In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our master and our prophet, Muhammad, and his untainted, pure, immaculate Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth (may God hasten his reappearance and may we be sacrificed for him).
You are very welcome here my dear brothers and sisters, dear people of Qom, reminders of the epics created in this city of uprising, the city of understanding, the city of jihad. I thank Almighty God for granting me the opportunity to meet with the people of Qom on the 19th of Dey [January 9] once again and to say a few words about the momentous event that took place on the 19th of Dey.
There are many points about the event that took place on the 19th of Dey in 1356 AHS [January 9, 1978], which I and others have spoken about. I do not intend to repeat those matters, but there are some points that are worth mentioning since they are continuously relevant about our nation and country. These are current issues and not outdated matters, so it is useful to repeat these.
One of the topics that I am going to talk about today is the power of people to play a role in influencing major events. This is something we must not forget. We have experienced this in our own lives. Not only should we not forget this ourselves, we should also tell others about this experience. Look at the situation in Gaza today. The role that the people there have played in influencing a major event by being present and remaining steadfast. In other words, a small group, a limited number of people, a population of two million people in a small strip of land, for example, have confounded the US, with all its show of greatness, and the Zionist regime, which is hanging on to the US. This is the power that comes from the people’s presence.
Well, what occurred in Qom was even more significant. Why? Because on the 19th of Dey, the people of Qom took to the streets, some were martyred, some were beaten, and others went to prison, but they were the start of a movement that was able to overthrow a dependent, arrogant, oppressive, domineering regime within the span of one year. How long was the period from the 19th of Dey in 1356 to the 22nd of Bahman in 1357 AHS? This is [the importance of] people’s presence in different areas. I want to say a few words about this matter. We must not forget this.
When there is this kind of power in the arm and grip of a nation, why don’t they appreciate this? Why don’t they use this? Why don’t they use this in the face of major events and bring this out into the field? This is what I want to say.
This is what Imam Khomeini taught us. Well, Imam Khomeini did many things that were exclusive to him, and this was one of them. Without a doubt, and I say this with no exaggeration or embellishment, the honorable Imam showed and taught the people that their presence on the scene can create miracles. We didn’t know this, and neither did other people.
During the years 1341 and 1342 AHS [1963 and 1964 AD], Imam showed this to the entire nation with his actions, words, logic, and reasoning. He made people understand that if they want to move forward and if they wish to achieve the desired outcome, they must be present in the field. Withdrawing, depending on others, and isolating oneself are futile. They must come out into the middle of the field. He himself came out into the middle of the field as well. [However,] instead of spending time with various political parties, groups, and factions or prominent, boastful political figures of the time, Imam Khomeini spent time with the people.
I would like to share a memory with you. I was going to a city, which I do not want to name, where an important cleric lived. Imam Khomeini told me to tell that man to come to Qom, because it was more appropriate for him to be in Qom. He said that cleric should come to Qom, but on the condition that he severed his connections with a certain political group — Imam named a well-known political group in those days. [Imam said,] “He should come to Qom, but he should cut his connections with that political group.”
I went and told that cleric what Imam Khomeini had said. But he didn’t like it, nor did he come to Qom. He claimed that he had no connections with that political group and such things. Imam’s logic was that a religious scholar should be among the people as a religious scholar, as a marja [religious authority], and as an axis of gaining knowledge and thought.
He himself went among the people. On the day of Ashura, Imam Khomeini sat in the Feyziyyah School in Qom and spoke to the people very clearly and openly. Dear brothers and sisters! This speech of Imam on the day of Ashura is a historic event. Imam went into the middle of the field with all his being. He went to the Feyziyyah School, which was swarming with people, and composed and delivered that unique speech. He practically brought the people onto the scene. Instead of addressing a certain political group or a certain political figure, he spoke his heart to the people and practically brought them into the field. The people came into the field. They responded and answered positively.
The 15th of Khordad in 1342 AHS [June 5, 1963] was three days after the Imam delivered this speech. That is, after three days, people were killed and martyred in Qom, Tehran, and Varamin. Of course, the exact number of martyrs is unknown. Various statistics have been given, but no proper investigation has been conducted in this regard. I hope this will be done so that we can know how many young people, elderly people, men, and women were killed in Tehran, Qom, Varamin, and some other cities on the 15th of Khordad. What Imam Khomeini did was that he brought people into the field. He handed over the battle flag to the people.
The people accepted this. They paid for it too. The people were suppressed on the 15th of Khordad in 1342 and Imam Khomeini was also arrested. They burst into his home, brought him to Tehran, and the other things that you know and have heard about. But the people did not forget this lesson. The events that took place on the 19th of Dey in Qom were the aftermath of this event. On this day too, the people participated willingly and spontaneously. On the 19th of Dey, who was the leader who told the people to take to the streets? It was the people’s hearts, their consensus, and the lesson they had learned from the Imam. They understood that they had to go [and take part in the protests].
They took to the streets on the 15th of Khordad because Imam had been arrested, and they took to the streets on the 19th of Dey because Imam had been insulted. They entered the field, began the struggle, and Almighty God blessed this struggle. The Iranian nation rose up in various cities, such as Qom, Tabriz, Yazd, Shiraz, here and there, everywhere. The Iranian nation rose up and the significant events of the 22nd of Bahman [11th of February] took place. This is what the people's presence means.
This lesson, of course, is a lesson from the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali (pbuh)]. I have written down a statement here from him. We must rely on these sentences from the Nahj al-Balaghah very much and learn much from them. This statement is a part of Imam Ali’s command to Malik Ashtar, which some mistakenly call a “treaty.” It is not a treaty. It is a government decree. It is Imam Ali’s command to Malik Ashtar. There is much to say about this. An ocean of pearls lies in this command from Imam Ali. One part of it is this sentence: “The pillars of religion, the assembly of Muslims, and the reserve defense forces against the enemies are the common people of the community” (Nahj al-Balaghah, letter 53).
“The pillars of religion” means the foundation that religion relies on, which is you, the Islamic community. The Commander of the Faithful is saying this to his own people, [but] he is addressing us as well. Therefore, you are the Islamic community, and the pillars of your Islam are the people, the community. “The assembly of Muslims” refers to the main body of this assembly, the main body of the Muslim community. In the phrase “the defense reserve forces,” the term “reserve” denotes something that is set aside for future use or in case of need.
[In the phrase,] “The reserve defense forces against the enemies,” who are the reserves that are saved for confronting the enemies? “The common people of the community,” the general public. A few years ago, I spoke about some parts of this letter to our officials and highlighted Imam Ali’s comparison of the common people to the elite. The term elite refers to the favored individuals, while the term the common people refers to the general public. There are very interesting things said about both the elite and the common people. Imam Ali [pbuh] stresses that we should rely on the general public.
When a president becomes well acquainted with the general public, when he communicates, works, and goes among them, some individuals label this as “populism.” They throw insults. No, this is caring about the people. This is targeting the main point. Everything is in the hands of the general public. Of course, being able to work effectively with the general public is a great skill of its own. That is true.
Well, there is an important point to consider in this matter. There is a fundamental point regarding what I have said about people’s presence on the scene and in the middle of the field. What is that point? It is that bringing people into the struggle scene should be carried out with exact orienting and increasing understanding.
I spoke about this here a few days ago as well. The fact that your missiles are very precise and accurate, that is exactly what cripples the opposing side. They choose an exact target and hit it from a distance of 1,000 or 1,500 kilometers away. So, [in the same way], when you are in the middle of the field and are inviting people, your goal needs to be precise and specified.
Imam [Khomeini] specified the goal. It was to remove the corrupt, dependent, monarchial regime and establish an Islamic system of governance. The goal was specified. When we invite people to be active, what is the goal? This should be specified. Secondary goals and minor goals are not to be considered. The goals are Islamic governance, national pride, the complete well-being of the Iranian nation, the betterment of the Iranian nation, and confronting the Arrogant Powers. These are the primary goals.
Even though these are general terms, they have very clear, distinct meanings. What Imam Khomeini and his followers did in the 15 years between the time of the events in the Feyziyyah School and the 22nd of Bahman was enlightening people about these matters. The job of those who spoke to the people — those who taught and instructed people, such as Motahari and others like him — was to identify [the goal] and give people the necessary understanding. Increasing understanding is very important. This is the main thing that needs to be done. Our seminary students, our scholars, our intellectuals, our academics, and our professors need to direct their focus on this area. They need to enlighten others and increase their understanding.
The regime that was overthrown by the Iranian people on the 22nd of Bahman and was expelled from this pure land and divine country was a regime that relied on foreign support and which came into power by way of a coup. There are some who do not want to believe this, even after 40 years. The US, those who are with them, and those who are dependent on them — it’s strange; they are politicians and they are diplomats, but in this particular case, they are completely naive! — are making miscalculations again and justifying the image of a regime that was kicked out and expelled from this country by the people 45 years ago.
[The Pahlavi regime] was a regime that was dependent on others and based on a coup. In 1921, Reza Khan's coup was carried out at the instigation of the British and with the help of the British. Three or four years later, Reza Khan’s becoming the king and his assuming the title of Reza Shah was with the help of the British. Several years after that, he began to dissolve the Iranian nation’s culture in Western civilization, including mandating that women remove their hijab, closure of Islamic seminaries, stopping mourning processions and religious ceremonies, the prohibition of prayers in congregation, and the like. These were carried out by way of the marked, British operatives who were present around Reza Shah in Iran, but I do not wish to name them.
Famous political and cultural figures that the true colors of some of these people are still not clear to our people. They have books and writings, and their job was, being around Reza Khan, to dissolve and merge Iranian culture into Western culture. Consider the issue of the removal of hijab from this perspective. It was the work of the British. Later in 1941, when Reza Khan was expelled from the country, Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi] ascended to the throne by way of the British. The British ambassador was directly involved in this. It was their decision.
In 1953, after Mohammad Reza was unable to stand up to the movement for the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry and he fled the country, he was reinstated through a coup d'état, which was jointly orchestrated by the British and the Americans. After that, with the assistance of the Americans, Mohammad Reza’s disgraceful government continued until the 22nd of Bahman in 1357 [February 11, 1979]. That was the nature of this [Pahlavi] regime.
The beginning, the middle, and the end of it [this regime] was with Britain’s intervention, the US’s intervention, Britain’s help, and the US’s help. The Pahlavi regime was dependent on them and essentially sold the country to them. Not only did it sell the country's economic capital, but it also gave them the nation's oil, honor, religion, and dignity. That was the nature of the regime. The Iranian nation ousted this regime from the country. Imam Khomeini was the one who placed this goal before the Iranian nation.
So, this is the strategic policy of honorable Imam: Bringing the people into the field and handing over the battle flag to the people. There is another strategic policy that is the opposite of this. What is that policy? Taking people out of the field and pulling people out of the rivalry, competition, and combat. That policy is the policy used by the enemies of the Revolution. That is the policy of the United States, the policy of the world powers, the policy of the Zionists, and the policy of the exploitative Zionist companies around the world. This policy has been operating in the country for 40 years. Today, this policy is active with the utmost disgrace. Pay attention to this. They are trying to take people out of the scene. You see them saying things like, “Should we participate in the elections? No, what’s the point?” This isn’t something small. It is the United States’ strategic policy. It is the strategic policy of the enemies of the Revolution.
The enemy’s strategic policy involves the people not being active on the scene of culture, not being active on the scene of the economy, and not being active on the scene of religion. They want the Arbaeen Walk to be ridiculed. They want the holding of the big celebration related to the Commander of the Faithful (Eid al-Ghadir) and the 15th of Shaban celebrations in the streets of Tehran, with all their grandeur, to be questioned, “Why [do you hold these celebrations]?” They wish to create skepticism about the respect that is given to Martyr Soleimani, the great commander of Iran and the region.
Didn’t they tear up Martyr Soleimani’s picture here in Tehran, next to certain universities [Sharif University and Amir Kabir University]. They provoked someone to come and tear this picture. Eight million people attended the funeral procession for Martyr Soleimani, then an oblivious, useless young person — who has either been paid or brainwashed — came and tore up a picture of Martyr Soleimani before millions of Iranians. What does this signify? It shows the enemy’s strategic policy.
The enemy is extremely active and hardworking in this sense. They are very active. They have realized that the reason for Iran’s progress, its prestige, the honor it has gained, its emergence as an important power in the region, its strategic depth — the Resistance forces throughout the region are the Islamic Republic’s strategic depth — the reason for all of these is the Iranian nation’s active presence on the scene. If they impose a war, the enemy will be defeated in the war; if they start a coup, it will fail; if they carry out an attack on security, it will fail. The reason is that the people are present on the scene.
The enemy has been victorious in places where it has prevented the people’s presence on the scene. This has been the case in various economic sectors. We announced the policies of Article 44 [of the Constitution]. We continuously urged a certain administration to implement these policies. They said, “Yes, we’ll do it. We won’t do it. We’ll do it. We won’t do it.” They [eventually] implemented a few of the points, half of which ended up in corruption! That is how economic problems are created. That is where the enemy becomes happy and gives its support. The enemy is actively, diligently working in this area.
One of the strategies they have employed to remove people from the scene involves discouraging people about the future. You can see how much the media that is affiliated with the enemy is discouraging people about the future. They do this either explicitly or implicitly. Some of the media are openly dependent on the enemy. Others aren’t openly dependent on the enemy, but they are internally. What they do is to find a negative point. Then they generalize and magnify it in order to instill a sense of hopelessness, particularly among the younger generation to discourage the youth and propagate the question, “What’s the use of becoming involved in political activities? What’s the use of participating in elections?” They [the enemy] encourage and work on this.
[One of the other tactics employed by the enemy is] to highlight the shortcomings and challenges that exist in economic affairs. Well, yes. We do have economic problems. There is no doubt about that. There have been various weaknesses that have continued. There is no doubt that these economic weaknesses exist. They highlight these. However, if attention is given to a certain matter and research is conducted on it, [it will be realized that] most of these economic weaknesses stem from a lack of the people’s presence. These weaknesses have been less prevalent in areas where people have been present on the scene.
Frightening people of the world powers is one of the tactics used to remove the people from being present on the scene. They frighten them of the US, the Zionist regime, and other world powers. This is while the Iranian nation has already demonstrated their lack of fear of such powers. If we were afraid of a certain power, then there would be no Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic would have ceased to exist. [In fact], many of the powers that claimed to dominate and rule the region now fear the Iranian nation.
One of the ways that is used to remove the people from being present on the scene is to cause them to lose their belief in and to be indifferent to the factors that create presence, courage, power. At the top of these factors is religious faith and religious law. They are busy and are spreading propaganda. They work on these. The enemy is busy working on these. Our officials must try in these areas as much as they can and work on these areas as much as they can. Try to look at the issue of hijab in this light. The issue is not simply that some people do not understand or observe hijab. No, some people have a motive. Of course, it’s a few people. Those people have a motive for opposing and objecting to it.
One of the problems is that they create discords and bipolarities between people. There are two types of discords. One is where two individuals disagree on something regarding a certain political issue or something that they like or dislike. They are friends, they are buddies, they drink tea together, they sit down and eat at the same table, and they have differences of opinion. [On the other hand], there are times when the disagreement is such that whenever anything comes from one side, whatever it may be — a thought, an action, something good, or something bad — it is condemned by the other side. This is called bipolarity.
They create bipolarities in society. Whatever the other side does, this side condemns it, even if it is something good. These are some of the things that those who are opposed to the Iranian nation and are the enemies of the Iranian nation are doing today. The way to counteract this is to get people involved. People need to be involved in economic and political affairs. They need to be seriously involved in the elections, and even in matters of security.
The enemy’s spies are present among the people, in neighborhoods, and here and there. The people have proven they are capable of identifying them and have come to the aid of security agencies in many instances when there were security issues. They were able to overcome the problem. We have received reports regarding these cases. There were many other things that they [the enemies] wanted to do, similar to the tragedy that they created in Kerman. [But], the people became aware of it, they paid attention, the [intelligence] organizations became aware of it, and they prevented it. Perhaps it can be said that the enemy wishes to carry out actions far greater in magnitude than what has already taken place, but their plots are consistently thwarted. [Of course], much of this is accomplished with the help of the people.
This issue that I have spoken about, the issue of the people's presence in different fields — which is crucial for the correct administration of the country, the progress of the Revolution, and the achievement of the Revolution’s goals — must be encouraged. Whoever has a voice, whoever can speak well, whoever has an audience, and whoever can be influential, should take action in this regard. [As the Quran says,] “And enjoin one another to [follow] the truth” (103:3), this is the truth. It is everyone’s duty to enjoin others to follow the truth, whether they are a cleric, a university professor, a preacher, a broadcaster, a political official, a director of a certain organization, a religious scholar, or a marja [religious authority]. Whoever they are, this is a duty.
It is important to encourage people to be present in the field, to stand firmly in the field, and to acquaint themselves with the requirements of the field. Of course, the government officials should know that the people are prepared, [yet] they have a heavy responsibility. Both the government officials and those who are active in political and cultural spheres should prepare the ground for this. God willing, this level of preparedness will continue and increase on a daily basis.
Like I said, the people are prepared. Why do I say this? I say this because of the people’s immense turnout on the fourth anniversary of [Qasem] Soleimani's martyrdom. That is one of the reasons. The presence of the people in the 22nd of Bahman walks, their presence [in the pro-Palestinian Quds Day rallies] on the last Friday of Ramadan every year, the presence of the people on the 9th of Dey each year, the presence of the people during the various events for the “Days of God,” and now their presence for the commemoration of Martyr Soleimani's martyrdom. People travel from far to visit his grave. This tragic, sorrowful event took place, yet the following day the crowd continued to go there with the same fervor, the same strength, and the same determination. So people are prepared. It is up to us to coordinate and organize. We need to help, pave the way, and make the necessary preparations.
Due to this sad, tragic event that took place in Kerman, the [Iranian] nation has become grief-stricken in the true sense of the word. We do not insist on accusing others. But we do insist on finding and crushing the true culprits and those behind the scenes of this tragedy. Our honorable officials are busy working on this. I am well aware of what they are doing. They have done a good job and they are doing a good job. God willing, they will be able to punish those who were involved in and behind creating this tragedy.
I would also like to say a few words regarding the issue of Gaza. The predictions are gradually turning out to be completely true. From the beginning, the prediction of the clear-sighted people around the world, both here and elsewhere, was that the side that will win is the Palestinian Resistance, and the side that will lose is the evil, foul Zionist regime. This is happening now. Everyone is seeing that the Zionist regime has been committing crimes for three months now. First of all, these crimes will always remain in history. Even after the Zionist regime disappears, is destroyed, and is wiped off the face of the earth by the grace of God, these crimes will not be forgotten. They will not even be forgotten then. On that day, they will write in books that one day a group rose to power in this region and committed these kinds of crimes, massacring thousands of children and women in a matter of weeks.
They will write this and say this, and it will not be forgotten. Everyone will know that the patience of those people and the steadfastness of the Palestinian Resistance forced the Zionist regime to retreat. The Zionist regime has failed to reach its goals after nearly 100 days. What is the meaning of defeat? That is defeat. They said they would destroy Hamas. They couldn’t. They said they would displace the people of Gaza. They couldn’t. They said we will stand in the way of the Resistance’s actions. They couldn’t. The Resistance is alive, energetic, and well-prepared, while the Zionist regime is tired, abased, filled with regret, and has been marked as a criminal. This is the situation that exists today.
This is a lesson. The same stance must be continued, the stance of standing against oppression, aggression, arrogance, and usurpation. This course of action needs to be continued.
The Resistance must continue to keep themselves updated and prepared, and they must not become neglectful of the enemy’s deceptions. With God’s assistance, the Resistance should strike the enemy wherever possible. God willing, the day will come when this will be achieved. And, God willing, the Iranian nation, the Muslim nations, and groups of believers throughout the world will witness the triumph of steadfastness, strength, patience, and trust in God over the enemies, the hostilities, and the evil forces of the world.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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