Speech [Blessings of the lunar months of Rajab, Sha`ban and Ramdan]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Reciprocally, I extend my felicitations for this great and glorious Islamic-religious feast to the respected audience and the authorities of the country and to the rest of the oppressed strata of the world and especially to the glorious nation of Iran. I hope that God willing, with the exclusive favors of the Imam of the Time- may our souls be sacrificed for him- this rocking ship of humanity reaches the shore of salvation and that the oppressed of the world triumph over the arrogant oppressors. It is hoped that the universal rule of His Holiness- may God's peace be upon him- is established soon and the eyes of all of us and all Muslims of the world are lit up with the light of his appearance. These three blessed lunar months of Rajab, Sha`ban and Ramadan have plenty of bounties for persons that are capable of taking advantage of these blessings. However, the origin of all is the Prophetic mission and following it, all the aspects that are present. In the month of Rajab, the great Prophet ic mission and birthday of mawla `Ali ibn Abitalib- may God's peace be upon him- and some of the other Imams are celebrated. In the month of Sha`ban it is the birthday of His Holiness the Doyen of the Martyrs- may God's peace be upon him- and of His Holiness the Twelfth Imam- may our souls be sacrificed for him- while in the blessed month of Ramadan, the descent of the Qur'an and its revelation in the blessed heart of the honorable Prophet is commemorated. The tongues, intellects and the minds cannot gauge the moral distinction of these three months. Among the blessings of these months are the supplications that are recommended for these months. Today we are in the blessed month of Sha`ban, and the supplications of Sha`ban are among the greatest and most glorious of Divine teachings and are among the biggest affairs, which those that are of the pious can to the extent of their understanding benefit from them.

Subjects on divine issues and mystical issues are easy and each person thinks he has understood them; and the subjects of logical reasoning at the same time that they are exact are easy to understand. After the rise of logical reasoning and following it, reaching the inferences of these subjects and the results of the logical reasoning to the heart, which is called faith, is more difficult. Often the experts on logical reasoning do not reach to this degree of faith. This subject must reach the heart with promptings, repetitions and self-abstinences. You notice that as necessitated a deceased person does not inflict any loss to a person except some persons. Others if they are alone in a graveyard and they are confronted with the body of a dead person in the mortuary, they are overcome with fear; this is because that logical reasoning and mental necessity has not reached the heart. The rationalization that the mind has understood and is also necessary, has not reached the heart. However, those that wash the corpses and are working with the dead, from the viewpoint that this subject is repeated for them, it has reached their heart and they have no fear. It is the same with Islamic subjects and subjects of the mind. There are intellectual subjects that with logical reasoning are fixed but it has no effect on the person because the result of the logical reasoning has reached the mind but has not entered the heart. There is no faith in it; the mind has understood it but the heart has no faith in it.

Often the mystical issues that are in the Qur'an and the supplications of the Immaculate Imams- may God's peace be upon them- and these supplications of the month of Sha`ban are mystical subjects, which the individuals, philosophers, mystics can to some extent comprehend, to understand the themes, but they cannot do justice because that mystical taste has not been obtained. The noble verse in the Qur'an that states," thereafter, he came near and he got very near to the equivalent of two bows." «1» Well the commentators and philosophers have spoken on this subject but that mystical taste is lacking." O God, grant me the perfect connection with Thyself and grant radiance to our heart and sight with Thy Own Radiance so that the eyes of the heart tear the curtains of light and reach to the fountainhead of glory and our souls are tied to Thy glory. O God, make me of those who as soon as you call, reply to Thee and who as soon as you pay attention to them, faint and cry out in response to your glory and manifestation." «2» They think that the subjects are the human beings; well, we also know. Neither the mystic nor the philosopher and nor the theologian can discern what the subject is. The source of the subject of" He rent asunder the mountain and Moses fell unconscious" «3» is the Qur'an and the subject of" Moses fell unconscious" is a subject, which a person assumes that well, he fell down unconscious, but what was this unconsciousness? What was the falling down unconscious of Prophet Moses? This is a subject that only Moses can understand. Or take the case of the manifestations that is mentioned in this great supplication and some other sentences that are in it are subjects that on the surface are easy and in reality, impossible to understand. It requires a lot of practice of self-abstinence so that a person can understand their meaning. Is God supplicating with a person; what is supplication? What do the Imams want? This is of the supplications which all the Imams would recite and I have not seen a narration say this about any other supplication. What was this? What came to pass between them and the blessed and Almighty God?" It is in Thy hands and not in the hands of other than You my profit, loss, abundance and deficiency." «4» Well, apparently a person will say that everything is in His hands. However, the true meaning of this subject that no loss befalls us except by His leave or no profit is gained by us except by His leave and that all profit and loss are by His leave are things that we cannot comprehend.

Pray that the Blessed and Almighty God that in this blessed month and the blessed month of Ramadan, grants us the favor to derive some pleasure even if it is a small manifestation in our hearts and souls so that at lest we come to believe what the subject of the" lightning" is; come to believe what is supplication of God with a person. We come to believe in the supplications and not deny them and say that these are words of ascetics. All these subjects are in the Qur'an in a subtle manner and the books of sacred supplications of the guiding Imams; all these subjects are present although not as subtly as in the Qur'an but in a subtle manner nonetheless. All the individuals that used the terminologies have knowingly or unknowingly taken them from the Qur'an and the narratives and it is possible that they do not know the true sources of them. However, few can comprehend their truth let alone their souls to be touched by them. For the soul to be touched by them is a subject that is way beyond these subjects.

I hope that the blessed and Almighty God cuts off the hands of the corrupt and tyrants from this nation that has arisen today; it has started a movement for Him and has arisen for His sake so that it attains the objectives that it must. However, until these superpowers are seated on the throne of power, this is something that appears to be a little difficult. I do not know whether you heard the speech of the President of the United States that was broadcast over the radio in which he asked the entire world to assist him in getting the release of these Baha'is «5» living in Iran. He said that they were innocent and were not spies and that they do not engage in any activity other than religious ones and it is for this reason of engaging in religious activities has condemned 22 of them to death. He pleaded with the entire world that they were not spies and are a people that do not interfere in anything and he was pleading on humanitarian grounds. Had he not mentioned these subjects some naive minds would think that well, they too are a people that although they have corrupt beliefs but they are engaged in their own religious worship; this too was not their intention. However, after Mr. Reagen said that they were only engaging in religious ceremonies and nothing else, could we still believe? On the one side when they arrest the Toudeh Party officials, the Soviet Union protests that they are an innocent group that are also in agreement with the Islamic Republic; that they support it; that they backed the Islamic Republic like all others and are even now supporting it whereas now the government of Iran has come and unnecessarily arrested and imprisoned them. On the other side, Mr. Reagen «6» is now saying that these Baha'is are a wretched and peaceful people busy with their own worship ceremonies and are performing their own religious rituals and Iran is opposed to them for this very reason that their beliefs are contrary to ours. If they were not spies, you would not have voiced concern. Because they are a bunch that are working in your favor otherwise we know you; we know America would not all of a sudden clamor for 22 Baha'i individuals who according to him have been arrested in Iran and that it is for humanitarian concerns that he is voicing his protest and is pleading with the entire world to come to their rescue. The people know you; you that persuaded Iraq to do unto our country what the Moguls had not done; and likewise unto their own country. Iraq that has arrested a group of great theologians such as Ayatullah Yousuf «7» whom I know to be an upright and proper man purportedly in order to take revenge from the late Ayatullah Hakim, he has arrested him and a large number of the big and small members of this family. If you were humanitarian, it would be nice if you had said a word and asked why he was doing this. Why not a word is said in your mass media about what he is doing in Iran and Iraq. You saw what they have done to the point where you studied their files and yet you are saying this- or perhaps you have knowledge of the unseen. If we did not have proof that they were spying for America just from the support of Reagan for them, and we did not have reason that the Toudeh party are spies just from the support of the Soviet union for them would have been sufficient. However, we tell you that the Toudeh party not because it was the Toudeh Party and the Baha'is not because of their belonging to the outlawed Baha'i sect were prosecuted by our prosecutors and sentenced to imprisonment. They had problems; the Toudeh party came forward and confessed all their activities and they have a record. The Baha'is are not a faith, they are a party, a party that in the past was supported by the British and are at present being supported by the Americans- they too are spies just like them. If they were not spies, then well, there are many other people that have ideological deviations; they are communists, they are other things but our prosecutors do not arrest and imprison them because they are Communists or have ideological deviations. Not until the Toudeh party engaged in conspiracy; not until its conspiracies increased- of course they were under surveillance for what they were doing because they had a track record- but not until their conspiracies reached the stage where in their own corrupt opinion, they were to fructify, that our dear Revolutionary Guards arrested them. God willing, they shall be handed sentences that they deserve.

The problem is that you Mr. Reagan are supporting them; and their supporters are the sirs in the Soviet Union and this reveals that they have a peculiar situation whereby they provide benefits to you and that group provides benefits to them. Apart from providing benefits, they also provide information about us to them; engage in espionage activities between the nation of Iran and the government of Iran for them. These are the problems that our country is encountering with these superpowers and these deviant elements today.

On the other side, there are devils inside the country that are either their operatives or are ignorant or that they basically, dislike the Islamic Republic. They say it should be another form of government or they truly believe in the Islamic Republic and accept it and have everything in common with you sirs but their naivete is being exploited and they are being used. I say for example, that such words must not be uttered or such statements not be made in such and such place; I do not say that it should be repressed; let them whatever they want to and criticize at will; criticism is other than conspiracy. The tone of conspiracy differs from the tone of criticism. Criticism is of the constructive variety. Scientific debate in the same manner that Islamic science does not achieve its objective, political affairs also will not get anywhere without debate. It requires debate; it requires criticism; it requires exchange of views- no one wants to prevent this. However, sometimes the tone is not of criticism; the tone is the tone of weakening the Islamic Republic even if it has been dictated to them and he is unaware that it is so.

We are opposed to this tone; this tone is not allowed. Conspiracy is not allowed; criticism is allowed. Write, say, criticize but to engage in conspiracy with an attempt to weaken the Islamic Republic and to weaken the organizations of this republic reveals that there are invisible hands at work and beyond them are hands that are guiding them. This government is working with all its capabilities at a time when everyone else would be rendered impotent in the situation that we are in. No highly capable person that wants to do something positive cannot do anything; a government that is doing all in its capacity for this nation and is working hard is confronted with these accusations. Once they accuse its prime minister for such and such thing; next they accuse its ministers. If they truly opposed to this, every Muslim is opposed to this; every clergyman is opposed to this; every human being is opposed to this. Sir, the people have worked hard; sacrificed their youth; have sacrificed their all in the path of Islam. Now that this Islam with the blood of these people; with the martyrdom of these beloved youth reached to the stage where it wants to grow and strengthen itself- and thank God, it has strengthened itself- now you want to start all over and each one of you want to weaken it and say that that one is a plotter, that one is a Communist, that one is a capitalist and such nonsensical talks that are uttered repeatedly. If you have constructive criticism, well then say it and testify that what you are saying is right here and wrong there and even though the government has worked hard, yet it is at fault here. If you see that for example, such a court of law has deliberately committed a wrong or such and such government or such and such minister has deliberately committed a wrong, prove it by giving reasons. That government and that minister shall be interrogated. However, if a person sits back and without a signature or proof write and publish and repeatedly slander and publish- why is it done without signature? If he is speaking the truth well then sign it. A person must not think that they are getting something; what else are the gaining except toil and trouble? These clergymen of Qum except toil; these respected theologians of Qum except toil and using the time which they should be usefully utilizing for academic affairs have come forward and are using in matters that must be used for- what are they gaining? What have they been given? What has this" Combatant Clergy of Tehran" gained except that they are working hard and are going through hell.

These courts and prosecutors offices and these judges and this parliament and this Guardian Council and all of these up to the Revolutionary Guards and policemen that are sacrificing their lives for you and for Islam and for the Muslims, is it right for a person to weaken them? Is it right to say things and publish them over there so that the people are weakened? These are the things that cause one to speak out and say," Sir, sit where you are; it is enough; that system can no longer return." But no, so and so person is opposed to criticism; not at all, criticize but do not plot. I am opposed to conspiracy; all are opposed to it. By weakening the Islamic Republic, we are weakening Islam. We are opposed to this. Which Muslim person is not opposed to this?

In any case, God willing, I hope that this feast is auspicious for all of you and you continue with your efforts with confidence I that the Blessed and Almighty God is kind towards this country. This country is an exemplary country in that it is devoted to Islam; this is a country whose nation and government, parliament and clergy have all joined hands to implement Islam both here and in all places. Rest assured that the Blessed and Almighty God has favored you and the twelfth Imam- peace is upon him and may our souls be sacrificed for him- is kind towards this society. By placing our trust in God and the favors of the blessed souls, we must not allow any fear to overcome us and we of course have no fear. I have repeatedly said this that the one who has no reserves for the other world is the one that has fear. Do these youth of ours that come and tell me that they want to be martyred have fear of death? These that plead with God for martyrdom, do they fear to be martyred? Are they afraid of dying? These that are engaged in serving and the likelihood exists that God forbid, they are fired at with something have no fear; they are preoccupied with service. The one that does not accept the other side has fear. The one that has understood that there is another side; that has understood that this world is a passage to that world no longer has fear; he aspires to reach his objective.

May God cause Islam to triumph and the soldiers of Islam to triumph and cuts off the hands of miscreants from this country.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you.