Statements to the People of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Isfahan, Yazd, and Fuman

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

First, I sincerely thank all of you brothers and sisters who have come from various parts of the country and distant paths—whether from the valiant and devoted tribal province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari or from the cities of Isfahan, Yazd, and Fuman—and also the young and passionate Pakistani brothers. God willing, may God bestow His goodness, mercy, and grace upon all of you and include us in His guidance and mercy.

These days, in commemoration of the martyrdom of two prominent figures of the Islamic Republic system eight years ago, are memorable days. One issue is the tragedy itself and the bitter incident and its analysis: what happened on the eighth of Shahrivar in the year sixty, how this great calamity occurred, who committed this crime, and what enmity they had with these two faithful and devoted figures? Of course, over these eight years, everyone has spoken about this, and you, the people, know very well those criminal hands and ugly, dark faces that have been cursed by the people.

Curse means to be expelled and deprived of love and affection. When we say the curse of God, the angels, and the people upon a certain infidel or hypocrite, it means that the infidel or hypocrite is expelled from the presence and mercy of God, the support and prayers of the angels, and the love of the people. People expel vile and ugly faces, and thus you saw that after the incident of the seventh of Tir in the year sixty and the incident of the eighth of Shahrivar of the same year, the hypocrites were expelled and cursed. Each of God's righteous and faithful servants in this land and people from other parts of the world who were properly informed of these events cursed them and sent curses upon them, completely expelling them from their realm of love and feelings.

Of course, I should also mention here that people should never remove the hatred of devils and devil-like individuals from their hearts. Do not say that now it is over and done with, and what is the need to remember it? No, our religion is this: "Is religion anything but love and hatred?" Religion consists of love and hatred: on one side, love for the good and the good people and the oppressed and those who have been wronged by devils, and on the other side, hatred and enmity towards devils and vile creatures and vileness and those for whom humanity and God are meaningless. This is also part of religion. Tawalla and Tabarra are part of the branches of religion and, according to some scholars, part of the principles of religion. Do not forget the ugliness of the enemies of God and creation. If you forget, the same enemy will change its face and approach. When the enemy approaches, it approaches to strike. The enemy does not approach to caress.

When you see that sometimes our enemies—whether known enemies, like the arrogant powers of the world and the bullies of the time, or unknown enemies whose danger is greater—show a good face and approach in a deceptive manner like a beautifully patterned snake, expressing affection and saying let's shake hands, know that this is a hostile attack. Be alert. The hatred of the enemy should not leave your heart.

When we say enemy, we do not mean an enemy who is hostile for a penny or a trivial worldly matter—these are not enemies—or an enemy due to a difference in taste or opinion—these are imaginations—or an enemy for worldly and material matters—which is forbidden and expelled. The enemy is that devil and devil-like being who opposes goodness, virtues, righteous servants, and the God of righteousness. This is the main enemy.

The hatred of this enemy should not leave your heart. If you feel that the hatred and enmity towards this enemy have diminished in your heart, this is a personal danger sign for you; you should feel as if your level of faith is declining. Just like the love for God's servants, which should grow stronger and more rooted in your heart day by day. If you do not harbor hatred and enmity towards the devil, he will come and block your path to God. This is something that cannot be compensated for. Therefore, regarding the essence and analysis of the incident and those dark-faced individuals who initiated this incident, all people, young and old, should harbor hatred and enmity and recommend it to one another.

This incident also had another aspect. The other aspect was the strength and power of our nation's faith, which overshadowed the magnitude of the incident. This was something very significant, and our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified)—that man who spoke with the language of the prophets and took inspiration from the hearts of the prophets and saw the truths with their eyes—emphasized this point.

Usually, if the president or prime minister or a minister of a country is successfully attacked by the enemy, it is considered a blow to that country and shakes it and creates some instability; but in our country, this incident occurred, and the president and prime minister burned together in the fire of the hatred and enmity of the vile, dark-faced enemies, and not only did it not create weakness among the people; rather, it made them stronger and more determined. This is the main point.

Because the people's faith was strong, they were not shaken, and because they were not shaken and did not become weak, they did not stop and were able to continue the path, and because they continued the path and did not stop, the enemy remained outside the gates. The enemy was waiting for the people to become weak and lethargic and then enter. When it saw that this was not the case and the people continued the struggle, movement, war, and construction with strength, it was bewildered and felt defeated.

Dear brothers and sisters, brave and valiant youth, families of martyrs, the disabled, prisoners, and missing persons, respected clergy, and thinkers and those with responsibility and various sectors! As long as this nation has that sense of power, it will overcome all obstacles and problems and will be victorious. Know that you are strong. The enemy, with its whispers, should not shake the hearts of the average and weak individuals. The enemy is weak, not us. The proof is what you observe.

If you, the nation, were not strong after the heartbreaking and tragic passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)—which was a very great event—your knees would have trembled, and you would have been unable to continue the path; but you saw that your knees did not tremble. This is a sign of the vitality of our nation, which used the event of the passing of the Imam—which the whole world thought would weaken the people—to become stronger. This shows the life of a nation. A living nation is like this. It means that from something that the whole world thinks is a means of its weakness, it creates a means of its strength.

After the passing of the Imam, the world's judgment about you, the people, became more praiseworthy, and they realized that this nation is a strong nation. Your strength is due to your faith and unity; because you believe in God and have unity of word. Preserve this unity of word and strengthen this faith in yourselves day by day. This is the secret to solving all problems. If faith in God and yourselves and the officials and also faith in success and the goal becomes stronger in your hearts day by day, and you preserve this unity of word that, thanks be to God, you have, and do not let the enemy disrupt it; all problems—whether the problems that our people are currently paying attention to (such as shortages and high prices) or the problems that they are not paying attention to or are paying less attention to (such as moral and cultural problems and illiteracy and ...)—will be resolved.

You observed that, thanks be to God, with your will, a strong, lively, and efficient government was formed. Of course, here too, foreign radios and the enemy's hands engaged in much mischief to perhaps prevent the formation of this government and, with their propaganda and mischief, cause some members of this government not to receive votes from the parliament and for the government to emerge incomplete. The enemy has strange methods and tricks in its propaganda. One must be very vigilant so that no one is deceived by this propaganda. Fortunately, your representatives in the Islamic Consultative Assembly exercised this vigilance and, with growth and vigilance, gave a vote of confidence to this government completely and without allowing even one ministry to remain without a minister for a day, and sent the ministers on their missions.

Now, we have a strong and good government, under the leadership of a beloved, well-known personality trusted and relied upon by the Imam and accepted by the people. Thanks be to God, our revolution and nation have known him for many years and trust him. Our nation has shown this trust.

If you maintain your faith in the broad manner I have described—which, of course, you will—and preserve the unity of word—which, of course, you will—and, God willing, continue to support these sincere and efficient officials, a very bright and promising future lies ahead of us, and know that the enemies—America and the rest of the arrogant powers and bullies—can do nothing against such a nation and officials.

God willing, may God grant all of you brothers and sisters success and include you in His grace and mercy. I ask that when, God willing, you return safely to your city, convey my greetings to our good Muslim brothers and sisters in those regions. I hope God will continually increase His support for you, the dear and heroic nation.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings