Rajaee had a distinguishing feature, and he has always been a role model for me- I don't claim that I always acted in agreement with the model he set, but I have always wanted to follow his model. During a speech, once, he said explicitly and clearly that he favoured Hezbollah [Quranic word meaning the ‘Party of God’, used to describe fervent religious revolutions individuals]. At that time, the word Hezbollah was not [used to mean the same] as today. Today, people are proud to part with Hezbollah; nevertheless, at that time, those who hadn't yet completely withdrawn from the thought and politics ruling over the country regarded the word Hezbollah as an insulting word. The words Hezbollah and Hezbollahi [followers of Hezbollah] could refer to a particular group of people. Hezbollahi describes the man who moves fearlessly for the cause of God and the Islamic Revolution, so he has nothing to concern, or no concerns can be more important to him: this is Hezbollahi. If there is a war, he hastens to join in fighting back, if it comes to donating for the cause of managing the Islamic government, the Islamic Republic or to support the army during the war, he would offer all he has, sincerely; when it comes to the walk either under the scorching sun or in a cold winter day, he would be present since the early morning to the end; in the case of complying with the officials' requests, or repeating the slogans that the great leader of the revolution has granted to the people, he would be the best at echoing them. He is, in the real sense of the word, a member of the great nation who backs Imam. This is the meaning of Hezbollahi.
[Of course], there are also some people who wouldn’t mind taking a step to support Islam and the revolution, yet their priority is their personal affairs, or the fame they wound gain. They’re not Hezbollahi. They are the ones who would be offended in many cases if others wanted to follow Hezbollah: they might find it offensive to their money, to their dignity, or their social status. Martyr Rajaee explicitly said he was a follower of Hezbollah. Just as I heard him saying this --he was speaking on TV and on the radio, and I was listening-- I thought this man was mingling religion and logic. Because evidently in a society where for many years a discriminating government had reigned, it was impossible to please everyone at the same time; a choice was to be made, and Rajaee made his choice. In the well-known order of Imam Ali (a.s.) to Malik Ashtar, he suggested him to favour the mainstream people because they are closer to God, they are more at the service of Divine goals; avoid the elites and privileged groups of people. Where there are the masses, the divine goals are applicable there. This has always been recommended by the Islamic leaders.
August 30, 1983
- what made them move forward was love of justice
In the world formed after the re-appearance of the great Imam Mahdi (a.s.), the most prominent pivot is the pivot of justice. When you take a look at all the narrations and ahadith about the great Imam (a.s.) and that era, you see that the main focus is not on people's piety. Of course, people will be pious and religious in that era, but the main focus is on the fact that people will benefit from justice at that time and that justice and equality will be established. This notion exists in all duas, prayers and narrations about the great Imam Mahdi (a.s.). That is to say, an outstanding point in that promising future is justice. Mankind is thirsty for justice.
Today, we consider Shahid Rajai and Shahid Bahonar to be two models possessing these lofty and valuable concepts. Indeed, what made them move forward - and we witnessed this up close - was love of justice, revolutionary values and the like. It is necessary for you to commemorate National Week of Government in their memory and to associate yourselves with those great personalities. May their memories be commemorated, God willing. Aug 26, 2007
- being in contact with and listening to the people up close
In my opinion, their faith in our path and our goals – the goals Imam Khomeini (r.a.) had laid out and the Islamic Republic is the embodiment of these goals - is a very important indicator. The same is true of their purity and their spirit of rendering services. They did not really rest day and night and they always engaged in rendering services.
Another characteristic that they had was their spirit of being in contact with and listening to the people up close. Aug 27, 2015
- They didn’t take advantage of their position to financially guarantee a future for themselves
They were not looking to enrich themselves through the positions they had. This is a very important point. We should not think that because we have a position, we should use it as a tool to build our future. This is what exists among officials in many countries in the world. They use their positions as a tool to become a member of the management board in some company and to have a share in some sensitive financial institution. Commitment to the principles of the Revolution and the like was one of the characteristics of these two personalities. We should pay attention to such characteristics and coordinate our work with them. Aug 27, 2015
- Creating an intellectual, pragmatic, and revolutionary current
First, I would like to commemorate the memory of the dear martyrs—Rajaee and Bahonar— of this day. Although these two individuals were two personalities, their revolutionary values, theological and pious virtues were so prominent. When the National Week of Government starts and the names of the martyrs Rajaee and Bahonar are brought up, people do not assume that we are merely honoring these two martyrs; rather, they understand that an intellectual, pragmatic, and revolutionary current is celebrated. August 24, 1997
- Assassination of martyrs Rajai and Bahonar at the hand of the U.S. agents (MEK)
I would like to commemorate our dear martyrs Rajai and Bahonar. As the gentleman in the meeting pointed out, these two personalities were really role models in different ways – in terms of sincerity and diligence. Of course, they did not have the opportunity to continue their work for a few more years, but “Spring-time shows whether a year will be auspicious or not” [a common saying in Farsi, meaning if the commencement is favorable, the rest will also be so]. The manner in which they worked showed that, had they survived to work longer, they would have definitely moved things forward – particularly the late Rajai who was in power longer. This was because of their sincerity, enthusiasm, love of the people, diligence and the like.May God curse the hypocritical and criminal hands who shed the blood of these two dear individuals. Unfortunately today, some western policies are trying to exonerate these notorious individuals. They are trying to portray the MEK as innocent, to show them as victims. Of course, they will fail. They are the ones who murdered thousands of people inside the country- from public and Friday prayer leaders, businesspeople, young students and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps to families who were sitting at home breaking their fasts, the heads of the country like Shahid Beheshti, the outstanding personalities of those days, these two great personalities, and many others who reached thousands in number – I do not know the exact figure.
This is while evil and malicious hands in the world of politics – whether those outside the country or their followers and lovers inside the country – want to purify these terrorists, portray them as decent and innocent individuals and to damage the reputation of our blessed and enlightened Imam (r.a.). Imam’s (r.a.) reputation cannot be damaged. Thus, they have been unsuccessful until today and they will continue to be unsuccessful in the future. Aug 24, 2016
The main point I’d like to make is the arrogant powers are hostile to Islam and the Islamic revolution and they always, at any time, look for opportunities to create disasters. They always find someone who would act as their agent to create this disaster. Once, they found the MEK to wreak the disaster of the martyrdom of Rajai and Bahonar as well as other disasters. And once they found the Iraqi regime [of Saddam] to wreak the eight-year war. Thus, in any era, the arrogant powers, the U.S. and the major international capitalists –that vehemently oppose and are hostile to Islam and the Islamic Revolution—find their tools. June 29, 1991