Speech

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Uprising for Allah
" Say: I do admonish you to do one thing to rise up for God, it may be in pairs or it may be singly." »1« The admonisher here is God and the conveyer of this admonition is the Most Noble Messenger. In this verse, God the Blessed and Exalted says:" I do admonish you to do one thing;" this one thing must be of great importance for God to speak of it in this way. The admonition is:"... to rise up for God, it may be in pairs or it may be singly." In order to rise up for God, to rise up to establish justice, it is not necessary to first form a group then rise up, this duty can be carried out by man individually:"... it may be in pairs or it may be singly."
This duty to rise up for God can be performed either individually or in pairs, which is the least number of people in a group. A group is first formed by two people and then the number of people in that group can increase to any number above that. The cardinal rule is that man determines that the uprising is for God. If the uprising is for God, then there is no need to be afraid of being alone, or of being small in number. If the uprising is for God then there is no loss involved, no detriment.
Uprisings for worldly aims have two aspects: one is loss and the other gain. When man trades or partakes in other business enterprises, one aspect of this is loss and the other is gain. Sometimes he sustains a loss in his business dealings and sometimes he makes a profit. When man's motives are spurred purely by material gain and God does not play a part in his actions, then whatever he does he will never truly gain from it. Sometimes he does make a gain, but this is only a material gain, and sometimes he suffers a material loss. However, if man does something for God, if he rises up for God, then he will never suffer a loss. One may think that fighting with the unbelievers, killing and being killed, constitutes a loss. But this is not the
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( 1 )Sourah as-Saba' 34: 46.
case, and those killed( in this way )are alive with God. The rewards which are to be gained from these actions have nothing to do with this world. That which is done for God is always to one's advantage, it is always protected against loss.
Prophets confronting the taghouts alone
Throughout history, many men have confronted forces without help from anyone else. Hadrat Abraham rose up alone and destroyed the idols. When he was told that this was what he had to do, he rose up alone and confronted the idol-worshippers and the devil of that time. »1« He was not afraid of being alone, for his uprising was for God and because of this he knew he would gain whatever happened. If he won he would gain and if he lost he would still gain. He had the best of both worlds, for he would either succeed in his worldly aims, or, if he did not achieve this, he would most certainly attain the good things of the afterlife.
Moses was a shepherd. He was the shepherd of Hadrat Shu`ayb. »2« He was commissioned to rise up( against Pharaoh )and for a time he carried out this mission alone. Then he asked God, the Blessed and Exalted, to allow his brother to join him. So then, there was a pair. Moses initiated his uprising alone but then his brother joined him and thus one became two. What kind of system did they rise up against? It was a Pharaonic system the remarkable remnants of which can still be seen in Egypt today. Moses confronted this system alone, being joined later by another: his brother. As for the Bani Israel( the Children of Israel )they did not do anything but create trouble, just as today they do nothing but create trouble.
When the Most Noble Messenger, may the peace of God be upon him and his descendants, first rose up, he did so alone. Alone he rose up and invited his people to the One True God and to tawhid[ belief in the divine unity ]; nobody supported him. His wife Hadrat Khadijah was one, who believed in him, but she was in the home, and the other who had faith in him, Hadrat Amir, was a child at that time. Over a period of thirteen years in Mecca he could not perform his mission, for the people of Mecca were powerful and wealthy and they perceived that were acceptance of him to grow, this would conflict with their interests. Because of this, they opposed
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( 1 )Nimrod( Ar. Namroud ). He is a king identified with the figure in the Qur'an who cast Abraham into a blazing fire in Sourah al-Anbiya' 21: 68- 70.
( 2 )Shu`ayb: Arabian prophet sent to warn the people of Madyan to worship the One True God and against sharp business practices; they reject his message and are punished accordingly in an earthquake. Shu`ayb has sometimes been identified with Jethro, the father of Moses' wife.
him; they opposed him out of fear that were this to develop further it would be inimical to their interests. The idols were a tool for them to use, it wasn't a case of the idol-worshippers really believing in these idols. Their principal concern was their material possessions and the fact is that they perceived the Most Noble Messenger to be a threat to these and felt that their material wealth was in danger of being lost. It can be said that as long as he was in Mecca, the Most Noble Messenger was practically alone. He had only a small number of followers and their activities were limited to propagating Islam- which had to be done in an" underground manner" so to speak- until the time was ripe and they went to Medina. It was here that they began their work in earnest and stood up to the great powers.
The fruit of faith in God's power
When anything is done for God, fear of other powers does not come into it, for no power is like that of God. Those who have no faith in God, the Blessed and Exalted, should fear the power of others. The Muslims, the believers who have a firm belief in an original power, should not be afraid of other powers. The Most Noble Messenger believed in the absolute power of God, the Blessed and Exalted, and rose up even though his followers were few in number and were indigent people; they were a poor, powerless people but they had the power of faith and, one by one, they defeated the moguls of that time and invited everyone to tawhid. They promoted tawhid in society and within a short space of time these Muslims, who took part in important battles with nothing but one camel, perhaps ten horses and ten swords among them, were able to defeat the armies of two empires- one the Roman empire and the other the Persian empire, both of which predominated over the world at that time- and take Islam to Rome and Europe because they had the power of faith. The main thing is the spirit of faith which should prevail in man.
These powers which we confront today are trying to frighten us because they are superpowers. It is true that Russia, America and Britain enjoy great power, but the power of a nation which is speaking the truth, which has risen for God, and which wants its country to be a true Islamic country, not one whose outward appearance is Islamic but whose essence is otherwise, is stronger.
This uprising upon which the nation of Iran has now embarked is against all these superpowers, and you can be sure that these superpowers cannot do anything, for God, the Blessed and Exalted, has set them against each other, and if one wants to make a move, the other will threaten it. Russia has
recently warned America that if it interferes in the affairs of Iran, it will react in some way. »1« But they cannot do anything. Again, it has been said that the Russian leaders have said that the Iranian people should determine their own destiny themselves. Of course they are just saying this, but this is indeed true and every nation should determine its own destiny.
Iranian nation's uprising, a divine one
If a nation rises up for God, as the Iranian nation has now done, I believe, and indeed it is so, that it could not have been brought about by man's propaganda or by words spoken by somebody like me. We might be able to move a small theological center or create a small wave in society, but this uprising is different. It is God who has created this uprising. Throughout the whole of Iran tribes that previously had nothing to do with such matters are now involved. And it is not only them; the bazaar in Tehran, the country's main bazaar, previously did not concern itself with such affairs, and the same applies to the other bazaars in the country. For the past few years, the people at the universities and the political factions have never even spoken of such matters; they had nothing to do with such affairs. The clerical groups too had their hands tied and their mouths gagged, and they did not dare speak out. Those groups that might have achieved something have been suppressed during these fifty years of black rule.
During the time of Rida Shah, the clerical establishment was delivered such a blow that the people themselves stood against the clergymen. The latter were not allowed to ride in a taxicab for the drivers did not want people from this social group in their cars. Once I was riding in a cab when the petrol or water finished, a shaykh »2« was traveling with me and the driver said that his car had stopped because the shaykh was sitting in it! His car had certainly stopped, but only because the water or petrol, I can't remember which, had finished[ The audience laughs ]. However, the propaganda spread at the time of Rida Khan by himself and his agents, or more appropriately by
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( 1 )In the final days of the Shah's rule, Pravda wrote that Moscow would regard any foreign military interference in Iran as a threat to the interests of its security. This was the Soviet Union's strongest warning to America since the Revolution began. Pravda also wrote:" The crisis in Iran does not just arise from the people's opposition to the monarchy, rather in reality it is an uprising against American imperialism. The Russian leaders have stressed that they oppose any kind of foreign interference in Iran." It is important to remember that the Russian leaders continued to support the Shah's regime as long as they were unsure of the victory of the Revolution in Iran.
( 2 )Shaykh: old man, chief, title of respect for Islamic religious leader, tribal head, master of a Sufi order.
his executioners, was such that a taxi driver in those days would attribute his car's running out of petrol and stopping to the presence of a shaykh in his car! He would blame it on the presence of someone from that group of people who, as you are witnessing at present, are very active in Iran and who have at times managed to render ineffective the actions of the government. People from other walks of life also adopted a similar attitude toward the clergy. Throughout Iran, religious assemblies could not be openly held, and if any were organized, they had to be held in a clandestine manner in the middle of the night; all kinds of religious propaganda from whichever quarter was stopped. The politicians had all retired into a corner and did nothing; indeed, they were unable to do anything. No one raised a voice in protest. Yes, the clergy rose up a number of times but each time they were defeated. The clergy of Azerbaijan rose up and suffered defeat, subsequently being arrested and apparently sent to Sunqur. »1« The clergy of Isfahan also rose up and once again the uprising was defeated and the clergy dispersed. »2« Uprisings
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( 1 )One of the freedom movements during the despotic reign of Rida Khan was that of the `ulama' of the Iranian province of Azerbaijan. This movement was led by Mirza Sadiq Aqa and Angaji, two of the great religious jurisprudents[ fuqaha ]and maraji` of the people of Azerbaijan. In order to suppress the movement, Rida Khan sent these two theologians first to Kurdistan and then to Qum. Angaji was able to return to Tabriz after a while, but Sadiq Aqa remained in exile in Qum until the end of his life.
( 2 )In 7291[ 6031 AHS ], Rida Khan called for conscription to become compulsory and he gave orders that the clergy be indirectly prevented from carrying out some of their duties and from interfering in the affairs of the state. This command constituted a declaration of war against the `ulama' and the clergy and hence the people of Iran, especially the `ulama' and the people of Isfahan, protested bitterly to the government. Ayatullah Haj Aqa Nourullah Isfahani, a militant clergyman of that time, set out for Qum along with about one hundred `ulama' and religious combatants and a group of ordinary citizens all from the city of Isfahan. On entering Qum, he issued a letter of invitation to the entire `ulama', clergymen and religious combatants of Iran, and while inviting them to Qum, he urged them to issue a warning to Rida Khan's government and to take action so as to check those measures already taken by Rida Khan. A number of the clergy from different cities accepted this invitation, came to Qum, and arranged a gathering of over seven hundred people. These clergymen came to be known as" the migrant `ulama'". Following this `migration, ' a general closure was announced in several cities including Shiraz and the holy city of Mashhad. Telegrams were cabled to the government from both the people and the clergy in support of the demands made by the council of `ulama' in Qum, and the spread of popular demonstrations and augmentation of protests made by the `ulama' caused Rida Shah to become alarmed. Thus, on the latter's orders, the Prime Minister( Mukhbir as-Saltanah )and the Minister of the Royal Court( Teymourtash ), accompanied by the Friday prayer leader and« ahir al-Islam set out for Qum where they met and held talks with Ayatullah Nourullah Isfahani and the city's elected council of `ulama'. Eventually, a compromise was reached over the following points: the practice of compulsory conscription was to be reassessed; five `ulama' were to superintend legislation in the Parliament( Majlis ); in each of the country's provinces someone was to be appointed as guardian of the religious laws; pre-emptive action was to be taken against the perpetration of sinful acts; and registry offices were to conduct their affairs according to Islamic laws.
However, Haj Aqa Nourullah, who had agreed to the migrant `ulama' returning to Isfahan on condition that the above points were legally legislated, died under mysterious circumstances on the eve of December 25[ Dey 4 ]. Since he had been the one who had until then conducted affairs, after his death the body of migrant `ulama' broke up.
did take place, but they were uprisings which could not bear fruit. The people at that time were not awake; they did not face their problems properly.
Victory of God's army
What I want to make clear is that at this time neither the political factions can say that they have brought this about, that they have mobilized the whole of Iran, nor can the clerical factions. It is the army of God that has brought this about. This has come about because of God's command. Therefore there is hope. This is not man's doing, so one cannot say that it has no support. God has commanded this. Only a few years ago this nation was such that if the regime wanted to close the bazaar it was enough to send just one policeman to do so, but now it has risen up to confront all the powers. The people have clenched their fists and stand against the powers shouting:" No, we don't want this set-up."
At one time, as soon as the name `martial law' was mentioned people would stand around with bated breath, afraid to utter a word. They would not violate martial law; they could not even contemplate the idea of someone violating martial law. But now martial law is a meaningless thing which the people pay no heed to. Yes, it is true that the regime continues to create a fuss about it, issuing declarations one after the other, but following their announcement that gatherings of more than two people were not allowed, groups of a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand people rose up in defiance. In Isfahan, Tehran and Qum where martial law is in force, the people are violating it every day. They pay no heed to it. So then they installed a military government, but there is no difference between the two, military government is the same as martial law, both are run by the military and by these old spongers who have plundered this nation for years. They will not be able to do anything. They are good-for-nothing, all they can do is give orders to kill, but this is of no use any more, this is no longer effective! The military government cannot do anything either, it has no substance.
Reply to the threat of a coup d'etat
Let us suppose that after this their last-ditch effort is a military coup d'etat- about which the Russian government is also speaking saying that they have such intentions and if they carry them out then Russia will take action, however we have no need for your action, we will take the necessary action- even if this were to come about, at the end of the day it would be the same military, the same old men and the same guns! It would be nothing worse than the martial law that for the past few months this nation has been living under and has defied, or the military government which is in power now and which the people can see is not capable of doing anything. So even if a military coup d'etat were to be enacted, it would be nothing new, just another military regime. The people are accustomed to this now; a divine power holds dominion over Iran now.
Divine makeover of the Iranian nation
You must realize that this is not a human power which is involved here. Man is not able to bring about this change which has taken place in a country a few times larger than France with a population of thirty-odd million people. From the seven- and eight-year-olds who attend primary school, and even those who have not yet gone to school and who have just begun to speak, to the old men who are( normally )asleep at home unable to leave the house, all are shouting:" Death to the Pahlavi dynasty." This is God's voice. This is divine inspiration. This is not something that a human being can bring about. A human being cannot suddenly change a whole nation, a nation of thirty-odd million who yesterday were afraid of one policeman; when one policeman entered the bazaar and told the people to put up flags for it was a certain day in Aban, he never met with any opposition. »1« Today, however, even if" His Imperial Majesty" himself were to go to the bazaar, the people would tear him limb from limb with their bare hands. He is too afraid to come out[ The audience laughs ]. When the Chinese leader went to Iran, the Shah did not dare take him through the streets because of the people there; they would not have been able to pass through. So he went above the people's heads and took him to the airport by helicopter! And from there he went about his business. »2«
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( 1 )It refers to the fourth and ninth of Aban, the birthdays of the Shah and his son, respectively.
( 2 )On August 29, 1978[ Shahrivar 7, 1357AHS ], just when the movement was escalating, Hua Kuo-feng, the Chinese Premier, came to Iran by invitation of the Shah on a four-day visit. His stay coincided both with the dissolution of Jamshid Amouzegar's government and the appointment of Sharif Imami's government, and with the burning of the Rex Cinema in Abadan. The Shah boastfully sensationalized the fact that great nation states such as China still regarded him as a powerful sovereign and that they had pledged their support for him. Hua Kuo-feng however, was hopeful that by accepting the Shah's invitation to come to Iran, he would be able to gain further important concessions from her.
Today, Iran has undergone a great transformation. All classes of people are involved in this uprising. Do not think that all the people in the armed forces want the Shah. A few people from the air and ground forces have come to see me to date bearing messages to the effect that they are ready. The problem is that America, the American advisers and Israeli military men are there; »1« but we are not afraid of them, we will kick these Americans out of Iran. We will kick the American advisers out of Iran along with those Israeli military personnel and those who are devouring the people's land and destroying the resources of the Muslims. God willing we will throw them all out of Iran[ The audience says God willing ].
Iranian nation's uprising backed by the power of God
God's hand has done this. We need not fear man's failure, for the hand of man is not involved here. Do not think that thirty million human beings who only have a few weapons cannot stand up to such powers as China, with a population of a billion, or somewhere else, with a population of a few million or a few hundred million. Of course, our power as human beings is inadequate, but when the uprising is for God, then you need have no fear. God admonishes us to do one thing and that is to rise up for His sake. If you have risen up for God, then you need not fear any man. What is the power of the whole of mankind compared to God's? If the whole of our solar system were lost in these other solar systems which exist, even the angel Gabriel would have to search to find it for these systems are so huge. That which has
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( 1 )The political relationship between Iran and Israel dates back to the post- 1953[ 1332AHS ]years. In 1960[ 1339AHS ]the government of the day in Iran gave official recognition to Israel and a friendly relationship between the Shah and Israel got under way. During these years of friendship many army officers and SAVAK agents were sent to Israel to receive training from MOSSAD( the Israeli intelligence agency )agents, and hundreds of Israeli officers and agents came to Iran to supervise the army and the Shah's intelligence agency( SAVAK )and to assist the Shah's agents. Toward the end of the Shah's reign the transactions which passed between Iran and Israel had reached an annual sum of four-hundred-million dollars. The Shah had himself ordered for an arms purchase worth six-hundred-million dollars in one go alone. According to the documents which were obtained from the American `Espionage Den' after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Shah's regime had in fact, since 8591[ 7331 AHS ], been a member of an official tripartite organization composed of the security services of Iran, Turkey and Israel which was named `The Triple-Headed Bayonet'. Refer to Documents from the US Espionage Den, Muslim Students Following the Line of Imam. Also refer to The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty, vol. 1, pp. 364, 442.
been discovered so far is amazing to our small minds. Some stars are so far away from the earth that it takes six billion years for their light to reach us! Just think about it; light which travels at such a great speed, takes six billion years to get from there to us here! The universe is so huge. The power that created this is a divine power; it is the power of God. Carter cannot silence a nation which has arisen for God and for truth. He says that he supports the Shah, well so what? Lend him your support, let the other lend its support too, they won't be able to do anything for the power of God is involved here. One cannot trifle with the power of God. These people are a godly people, they are Muslims; they have risen up for God, for truth. Young and old alike are shouting:" We want an Islamic government, we want Islam." Such a power cannot be defeated by machine-guns and the other things they employ. Eventually they will be forced to yield and eventually this man will go, God willing[ The audience says" God willing" ]. It may take a little time, but for certain he is on his way out. He needs another push, God willing[ The audience laughs ]. May God assist you so that you may give him this final push, God willing[ The audience says" God willing" ].
Revealing the Shah's crimes, a divine duty
All of you, all of us have a duty to discharge, a duty which is God-given, and that is to assist this uprising, this movement upon which the people of Iran have at present embarked. Every day they are sacrificing lives, only today we were informed by telephone from Iran that a hundred people had been killed in one city. A hundred people killed in only one city of Iran according to the report that we received! In another city thirty people have been killed, in another sixteen people, and this happened only yesterday and the day before They are now targeting the people, they are killing the people, but be assured that, God willing, this power, these powers, will not be able to do anything in the face of the power of the people, which is the power of God.
Now that our brothers welter in blood, we have a duty to help them, and the help that each one of you in Europe and other countries can give them is to propagate their cause. In other words, tell the people about the crimes that this dynasty, and in particular this man, the Shah, has committed. Tell your friends in the universities or the factories, wherever you may be, tell these European friends of yours the truth of the matter. Tell them that he( the Shah )has committed crimes and that the people who have risen up want freedom; their call is:" We want freedom, we want independence." Tell them that these people who want freedom and independence are not barbarians, they are
civilized for they want freedom and independence. The barbarians are those who have taken their independence and freedom from them, not these people who want freedom and independence. Freedom and independence are two rights to which all of mankind are claimants. They constitute one of the basic rights of human beings. He who deprives the people of these is the barbarian. He who wants this right is civilized.
The nation of Iran is a civilized nation, but it is held captive by barbaric governments. Thus, it is incumbent upon us all to help the nation of Iran, each one of us to the best of our ability. You who are over here should propagate their cause in whatever way you can. You, young people, wherever you may be, in the universities, in the other places you go, enlighten the people there to the facts. They have been exposed to malicious propaganda to such an extent that they cannot believe that this nation is one which has stood up for truth, or that it is a civilized nation which is standing against barbarism. They describe the Iranians as barbaric! But in actual fact, the Iranian people are the civilized ones who have stood up to the barbarians. May God keep you all secure from danger and protect you. May God grant you success.