The great teacher and leader he was, the speeches by late Imam (s.a) were always packed with words of wisdom and wise advice. When he addressed foreign dignitaries, clergies, students, soldiers, women or the youth, everyone had something to learn from what he said or wrote. Excerpted from various addresses and speeches the following quotations are merely examples of the thoughtful words that shaped the portrait of the world particularly during the '80s.

"Let me give you some advice Mr. Shah! I advice you to desist in this policy and act like this. I do not want the people to offer up thanks if your masters should decide one day that you must leave. I do not want you to become like your father.

iranian nation! Those among you who are thirty or forty years old or more will remember how three foreign countries have attacked us during the World War II. The property of the people was exposed to danger and their honor was imperiled but God knows everyone was happy because the Pahiavi had gone!" - Speech in Qom, June 3, 1963.

"Victory will be achieved when the roots of monarchy and foreign influence are taken out of this land. The struggle to keep monarchy in force, or to return the Shah back by foreign agents or to install another regime like that is in vain. They are bygone. But if they do not surrender to the nation, the nation will teach them a lesson.

The victory was due to the unity of purpose of Muslims, to the unity of expression and to the solidarity among the political and spiritual strata. We all understand that the unity of purpose is the secret of victory. So let us not abandon it.

I slap this government in the face with the support of people. I appoint a government with their support. The present government is not acceptable to the nation or to the army. They say that there cannot be two governments in one country. We say the same thing, but we maintain that the illegal government must go. Our government shall depend on the vote and will of the nation.

We want a strong country with a stable and powerful system. We do not seek to reverse the system. In fact we want to maintain it. Only we want it to be based on and in the service of the people. This system should not be supervised by or take orders from strangers." - February 1, 1979, Behesht Zahra Cemetery, Tehran.

"0 Muslims and oppressed of the world! Arise and take your destiny into your own hands! How long will you sit and let Washington and Moscow determine your fate? How long will the lying myths of East and West confound the powerful Muslims and their empty propaganda will terrify the Muslims? How long will the Muslim be negligent of the true power of Islam?" - May 17, 1981

"From fear to courage, from despair to confidence, from selfishness to devotion to God, and from disunity to alliance, that miraculous change led us to resolve this very great problem that perhaps all of the world had thought impossible to solve. Do not believe that Iran had arms. Iran's arms were rocks, clubs and fists. However, its spiritual arms were its faith in religion, its faith in God and its reliance upon the urce of all powers and the unity of words." - International Qods Day Speech, August 1, 1981.

"There is a revolution again in Iran, a revolution this time greater than the first." - On the anniversary of occupation of U.S. Embassy in Tehran, November 4, 1981.

"In Iran an alliance is being formed, an alliance between the Sunni and Shi 'a, between government and the people." December 29, 1981

"Our aim and that of our nation is liberation from the clutches of the enemies of Islam. Our goal is to see the Islamic country independent so that none of the world's powers can harm it in any way." - The new year message, March 21, 1982.

"Today Iran is spoken of by its friends and enemies as an Islamic country resistant against the big powers. Today Iran maintains the word it has said since the first day: We do not want to fight any country, either Islamic or non Islamic, and we seek peace and prosperity for all."-Islamic Republic Day speech, April 1, 1981.

"The relations between a nation which has risen for emancipation from the claws of international plunderers with a world devouring plunderer is always to the loss of the oppressed nation and in the interest of the plunderer. We take this severing of relations as a good omen, for this is a proof for the U.S. government's losing hope vis-ŕ-vis Iran." - On the severing of diplomatic ties with the U.S., April 9, 1983.

"Speak out! Do not wait until you attain power so that you can speak. Speak and then you will have attained power." - Address to foreign clergies, May 12, 1984.

"If you want your country to have a bright future you should teach your students in such a manner that their vision and attention will go beyond this world, so that they will be spirituality oriented, think beyond nature and take every step for the sake of God." - Eid ul Adha speech, August 27, 1985.

"I warn the Western and Eastern superpowers, particularly the U.S. and the Soviet Union against interfering in adventuresome events and taking hasty decisions. I also regret that the American nation have delegated the country's most important political, international and military tasks to a person like Reagan." - On U.S. military adventurism in the Persian Gulf, July 28, 1987.

"Our cries of innocence are the cries of the oppressed and innocent nation of Afghanistan and it is regretful that Russia did not pay heed to my warning about Afghanistan and attacked that Islamic country. I have stated several times and I am again now notifying Russia to leave the nation of Afghanistan and its people alone.

Our slogan of 'neither east nor west' is the principal slogan of the Islamic Revolution in a world of hunger and oppression and outlines the true policy of non-alliance for the Islamic countries and countries that in the near future, with the help of Allah, will accept Islam as the only school for liberating humanity and will not recede or sway from the policy even one step.

I decisively declare to the entire world that if the world devourers venture to stand against our religion, we shall stand against their entire world and shall not remain silent until their complete destruction is accomplished. We shall either be completely free or attain a greater freedom, that of martyrdom.

One strand of the hair of the dwellers in mud houses is worthier and nobler to me than all those who occupy palaces." - Address to Haj pilgrims, July 31, 1987.

"As I have aid many times, relations between Iran and America is one between a wolf and a sheep and there can be no reconciliation between the two." - Remark on U.S.

president Jimmy Carter's letter to the leader of revolution, November 19, 1988.

"It is clear to all that from now on communism must be looked up in the political history museums of the world, for Marxism has no answer to any of the real requirements of human beings. All because it is a material doctrine.

The Chinese leader struck the first blow on communism. And you administered the second and seemingly the final blow. Today we have nothing in the world called communism." - Letter to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, January 4, 1989.

The Imam wrote this book when he was only 27 years old. This book reviews the trend of mystic issues and presents an account of divine teachings. "Verily, the real and absolute mission of a prophet indicates that the prophet should reveal and set forth certain divine issues that are the concern of God but lay in the unseen, each issue is the manifestation of some divine attribute and in harmony with individual awareness and real essence.

Thus, prophethood is the manifestation of divine succession of Lord on earth and His Guardianship and in turn, these two, i.e. caliphate or succession and velayat or guardianship are the essence of the prophetic mission."⁽⁵⁾

A Guide To Sucession and Guardianship (Caliphate and Velayat). This book was published by Payam-e Azadi publishers in 222 pages.

Another very well known book by the Imam is An Interpretation of the Dawn Prayer (Adaab us Salat). This book has been published several times by various publishers but the finest edition is that of the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomein's Works.

Among other publishers of this book are Vafa Institute of Beirut and Etela'at Publishers of Tehran.

As a man of thoughts and letters, Imam Khomeini wrote several books while several others have been authored by other scholars about the Imam and his works. Most probably the first book written by the Imam is A Guide To Sucession and Guardianship (Caliphate and Velayat).

The book's name is self explanatory. It is a mystic introduction to the way one prays. "General blessing is an attribute of God almighty and is known as the status of expansion of being. It is a special blessing of the Lord and is known as the status of development towards perfection. Therefor, by the general blessing the essence of being has emerged and by the special blessing things are led to moral perfection. That is the reason why in the prayer we address God as Rahman or clement in this world and as Rahim or compassionate in the next world. God is clement towards all his servants and is Rahim or compassionate towards the believers in special ways."

The book covers several interesting chapters on self purification, divine status and attributes, the perfect man and the great name. However, the most interesting point about this precious volume is that the Imam wrote this great mystic work when he was only 29 years old.

Nine years later Imam Khomeini wrote another book on prayers. Its name is The Secrets of Prayers (Serr us Salat). This volume is in fact a more practical guide for saying the daily prayers as well as their attributes and requirements. Its chapters include an account of the conditions of prayers, awareness and presence of the heart while praying, the way of ablution with water or soil, places and attire that are proper for prayers, comments on the bodily conditions of the prayer, the timing of prayers, why one has to face Mecca when saying the prayers, the secrets behind the rites of salat, and an interpretation of one of the chapters of the holy Koran that is included in the daily prayers.

Those aware of the divine secrets concerning the prophet's sacred progeny know very well that the essence )f devotion and worship lies in awareness of the heart and its receptiveness, without which no acts of devotion is acceptable to the Lord." This 284 page volume that first appeared in 1938 was first published in recent years by Azadi publishers.

From among the Koranic chapters the Imam has interpreted, two, Al Alaq (The Clot) and Al Hamd or Al Fatiha (The Opening) that have been broadcast on television in 1980 are among the mOst widely read books in the religious circles.

En the Sura Al Alaq, God's first command to his prophet E—Iazrat Mohammad (sawa) was "Read in the name of your Lord!" This command implies that "in all our actions we should have the almighty God in mind. It implies, also, that if we ddnt remember and mention his name in our Jeeds, our deeds would then be void of any sense and mneaning.

Al Hamd has been published by several publishers, the latest is by the Institute for ~ompilation and publication of Imam Khomeini's Works.

To Almighty God belongs all praise. To him alone is due Lii adoration. You may think that you are praising a articular person but it is he hom you praise. This verse heds light on all problems if men would .believe. If men one of the chapters of the holy Koran that is included in the daily prayers.

Those aware of the divine secrets concerning the prophet's sacred progeny know very well that the essence )f devotion and worship lies in awareness of the heart and its receptiveness, without which no acts of devotion is acceptable to the Lord." his 284 page volume that first appeared in 1938 was first published in recent years by Azadi publishers.

From among the Koranic chapters the Imam has interpreted, two, Al Alaq (The Clot) and Al Hamd or Al Fatiha (The Opening) that have been broadcast on television in 1980 are among the mOst widely read books in the religious circles.

En the Sura Al Alaq, God's first command to his prophet E—Iazrat Mohammad (sawa) was "Read in the name of your Lord!" This command implies that "in all our actions we should have the almighty God in mind. It implies, also, that if we ddnt remember and mention his name in our Jeeds, our deeds would then be void of any sense and mneaning.

Al Hamd has been published by several publishers, the latest is by the Institute for ~ompilation and publication of Imam Khomeini's Works.

To Almighty God belongs all praise. To him alone is due Lii adoration. You may think that you are praising a articular person but it is he whom you praise. This verse heds light on all problems if men would .believe. If men could understand and believe this verse their hearts would be free of all sacrilege and traces of polytheism."

Fighting the Carnal Self or Man's Major Crusade (Jihad Akbar) is another one of the early books by the Imam. It is about ethical excellence. "Theological centers need to learn and teach ethical issues and morals just as they need to scientific knowledge. They need ethical guides, lectures in spiritual strength and counseling sessions and sermons. Programs for ethical conduct and reform, courses on ethical training and refinement and instruction in and learning of the divine teachings and laws which are the essential purpose of all prophetic missions must be amply and formally discussed and propagated in the theological centers."

The Islamic Rule or the Guardianship of Jurisprudent (Velayat Faqih) is a collection of speeches by the Imam on the Islamic government. It is one of the most widely read and translated works of the Imam and believed to be a classic work on the theory of Islamic republic.

"Islamic rule is the rule of law. In this type of government sovereign rule belongs to God exclusively. The law is God's command and decree. The Islamic Law or God's command is the absolute rule over all peoples and Islamic governments and states. All people, from the holy prophet (sawa) to his successors as well as all other individuals are forever subject to this law, that same law which is descended from God and is lodged in the sacred words of the Koran and the prophet (sawa)."

The late Imam Khomeini's two volume annotations on the book Wassilah a! Najah (Means of Rescue) that was authored by Ayatollah Seyed Abdul Hassan Isfahani has been published as Tahrir ul Wassilah by several publishers in Iran and abroad. According to his book "Should political relations between Islamic countries and foreigners lead to the latter's dominance over the territory, people or riches of the former or cause Muslims' political enslavement, these relations will be prohibited to their leaders and any binding agreement therein will be automatically rendered void. It will also be imperative to the Muslims to guide and exhort their leaders even through negative resistance to stop these relations.

The Revelation of Secrets (Kashf ul Asrar) is a book the Imam wrote as a young man to counter a book written by Wahhabi clergies by the name of The One Thousand Year Old Secrets. In this book the late Imam explains how during twenty years of his reign Reza Khan made the Muslim clergies the main subject of his oppression. "Reza Khan knew that if he let the clergy alone, and did not silence their vices they would be the only ones to raise their vice in protest and opposition to his low purposes and practices that were against the interest of the country and religion."

The Book of Transactions (Al Bei), The Refining Principles (Tadhib ul Osul), Haj, A Devotional and Political Congress, A Message of Resistance, The Way of Love (The Imam's Mystic Correspondence), The Forty !-Iadiths, The Wine of Love (his poems) and The Decanter of Love (his ode poetry), Urwatul Vossgha (annotated by the Imam), Treatise on the Determination of Hour of Dawn During Moonlight, An Appendix to Misbah ul Uns, Discrepancies in the prayer, Marginal Comments on the Treatise on Inheritane, The Rituals of Hal, Appendix to an Explanation of Fosus ul He/cam, The Book of Treatise, and he Treatise on the Desire and Will are some of the other books by the Imam that have been published several times in recent years. One more precious book has to be mentioned. It has been published in several volumes by the center for cultural documents of the Islamic revolution under the title of The Book of Light Nour) that covers a collection of the Imam's statements of guidance in various occasions.

Meanwhile in the Iranian solar Hejirah year of 1378 (1999 - 2000) that coincides with the 100th birthday of Imam Khomeini (s.a) tens of volumes of book are expected to be published on the Imam's life and work in Iran and abroad. The present volume is oile of them.

This brief chronology of events that highlights the period from 1963 to 1989 has been excerpted from a Persian translation of an article in Muslim Media that had first appeared in a magazine published on the occasion of the second annual commemoration of the late Imam. However, the wordings certainly differ from the original version as it is entirely based on the Persian text. ⁽⁶⁾

1963 - Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini became well known as a top opponent of the Shah's regime. His classes in Qom attracted scores of students who were fascinated by his criticism of the Shah's regime. In March 1963 the Fayzieh School of Divinity came under attack by paratroopers and secret police. Several students were killed and the ayatollah was arrested. He continued his criticism of the regime and its dependency on the United States when he was released from jail later. He was arrested once again and when the people found out about his imprisonment they staged massive protest demonstrations in the major Iranian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Mashad, Shiraz and Kashan. Security forces opened fire at the demonstrators and ayatollah Khomeini was arrested until August. When he was released he was almost immediately arrested once again as he told his supporters to boycott the October elections.

1964 - 1970 - Ayatollah Khomeini was released from jail in May 1964. In October the parliament granted diplomatic immunity to American mil itary advisors in Iran and took a 200 million dollars loan for the purchase of military equipment from the U.S. In a statement ayatollah Khomeini voiced his opposition to this action and was later sent to exile in Turkey and then to Iraq in 1965.

During the next 13 years he stayed in the Iraqi city of Najaf where his status was established as a top ranking religious leader. His criticism of the Pahiavi regime was secretly publicized in Iran and major gatherings abroad including during the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. His criticism was essential. The Shah's land reform has turned out to be disastrous, farms, orchards and pastures were not subject to the land division law and major landlords were given the opportunity to convey their estate to their close relatives. Only 9 percent of Iranian farmers have become landlord and even they were deprived of government assistance to develop their lands. Wheat and food were imported from abroad. An 8 percent per annum increase in immigration from villages to towns was a deadly influx. The use of petrodollars made wealthy people richer while a majority of population suffered from poverty. Dissatisfactions increased. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the 1967 Arab - Israeli war began to consult with ayatollah Mohammad Bagher Sadr about joint struggle against Israel.

1970 - 1977 - With the high rising oil prices in Iran the Shah declared that his country would soon become one of the five major world powers. He simply neglected the reality of food shortage, traffic jams and the rising population. The West :turned his money into weapons and gave the products of its arsenals to him even before putting them to test. American arms sellers played a decisive role in the Iranian economy. Cement and other construction material were used for making army bases adding to the shortage in the construction and housing market. Iran's oil, banking and armament were under heavy American influence. The Shah's ambitious coronation ceremony in 1971 turned out to be a massive extravaganza that widened the gap between the rich and the poor. And ayatollah Khomeini criticized all these actions.

Heavy suppression of freedom and gathering led to a concentration of the Shah's opponents abroad. Ayatollah Khomeini's speeches that were distributed on cassette tapes added to their rigor. The ayatollah asked the clergies in Iran to condemn the strangulation of the country's people and the wasting of their resources by the government. In 1977 when the Shah went to Washington to meet with U.S. President Jimmy Carter he had to face a major protest demonstration. Female students in Iran began to wear the Islamic hUab and a strong religious opposition against the Shah began to emerge. In October 1977 the Shah's secret police killed ayatollah Khomeini's son, Mostafa.

1978 - In January the Shah had an article printed in a major Iranian newspaper launching an attack against Ayatollah Khomeini. One day later young clerical students in Qom staged a peaceful demonstration in protest. In the course of the violent response by the secret police several clergies were killed. Demonstrations were staged across the country and Ayatollah Khomeini asked the nation to launch a struggle in order to topple the government to establish an Islamic state. In every commemoration sessions that were held for the martyrs more people were shot to death by security officers. In their protests against the soldiers, the people demanded Ayatollah Khomeini's return.

September - At the end of the Ramadan people staged massive demonstrations and the government declared the state of siege. Troops opened fire on the demonstrators killing many of them. The nation stood against the Shah. Nationwide strikes brought the bazaar, the schools, the factories and government offices to standstill. Ayatollah Khomeini sent his messages to Iran mainly on cassette tapes. With the assumption that depriving Ayatollah Khomeini of his base will weaken his leadership, the Shah to deport the ayatollah. He said that he was willing to go to any country that is not under the Shah's influence but no government proposed to accept him and guarantee the continuation of his activities.

October - Imam Khomeini arrived in Paris and later chose to reside in a suburban area. The Shah's close relatives began to flee Iran with millions of dollars.

December 10 and 11 - About four million people took to the streets in Tehran demanding an Islamic Government led by Imam Khomeini. Many were killed, wounded or arrested in the course of other demonstrations. The unbearable pressure by public opinion forced the U.S. government to encourage the Shah to appoint a new prime minister.

January 16 - The Shah left the country leaving Shapur Bakhtiar's powerless government behind.

February 1 - The Iran returned to Iran and received a great welcome by the nation. The Imam said that he was about to establish a provisional government.

February 11 - Following a couple of days of unrest in the army, the Shah's government fell when people intervened in the action.

March 1 - The Imam officially announced the establishment of an Islamic government in Iran. July 5 - Major industries were nationalized.

July 9 - The Imam declared amnesty and pardoned al Prisoners and runaways except criminals and torturers.

September 22 - Iraqi forces attacked Iran. Two days later Abadan and Khorramshahr were attacked and the Abadan oil refinery was et ablaze in the course of the attack.

January 2, 1981 - American hostages were. released on the last day of Carter's presidency.

October - Ayatollah Seyed Aui Khamenei was elected as Iran's third President.

March 28 - Iran secured major victories in the war.

May 24- Khorramshahr that was occupied early in the course of the war was liberated by Iranian forces.

August 14, 1985 - Ayatollah Khamenei was elected president for the second time.

February 19, 1986 - Iranian forces captured the Iraqi Faw peninsula.

January 18, 1987 - Iranian forces reached Basra.

July 20 - The UN security council issued resolution 598

demanding cease fire between Iran and Iraq without naming Iraq as the aggressor.

July 3, 1988 - U.S. war ships downed an Iranian airliner kiluing 290 Iranians on board.

July 18 - Iran reluctantly accepted resolution 598. The Imam said this was like sipping from a cup of poison.

October 23 - The deposed Shah was hospitalized in New York.

November 4- Iranian students in the U.S. staged a rally against the Shah's presence in New York. The U.S. embassy in Tehran was seized by Iranian students. They took hostage 52 Americans for 444 days saying they would be released when the Shah was handed over to IRAN

November 6 - Prime minister Bazargan resigned.

December 15 - The Shah left the U.S. for Panama.

January 4,1980 un secretary general kurt waldheim wound up his visit to Tehran whan he was denied a meeting with American hostage

March - May - The parliamentary elections after the Islamic revolution were held.

March 23 - The Shah left Panama for Cairo 24 hours before Iran filed a petition for his extradition.

April 9 - Iran cut of diplomatic ties with the U.S.

April 25 - A commando attack on Iran by the U.S. that was aimed at releasing the hostages was folded. The Imam said that the attack was a foouish mission.

July 27 - The Shah died at a hospital in Cairo.

August 20 - Cease fire between Iran and Iraq. Prime minister Mr Hussein Musavi said that Iran wilu remain closed to Western influence.

March 19 - Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani wasnominated for presidency.

May 23, 1989 - The Imam was taken to hospital for a major surgery.

June 3, 1989 - Imam Khomeini passed away. The assembly of constitutional experts appointed Ayatollah Seyed Aui Khamenei as the new leader of Islamic revolution.