Speech [Glorifying and honoring the personality of Hadrat `Ali (`a)]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

God willing, may this day, the greatest in the Shi`ite school, be auspicious for all Muslims and for all the Shi`ites in the world, particularly for our honorable nation.

Sometimes, I think on what basis we can claim to be followers of His Holiness. If thinkers, writers and those who have a lot of information would observe and study the dimensions of His Holiness from his early age till his martyrdom and examine how we could claim to be his followers, all of us and all those who claim to be Shi`ites would express inability to be his followers as we are indeed unable to do so. A very few in the early period of Islam such as the Imams of Guidance are exceptions. In this assembly, I cannot mention even a single dimension of his character. But in order to open a way for those whose information is plenty, whose knowledge is abundant and whose spiritualities are high I would like to make a few points so that they can think and study his and our state.

Regarding his gnosis, whoever has examined His Holiness' supplications and studied the Nahj al-Balaghah knows on what basis it stands. That is, one who has understood the knowledge of the Qur'an is His Holiness and those whom he was able to teach such as the Imams of Guidance. To claim erudition is very easy; for man to claim erudition in poetry and writing and to claim having certain knowledge is easy. Many have also done so. But what is the truth of the matter? The truth of the matter and that which we want to understand seriously is that once we properly scrutinize ourselves, we cannot find even a single semblance between him and us. The love that the Imam had for God, the Blessed and Exalted, is wonderful. He expresses in the Du`a Kumayl," O God! Assuming I can endure the heat of the hellfire, how could I endure separation from you?" This can be composed as a poem by someone, written by someone else, delivered by another and said by yet another. However, is it the whole truth? Are you really like that? Are we like those among whom separation from God the Exalted has been reckoned with? That separation is like the hellfire. The fire of hell is not like these fires. The fire of hell burns also the heart. That is, it burns the spiritual heart. Apart from the body it also burns the heart of man. It enters the heart of man and burns it. Yet he says:" O God! Assuming I can endure the heat of the hellfire, how could I endure separation from You?" Everyone has to assess it by his conscience as to whether or not he has so far been touched for a moment of being separated from God, the Exalted." Am I separated from God, the Exalted?" These are very easy to claim. So many dervishes have such claims; so many of the people of gnosis have such claims. Yet, once man examines the reality, the issue is not so.

One of their common things is in the Nahj al-Balaghah and can be found narrations from other Imams as well. This is a common station, not a high station that Imam `Ali (`a) says. The others are the same with the three types of worship. One is the worship of the ones who are afraid and worship like slaves. The other one is the worship of those who expect paradise and the like. One of these two kinds of worship is that of the trader while the other is that of the slave. There is the third one, however, is the one which is conducted for the love of God. «1» Consider if you are given the promise that you are not of the people of hellfire, that you and all others are people of heaven, that all will reside in paradise forever and the doors of hell will be closed would people still worship God? If people ordered to worship for the love of Him, was this love, not fear, nor hope, nor carnal consideration, so strong to urge them to worship God.

These claims can be made; I can say that I have also love for God, but there is no substance to our claims. Whatever is there is love of the self; whatever is there is our properties. So far we have not taken even a single step away from the self and our carnal stages. That is, we have not even taken the first step, which the spiritual wayfarers called," yaqzah"; we have not wakened up yet. The veil of nature is still with us and perhaps would always be with us unless God grant us a favor.

We can not dwell on all his devotional aspects and gnosis. In terms of asceticism he was so that he did not eat anything except bread, salt and meager food despite treasuring all facilities. In the case of Public Treasury, he acted the way we saw. When he was talking about other matters not related to the administrative affairs, he would put out the candle. These are stories that we hear. It is a fact, but for us it is just a story; we are not so. On the issue of war we should say- if we would say so, they did not say anything strange- that his sword, from the time he had to go to war till the end of his life, had not been sheathed. In all but very few of battles during the time of Prophet he as in the forefront. After the Prophet he had been a war advisor except the long period when Islam was deprived of him. After the people paid allegiance to him, again he spent his life in internal wars. He did not argue that as he was a mystic and had to sit in a corner, that he was an ascetic person and would not get involved in the affairs of the Muslims, the he had to go and sit in a corner. He did not say he was a knowledgeable jurist and should not be concerned with state of affairs of Muslims and that he had to go and sit in a corner. All these things characterized him- monotheism in its highest degree, gnosis in its highest degree, jurisprudence in its highest degree, and every knowledge in its highest degree- in jihad he has also been in its highest degree. Different dimensions mean that one dimension does not urge him not to pursue another dimension; he was a truly multi-dimensionality person.

We who say that we are followers of Imam `Ali (`a), now the Shi`ite country is in danger. Islam is in danger. At this time we should not sit aside and say that these things are not our concern, that we can do nothing, and that we are moved by things happening to our youth. Everyone is moved by such incidents. Hadrat Amir was also moved by things happening to the youth, but would he stay at home and say he was sorry, or would he go the battlefield, fight the enemy and at the same time feel sorry for those who were martyred. We should not sit aside and just say that we ant to do this and that and talk about the interests of Islam and the country and the issues befalling the country at present.

The issue is not that of Shi`ism; it is the issue of Islam; the issue is not the school of thought. Now, all the Islamic schools are at stake. Now, as the big powers have understood that Islam has such a power that can urge a population of about forty million to confront all, stand firm and say no to this and that, now, as they have understood that this power is the power of Islam and not the power of the nation; that it is Islam, which is threatening the world as they imagine, they are currently plotting against the foundation of Islam. Now, should we just sit and say we are the followers of wilayah. If you are followers of wilayah, why the country of wilayah is now in danger and yet you keep on sitting idle? Of course, they constitute a limited number; they are inconsiderable. Why are we negligent of these facts? We are expressing that we are followers of the Commander of the Faithful. We have to go and know what the Commander of the Faithful did for the welfare of Islam; what he did for the interests of Islam. At the time of the Messenger of God, there were those who did not want to go to war and if they had ever gone they would have stayed away from battle. It was he who was at the forefront. After the Messenger of Allah when for a long period the nations were deprived of his leadership, he again did not retire. He was always there for the sake of Muslims. He used to persevere but at the time he never expressed opposition. When they shouldered the affairs, he used to advise them; he used to guide them. He would dispatch his sons to the warfronts. Now, you insist that you are the followers of wilayah. You are not even religious people. Then, how can be followers of wilayah?! At the time when they paid allegiance to him he asked them to go to someone else- though he was the only rightful person- because he knew they were not serious enough. Yet, they forced him and he had to accept their allegiance.

At the time, there were also three wars; «2» three wars against those who feigned Islam; those who would say and shout that they are Muslims. These were wars against" Muslims". Now, you are saying:" Why war of Muslims against Muslims?" Thus, you have also complaint against Hadrat Amir for the reason that his wars- three wars- were waged against" Muslims".

The Muslims who want to annihilate Islam are worse than the infidels. A Muslim who, under the name of Islam, wants to besmirch the prestige of Islam- it is more exigent to confront him than those who are not Muslims. You are sitting aside and saying," We are Muslims fighting Muslims!" Firstly, the essence of ideology of this Ba`ath Party is that the case of Islam should not be brought forth. Most of those adhering to it are like that. There are some, for instance, who have come to annihilate the Islamic country and strike a blow to Islam. Today, it is incumbent upon all of us to engage in defense. Whoever could go to war should go; whoever could not go should assist on the home front. Those who just sit by and call o others to do this and that are unaware of Islam, they do not know what the state of Islam is now.

Study the condition of the Imams of the Muslims; the condition of the Prophet himself. The Prophet had also devoted his whole life to nothing other than struggle. At the time he was in Mecca he was engaging in a kind of struggle and was undergoing such sufferings. When he arrived in Medina, there were wars. All those wars were defensive wars. Although some were not so, all were defensive in nature. Now, as we are also in defense, we are not at all engaged in war. With whom we are at war? We are currently in defense. Faw «3» was the center wherein they would gather and from there they would strike a blow to Islam. Thank God the Iranian combatants went and took over Faw; they engaged in defense. Apart from defending the Iraqi nation, it is defending Islam; it is defending the Muslims. The Iraqi nation does not approve of this wicked man and his coterie that have assumed power. Yet, there are some deviants abroad who make such claims. There are also some well-intentioned religious people inside the country who are not aware of the developments. Today, we are all duty-bound. Our youth have to fill the warfronts with strong people, as these are now filled, thanks to God. Yet, it needs more. Well, the case is that of the annihilation of Islam, both Sunni and Shi`ism; the issue is the annihilation of all. The issue is for us to rise up and not allow it. Thank God, so far our youth have taken steps; they rose up and do not want it to transpire. But this does not render the others excused from the obligation; it is not that there is no more need for us to do something. The one who criticizes the war, it is incumbent upon him to go to war. There are some who criticize but neither them nor any of their sons has ever gone to war; not one of their youth has ever gone to the warfronts. The others are currently defending their lives and properties; it is these youth of ours who are currently defending the life and property of the entire nation; they are currently defending the lives and properties of a group that does not engage in defense; they are currently defending the whole prestige of this nation; they are doing so for the reputation of all. If, God forbid, this Ba`ath Party comes and takes control of this country- which it could not- to whom will it show mercy? To you who were sitting then and saying," Come, and let us end the war, war is not good; the people oppose the war"? From where did these people come if they really oppose the war? Are they not other than these youth of ours? Our nation is these same people. It is these caravans of Karbala', those revolutionary guards, Basijis, and the other strata, which are the deprived strata, who are currently defending you while you are sitting here, weakening their morale-" perhaps, their act of defense is not in consonance with the pleasure of God". The pleasure of God is discordant with defense?! Today, the main issue is defense. The issue is not going to and engaging in war. Nobody wants war. In the beginning there was no war. That which was said in the first day of the Islamic Republic regarding war has not changed to this day; not a single word of it has changed. And that is, so long as there is this `Aflaqi Party we will engage in war. In order to safeguard Islam, we have to remove this nasty entity and get rid of this cancerous tumor; otherwise, it will be impossible for our country, Iraq and the states on the Persian Gulf to have peace. These Gulf states do not pay attention as to what Saddam shall do to them in case he prevails. He browbeats them even at a time when he is looking for a hideout like a mouse.

Thank God, our country, our youth, our aged ones, the women, the adult ones and small ones- all are ready to continue the war till victory and they will continue. And those who oppose these issues, well, have to sit inside their homes and say whatever they want to say, but they have to know that what they are saying is against the pleasure of God. If their words could weaken the morale of ten among our youth, its consequence will not be good; they have to be careful of their words.

By His will, may God make this feast auspicious for all of us, for all of you, for all the nations, for all the Muslims, and include us among the followers of this Imam. May God help us succeed in becoming similar to this Imam in one of his various aspects, however, imperfect this similarity might be. May God sanction all of you, strengthen Islam and make the Muslims achieve their Islamic objectives.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you.