Speech [Power in the hands of unrefined individuals and the ensuing dangers]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

We are from God and to Him shall we return

I express my condolence to all Muslims, the Iranian nation, people of Khouzestan and the cities recently subjected to the aggression of the oppressors on the disasters successively befalling Islam, Islamic ummah, friends of Islam and the household of the holy prophet. I hope that God almighty will associate these martyrs with His friends and martyrs of the early days of Islam will, grant their families patience and reward and the Iranian people resistance.

First, I would like to thank all the gentlemen for taking the trouble of coming here so that I can raise some issues in your presence.

Two groups of people are counted as mujahidin: first those who are active in the fronts and behind frontlines and the second Shahid Foundation. God almighty will reward you for your struggles. We should appreciate the two groups. We appreciate the pasdaran and Sepah-e Pasdaran and whatever is from them as well as other armed forces and those helping these dear ones behind the frontlines and the oppressed people who have lost their dear ones.The Iranian people are also grateful to them. As we suffer these afflictions, we should try too strengthening our defensive power. They may assume that this way they can bring about a kind of disruption in the fronts or behind the frontlines. They, however, should have realized their mistake by now. A point worthy of note for dear Sepah and other armed forces and for all and for measurement of the situation of the world is that if power is in the hands of unrefined persons it is threatening. Power itself is perfection. God Almighty is omnipotent. However, if power is entrusted to corrupt individuals, this perfection will undergo corruption. Today, the world is afflicted by the fact that power is in the hands of individuals deprived of humanity. Superpowers and big powers think of nothing but adding to their power and trampling the oppressed people. Those who are affiliated to these powers act correspondingly as they are of the same ilk. If power is in the hand of perfect people, nations will achieve perfection. If power is in the hand of prophets and saints, the world will move towards health and perfection. If power is in the hand of unwise and unrefined bullies, it will bring disaster. Today you observe that the two or several big powers govern the world and deem it their right to bring other nations under their own domination, this mentality is disastrous if coupled with power. Power in the hand of oppressor leads the world to corruption. If at lower levels power is in the hand of an individual who does not enjoy subline powers, he will corrupt the environment he rules over. They lead the world to corruption. They lead a country or two countries and smaller areas to corruption. If power is in the hand of a person in a district, he will lead that area to corruption. If this is the case in a family, that family will be led to corruption. Power is perfection and can manifest its perfection when it is in the hands of wise and erudile man.

The late Mudarres (may God's blessings be upon him) , as I heard, quoted Shaykh ar-Ra'is «1» as saying that he was afraid of cows because they had horns but not intellect. This is a question worthy of note. If we suppose the Shaykh has not made such a statement, the question is noteworthy. Cow have horns but not intellect; they has power and no intellect. Those who are now spreading corruption in the world are of the same ilk; they have butt, but not wisdom; they have power but not humanity. Notice what the US is doing in the world. So is the Soviet Union. God has so willed that the two powers stand against each other and interfere in each other's affairs. If there were only one of them, this single power would swallow the world. If they do not fear each other, they will destroy the world. Their claims that they want to bring peace are false. They have entered Beirut and Lebanon claiming that they want to make peace in Lebanon. They are not peace loving. If supposedly they are, what is the reason for their presence in other countries? The governments in some of these countries are not national governments and they are not popular at all. If they valued humanity and moral considerations and human values, they would have consideration for the destitute and weaker nations. They forcefully enter another country on the pretext that they intend to strengthen government, which has come to power against the will of a nation. This treatment indicates that you are not refined. There is no talk of humanity. There is power and butt but no intellect.

As you noticed, any case of corruption in the world is because there is someone who holds power but has no wisdom and humanity. The wisdom that I mean is the one by which God the beneficent is worshipped. But they have tact and mischief in abundance. However, they do not treasure the sound wisdom that can help man achieve human values. Merely being a scientist is of no use. One may be a great scientist but lack wisdom, thus devoting his knowledge to deteriorating nations. They are using their power to degenerate and tyrannize nations. If we move down from the peak of power hierarchy to lower livels, we realize what crimes Saddam and Israel are committing in the region. Their acts are similar to each other. Whenever Saddam suffers defeat in war, he inflicts a blow on ordinary people and innocent women and children. In the last couple of days, I was waiting to see Saddam retaliate against the innocent civilians in Behbahan and other places including the cities recently hit by missile due to the damage he has suffered- the greatest damage he has suffered so far. This was what we expected, because we have seen the likes of such crimes from him. As following abomb explosion in a debauchery center in Israel, which has carried out, by an unknown group, may be a group who wanted to take revende; his government has started to bombard and the oppressed people. When Saddam is defeated somewhere, he stated hitting the oppressed people from afar. The explosion in Israel, the revenge of the oppressed people. Although they do not know the identity of the assistant, they send plane to target the oppressed peoplewherever they are. This is the condition of those individuals who lack wisdom but have power.

I would like to draw the attention of the gentlemen to the fact that we should not always criticize others. We should find out our own failings. The pasdars and the armed forces that are dear to us should note that when they hold arms they should not feel proud. One might be refined but he may gradually degenerate into an oppressor. When you hold power, you should be more careful and be humble. When you become the head of a group, you should be more attentive and humble. If you show laxity, you will suffer defeat at the hands of Satan in this spiritual campaign. Those of you who are struggling in the cause of Islam, who are on battlefields or homefront, those working in the industrial sector, those giving services the oppressed and the ones who work for the Shahid Foundation, should know that your services are valuable. Preserve this value. Form of action is not the criteria; what is criteria is the intention behind an action and meaning of action. The sword in the hands of the Commander of the Faithful (`a) kills `Amr Bin `Abduwad. «2» This form of action is the same as that of one's who carries the sword and kills a person. Both use sword to kill, but what counts is their intention. Imam `Ali's action of killing has been described as superior to the acts of worship of the Thaqalayn. «3» It is because of the meaning the action, not the form. It is the intention that promotes the action to that height worthy of the following narration: the worship of the jinn and ment is not equal to that. It is the intention of giving away some loaves of barly bread to the poor and the captive by the houseld of the prophet for which several verses are revealed. «4» If the intention is divinely inspired, it will be compensated by divinely favor. You dear youths who are now serving for Islam, you should be sure that you are greatly valuable. Care for your mental states lest the Satan dominate you. You command the power. Beware of applying this power in wrong places. Take care of yourselves. This advice does not apply to you only; it is applicable to all of us. We all should watch our acts.

Our nation and all human beings should heed this concept that they should apply power in its own place. Prophets applied their power in right places. Prophet Moses used his stick against Pharoah, while treating others kindly. The holy prophet of Islam used his power to suppress people who had trespassed on the border of humanity and led people to destruction. If power is to be used, it should be employed to prevent corruption, not to generate corruption.

The difference between you dear ones and those who are engaged in war in battlefields and those who stand against you is not the form of the action. They kill; you also kill. However, your killing is an act of worship, while their's is a criminal act. It is because of the intention behind the two actions, not the form. You are fighting for God; they are fighting for Satan. They are following Satan and you obey God. There is great difference between the two. Take care to preserve this state.

I tell the brave men who are fighting in the battlefields and have rendered Saddam and his supporters helpless that they should be careful lest this power cause them to take revenge in a manner, which is contrary to the divine rules. You have so far followed this mentality and will do so in the future, God willing. View the Iraqi cities as ours and some of their cities as superior to ours. The residents of those cities are afflicted by Saddam in the same way as we do. Saddam exerts more pressure on the Iraqi people and their families. The people coming here two or three days ago told that if ordinary persons grew beard, they would be detained; if they held rosary, they would be nabbed for fear of being Hezbollah (Party of God); if the fighters in warfronts showed any failing, their families would be suppressed. This is the mental condition of the one who commands power, who has horn but who lack wisdom. Someone bothers him and he harms somebody else. You should be careful lest the bombardments of your cities and the killing of your dear ones may cause you to get angry and try to retaliate. You should take revenge directly on Saddam and the Baath Party, as you are now doing. Be careful not to fire a single shell at their cities. These cities are innocent as is our Behbahan for instance. Basra and Mandali are likewise innocent. They are under oppression. We should observe human factors to the last. We should never get angry that he is hitting our cities and that we should target their cities. Never! This is in no way the case. Our standards are Islamic. Here is Islamic Republic. Here Islam governs. Therefore, you should observe Islamic aspects more than others. The government, Sepah, the military, Basij and others commanding power should apply this power in its right time and place. Do not transgress this standard.

I hope that by preserving these human and Islamic aspects, you will be taken as model by countries wherein our ideas have found their way. This man is gone; he is dead now. He is at the end of his tether. The strong men grow mad at the end of their lives. When they command power, they fret and fume and when they suffer defeat, they grow weak. This is the mental weakness to attack a people who do no harm anyone and sit in their homes. A child cannot do any harm to him, but this mental weakness of such powers prompts him to treat weaker people like this in retaliation for the damage suffering in the war theater. Moreover, the last thing at his disposal as to send battalions, which were meant to guard him, to the battlefields. Many of them have been sent to the hell here. Well, he suffers damage, mental damage, but retaliates against the residential areas. Since he lacks wisdom, he cannot calculate that they have suffered defeat in battlefield and should do something there. Being unable to do anything in warfronts, he targets Behbahan, Masjid Sulayman and other places. This is due to mental weakness and absence of faith. The believers do not show weakness in either case. These people do not fall prey to mental weakness to harras people when they enjoy power. Nor do they show weakness when they suffer defeat to molest people because of being slamed by others. This is due to their weakness, which is the result of lack of faith and failing to know God. They do not care for divine matters and the Day of Resurrection. They lead an animal life, if not worse than animals and commit greater crimes than the latter. This is the example of people who late Mudarres quoted Avicenna as saying" Those having horns and no wisdom." I wish God grants wisdom to these horned people and mend the way of the powerful ones. If not, may God strip them of their power! May God endear you in the sight of people! You people revived Islam and rescued your country from the clutches of aliens. This achievement is because of the fact that you are standing against them and do not want to be held captive. They assume that all should be their servants. Now that you refuse to be subordinate to them, your cities should be pounded.

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