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Date:September 28, 1977 (AD) I Mehr 6,1356 (AHS) /
Shawwal 14. 1397 (AH)
Place:Shaykh Ansari Mosque, Najaf. Iraq .
Theme:A warning
against the infiltration of eclectic ideas and drawing erroneous conclusions
from
the politico - Religious laws of the Holy Qur’an .
Occasion: The propagation of eclectic interpretations of
lsIam; the holding of
the indecent art festival in Shiraz.
Those present: Religious students and clergy of the Najaf
theological centre
Approximately six years have passed since Imam Khomeini’s twenty-third speech on December 31, 1971 (Dey 10,1350 AHS) and his twenty-fourth speech given on September 28, 1977 (Mehr 6,1356 AHS). During this time, Imam kept up his relationship with the revolutionary Muslims by publishing numerous declarations and proclamations and sending these printed messages to the various groups. He never discontinued his opposition to the Shah’s regime and continually referred to the movement in his many classes and meetings with all types of people. Here follows a synopsis of major occurrences during those six years:The price of oil was raised during the seventies placing Iran in a propitious financial situation.
The Shah (Muhammad Reza) and his court were now able to plunder the nation’s wealth even more than before.The Shah’s megalomania and ambitious nature led him to emphasise and boast his title of Shahanshah, the King of kings, and the history of two thousand five hundred years of monarchy in Iran. Muhammad Reza’s father,
Reza khan also took pride in such things, and the holding of a celebration for two thousand five hundred years of monarchy was an old dream of this father and son. All those acquainted with them knew of this dream.
As the years passed, both political and literary organizations, personalities and offices prepared for the holding of such a celebration. The mass media co-operated extensively by publicising and explaining the so-called “national celebration. The imperial embassies abroad had numerous articles published in Western newspapers to prepare public acceptance of the event. It made no difference to the world leaders what was happening to the deprived oppressed people of Iran.
At the celebrations for two thousand five hundred years of monarchy, leaders from the oldest dictatorships in the world, such as Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia, to the heads of the so-called most democratic countries; along with leading political figures from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and also Russia - the capital of the socialist countries - toasted one another’s health in the magnificent, royal tents at Takht-i Jamshid without the slightest concern for the affairs of the people, while only a few kilometres away in the village of Marvdasht , men and women went hungry. Such villages were kept under surveillance by the Shah’s secret police so that out of the thousands of reporters who came to Iran at that time from all over the world, few actually saw the conditions under which the people lived.
Imam Khomeini continued his struggle alone from his humble home in Najaf. In February 1971 (Bahman 1349 AHS), at a time when insults and jealous remarks from the reactionaries at the theological school of Najaf continued against him and his problems with the Ba’ athist regime showed no sign of easing, Imam Khomeini sent his first message to the Muslims of the world gathered together on the occasion of the pilgrimage to Mecca . In this message, while referring to the hunger and poverty of the Iranian people, he strongly protested the holding of celebrations for two thousand five hundred years of monarchical rule and sent a warning to the world : “These festivals and celebrations have nothing to do with the noble Muslim people of Iran, and all those who organise and participate in these festivals are traitors to Islam and the Iranian people.” This message was published in two languages: Persian and Arabic, and was distributed among the Hajj pilgrims. Several Iranians who distributed it were arrested by the Saudi authorities and kept in leg-irons for more than two years before being set free. Copies of this message reached Iran and provoked a widespread reaction from all classes of people. Three months before these celebrations were held, Imam made an important speech in Najaf in which he invited the people of Iran to embark on passive opposition to the festivals and asked them to stay inside their homes. Meanwhile, Amir Asadullah ‘Alam, Minister of the Royal Court at the time, stated in his propagation speech: “Of the money given in good will by the people for the holding of these magnificent celebrations, some was left over and His Highness has ordered that it be used to build a large and glorious Islamic mosque.”
The celebration for two thousand five hundred years of monarchy took place with four army and airforce bases on alert in the area surrounding Takht-i Jamshid. The cost of this celebration, according to one accurate calculation, reached five hundred million dollars, one-tenth of the government’s budget for that year. As the ceremonies commenced, many of the militant clergymen and members of other political groups who opposed the two thousand five hundred year celebrations were arrested by SAVAK officers and thrown into prison.
The danger posed by the “pseudo” clergymen who were used by the Shah to justify his monarchical rule was no less than that posed by the activities of SAVAK. In a letter dated March 15, 1973 (Esfand 24,135 1 AHS) addressed to the university students outside the country and the clergy of the theological schools, Imam Khomeini stated: “First of all it is necessary to settle this issue of the pseudo clergymen. They are the most dangerous enemies of Islam and Muslims today, and their hands and the hands of the stooges of imperialism put the menacing plots of the old enemies of Islam put into action. They must be removed from the theological schools, mosques and Islamic gatherings.”
This period saw the peak of SAVAK’s political power and suppression in the country, and a large number of Imam’s followers along with pioneers of the Khordad 15th uprising were either in exile or were languishing in prison. Some of the elders of the theological centre, who had been stirred into protest through Imam’s endeavours, now disowned opposition and busied themselves with teaching and discussion, resorting to dissimulation (taqiva) in the face of the regimes corrupts acts.
Deceitful elements who from years ago had infiltrated the theological schools and , with the support of the regime, had even attained the position of marja’, established a so-called “Islamic Propagation Organization” which ardently helped the regime lead the sensitive young people at the theology schools away from vital Islamic and social issues and distract them from any form of endeavour by keeping them occupied with insignificant matters.
Imam Khomeini was infinitely patient, devoted and sympathetic. However, in Najaf he was alone in his sympathy for the Muslims and the misfortunes, which befell them, and Islam. He struggled against the Ba’athist regime and its unacceptable actions towards the Iraqi people and the Iranians. He opposed the anti-Islamic and inhuman programmers of the Shah’s regime and he was alert to the actions of the opportunist groups who wished to take advantage of the situation, warning that although their views sounded good and were alluring, they were not compatible with his own religious views : “These different schools of thought offered to the Muslims from the left and right are merely for the purpose of leading them astray; the desire is to keep the Muslims abject, humiliated, backward and enslaved forever, and to keep them away from the liberating teachings of the Noble Qur’an ( 480)
There were those who came onto the scene in full Islamic apparel and even associated themselves with Imam, but he was vigilant: “...I openly declare that I despise these traitorous groups by whatever name they go, whether Communist, Marxist or deviants of the Shi’ a school of thought and the holy ideology of the descendants of the Prophet (pbut), and I regard them as traitors to the country, Islam and religion ( 481) ...”
The fourth Arab-Israeli War began on October 6, 1 973 (Mehr 1 4,1352 AHS) after a surprise military attack by Egypt and Syria on Israeli positions in the Sinai Desert and Golan Heights and, contrary to the previous three wars, brought about some victories for these two Islamic countries. At the beginning of this war, the oil-rich Arab states stopped exporting oil to those countries supporting Israel, which included America and the Western European industrialised countries.
Imam Khomeini was not merely concerned about the Iranian people, his responsibilities were universal, and two days after the war broke out
(Ramadan 1973) he sent a message to all the Islamic nations calling on them to desist from creating destructive divisions between themselves and invited them to unite behind the Muslim countries involved in the war : “...lt is necessary for all oil-rich Islamic nations to use their oil and any other resources they may have as weapons against Israel and the imperialists and cut off the sale of oil to these countries and those who back lsrael. ... and compel the Iranian government to break its silence and stand up against Israel along with other Islamic governments.”
At this time, not only did the Shah’s regime refrain from expressing any verbal condemnation of Israel, but in response to the oil embargo it suddenly increased its oil production to help meet the needs of the European countries and America. For this reason, Imam addressed the people of Iran in a declaration issued on October 1 4, 1973 (Mehr 22,1352 AHS), saying:
“...Lt is the duty of the zealous nation of Iran to block American and Israeli interests in Iran and attack them.”
As Iranian oil income quadrupled so the Shah’s wealth and that of those affiliated with him increased proportionately, and soon foreign newspapers recognized the Shah as one of the world’s wealthiest men. The Shah, Ashraf Pahlavi and other people affiliated to the regime, used a large amount of the oil income for personal investment outside the country. Foreign expenditures, especially on military equipment, increased many times over and several trade councils came to Tehran from countries all over the world. Military expenditures in the year 1973 alone reached two billion dollars. In other words, after the Arab-Israeli War, the Shah was America’s largest purchaser of weapons, and arms sales to Iran made up more than 35% of America’s military exports.
In 1974 ( 1353 AHS), the largest ever-foreign trade agreement was signed by the Iranian government and America for fifteen billion dollars. The items bought consisted of military equipment, food and consumer goods. Another part of the oil income was given out to West European industrialized countries in the form of loans; England was given one .2 million dollars and France one billion dollars. Ten months after the price of oil had gone up, Iran had given loans amounting to approximately ten billion dollars!
In spite of the increased oil income, there was a national deficit of 2.7 billion dollars in the year 1976 ( 1355 AHS) due to the granting of loans to Western countries, the overt and covert aid to Israel, and the embezzlement of millions of dollars of the national income by civil servants and military officials. This in turn forced the Iranian government to secure a loan of 4.5 billion dollars from multinational banks in 1977 (1356 AHS) at 12% interest! In fact, the government had no choice but to raise the production of oil.
In opposition to the Shah’s destructive plans, Imam Khomeini condemned the signing of an agreement between the American and Iranian military in a declaration published on March 12, 1975 (Esfand 21,1353 AHS) which he concluded by saying: “Today, with the granting of loans and the sale of arms, the nation is condemned to bankruptcy and held back from development. Through binding transactions, especially the recent 15 billion dollar contract with the American imperialists, the Shah has yet again dealt a destructive blow to the Iranian economy and has auctioned afresh the wealth and resources of the deprived Iranian nation.”
In 1974 (1358 AHS), the Shah, considering himself to be at the peak of his power, established the Rastakhiz Party of Iran, which converted several parties: Iran Novin, Mardom, Pan Iranist and Iranian, into a single party. Amir ‘Abbas Hoveyda (the Prime Minister of the time) was appointed head of the party, and in a press conference he announced that anyone who did not believe in the three principles of the Rastakhiz Party , i.e. monarchical government, the Constitution, and the Shah-People Revolution , and who did not want to join this party could apply for their passports and leave the country. Imam immediately reacted to the Shah’s actions and in his declaration of March 1 2, 1975 (Esfand 21,1353 AHS), he requested the Islamic maraji’ to boycott the Rastakhiz Party and to prevent the people’s rights from being violated.
In March 1975 (Esfand 1353 AHS), the problems between Iran and Iraq ended through the mediation of Houari Boumediene, the President of Algeria. The restoration of good relations between Iran and Iraq meant that further difficulties were created for Imam by the Iraqi government. The Shah too attempted to make Imam’s circumstances there even more difficult, and beneath some of the reports that he received from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad he wrote: “For the umpteenth time I have said that you must silence this voice!”
A few months later in June 1975 (Khurdad 1354 AHS), the clergy and religious students commemorated the twelfth anniversary of the bloody uprising of Khordad 15th (June 5). Police cruelly attacked this commemorative gathering, which was held at the Fayziya Madrasa, and many people were injured and arrested. Imam Khomeini issued a declaration on July 11, 1975 (Tir 20,1354 AHS) condemning the actions of the police on this day and congratulating the people on their liberating activities and thinking.
In 1977 (1355 AHS), Jimmy Carter of the Democratic Party was elected President of the United States and the Shah started pursuing the possibilities of compromise with the Democrats as he had previously done during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. It was the policy of the Democratic Party, according to former doctrines, to create a more open political climate in the countries under its domination in order to stave off public unrest. In Iran’s case, however, there were many differences. The discontent of the people, especially the lower classes, with the Shah’s regime had increased immensely, and global conditions were also different. In March 1977 (Esfand 1355 AHS) at The Hague, Amnesty International condemned the repression of the Shah’s regime and in May 1977 (Ordibihisht 1355 AHS), during the annual conference of CENTO, the American and British foreign ministers advised the Shah to rectify his dictatorship. At this time, there was a shift in the policies of the West in general towards Iran, Amir ‘Abbas Hoveyda was removed from his position as Prime Minister after having held that post for the past thirteen years and replaced by Jamshid Amuzegar, America’s old pawn.
In April that same year, William Sullivan, America’s ambassador to the Philippines, had been appointed by Carter as new ambassador to Iran ( 482) . In addition, in this month, the Freedom Council for the Defence of Human Rights had been formed in Iran. The participation of David Owen, the British Foreign Minister, and Cyrus Vance, the American Secretary of State, in the meetings of CENTO in Tehran the following month, revealed the strategic role of Iran as an American military base in the Persian Gulf. In America, Ardeshir Zahedi stated: “Iran alone is America’s largest market for goods in the region ( 483) ” and “Oil is like bread and water to Iran ( 484) .” These statements sum up, in the shortest way possible, the results of the Shah’s White Revolution and the land reform programmer fifteen years after their inception.
On May 19, 1977 (Ordibihisht 29,1356 AHS), Dr. Shari’ati died under suspicious circumstances in London. On this occasion, students in various cities held a number of demonstrations lasting several days, especially Tehran, in opposition to the regime. The anniversary of the Khordad 15 (June 5) uprising was commemorated at the theological centre in Qum, as it had been in previous years, and students at Tehran University held demonstrations on campus and at the Department of Economics.
In the same year and through the efforts of respected individuals such as Ayatullah Khamanaei and the martyrs Bihishti, Mutahari, and Bahonar, efforts which began in 1 975, the progressive clergy supporting Imam founded their own organization for the purpose of leading the opposition and pursuing Imam’s goals. The foundations of this organization were strengthened following Ayatullah Mutahari’s visit to Najaf, at the end of the year 1976 ( 1355 AHS), during which Imam stressed the importance of adopting effective methods in the struggle and the creation of organization and co-operation between the opposition forces ( 485) .
Imam Khomeini was the greatest luminary of the century. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, he attempted to enlighten the Islamic community to the facts using simple, straightforward language that was understandable by all. He considered neither whom he would offend nor whom he would please in his quest to make the truth known. At the theological centre in Najaf, Imam Khomeini was the acting leader of the politico-religious movement and carried out his responsibilities as marja’, teaching theology and discussing politics and religion with a fervour.
For more than half a century the theology centre of Najaf had remained cloistered safely in its silence, never overstepping the boundaries of subjects pertaining to worship. When a topic concerning government appeared in a history book it was dealt with as a historical event and would not motivate the readers to discuss present methods of government. But Imam Khomeini, with a complete understanding of his own Islamic responsibilities before God, became the founder of a new course of study which until then was unprecedented in the theological schools and which breathed new spirit into the life of everyone, especially the religious students.
In the present speech, which was delivered in a class on religious jurisprudence, Imam refers to the problems confronting the youth and emphasises the importance of their studies and of being disciplined and dividing their leisure and study time wisely. He then goes on to discuss the vital issues of the Muslims and says: “...Islam and the other divine religions do not envisage a government like other governments. Islamic government is not like other governments many of its laws are political and some are spiritual...” Elsewhere in his speech, Imam discusses the works of some writers and their erroneous understanding of Qur’anic verses, and reveals the eclectic ideas of some groups pretending to be Muslim and clainng to be militants.
In the year 1977 ( 1356 AHS), opposition to the Shah’s regime entered a new stage and the leadership of Imam Khomeini bore its first fruits. Some opportunist groups, after years of defeat, entered the battle and tried hard to gain power, their primary objective being to attract the youth and publish and distribute their literature, which was cloaked in Islamic terminology. Imam Khomeini was well aware of their hypocritical ideas and in this speech he warned against the dangers of certain notions and ideas and attacked the concept of separation of religion from politics, which was deeply rooted in the theological schools and amongst the high-level clergy, by saying: “.... They have not understood Islam has more rules pertaining to politics than it does to worship. The books relating to the political aspects of Islam are far greater in number than those concerned with worship.”
The so-called “art” festival in Shiraz and its obscene programmers, some of which took place even in the streets, met with widespread disapproval in 1 977. Even the strictly censored newspapers of that time objected. Imam Khomeini pointing this out stated: “You have not been informed about it, and it is difficult to speak of. Indecent acts have taken place in Shiraz and it is said that such acts will soon be shown in Tehran too, and nobody says a word. The gentlemen (clerics) in Iran do not say anything. I cannot understand why they do not speak out!”
A great portion of Imam’s speech deals with the books and publications which were published by Muslim intellectuals at this time and which attracted many admirers from the young and educated classes, both inside and outside the country. These included the many discourses of Dr. ‘Ali Shari’ ad whose works tended to divide the people into groups of supporters and opponents of his ideas. Careful study of the text of Imam’s speech regarding such works shows that Imam was able to offer constructive criticism, without naming any names, and this in turn reveals his desire not to create any kind of friction or division between the theological schools and the universities while at the same time carrying out his responsibilities.
In closing, Imam invites everyone to unite and rise up in opposition and promises victory.
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Yesterday, I discussed the issue of usurpation (qasb). After the discussion, one of the gentlemen pointed out that I had previously spoken on this issue and was repeating myself. This is not unusual for people such as myself, for as man ages all his faculties become weak, and just as physically he becomes frail, so too his mental and spiritual powers, his ability to worship, become impaired. All of these are strong in youth, and that is why I have told you gentlemen many times that now that you enjoy this blessing of youth make use of it and do not waste it. I am not saying that the young people should not have any kind of recreation, or that they should study all the time, what I mean is that they should divide their time between recreation and study and that most of their time should be spent on the latter.
You men, who are devoting your life to study . Now that you enjoy the blessing of youth, divide your time and spend the better part of it on debate, discussion, study, lessons and teaching. Do not suppose that you can squander your youth and put off worship and study until the end of your lives, for when one reaches that stage in one’s life, one can neither worship nor study, nor is one’s cogitative faculty strong or clear enough for one to be able to understand scientific matters. It is now in youth that you should strengthen your understanding of the fundamentals of science and religious jurisprudence so that when you reach old age and you have mastery over these, your knowledge will bear fruit and you will be able to utilise it. But if you squander your youth and waste this blessing, you will not be able to compensate for this later.
So you men should bear this point in mind that the period of old age is a period of forgetfulness, thus you see that I begin to discuss a matter, which I have already discussed. This is due to the weakness that comes to man in old age.
Another matter which I think is very important and which I feel should be given due attention is that man - this creature which is the essence of all creation - is himself a creature of multi dimensions possessing as he does different qualities. From one aspect, he is sinlar to vegetables; just as vegetables need water and the nutrients, they get from the earth to grow, so too man depends on the earth and the blessings of God the Blessed and Exalted for his growth. In addition, he has an animalistic aspect just like other animals; he has eyes, ears and so on, and other senses, which he shares with other animals. That which is more predominant in him - although it can be found to a lesser degree in animals too - is his ability to ideate ( 486) at which level other things are added to the animalistic qualities that he possesses. The human being is characterized by his reasoning, spirituality and the “immateriality of his rational soul ( 487) ” which other animals do not enjoy.
The Holy Quran, which is supreme amongst all other ideologies and books, was revealed to develop man, to turn a potential human being into an actuality. This was the reason behind the revelation of the other divine books also. The missions of all the prophets, regardless of the period, were to turn the human being into a true human being. All the sciences, the acts of worship, the religious learning and the rules for worship are all a means to turn a defective human being into a perfect human being. The Qur’an is a hook of human perfection which, when turned to, provides for every stage of man’s development. Islam and other divine religions do not envisage a government, which is like other governments; the government of Islam is not like other governments. The materialistic governments - whatever their leanings - are only concerned about preserving order in their own countries. If the government is a true practiser of justice, it will attempt to guarantee that oppression does not exist outside its own boundaries, and if the rulers are themselves just, they will not tyrannise others. But in principle such governments only
Guarantee order in their own countries and whatever happens within the home is of no concern to them so long as it poses no danger to the regime.
The people can drink wine, gamble, perpetrate all kinds of scandalous deeds within their homes and the government will not interfere. However, if they come out of their homes and start to riot, then the government will clamp down on them for then they are going against the order of things. Whether the government is just or unjust, it will not interfere in that which people do in their own homes, unless an oppressive act takes place in the home and somebody complains to the authorities, in which case the government may decide to do something about it. However, such is not the case with Islam and divine governments. They have rules for everyone wherever they are. Therefore, if someone wishes to carry out a vile and unlawful act in his own home, the Islamic government will have something to say about this. Although corruption within people’s homes will not he purposely sought out by the Islamic authorities, still, unlawful acts are forbidden and a ruling has been given that they should not he carried out. Those who perpetrate such acts are made punishable by the law, and if the government finds out about their actions then it has to follow its legal rulings and mete out the necessary punishment.
A government, which is based on the principles of Islam, or indeed those of other divine religions, involves itself with all aspects of man’s development, from the lowest level up to the highest to which he can ascend. It is not like those governments, which only concern themselves with the governing of a country, for Islam, in addition to having many rules pertaining to the politics of a country, also has spiritual laws. It deals with both the material and the spiritual. It has rules pertaining to man’s spiritual education, his spiritual development, and, at a more mundane level, which concerns man’s character; it has rules for his moral edification. Islam has moral teachings and it has rules, which govern his social relations, his relationship with himself, his wife, his children, his neighbours, his friends, his fellow compatriots, his co-religionists, and people of a different religion. Islam has rules for man, which extends from before his birth until after his death. It contains provisions relating to the prelinnaries of marriage and the form in which it should be contracted, and others relating to the development of the embryo in the womb until birth. It specifies how the child should be reared, it has rules for him at puberty, in his youth, in old age, when he dies and is laid in his grave and even after that, for this is not the end, and it is only the beginning. These rules pertain to all aspects of man’s life here, to his intellectual and moral education, but they do not end here, they are continued even when he enters the grave, when he is separated from this world ( 488) and reaches the realm of perfection and incorporeality. For the world of the tomb is itself the beginning of another life, it is the beginning of the spiritual life of the tomb, the spiritual life in the intermediate area between Heaven and Hell (barzakh), and then the spiritual life on a level even higher still. Islam and its laws which God the Blessed and Exalted has sent for man are not confined merely to this world or the next.
Throughout the ages, - there have been many groups of philosophers, gnostics, Sufis, Muslim scholastics and others who looked for the spiritual aspects of life and found them, each according to his own level of perception, and who then charged the so-called ordinary people with error for looking only at exoteric meanings. They considered anybody apart
From themselves as being “exoterics” and charged them with error. In their exegeses of the Qur’anic verses too they explained most, if not all, of the verses in mystical, philosophical and spiritual terms, and they ignored those aspects which referred to the worldly life and those teachings which are needed for this temporal life. Based on their own ideas, they sought meanings, which were above the understanding of the so-called ordinary people, and, in addition, they saw themselves as being endowed with a special knowledge and rejected all others apart from themselves.
At the same time, another group of people existed who busied themselves with matters of jurisprudence and worship, they rejected the first group and regarded their ideas as erroneous, denouncing them as heretics or unbelievers, amongst other things. However, both these two groups were unrealistic, one confined Islam to the branches and secondary aspects (furu’) of the laws and the other to spiritual laws. One group believed Islam to be concerned only with the supernatural and the other believed that Islam was all about the laws of nature and jurisprudence, that everything else was irrelevant.
Recently another situation has arisen whereby some good, pious people, writers who work for the people just as the religious jurisprudents (fuqaha), the scholastics and philosophers do, wish also to serve Islam. They too, based on their own individual understanding of the subject, wish to explain the laws of Islam to the people and expound on them. Now this new group of writers, who write very well, are doing the opposite to that which the philosophers and gnostics did, they are now trying to make the verses of the Quran conform to their own materialist notions. The philosophers and gnostics believed that Islam had come to instruct man in monotheism and other divine and theoretical matters and that anything else was merely an introduction to these. They said that one should ignore these other matters and concentrate only on the divine aspects of Islam ( 489) . Because of these ideas, some of them, not all of them of course, paid any attention to religious jurisprudence or to the jurisprudents, the traditions. The literary meaning of the Quran and many of the Qur’anic laws . They did not reject them; they simply ignored them, which is the same as rejecting them. When one has nothing to do with these things, when one is indifferent and rejects those who believe in these matters calling them “exoterics” this means that one has not accepted these things and “we believe in some of God’s prophets but reject others ( 490) .
Materialism has now gained predominance across the globe creating a garish, gaudy world and the proponents of this ideology have also increased greatly in number. Recently, a group of people has appeared who say that the reason for all Islamic laws is nothing more than to create a just society and do away with classes. They claim that the monotheism (tauhid) of which Islam speaks means that all peoples should live equally, as one, as a single unity, and that Islam’s justice seeks to create a just and egalitarian society. In other words, Islam seeks to create an egalitarian but animalistic life whereby everyone eats the same grass, everyone lives together as equals and no one has anything to do with anybody else, everyone eats from the same trough. As for all the verses, which have been revealed about the Day of Resurrection and about monotheism (tauhid”), and all those proofs which have been given for the existence of another life, these are all ignored by those who are religious but who espouse certain principles of materialism. They close their eyes to such verses and concentrate on other verses, whilst those people who espouse such views and are not so religious simply explain such verses away.
During my youth, I met a few religious students who said that they had discovered something new and that was that the Day of Judgement took place here, in this life, that whatever was to happen, happened here, the punishment was meted out here and everything ended here. Of course, in those days, there were people who had deviated from that which are right, but such ideas were not very common. They believed in an animalistic life, which ended with death. They did not actually say that they did not accept the Day of Judgement or the verses in the Quran, which pertain to it, hut they believed the Day of Judgement to be a thing of this life and the verses referring to it to mean something, which would happen here.
This group, which has appeared, now is a group of people who are religious and who attract many followers, hut they are in error. In their books and writings, in the articles that they have written in magazines and the suchlike, they say that Islam came to develop the human being, hut they maintain that it aims only to create a classless human being. In other words, Islam did not come to develop man spiritually and take him from his animalistic stage to a higher one, but only to make him classless, to make all men live equally under one governing system which pays everybody equally and which in return is to be served by everyone, it is as if they ignore all the proofs which are found in all religions, and, as far as they can, they interpret the verses of the Qur’an according to their own beliefs ; those that they cannot explain in this way they just ignore completely, they simply forget about them. The other group (the philosophers and mystics) does likewise, they speak of those verses, which they can relate to the spiritualism, and mysticism that they understand, hut they too ignore the rest. Look at how those who believe in these matters have interpreted the story of Moses and Khazir ( 491) . God only knows where they got their ideas.
When man reaches this stage whereupon his whole attention is focused on the unseen and he completely ignores those teachings which are for this earthly life, when he reads into things that which is not there, as in the case of the story of Khazir and Moses , when he sees only the spiritual aspects and nothing else, then his heart becomes totally engrossed in spiritual matters and he does not concern himself with the fact that worldly affairs and the teachings for this temporal life form one aspect of the religion, just as prayer and worship are another. He interprets everything to suit his own particular point of view, and those things, which oppose his viewpoint he does not try to understand at all.
On the other hand, when he understands nothing other than this material world, then his ability to perceive is defective; he cannot understand how anything can exist beyond this. These people are not concerned about “proof,” one cannot demonstrate something to them with proofs, they are people of “exposition” and they want to present an eloquent exposition. They can perceive nothing beyond this world and so they either explain the verses in accordance with their own beliefs in a bestial, worldly life, a classless prosperous life where, if possible , everyone lives as equals, or else they do not accept those verses which pertain to spiritual matters - of course they haven’t the nerve to say they do not accept them - and if they do accept them, the degree of their acceptance is very weak. They have a strong belief in their hearts about this life but they cannot properly perceive the existence of the unseen, their hearts are defective and their belief weak in this regard. ( 492)
It must be stated that Islam was unknown at the beginning and even now it is unknown ( 493) . Throughout Islamic history, Islam has remained unknown among men. The mystic recognizes Islam to be concerned only with mysticism and the unseen, whereas that group of people who are found today who write in newspapers and magazines, they understand Islam in terms of what its form of government is, what its teachings, manifestations and justice comprise of. They understand it only in terms of this material, natural world, and they believe it to go no further than this. Islam then for them does not go beyond the bounds of creating a prosperous, animalistic life whereby man lives like other animals which graze on the mountainside eating grass equally and having nothing to do with one another , a life like that at the time of primeval man when, according to them, the fish of the seas, the deers and other animals hunted in the wilderness were equally at the disposal of everyone. They claim that this was the best period of man’s history and Islam seeks to re-create this period. In their view, Islam and the other divine religions came to return the people to that time when life was a prosperous, animalistic life.
At that time, they lived off the fish from the sea, and now they live off chicken and fish! All that matters is that man has a prosperous life, that he eats the right food and wears the right clothes. These people have nothing other than knowledge of God; they cannot understand anything apart from this world, this natural realm. They cannot perceive anything beyond this. The existence of another world and what kind of a world it is lie beyond the scope of their perception. So, what are they to do when they do not have this perception?
Consequently, such groups do not have the right to tell you gentlemen who are busy with your studies here, who really understands Islam and knows what Islam is, nor do they have the right to say that the bearded and turbaned men are good for nothing and these lessons are of no use anymore. Those who do not understand Islam properly say such things. Likewise, you too do not have the right to impose your ideas of the divine sciences on them, and if you do, you will be no different from them. Neither group has the right to do anything like this. You cannot condemn them for saying that there should be no oppression and that justice should prevail, for this is true, Islam calls for this too, but it is not confined to this.
Islam aims to develop a human being who is a seeker and protector of justice, who has high morals and divine knowledge so that when he leaves this world he will enter the next as a true human being. The understanding of those who see only one side of the coin and are blind to the other is incomplete: “Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath and who go not astray ( 494) .” There is a tradition, I’m not sure whether it is correct or not, hut they say that according to the exegetists of the Qur’an, those who have brought about the wrath of God consist of the Jews, and those who go astray consist of the Christians. In another tradition it is said - and again I cannot say whether this is truly a saying of the Prophet or not, I am simply repeating what I have heard - that the Prophet said:
“My brother Moses was blind in his right eye and my brother Jesus was blind in his left, but I have sight in both my eyes ( 495) .” Those who wish to expound on this say that Moses was blind in his right eye because his teachings as laid out in the Torah concentrate mainly on the material world and political and worldly affairs - and as you see the Jews have grasped the world with both hands and are devouring it with an insatiable appetite, they are devouring America and have now turned their attention to Iran and still they are not satisfied - and Jesus was blind in his left eye, which represents the realm of nature, because his book (the Bible) pays more attention to spiritual matters . “But I have sight in both my eyes.’ The Prophet of Islam, however, paid attention to both aspects, both the material and the spiritual. The rules of Islam testify to this, as do its policies. Of course, in the opinion of many of the educated class, and especially many of the religious scholars, Islam has nothing to do with politics. They believe Islam and politics to be issues separate from one another. This is what the governments would like us to think; this is the idea that the foreigners have instilled in us from the beginning. Many promote the notion that the akhunds should have nothing to do with political matters. When they want to defame an akhund they say: “This is a political akhund!” They say that Islam is separate from politics, that religion is separate from politics, but these people haven’t understood Islam.
The government of Islam was formed at the time of the Prophet and was continued after him, whether in a just or unjust manner. At the time of Imam ‘ Ali (pbuh), however, the government was a just, Islamic one. It had policies for everything. Just what is politics? Politics is the formation of policies dealing with the relationship between a ruler or government and the people or other governments, and with the prevention of corruption in society. In Islam, all these policies exist. In fact, Islam has more rules pertaining to politics than it does to worship. The hooks relating to the political aspects of Islam by far outnumber those concerned with worship. This mistaken notion has been put into our minds so that now some of the
Gentlemen (the clergymen) believe that Islam has nothing to do with politics, that it consists of a few ordinances concerning worship which is it a personal matter between God and man. You can go to your mosques and pray as much as you like, read the Qur’an to your hearts content, and the governments will leave you alone. However, this is not Islam. Islam stands up to the oppressor; it orders the people to do battle with the taghut (oppressor), with the unbelievers who reject divine guidance, and with those who rebel against God. So, with all these rules for battle, for jihad and so on, is Islam so far removed from politics? Does Islam mean nothing other than going to the mosques, praying and reading the Qur’an? Islam is not only this. Islam has political laws, which must be implemented.
At this stage then one may ask that if this is the case and Islam is concerned with political affairs, then what is the point in going to the mosque? What’s the use of performing the ritual prayer (namaz)? This view is a mistaken one also. Islam is concerned with prayer, Islam is based on prayer ( 496) . Islam is not concerned only with this worldly life, with an animalistic life whereby one questions the need for prayer once one’s life is put right. If one denies the existence of anything other than this worldly life, then he is right to question the reason behind prayer, for it no longer matters. If one is only aware to this extent, then everything ends once social justice has been created amongst men and the world has been set right. But when there is another world, when proof exists, when all religions assert the existence of a world beyond this corporeal one, then just as this material world should be reformed with its own tools and social justice should be spread amongst the people by a just government, so too the tools which exist for the other world should be put to use . For according to the proof and according to all religions, there is another world apart from this one, there is eternal life after death, and the prophets have brought the tools for that life. Supplicatory prayer, invocation of God (dhikr), the Qur’an and the ritual prayer (namaz) are all tools for the other life. The rules for worship are tools for the afterlife, the divine sciences likewise. These are to help man in his life in the next world, to luminate his life there. Therefore, those whose predilections tend towards the material aspects of this natural realm should not charge those who incline towards mysticism with error. To find fault with them is a mistake and is adopting a narrow-minded attitude.
Likewise, the mystics and philosophers also do not have the right to charge with error those who say that we should struggle against tyranny and oppression and establish social justice. Do not say that your only duty is to sit down and study. No, it is the duty of all Muslims to fight oppression and seek learning. If everyone were to observe this duty, then no government could tyrannise its people or another government. Tyranny occurs when the people do not support their government, when they follow one path and the government another. This happens when the government has not treated the people in a way so as to secure their support, when those in authority have turned the people against them. Just look at the situation in my own country. The regime there has created such a gulf between it and the people that if, God willing, it be brought down, the people will light up the streets in celebration. Why should this be so? If someone such as Imam ‘Ali were overthrown, would the people act the same way? No, but the regime in Iran is now greatly out of touch with the people, it is not concerned about the people, it has nothing to do with the people apart from oppressing, tyrannising and spreading corruption amongst them. You do not know what kind of obscenities have been started in Iran recently. You have not been informed about it, and it is difficult to speak of. Indecent acts have taken place in Shiraz ( 497) and it is said that such acts will soon be shown in Tehran too, and nobody says ay word. The gentlemen (clerics) in Iran do not say anything. I cannot understand why they do not speak out! All this corruption is taking place and I do not know if it will end with this or not. They put on show which included the sex act itself, the actual act itself was shown in front of a live audience and nobody breathed a word. What are they waiting for? “When and where are they going to speak out, to object?
Interestingly enough, all the organizations which arrange such events, including the government itself, do everything with d Shah’s) permission. Nothing can be done without his approval; such lewd acts cannot be shown without his permission. He arranges for such things to be shown and then orders the newspapers to condemn them as shameless acts so that the people themselves will not take any action, that if passions are inflamed they will be tempered by this press criticism in God forbid, in the not too distant future such shows will take place in Tehran too. Yet nobody objects, no akhund, no politician, no doctor, Engineer.
They should voice their opposition, if all the people ‘ together, if they all stood up for the Islamic laws and spoke out then such events would never occur. They take place now because of our and our weakness, which is played upon by others. They call you (the clergy) a group of weak and hopeless people, whereas in fact you are powerful, you command the support of the nation. The nation is and the Muslim nation is devoted to Islam and to the clergymen of Islam .the clerics must in turn serve the nation, and if they do not then he people will no longer give them their support.
Nevertheless, Islam is concerned with all of these matters. The comprises of both material and spiritual aspects, and deals with both the unseen and the manifest. For man is a multi-dimensional being an God Qur’an is a book designed to produce true human beings, the boot’ of God was revealed to bring the true human nature of man forth man potentiality into an actuality, and as it corrects society, so too it to a higher stage of human perfection.
Therefore, these groups should not oppose one another. The Spiritual what material are both separate matters. If you are unable to comprehend not flqh is then why do you belittle it so, when in reality you simply understand it. Likewise philosophy, if you do not understand philosophy and transcendental philosophy then why do you belittle the philosophers so when you simply do not understand what they are saying? Simply because one does not understand what a certain group is saying and what it is ainng at does not give one the right to oppose it. All groups should join hands and unite. Islam’s jurisprudents (fuqaha) with its engineers, its doctors, its university and school students, should all join hands together so that they can achieve something, so they can escape from these pressures which are being exerted upon them more and more with each passing day. But they do not unite, and I can’t understand why! They have begun to a certain extent in Iran now. An opportunity has presented itself and the people have taken it and we hope, God willing, that more opportunities present themselves in the future. May God the Blessed and Exalted grant you all success? May He assist Islam, the ‘ularna of Islam, the students and all Muslims.