Speech to a Large Gathering of Workers and Teachers from Across the Country on the Occasion of International Workers' Day and Teachers' Day

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

First, I extend a warm welcome to all dear brothers and sisters, workers, teachers, students, and officials, and I ask the Almighty for blessings and grace for all of you dear ones, who are the hearts, arms, hands, and minds of the Islamic society.

Today and tomorrow are among the important, instructive, and meaningful days in our dear Islamic Republic system, related to workers and teachers—two very influential and, of course, hardworking and esteemed groups. It is necessary to honor the ever-living martyr of our revolution, Ayatollah Martyr Motahhari, whom Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) described as the fruit of his blessed life, and to say that Martyr Motahhari (may God's mercy be upon him) was a flowing and bubbling spring. If we are saddened by his martyrdom—while martyrdom is a precious garment that the Almighty God bestows upon His chosen ones, and that great man ascended to high and spiritual ranks that everyone aspires to—the reason is that this spring could have offered new blessings to the Islamic world. Every hour and day of the blessed life of such a great martyr is beneficial for the Islamic community and every Muslim individual, and a good deed for him.

Of course, the works of that great man, like his memory, are alive. The books of Martyr Motahhari are not subject to death or completion. Let no one think that since the revolution until now, when we have been continuously printing and publishing Martyr Motahhari's books, it is repetitive. No, in the truth of speech and wisdom, there is no repetition. Our society, the young generation, and our cultural and scientific community still need to know the same matters that that great man expressed through his words and pen and offered to the Islamic community.

Yes, it would be better if we had other Motahharis, minds, tongues, and pens as fruitful as Motahhari's—which, God willing, we hope to have—but what does not become outdated are the knowledge and truths that our society still needs to know, repeat, and memorize, and that is the content of Martyr Motahhari's books. Let not the whispers of the malicious and the murmurs of the enemies—who opposed Martyr Motahhari's thoughts and therefore took him from us—cause the books of that great man to fall out of circulation; which, of course, they will not. The eager hearts and minds will not allow these deep and ancient matters to be removed from the hands and minds of society.

And now regarding teachers and workers. With one view, we see both groups in the same way, on the scene and in service. The characteristic of these two groups is that their existence and life are among the main pillars of the revolution. If you see that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) took a worker's hand in his blessed hand, touched it, then lowered his head and brought the worker's hand to his blessed lips and kissed it; or if you see that the Commander of the Faithful and the Master of the Pious and the greatest heart and tongue connected to divine revelation after the Prophet, says, 'Whoever teaches me a letter has made me his servant'—whoever teaches me something and instructs me has made me his servant—this action from the Prophet and this statement from the Commander of the Faithful are not without reason; they did not want to flatter anyone. This action and this statement, like all their actions and statements, are lessons for us; both for the worker himself, for the teacher himself, and for the rest of the people, so that the worker and the teacher know that they are among the foundational stones of this structure; they should recognize their worth and understand how influential their existence is in the fate of a nation.

Today, if the Iranian worker works with all his being, with work conscience, with a sense of responsibility, with initiative and creativity, and with the feeling that he is performing a good deed—which he does—and offers the result to his nation, we will achieve the goal we announced from the beginning—that is, the goal of 'neither East nor West,' which means independence from the powers; otherwise, it will not happen.

So see, a great slogan of the revolution, that is, the independence of the nation and the country—which our enemies in the world oppose—is dependent on the existence of the worker and the effort and toil of this hardworking group and the good feeling in them. The worker must feel that 'Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times its like' (An'am: 160). That is, whoever performs a good deed, the Almighty God will reward him tenfold. This work is that good deed. Or the teacher should feel that if we said the Iranian Muslim must stand on his own feet, it means breaking the chains of servitude that were placed around his neck, hands, and feet over two or three centuries, and eliminating the false colonial culture that said, 'The Iranian cannot work.'

The day they wanted to nationalize oil in this country, one of the Pahlavi officials said, 'The Iranian cannot make a simple pot, how can he manage oil?'! This is the same culture that the colonialists instilled and imposed on the Muslim and colonized nations and our nation, saying that you are incapable; we must make your industry, we must reform your agriculture, we must plan for your schools, and we must run your government!

The humiliation that the Pahlavi family (may God's curse be upon them) and the Qajar family (may God's curse be upon them) brought upon this country and imposed on this nation set us back a hundred years. If we want this humiliation to be lifted and the brilliant Iranian talent to be placed at the service of Iran's and Islam's interests and benefits, is it possible without training efficient human resources? Who will do this training? Who will carve and polish this seemingly dull stone or this seemingly tarnished metal to turn it into a sharp blade that can perform all tasks? The teacher. This is the role of the teacher.

Anyone working in the Islamic Republic—in the broad sense of work: cultural work, economic work, and proper and beneficial service work—must know that they are performing a good deed and working for God, so their life has not been wasted in vain. If you work one day, you have stored one day in the divine register, you have benefited the nation for one day, and you have helped the evolutionary progress of society for one day. This is the culture of Islam; not what, unfortunately, in some of our artistic programs and radio and television, one sees that someone feels after thirty years of work that their work has been wasted and their life has been wasted! This culture is not Islamic and Quranic.

If you worked correctly for thirty years, you have advanced this society for thirty years and stored it with God for thirty years. If you worked correctly, you have advanced yourself for thirty years. This is Quranic and Islamic culture. This same culture must also be reflected in our art. These concepts must be reflected in our plays, films, cinema, television, and radio.

I do not know when our official artistic apparatus will become familiar with the depths of Islamic thought. They write, wrong! They perform, wrong! They speak in artistic forms, wrong! Why?! The logic of Islam is not like this. Islam says, you worker who works well and with conscience and with good intention, you teacher who teaches with a sense of responsibility, you employee who works for the advancement of society and solving its problems, each hour of your work is a store and a good deed before the Lord; each hour of your work advances this nation by one hour. A person does not feel tired and weary from such work.

Teachers, factory and farm workers, craftsmen, researchers, employees of executive bodies, defenders of the country's security, and anyone engaged in such work anywhere in this Islamic country must know that they are in a state of worship. The important point is that when a traveler descends at a way station to pass a stage, if he feels that his work is finished, this traveler is stranded on the road; keep this in mind.

This Islamic society is moving towards a goal. This goal and this path are stage by stage. We have passed several stages so far. The stage of fighting the internal factors of global arrogance passed well and safely; but the work is not finished. This was a way station; we passed it. One stage was to put the provoked aggression of the imposed war, which lasted eight years and the whole world stood behind it to perhaps defeat the revolution, in its place. This stage also passed with victory and pride. We have passed this stage too, but we should not feel that the work is finished; the work is not finished. One stage was to be presented in the public opinion of the world as a fighting nation, an honest nation, an oppressed nation, and a nation with high goals; this stage also passed and the world became familiar. These are stages and way stations.

That caravan leader of the path, that insightful and perceptive enemy-knowing path-knowing Imam of great stature and dignity, led us through these stages one by one, with precision and delicacy. You dear nation, you walked the path well and did not feel tired. We have progressed one after another, in various issues, in internal constructions, in the political and cultural growth of the people, in the advancement of Islamic rulings, thanks be to God, and you have progressed.

That some sit and chatter and, like those who have just woken up, do not know what has happened in this country, bring up all the troubles and miseries of the royal regime and think that this nation is the same nation, is a regrettable mistake that some unfortunately have. They speak as if this nation is a dead nation. As if this nation is not the same nation that defeated America and the Soviet Union and NATO and all the reactionaries who stood behind Saddam. As if this nation is not the nation where in the depths of its villages and corners, men and women, old and young, know political, cultural, and revolutionary concepts as the clearest issues of their lives. Our nation is a living, capable, believing, and self-reliant nation. Our nation is not the nation of the time of colonial rule and colonial mercenaries, where there was no hope for it.

They sit and portray the atmosphere as dark and speak as if everything is over! Everything has begun; meanwhile, the path is halfway. This is the fundamental point. Do not think that these successes we have had are all our goals; no, much work must be done in this country; much sincere and caring effort and initiative must be made in this Islamic land. Our enemies are still lying in wait for when this nation will tire of Islam, to attack it; when this nation will lose its faith, to start attacking it from all sides.

The enemies of Islam have not rested. This nation and the Imam of this nation have repeatedly struck America and other world bullies in the mouth; but they are not hopeless. When they see that they cannot separate this nation from its faith, from its Islam, from its revolution and Imam, and take its slogans from it—in fact, this action is impossible—they reflect in the world that the government leaned towards the West! This is to weaken the spirit of the world's nations. This is to make the Muslims who, in the farthest corners of the world, have their eyes on you, the brave and great nation, disheartened and hopeless. They say, oh! So Iran became like this too. They try to make the hope of the world's Muslims disappear; but they have made a mistake.

America is completely hostile to the Iranian nation and the goals of this nation; we know this. This nation has made its decisive statement about Palestine; therefore, America is aggrieved by it. This nation has made its statement about America's oppressive domination and stood firm; therefore, America and global arrogance are severely upset by this stance. This nation has proven its ultimate and strong adherence to Islam and the Quran. America and all the enemies of Islam are severely wounded by this approach; hence, they are campaigning and striving against us.

They oppose any place where the flag of Islam is raised. Look at Iraq now; see these oppressed Shias of southern Iraq. Of course, our Kurdish brothers in northern Iraq are oppressed, defeated, and subdued. We must help them, we consider it our duty, we have helped so far, and we will continue to do so; there is no debate about this. In the world, there is only propaganda and talk; there is no action in it. Despite all this propaganda, the amount of help that has been provided by the world so far is not even one-hundredth of what they need! The Iranian nation and government have rolled up their sleeves manfully and are helping them; they will continue to do so, it is an Islamic duty, not for anyone's sake; but compare this propaganda with what exists regarding the oppressed Muslim people of southern Iraq. Why? What is the reason? Are not the Shias of Basra, Najaf, Amarah, Nasiriyah, Samawah, and Karbala oppressed? Have they not been under pressure? Did Saddam not commit unprecedented oppression against those people worse than Hajjaj ibn Yusuf? Did he not imprison and pressure the religious authority of these people? Did he not destroy the holy shrines? Did he not inflict so many wounds and blows on the beliefs and emotions of this nation? Why is there no voice from the world? Why is no one remembering them? Why is there no attention to the scientific community of Najaf, the religious authorities, scholars, and the holy shrines of the Commander of the Faithful and Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon them)—which are the hope and beloved of the hearts of tens of millions of Muslims? Why is there no mention of all these atrocities committed by Saddam and the Saddamites—these godless executioners—in the global media? One person just says two words and it ends! Why? Because they know that here the flag of Islam, the flag of the clergy, and the flag of religion have been raised.

They are opposed to religion. Know that if the Almighty God—God forbid and we seek refuge in God—gave the Pahlavi executioner—poor, miserable Mohammad Reza—a hundred more opportunities to create events like the seventeenth of Shahrivar and the fifteenth of Khordad and kill thousands upon thousands of these people, not a single serious word would be issued against him from this America and these false human rights organizations; they would do nothing! They have no opposition to the massacre of people who have risen and moved for religious goals; they are also encouraging such massacres! Why is this? Because of their deep enmity with religion and especially with Islam. Why? Because Islam is in the service of the oppressed masses; because Islam opposes bullying; because Islam opposes the domination of America and the likes of America; because Islam supports the independence of oppressed nations.

The Iranian nation must learn two lessons from past successes:

The first lesson is that these successes will be achieved through resistance, not through submission. Anyone who submits to the superpowers becomes humiliated. If they were humiliated, they will be made more humiliated; if they were honorable, they will be brought to humiliation! You see what humiliation the dictator of Iraq has in front of America! He accepted humiliation, but he is like that in front of his people. The Arabs have a saying: 'A lion against me and an ostrich in wars.' When it comes to his people, he is a lion; when it comes to America, he is a mouse!

Imam (may God's mercy be upon him) once said that whenever Iraq was defeated in the war, and whenever these commanders of Qadisiyyah received a slap from our Basijis and warriors, Saddam immediately gave them a medal and a badge! Whenever he gave them a medal, it meant they were defeated! Now they have announced that the Iraqi government has given Saddam a medal! A medal for what? A medal of humiliation in front of America, a medal of being a fox in front of the aggressors against Iraq, and a medal of bloodshed against the oppressed people of this country! The world is watching. Sometimes they say something out of leisure; they are not thinking about the people. So, the first lesson is that we must stand against arrogance. With resistance—not with submission—you will achieve everything; just as you have achieved until today.

The second lesson is that the path is halfway; work must be done. Teachers must work well with care, with sincerity, with the feeling that the country and the nation and this revolution need each hour of their teaching, and teach with this spirit and conscience. Workers must work with work conscience, with a sense of responsibility, with the use of creativity and initiative, with the awareness that every hammer blow of theirs, every tightening of a bolt and nut, every clean and good work of theirs, is a blow to the body of arrogance and a service to the revolution and Iran.

We hope that the Almighty God grants you dear brothers and sisters and all the Iranian nation and all the officials of this country and this hardworking, popular, dear government the success to, God willing, be able to advance this nation towards its high goals day by day. May God always keep the attention and grace of the Guardian of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) continuous and enduring for this nation and make the pure soul of our dear Imam pleased and satisfied with us.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings