Speech [Dimensions of the character of Imam `Ali (`a)]

Reciprocally, I congratulate the dear guests who have come from the Holy Shrine of Imam Rida (`a) on this auspicious feast. We honor your steps. You have come from a place that is the nucleus of light and divine knowledge, a place where all should kiss its threshold. We should regret over the fact that we are remote from this holy place. I request you gentlemen, the clerics and other layers of people to extend our devotion towards the Imam when you paid homage to the holy shrine. Today, is the feast of Ghadir-e Khumm, the greatest religious feast of Islam, the feast of the oppressed and deprived people of the world. It is a feast designated by God Almighty through the holy Prophet of Islam (s). We should regret that treacherous hands, those wars and warmongers who did not let the picture of this great man be manifest in different dimensions by waging battles in his tenure. This noble man has a multi-faceted character and is embodiment of the divine Names and Attributes. All divine Names and Attributes in their manifestation in this and other world have appeared in this character through the medium of the holy Prophet. The dimensions that are concealed in him are greater than those that are manifest. The very dimensions man has perceived have been gathered in one man and character. These dimensions are contradictory. One who is greatest of pious men is at the same time greatest of warriors, staunchly defending Islam. These features are not gathered in ordinary people. An ordinary man who is pious is not warrior. One who is warrior is not pious. While he practiced abstinence in livelihood and showed continence in nourishment and such things, he enjoyed strength in his muscles. This is the conjunction of paradoxes. While he was versed in various disciplines and spiritual knowledge as well as Islamic sciences, people in every branch considered him as a member of their field. The heroes considered Imam `Ali (`a) as pertaining to them; so were the philosophers, mystics, jurists and every layer commanding any field. Imam `Ali (`a) belongs to all; he commands all qualifications and perfections.

Some accomplishments of Imam `Ali (`a) might have somewhat remained concealed. It is clear from his supplications. Kumayl invocation is a wonderful litany. Very marvelous! Some parts of the Kumayl invocation cannot proceed from ordinary man. O, my God, my Master and my Sustainer! Let us suppose I can endure Your chastisement; how can I stand separation from you. Who can make such entreat? Who has such love for God Whose hell one does not feat, while being afraid lest he would be deprived of His love when he goes to hell and degraded to lower stations separating him from God. Imam `Ali (`a) laments of separation from His Majesty. This is the love that thaws in his heart. All actions emanating from him arise from this love for God. Value of actions lies in love and affection for God and in the annihilation and unity lingering in man, thus triggering the holy Prophet to make the following comment:" One stroke of `Ali's sword in the battle of Khandaq (literally meaning moth) is superior to the prayer of men and jinn." «1» Let us suppose that somebody else had inflicted this stroke in defense of Islam, but was not arising from this love, while his stroke had contributed to progress of Islam, yet it would not be superior to prayer of the men and the jinn, because it had not emanated from love. Incentive for action is valuable in terms of its spirituality nor formal aspect. Striking with a sword is lowering one's hand with the sword and killing one disbeliever. This process is accomplished by many persons, but at times it brings no reward. It has no excellence. Sometimes, it has merit to reach the station to be called superior to prayer of men and jinn. This is because of that love and unity in one's heart. It is due to the fact that the hand is not his, the eye is not his but the hand of God and vision of Allah. We simply stutter and cannot perceive it. Obviously, we confirm it but we cannot perceive what the situation is.

Those who are followers of this great man cannot of course be like him. He observed that you do not have this power, even this superficial piety let alone its spiritual aspects. However, we should not assume to be shi`ah of the Commander of the Faithful (`a). He so feared God as is seen in his Kumayl supplication and other invocations and style, being scared of the futurity, as is reflected in Kumayl supplication and his states. If we are not after such matters, how can we say we are shi`ah? He had expanded justice and was successful in a way that all governments of the world could take it as a model. However, evil people did not let his administration of justice to persist. It is not possible to say we are shi`ah and at the same time commit oppression. If narrations have it that followers of `Ali are people of happiness, we should see if we are followers or not. Do we fulfill our duties, even those formal duties or not? What did we do in this Islamic Republic and what will we do. How have we been treated and how will we be treated? You dear nation curtailed the grip of domestic criminals and foreign plunderers with your power and faith and with the transformation you underwent. You removed a taghouti government and replaced it by an Islamic government. You who did it should seek to preserve it. It is not apt for one to initiate a practice and then relinquish it unfinished. Today when Islam and Islamic Republic is in your hand and in the hand of the entire nation as a trust, if we do wrong and act against the interests of the Islamic Republic and Islam, we have committed treason. We would be dubbed criminal and treacherous before the sacred throne of the Almighty God. Treason is not always what the munafiqin (hypocrites) do. That is one sort of treason. Treason is not all what Saddam commits though it is one sort of it. Those who deal a blow at Islam and the Islamic government inside the country in different names have committed treason. At times, their treason opens the way for those like Saddam and munafiqin to commit greater treason. We who claim to be Muslim and shi`ah of `Ali ibn Abi Talib should see what the style of `Ali ibn Abi Talib was. `Ali ibn Abi Talib whom the Messenger of God appointed in his place tolerated those whom he considered to be usurper of Caliphate for 20 or so years for the interests of Islam. Islamic interests necessitate so. If the Imam wanted to show hostility at that time, Islam would be at stake. We who claim to be Muslim should consider Islamic interests, not our personal interests. We should see if dealing a blow at the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Guardian Council, president and Islamic government conforms to the claim to be a shi`ah of Imam `Ali? He kept silent for 20 or so years for the interests of Islam; he sent his offspring to war.

Today, Islamic interests necessitate all of us to be united. We should not give air to our programs to weaken the government, the Majlis and personalities every day. I advise the government to make people your partner in this business, because you cannot do anything lonely. Foregoing this, we would suddenly see that devils from all sides would attack the government, thus become clear that it had acted in contrast to canon. God Almighty advises his prophet in the following words:" O, Prophet! Always fear God and be pious." «2» As you argue, it can be said that the Prophet has not been pious because God has advised him to be pious. God, the Blessed and Almighty addresses the entire believers, saying:" O, People of faith! Fear God." «3» As you put it, it becomes clear that they have not been pious, for God advises them to observe piety. What are these devils telling our nation? These are royalist and struggle to restore it. Or they might have been duped by those who work to ruin this country and subject it to the US hegemony. Do they understand what they are doing? These people who cannot administer a district, how do they dare to offend a government that is administering the country despite all the difficulties generated by the East and West that are exerting all sorts of pressures. Every day these people raise a voice. Well, we do not know every individual, but God Almighty does. We cannot grasp your mentality, but God does. You who cannot run a city, nor a bakery of a city, how do you take the liberty to complain that government has not done so and so? Do you understand what the responsibility of government is and what it has so far done? Do you know that works this government has done in this few years despite all the pressures, are more profound than those done by the corrupt monarchical Pahlavi regime during its entire reign? What do you want from this government? Stop nagging. Fear God. Fear God's wrath. Do you think if the government is toppled, you would come to power? You will never come to power. Do you think you are making such remarks for the interests of Islam? Satan is making these remarks in your guise, inflicting a blow at Islam. Discard these behaviors. Help the government that is toiling for Islam, for the country and for you. Why should you always nag and give rise to a problem against the government any time you find an opportunity, or publishing something against the government? These are the questions that should be disclosed for our people. Those who are among the nation should pay heed to these matters. The prominent `ulama' everywhere should bring these things to the attention of people, admonishing these dissidents that beware lest they should bury them with their own hands. Fear the day when God's wrath overtakes us and we are led to the hell we were formerly suffering. Have you forgotten the corruption prevailing throughout the country? Do you not know that we were under the domination of the US in the past few years and England in the past? Do you not know or know but want to restore those conditions? Or maybe you are jealous and want to disrupt this republic at the expense of your own destruction.

I advise you. I remind you in this auspicious day of the fact that your Imam was not like this. Your Imam considered the interests of Islam altogether. He did not count personal interests. The day when public interests demanded, he would follow. The day when Islamic interests demanded to wipe out Kharajites, he would do with sword. Consider the problems. Consider the devils everywhere seeking to find a fault and aggrandize it. Why do you provide food for foreign media apparatuses? You provide food for propaganda against the government? I consider it my religious duty to reveal. Foregoing this, I did not want to say anything. However, I saw there is a duty, as devils have embarked on their mischief. I said something that so and so has said this or that. Did I say the government has acted wrongly? I advised; God also advised His Prophet and the believers. Everyday when the Friday prayer leaders address people to observe piety, does this mean that all are impious? On Friday, in congregational prayer across the country people are invited to piety as is an obligation of Friday prayer ceremony. This advise is obligatory to be observed in Friday prayer in the first sermon and also being cautionary to advise people to piety in the second sermon. Does this mean that God considers all to be impious when it invites to piety? When I say to do something, it does not mean that up to now you have done wrong and now you should do it properly. Not at all. You should wake up and notice lest God should show His wrath towards us and you are named before the nation as ones who are committing such ill practices. Do not do it. Pay heed to the problems. Do not object to personalities who are sacrificing their life for Islam and are every day exposed to death. Help one another. Stay with one another. If you fail to stand together, you would suffer defeat. If you are defeated, Islam has suffered a defeat. If, God forbid, Islam is defeated in the revolution that has been accomplished, Islam will fail without being able to recover for years to come. The superpowers have realized that Islam is powerful and you should preserve the power of Islam. I implore God Almighty to awaken us and Muslims as well as governments in Muslim lands. I earnestly beg God to make our nation triumphant and help our army to emerge victorious, giving felicity to all our armed forces. May God grant success and health to the entire nation and make us all serve Islam.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you!