In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
And those who migrated in God's way and were slain, or died, God shall provide them with a fair provision; and surely God is the best of providers. «1»
Honorable Hujjat al-Islam, Hajj Shaykh Mahdi Karroubi,
I received your message, the message of the forbearance of the dearest pilgrims, of their sufferings by the side of the Holy Ka`bah whose sanctity has been violated, the message from the divine sanctuary whose inviolable precincts have been drenched in the blood of the pilgrims. Convey the sincere greetings of me and that of the Iranian people to the victims of the assault and atrocious conduct of the mercenaries of the great Satan, the criminal United States government.
This most horrible event has not only wounded the feelings of the Iranian people but has also shocked the hearts of all freedom-loving people and Muslims all over the world.
However, it has not come as a total surprise to the dear people of Iran. For several years, they have experienced similar brutalities such as attacks on Muharram mourning precessions, burning of copies of the Holy Qur'an and setting mosques on fire. Nor are such brutalities unusual for the US agents, such as the Shah during the course of the revolution and Saddam in the course of the imposed war. For us, these experiences have unmasked the imperialist agents and revealed their brutal nature.
Now, the criminal hands of the US and Israel are visible once again in the acts of their agents, the Saudis, the hypocritical rulers of Saudi Arabia and traitors to the sanctity of the two holy cities. This time their target was the hearts of the most devoted Muslims and the guests of God. The self-styled `host of the pilgrims' and the `keepers of the Holy Mosque' caused streams of the blood of Muslims to flow in the streets and alleys of Mecca.
Although we are grieved and severely shocked at this tragic and merciless massacre of the ummah of Muhammad (s), the followers of Abraham (`a) and ones who practice the commands of the Qur'an, we nevertheless thank God Almighty for picking our enemies and the opponents of our Islamic policies from among fools and the feeble-minded people. They do not perceive that their blind movements strengthen our revolution and reveal to the world the fact that our people have been oppressed. In this way, at every stage, their atrocities have contributed to heighten the esteem for our ideology and our country in the sight of the world.
Had we employed hundreds of publicity instruments and dispatched thousands of preachers and clergymen to different parts of the world in order to clarify the difference between genuine Islam and the American-oriented Islam, and attempted to explain to the world the difference between a just Islamic government and the rule of stooges who claim to follow Islam, it wouldn't have been so effective.
Had we tried to unmask the US agents and prove to the world that there was no difference between such US puppets as Muhammad-Rida Khan, Saddam or the reactionary Saudi rulers when it comes to destroying Islam and violating the Qur'an or when it comes to their assignment to strangle the cry of the nations seeking justice and devastation of mosques and prayer niches, we could not have done it with the decisive eloquence as was done by this tragedy.
Had we wanted to prove to the Islamic world that the present custodians of the Ka`bah lack the competence to host the warriors and guests of God, and that their competence is strictly limited to serve the interests of the US and Israel and unreservedly putting the resources of their country at their disposal, we could not have done it as effectively as this tragedy has proved.
Had we strived to prove to the world that the Saudis, those mean and godless Wahhabis, have always tried to stab Muslims in the back, we could not have done it so effectively as the clumsy and irresolute Saudi stooges have through this merciless massacre.
Indeed, these heirs to the evil legacy of Abou Sufyan and Yazid have outstripped their ancestors!
Thank God that this atrocity has created many loyal supporters for the Islamic Republic of Iran among the Hajj pilgrims of various nationalities, races and countries, even inside Saudi Arabia itself. They witnessed the scene of crime and will testify to our truthfulness and to the dimensions of the bloody carnage of Muslims at the hands of `the servants of the Holy Cities. ' They will help us convey the bitter facts of this incident to all the people of the world.
Also, nothing could be better than the fact that Saddam of Iraq, Husayn of Jordan and Hasan of Morocco should immediately announce their solidarity with the Saudis and support their atrocities soon after the incident, when the bodies of our dear ones still lay scattered on the ground.
From this show of solidarity, it appeared as if the Saudi government had achieved a great military victory by gunning down hundreds of defenseless Muslim men and women and trampling upon their bodies. They congratulated each other jubilantly while the world mourned the carnage that broke the heart of the Holy Prophet.
All know that the use of arm against pilgrims of the House of God, deployment of troops against women and men, the disabled in the imposed war and the mothers and wives of the Iranian martyrs showed nothing but desperation, weakness and anger of the US and its stooges.
Of course, the US and the Saudis have exploited the condition that Muslims must be unarmed in the Sacred Precincts have taken advantage of the commands of the Qur'an asking Muslims to respect the rule to avoid clash in the House of God. By advanced preparation and precise design, they attacked our lion-hearted men and women unexpectedly and in the most unmanly manner.
The Saudi government should know for certain that the US, by instigating them to commit this atrocity, has put a stain on their hands, a blot of ignominy that will not be wiped away till the Judgment's Day, not being washed away even by the waters of Zamzam or Kawthar. Let them know that the stream of the blood of our people, which flowed on the soil of Hijaz, willl become the Zamzam of guidance for those who thirst for the pure spring of Islam's political teachings. For ever shall this blood quench the thirst of nations and future generations, but the tyrants shall drown in it and be destroyed. We hold the US responsible for all these crimes. With the help of God, we will settle our account with them at a proper time. Then we will avenge the blood of the sons of Abraham and take avenge from the Nimrouds, the Korah and all the devils of our age. Let me reiterate that this is part of the heavy price we should pay for our support of Islam, for true independence and freedom and for our policy of" Neither East nor West."
In this context, I would like to call attention to a verse of the Holy Qur'an which declares:" Do you reckon the( worth of )giving of water to pilgrims and the maintenance of the Holy Mosque the same as (the worth of) one who believes in God and the Last Day and struggles in the way of God? Not equal are they in God's sight; and God guides not the evildoers." «2»
It appears as if this verse was revealed in our own time. It applies on the one hand to ale-Sa`oud and their likes throughout the course of history and, on the other hand, to the great struggling people of Iran and their likes in the course of history. The Saudis and their likes in history have not compared themselves and their pride in supplying water to pilgrims and their showy maintenance of the Holy Mosque with the worthiness of those Muslims who believe in God and the Last Day and who sacrifice their lives and those of their youth for God and for guarding the sanctities of Islam and God's Sanctuary against the enemies' encroachments. In fact, they have outstripped their counterparts in history in their pride over genuine Muslims and fighters in the way of God and left behind America, the world-devourer, in their atrocities against Islam and Muslims.
It is noteworthy that, out of all Islamic values, God has specifically mentioned two things in this verse: belief in God and the Day of Judgment, and jihad in the way of God against His enemies and those of humanity. By this selective emphasis, God has taught all Muslims that jihad is superior to all other Islamic values. Does not God, through the statement," God guides not the evildoers," make it clear that the Saudis and their likes throughout the course of history are unjust and corrupt people who are not eligible to guidance and that God does not guide them?
Can one imagine an atrocity against God, humanity, the Holy Prophet and his great ummah greater than what the Saudis have perpetrated against the Ka`bah, the Divine Sanctuary, the pilgrims and the mujahidoun who have sacrificed everything they had in the way of the Beloved and for the sake of Islam?
If these mujahdoun were guilty of any crime, it was to obey the divine command to declare disavowal against polytheists- the gods of ale-Sa`oud and other Saudis of this era such as King Hasan of Morocco, King Husayn of Jordan, the inauspicious Mubarak and the `Aflaqite Saddam.
Does not silence in the face of these atrocities, being unprecedented in history, amount to anything other than complicity in the tyranny and injustice of the oppressors?
In any case, the Saudis are incompetent to officiate as keepers of the Holy Ka`bah and administer the affairs of Hajj. The `ulama', intellectuals and Muslim masses must think out a solution.
This year, the honorable Iranian pilgrims, with their blood, have fulfilled the duty of communicating the message of disavowal and the revolution to the world and the Islamic ummah. By offering precious martyrs to God, they have become the pioneers and founders of the policy of" Neither the East nor the West."
The great Iranian people have fulfilled their divine and revolutionary duty of declaring disavowal against disbelief, and especially against the Saudis, acclaiming the majesty of their martyrs in their rallies with millions participating. I should thank the people, sisters and brothers, from all walks of life, for their massive participation in these rallies.
Now, it is the turn of pilgrims from other countries, particularly the `ulama', intellectuals and preachers, to convey the message of our suffering to the world.
God willing, the dear Iranian pilgrims will complete the remaining rites of Hajj with patience and forbearance. With legs that are steady and firm, with hearts that are at peace and full of contentment and satisfaction and with smiles on their faces, they would celebrate the victory of blood over the sword by the side of God's Holy House.
Let those pilgrims who shall proceed to Medina convey the greetings of the martyrs, who lay in the midst of blood and dust by the side of the Ka`bah, and those who suffered wounds and injuries in the Divine Sanctuary, to the Messenger of Allah (s) and the Imams (`a) and congratulate them on account of this great victory. They should continue treading this path with fortitude and confidence, knowing that their hardships and sufferings, inflicted on them by America and the Saudis, were for the sake of God and for the defense of the Prophet's message.
With fortitude, they must be grateful that God has accepted their sacrifices, sacrifices in the style of Hajar and Isma`il, by the side of His Holy House. God will resurrect our martyrs with the martyrs of early Islam. I pray to God to grant patience and reward to their families. May God recover the wounds of the wounded victims. May the evil of the aggressors recoil upon them. may God punish them for their crimes and sins.
Today, when disbelief and polytheism have joined hands in their entirety against us and are resolute to defeat the Islamic ummah, I pray to God to safeguard us in the firm fortress of His protection and to protect us in the shadow of His mercy and grace.
May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini
Dhou'l-Hijjah 7,1407 AH