Speech [Impediments to realization of Islam in the society]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Reciprocally, I congratulate this auspicious feast to the audience and to all Muslims and oppressed people of the world. It is impossible to discuss what little we have understood from the issues surrounding the mission of prophet and their various dimensions in such sessions. What is the essence of the prophetic mission? What is revelation? How is the quality of revelation sent down? These questions will remain a secret. What we can understand from this mission are the blessings emenating for this phenomenon. Unfortunately, due to all troubles, which the prophet faced, and the battles that raged on thronought his stay in Medina, he could neither introduce his ideal form of government, nor present the knowledge he wished to the humankind. Only Qur'an was presented. Obviously, it contains everything. However, due to the complications he could not implement his preaching nor could he establish the government of his liking. Even in Hijaz, he could not do it due to the oppositions raised. After him, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) suffered even more. We have to be greatfully sorry that the Connander of the Faithful was not allowed to establish his ideal government. He was embroiled in battles brought about by those who laid claim to Islam, opposed him in the name of Islam, crushed him in the name of Islam, and sapped his progress in the name of the holy Qur'an. If the trick employed by Muawiyeh and Amr As and the sanctimonious people had not banned him from breaking the trick, the destiny of Islam was far different from what it is today. Perhaps the events befallen Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) and the tragic events afflicting Imam Husayn in Karbala would not have occurred. The blame lies at the door of those affecting piety in Nahravan, whom may God curse from beginning to the end. If in time of the prophet those afflictions had allowed him to establish the government he desired, these disasters would not have happened. But ill-wishers did not let it go the way desired by the holy prophet. A group rose in enmity in the name of Islam and a number of stupid persons surrounding him fastened the hands of the Commander of the Faithful in the name of the Qur'an. This is an enternal cause of sorrow for all Muslims. If from the outset what the prophet desired had been realized, and subsequently what the Commander of the Faithful desired had been realized these problems would not have come about. However, divine providence has so ordained. If we want to lament those calamities, we will lose touch with our own problems, which are similar to those in early days of Islam. Today, we are also embroiled in the same troubles. We are grappling with the same problems in a different context. The scope of the problems has widened because of the prevailing situation in the world. If that day the messenger (peace be upon him) and the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) were afflicted and confind in a limited way- despite this their light has illuminated the world- in today's world Islam has been afflicted with more complicated troubles. They did not let an Islamic government to materialize under the guise of Islam. Today, we are also suffering similarly and in the name of Islam, the opponents want to withhold efforts to establish Islamic government. One group consists of the heedless and ignorant persons and the other comprises infamous and shameless scholars. The holy prophet has been quoted as saying that two groups broke my back: notorious scholars and ignorant persons pretending sanctity. I don't know from which group Islam has suffered more: the infamous scholar or the sanctimonious ignorants? At any rate, Islam has suffered from the two groups. This condition prevailed at that time and will persist to the end. Even in time of the Promised Savior, as put in some narrations, the `ulama' (Muslim scholars) excommunicate him. This is the affliction prevailing in the world. From the ver beginning, satan told God or, I should say, threatened God that he would not let this matter to find reality, and has been very successful. Today we should see what kind of problems beset us.

We should not think that the grip of big powers has been curtailed from here. The people of Iran should notice that the plots are in progress. Now you can see that in the very elections that were held with so much freedom and with people's massive turn out, there are both domestic and international hands to create discord among the gentlemen involved in the election. However, it is hoped that in the second term people will also participate and fulfill their divine duty. Do not imagine that foreigners and their agents inside the country stage a coup. They will not, because they cannot! A country whose people are prepared for martyrdom will not allow the enemy to enter such fields. Nevertheless, they will errode us from within. One of the cases now underway is that the enemy is diligently hatching plots to create discord among the winners and the losers of the election. By such evil terms as winning and losing or victory and defeat they want to create discord among our nation. I fear that the election which should cause people to close their ranks and strengthen their unity be a source of discord. This is one of the tricks of Satan and will be done by the devils. If one means to work for God, this is a decision he himself has made. If one wins, one should not apply the term winning, because it is a service devolved upon him/ her and the trouble involved is much greater. If a person is not elected this term, he should not think that he has been brushed aside and this is disgrace for him. There is no talk of wining or losing. We should call it service, and it makes no difference whether one serves in this capacity or somewhere else. Iran should be vigilant that there are hands at work to create difference even within homes among the family members. We should take lessons from history. Similar events were repeated in time of the constitutional movement. Those who did not want Iran to flourish and wanted dictatorship to continue introduced difference among individuals, groups and parties. Those who witnessed the events at that time said in a house there was discord between brothers with each other and with their parents. One group sided with dictatorship and the other favored constitutional movement. This difference forestalled the constitutional movement which failed to be realized as desired by Muslim `ulama'. These differences triggered a group of the westernized individuals to occupy the posts under the guise of constitutionalists and impose despotism on the people in the guise of constitutionalism and you saw what took place. Today is similar to the same day. If people are not awar, if `ulama' of Islam fail to wake up and are neglectful, if the `ulama' from Qum, teachers of Qum, theology students of Qum, `ulama' of Tehran, the militant clerics of Tehran, the ualam of the entire cities and clerics of all cities and people are no wakeful, the enemy works to give rise to a situation prevelant in time of the constitutional movement. Know that the responsibility lies with all of us.

The seat of Majlis is not the end in Islam; a high position is not an end either. To become the president or a minister is not also the end. If one assumes these things to be ends in themselves, he has not understood Islam. You are the follower of the leader who said this rule was not worth a pair of worn-out shoes unless used to establish the truth. You who want to uphold the truth and push forward Islam can do so whether in the Majlis, school or other places. It should make no difference where you work. You should be careful lest the troubles of those days afflict us as well. Hopefully we will not experience them. Beware, or tomorrow the world mass media will say Iran is in total disorder or that it is their turn now. Never, they should bury this wish to the tomb. What I am notifying does not signify that we are now afflicted by such events; we always want to prevent corruption they want to create. Let them know that nothing of this sort has happened in Iran. In Iran an elections has been held, a free election that is unprecedented in the world. It is not the case they think that now the time has arrived for them to reap any benefit. Never will such opportunity be provided for them. They will never be given this chance. There is nothing wrong. I beware people lest such things may happen. Otherwise this, there is no cause of worry. In any case, I should admonish the gentlemen who participated in the elections to continue to do so with utmost sincerity of intention and never get annoyed that they have not won and another one has won. You are all brothers and friends. There should be no talk of whether this friend is in the Majlis or that one or me. The people should not take these seriously, as it is the case, God willing. I hope that in the coming term when elections should kick off in a few days with the diligence of the gentlemen who are in charge such as the interior minister and the guardian council it would soon start so that our Majlis would not be closed even for one day. Mr. Imami now gave me the good news that such a thing will happen. I hope that the people of Iran go to the polls, as they did in the first term, and cast their votes. People should appreciate this freedom because they are not influenced by anyone. No one across the world has bound anyone to vote in favor of this or that, nor even to vote, but has reminded people of their religious duty.

Whatever we say is just to remind people of their religious duty. We do not oblige them. They are religiously obliged to preserve the Islamic Republic. To preserve the republic they should be present in the arena and avoid discord. Preservation means that the one who has won should not boast about it and the one who has lost should not think he has lost everything. There is no such thing at work. There is nothing to be happy or unhappy. There is only Islam. Islam is in your hands and you wanted to serve Islam in that capacity but opportunity has not been provided. Now you can serve in other places. You wanted to serve in the Majlis but it was not possible. No matter, you can serve in the government, in a different post, in school and get engaged in teaching. I request the peoplenot be impressed by the elements working to sow discord among them. You are all brothers in faith and should live brotherly. The cases such as mistake or fraud will be investigated and the Guardian Council will either nullify the votes of some ballot boxes or the whole election. This is common everywhere. Moreover, not that much important. I hope that the gentlemen will enter with utmost sincerity this time as well and cast their votes. We should follow the prophetic mission whose light has pervaded the world and struggle to protect the efforts of prophets who could not accomplish it the way they desired. We should not let the efforts, so far made in Iran, go to waste. Iran has achieved its power and is now focus of attention in the world. What has today engaged the attention of the world is the Islamic Revolution. They are afraid because if Islam is realized, all their dreams will vanish. Perhaps you know that peace-lovers have now come together. The American president has gone to China and they sing songs for each other. This one sings for that one and that one sings for this, and with all talk about peace and rapport." We want our youths live in rapport and peace"! The situation of the world has so changed that they want that sort of peace in the world and we who really seek peace are thus denied. They do not let us achieve peace. Therefore, we should pay heed to these developments. We should seek to preserve the nation. I hope we will rescue Iraq from the clutches of the Baath Party in the same way that we liberated Iran from the evil of the monarchy. May God grant you and us success to serve! May God be your support and makes Iranian and Iraqi people victorious!

May God's peace and mercy be upon you!