possible that you may find some among them also, but they are rare. Take care that this nation whose lower strata is engaged in activity and are toiling on the fronts and behind the fronts continue to work hard so that they stay with this same nature of the lower strata and do not have regard for the palaces in order to continue with the proper Islamic living. That nature of affluence is harmful; it itself is not harmful; its nature is harmful; but by itself it brings this nature in its wake. A person who is fully focused on animal husbandry cannot become a human being. A person whose total concentration is focused on horticulture cannot become a useful human being. Those whose animal husbandry is useful for the society do not pay attention to animal husbandry. Those whose animal husbandry is for safeguarding society are a part of those same affluent strata. It is the same with those whose horticulture is to safeguard society. However, when the nature of landownership, horticulture and palatial living is present among the people, it will result in occurrence of moral deviation. Most of these corrupt habits have originated down from the affluent class to the other people. Today, when you notice in your own society, in the society of the learned and school-goers, those that are working hard for the Islamic Republic are those same lower classes. They should go to the chambers of the theological schools and see what is their situation and their activities. They should go and see how the homes of the theologians of Islam are and note their circumstances and their work. They should go and see the homes of the teachers in our society and what their job is. Thank God, today not all our officials are of the affluent palatial class. Our government is not a government of the affluent palatial class. The day on which our president God forbid, pays attention to the palace is the day when we must recite the burial prayers of the government and the nation. The day on which our president God forbid, comes out of the habit of slum dwelling and focuses on palatial living is the day on which deviation will afflict him and those that are in contact with him. The day on which God forbid the legislators form the habit of affluent living and leave this worthy habit of slum dwelling is the day on which we must recite the burial prayers of this country. In the course of the constitutional movement, we were dealt many blows by these affluent mansion dwellers. Our assemblies overflowed with strata of palace dwellers and among them were a limited number of slum dwellers and it was this limited number of slum dwellers who forestalled many deviations and would endeavor to prevent them. The day on which the religious scholars and academicians focus on the material world and pay attention to owning such type of houses and the glitters of the world God forbid, influences them; on that day, we must recite the burial prayers of Islam.

As long as this nation sustains this condition that it has now which is devotion to spirituality to an extent; and these our youth pay attention to spiritualities; and this great transformation has occurred in them and in those that barter martyrdom with their heart and soul; as long as these are safeguarded, this Islamic Republic is safe and no one can violate it. The day on which the glitters of the world take over and Satan appears in our midst and Stan takes over as our guide, that is the day on which the superpowers can influence us and can destroy our country. This country has always been destroyed by the palace dwellers. The rulers of tyranny who were almost all from the class of palace dwellers could not be concerned for the people; they could not comprehend the meaning of poverty; they could not feel what it was to be homeless; they could basically not feel these things. When a person cannot feel what it is to be poor; what it is to be hungry; he cannot think of the poor and the hungry. However, those that have been reared in this same society and have felt what it is to be poor; they have seen and tasted poverty; they have felt it and so they can attend to the condition of the poor. We must strive to maintain this circumstance in all of us. Devotion to God must be safeguarded in our legislative assembly, in our government bodies, in our holy warriors, in our military, in our armed forces and in our Judiciary. It is devotion to God that causes a person to arise from the hot sands of Arabia and from that center of all ignorance to become the Prophet and to train such humans under such ordinary circumstances, and to establish such a nation. These things cannot be undertaken by a monarchy. It is His Holiness Moses (s) who can get going and stand up to the pharaoh. A person like the pharaoh himself cannot undertake such a task. We must train human beings and not gluttons. Islam wants to build humans. Islam wants to safeguard independence and it is not possible to safeguard independence by devotion to the material world. Those that are now causing destruction for their own nations in that fashion are of those that are seated in palaces and do not know what it is to be hungry. They are concerned about their own interests and are seeing that America is safeguarding their interests and its own interests and safeguards their interests to the extent that they are safeguarded for itself. Such persons cannot be thinking of their nations and the independence of the nations. all their attention is focused on building palaces for themselves and even for their pets. They even build palaces for their dogs. They cannot think of the people and the hungry that are in their own countries and therefore we are seeing that they are taking away the crude oil of these same wretched people and depositing it in the pockets of America while their nation continues to be hungry and barefooted. They do not have other feelings; they are devoid of human feelings. This attention to glitter of the material world removes a human being from that feeling of humanity; he is an animal that is walking among the people. Try to strengthen spirituality among this nation. It is with spirituality that you can safeguard your independence and safeguard your freedom and to attain perfection.

But the problems that we now face and we must pursue is the subject of judgment. This I have also mentioned previously and yesterday a person came to me from the Judiciary Council and said that at the same time that today they were working very hard and the situation of the Judiciary has vastly improved, nevertheless, they were facing a shortage of judges. He said that at present they need 120 clerical judges; they need clergymen. I have also stated previously that we extend our needy hands towards this seminaries; the big theological schools such as the Qum Seminary- Qum has done a lot in this respect- such as the Isfahan Seminary; such as the Mashhad Seminary; Azerbayjan. Sir! The question of judgment is something that is your responsibility. The subject of judgment is one that is the responsibility of the men of learning. They are responsible in the presence of God; they cannot sit back and watch while the judiciary reaches the stage where the Judiciary Council cannot send an average judge in every place. Of course, we must gradually move towards the condition that Islam has commanded. The seminaries must pursue this matter and find a judge with the conditions that the sacred canons have stipulated. However, today that we cannot reach to that lofty degree, we must not sit back while the Judiciary remains in the way it was before. We must make the effort and to the extent that we can; the seminaries must make the effort. Persons that are now in the seminaries and are qualified for this job and for example they are not engaged in teaching in the seminaries; they are not involved in teaching jobs and such matters, well there are a lot of persons that can do the job. A large number can go from the Isfahan Seminary; so also from Mashhad; so also from Tabriz and such places. We even have individuals from the rural areas because this is a task that it must be accomplished. Should we continue to sit back and wait for someone to do the job for us. Who must manage the Judiciary other than the theological schools; who has the capability for the job? Of course, they must also think of the future and build great pious judges as well as think of the present when we are facing problems, should we want to delay justice, which is in principle attending to the problems of the people. Well a group must take charge of this affair and can even do the job based on emulation- and this is a duty on all of us. Another point is that the Judiciary must take care that it is concerned with the life and properties of the people; the honor of the people and their job demands. Thus, they must appoint pious people there; they must be upright individuals and be careful not to make a mistake for the error of the judge can cause great damage and can be tragic if it is deliberate; they must be very careful in this job. What I mentioned in the announcement that I made regarding this eight-point program they must pursue with forcefully and strongly which of course they have followed up but it requires more follow up so that the problems of this country are resolved.

Now if I say a word that such a thing must be done, when I switch on the radio of such and such station in the night it says the situation in Iran has become critical because so and so has said that such and such thing must attended to. If in the Qur'an it invites the people to poverty, does it mean that there is no piety in Islam!? The Qur'an has asked that we practice piety. Well, to enlighten the people even though good is a common thing. The Blessed and Almighty God counsels the Prophet to observe piety. Now if such and such radio broadcast says that well, God has told the Prophet to observe piety «6» does it imply that he was impious? Never.

One of the great blessings that I wanted to mention now is the situation that we endow in Iran. We cannot give enough thanks for it that in all places now, both our Friday prayer leaders, also our people are all devoted to Islam; also the Friday prayer leaders and the people both men and women. These Friday prayers that are held in Iran- throughout Iran- are attended in cold weather of winter, in humid weather, in freezing conditions, in the hot summer in hot climatic regions, in the war-stricken areas such as Abadan that is being attacked daily by the criminals, yet the Friday prayer is being held and the people attend. What is this? What is it that we have achieved? Who has done this other than the Blessed and Almighty God? These are the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.

Thank God, we now have a parliament that shall God willing improve; but we have a parliament that is establishing the demands of Islam. When we look at the parliament, when we see the Guardian Council, when we notice the Government, when we observe the Judiciary, when we observe all of them- we must give thanks for these blessings. We must be thankful that a bunch of this same people, not those high living and aristocratic class but from the same ordinary people of ours have taken charge and are working hard for this nation. We also thank this nation for having supported it with all its power. The nation must thank this government and be grateful; the government also must serve this nation and thank it. The nation must thank these armed forces, these youth that are sacrificing their lives for safeguarding your honor; they are losing their health and are toiling to protect you- you must be grateful to them and are grateful. We must not be negligent of giving thanks to God for the present situation that we have. When we go to the warfronts, the youth are actively engaged in that manner and are sacrificing their lives. When we visit the hospitals, we see the sick in that manner; the disabled, those that have been disabled in the war, those that have been injured in the war have such Islamic morale. What was the gendarmerie in those times and what is it now? How was the army and how is it now? Who were the personnel in the army staff and who are the persons now? Thank God, everything has changed. We must thank God and safeguard this. To safeguard this is that we be together. Sir, the entire world is opposed to us; we ourselves must be together; we are together. Now in the night program they should not claim that it is clear that there is chaos; but a reminder is always necessary.

One of the points that has been repeated in the Qur'an or are repetitions is because the Qur'an wants to build human beings. The Qur'an is not history; if it was history, in the history book it would narrate a story that many have written. However, the book of moral ethics must be repetitive. Those that want to state moral behavior for the people must repeat and repeat and repeat until it penetrates the mind. It is not enough to state it once. One of the great points that the Qur'an has is that you notice the repetitions. These are not repetitions; the style of building human beings is thus. Every page that you open is invitation to observe piety, invitation to be good, invitation to so and so. Another page that you open is the story of Prophet Moses, which has been repeated several times. The story of Prophet Abraham is repeated several times. It does not want to narrate a story, which is enough to narrate once. Those that are not acquainted with the Qur'an; these foreigners do not understand what the Qur'an is so they say that it would be good if it was divided into chapters each dealing with one subject. The Qur'an has descended in order to build human beings; it is not possible to build human beings by stating only once. A teacher of moral behavior cannot talk about a topic once and then go away; he must repeat a subject ten times in every session and repeat and repeat and repeat until it penetrates the hearts. We must constantly enjoin each other. The seminaries must advise the government and the nation and to them; it must call upon them to observe piety; call upon them to unity; call upon them to self-abstinence. Among the people, when they sit down together they should make this call. The sermonizers are doing it but they must do it more. The parliament must in their speeches build the people. The debate in the parliament is like the debate between two theologians and it is not because they have differences. Well the theologians had differences from the dawn of Islam until now. If these opinions would not clash with each other, our jurisprudence would not be as powerful as it is. There must be a clash of views; there should be a debate on them. In some of the seminaries that I studied in, there was debate; the tutor would say one thing and the student would stand up and challenge him; this one would say that one would say and again this one would say one thing until a subject reached a conclusion while the other students would benefit from it. It must be in this way in the parliament also. there is no fighting involved; it is just an academic debate; it is a debate on moral behavior; it must be taught to the people; however, there must be no fighting involved.

Likewise, until the time we are united and our hands are held together and we recite the supplication of unity, we exult. That day we shall be obliterated when these are disjoined; one slander that one; that one slander this one and this one criticizes that one and that one criticizes this one- that is the day. Thank God, we have a nation whose hands are joined with one another and no one can harm this nation. This support of one another and this assistance whereby the seminaries help the government, the Judiciary and the parliament while the parliament helps them; the government helps all and the people help one another. This burden that is now on the shoulders of the government cannot be handled by it alone. This is something obvious. If the nation offers no support, if not all the strata give support everything will be in chaos and it is not possible to do anything. The fact that you have been victorious until now is because of the support of the nation itself. The Blessed and Almighty God has delegated this nation to support you. When you do your job well for the nation, they, too, shall support you. When the government does a good job for the nation, they are supportive.

When the parliament does a good job for the people, they shall support it. The people must support the nation and support the government; they must support the parliament; they must support the Judiciary and all serve one another. All must have good intentions for serving one another; and they should know that this service is a worship that has few rivals in its greatness. Today for the safeguarding of Islam, we must shun all those things that are working our minds and the animosities that for instance, we had at one time; for God's sake, we must be together. If it is so, then you shall be safe and you will sell Islam abroad to all over the world. I say this to you that if God forbid, God forbid Islam is dealt a blow in Iran, know that it will be dealt a blow throughout the world and know that it will no longer be able to raise its head again so soon. To safeguard Islam in Iran is now a great duty that is above all other duties. To safeguard Islam in Iran depends on your unity; the unity of the clergy and the people, the people and the clergy; the military and the gendarmerie and the armed forces with the government; all of these together. When all join hands and all, become" a single hand against the strangers" «7» in the manner that has been stated that they are a single hand against strangers than no one can harm us. We shall be harmed on that day when there is a chink in our unity. No person can undertake a coup in this country; no one can in the present situation. The day when differences surface among you, know that on the same day the devils that are sitting there and watching shall create plotters to undertake a coup. Differences shall do this job. We are optimistic that this unity shall sustain and this new year that has arrived will bring greater unity than before. With the blessing of this unity we shall reform both our spiritual values as well as our material welfare and find a solution for these poor people; find a solution for the homeles- find a solution for them.

I hope that those persons that are affluent; those that have several homes, those that have many assets do not think that their happiness is tied to these abundant riches. A person that has less but in proportion to his sustenance derives greater pleasure from this material life than the person who has a hundred palaces and is worried day and night for their safekeeping. He cannot understand what the pleasures of living are. There are thousands of varieties of food here- perhaps you have seen in these films for example- there is so much food available but he does not have the appetite to take them. It is not that he does not want; he has no appetite at all. Not that he wants to show off that he eats less- he cannot eat. Whereas a mystic who finds a piece of bread and eats, it enjoys it more than that person who has a hundred palaces and is not able to use them. Deriving pleasure is not tied to assets; enjoyment is a subject that a person must seek it within himself and it is not possible except with devotion to God and believes firmly in God. The person that is hesitant in life; do you think that the president of the United States and the head of the Soviet Union are living in comfort? The tension that is in their hearts is not present in any person, in any individual. Each of them wants to gobble up the other. I do not know whether you have heard this or not that when the wolves want to sleep as they are a pack and want to sleep, they sleep facing each other meaning in a circle. This is in order that none of them has their backs face the other for fear that if they sleep with their backs to the others the others will eat them up. These superpowers are like them. At present, America is changing the situation in the Soviet Union while they, too, are thinking of causing disturbances there and all of them have a quarrel over the nuclear weapons. Their worries are so much and they are so afraid of one another; this one fears that one and that one fears this one. We must think of safeguarding ourselves from the turbulence that is present in the world and to be safe is to lean towards Islam and lean towards the tenets of Islam and to take care of the poor and attend to the condition of these individuals that are toiling for this nation. The government should attend to their plight; the people should attend to them. I would like to say to the individuals that own many properties and possess a lot of wealth to attend to the plight of these poor people, if they are tenants paying two-thousand toman rent and you ask for three-thousand. Well lower your rent a little so that they too can live. Do not wait until some force is used. We hope that there is no need for such actions and the people themselves voluntarily solve the issue so that the poor can live a simple life. These wretched poor are content with an average existence, an existence that can sustain them so that they can have a roof over their head. May God grant success to all of you and may He make this an auspicious year for the Muslims and all of you and all the subjugated nations and our beloved nation.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you.