Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with a Large Group of Freed Prisoners

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

I am very pleased that on this great commemoration, we have had the opportunity to be in the service of you dear ones, the faces who have endured hardships and trials of the revolution. I thank all of you dear ones, especially the sincere brothers who traveled a long way on foot to Tehran. We ask Almighty God to place your reward in all your movements and actions with His sacred essence.

There was a time when the mention of our dear freed prisoners and hostages in the hands of the enemy—meaning you—would cover the heart with the dust of sorrow and grief. A despairing atmosphere prevailed over the hearts. Truly, one did not know what the fate of these dear ones, these pure and immaculate youths, these self-sacrificing warriors of the battlefield, would be in the hands of that cruel and inhumane regime, and where it would lead. I do not forget during the months of Ramadan, when we recited this noble supplication: 'O God, free every captive,' my heart was attacked by various sorrows. The sorrow of the captives, the sorrow of fathers and mothers and wives and children, the sorrow of those moments we did not know in detail but knew how bitter they were, squeezed our hearts, and from the depths of our hearts, we offered this supplication, and our only hope was in the miraculous power of the sacred essence of God, exalted be His greatness. Otherwise, ordinary means showed the course of events differently. That the pure-hearted and self-sacrificing captives of the Iranian nation, numbering in the tens of thousands, without words or excuses, in a short time, initiated by the enemy and with his start, would set out and come into the country, was among the dreams that seemed to us possible only with the exceptional power of God. Otherwise, everything is subject to the power of God. Our breaths come and go with divine power. This could only be secured with an exceptional display of power and nothing else.

We often thought that even if the war ended one day, this capricious, ill-tempered, cruel regime would take years to return fifty thousand, sixty thousand of our young warriors to us. As you see today, a number of our captives, most likely, remain. Of course, we do not know their number, but we strongly suspect that some of our dear ones are still in the clutches of the enemy. Even now, you see how they behave; with what excuses, with what harassment, and with what ill-temper in international norms! These are not ordinary. If they wanted to return fifty thousand, sixty thousand captives under normal circumstances, how much heartache it would have taken; how much trouble it would have taken; how long they would have prolonged it! They might have dragged it out for ten years, fifteen years. But divine power intervened, and once again, God's grace showed its bright face to the Iranian nation, and such a great task was accomplished in a short time, in the easiest way. Tens of thousands of the children and beloved ones of this nation and dear ones far from home and Josephs separated from Jacob entered this country in a short time. This event is a lesson. There are lessons in this event that I will point out to you, and I give you the thread of thought to think about this event; and then, I will say something else about you dear ones.

But the thread of the matter is that many things in the world are impossible; or very difficult to achieve. A great calamity for humans is that they think great tasks and aspirations are impossible. This is a great calamity. Despair is the greatest enemy of a human who wants to pursue an aspiration or ideal. If we say, 'What is the use? We cannot, why should we try in vain?' be sure that the task will not be accomplished. Therefore, in Islam, despair is a negative factor, and some forms of despair are major sins. For example, 'Despair from the spirit of God': becoming despondent from God's grace and special attention. If a person becomes despondent from this, he has committed a major sin. We have no right to despair. Despair from God's mercy is one of the major sins. No one has the right to despair from God's mercy, even if he sees many obstacles to that mercy. But why should he despair? In some places, despair is not a major sin, but it is a major obstacle. During the struggles before the victory of the revolution, we would say to some people: 'You who believe in the Islamic government and the Islamic system and accept that Islam wants an Islamic society from us, then why do you not act? Our duty is not just individual acts and prayer and fasting and purity and impurity!' They would say: 'It is of no use. What is the use? Do you not see how the enemy is dominant!' Today, when we say 'the enemy,' we mean the vast network of global arrogance. We do not consider anything less than that as the enemy! It is not worthy! But in those days when we said 'the enemy,' we did not mean the vast network of global arrogance. It was the security apparatus of the Shah's regime. At most, it was the royal apparatus. There was nothing higher than that!

See how when a nation roars like a storm, the governmental apparatuses of the world are blown away like a straw! You saw what happened in Eastern Europe and how their systems collapsed one by one! How many collapses of despotic and arrogant systems in Asia and Africa and other places have we witnessed in these few years before our eyes! The closest of all was the same royal system. The Shah's regime, its appearances were not like the Islamic Republic system! Here, the officials and authorities of the system are friends with the people; they are close to the people; the people see them. You observe the President when he travels to a city, people gather around him like children who have seen their father; with utmost love and affection, they see him up close; they express their affection to him; they hand him their letters, and he also attends to the people's grievances! It was not like that in those days. The distance between the officials of the system and the people was like the distance between the sky and the earth; both physical distance and spiritual distance. People considered them something else from another world. Of course, they also hated them. (These distances cause hatred.) They had made something out of the officials of the system; an invincible, inaccessible, harsh power! But you saw that the people came to the field, and despite the despair that was being promoted, they completely overturned that hollow and orderly structure; like carded cotton! It was so lifeless and light and hollow!

Despair caused some not to enter the field. Despair must be removed from oneself. When you were in the prisons of the brutal Ba'athist regime, whatever you looked at, darkness was before your eyes. From that harsh whip-wielding officer and that thick Ba'athist sergeant to Saddam Hussein himself; one after another, they were like personal and blood enemies to you. If you fell into the hands of any of them, they would inflict harm and torture and pressure on you. Was it not so? The whole atmosphere was dark and gloomy. We, too, who were here, far from you, sitting at home and grieving the loss of you brothers, were all like this. I personally had these feelings, and I know that most of the Iranian nation also had these feelings, whether they had a captive in their home or family or not; everyone had these feelings. When they looked, they saw a dark atmosphere. Behind that despairing view, the sun of hope and divine grace was shining; but we did not see it. This is a lesson. Why are some despondent that it is possible to overcome the arrogant powers of the world?! Why are some despondent that it is possible to uproot Israel from this region?! Why are some despondent that it is possible to save Muslims all over the world from the situation and oppression they are in today?!

Today, Muslims are oppressed everywhere in the world. That Europe, that Asia, that Kashmir, and Muslims in some other Asian countries; that Africa, Algeria, and the Islamists in various regions in different countries. Everywhere Muslims are oppressed. The blood of Muslims is shed, and they are treated mercilessly. Humanity and human standards are not observed when it comes to Muslims! Whether in occupied Palestine, in Lebanon, or in other regions. Why should anyone not be hopeful that one day, both in Europe, in Asia, in the Middle East, in Africa, and in the heart of the arrogant powers, Muslims will enjoy dignity and grandeur?! What is so far-fetched about it?! Why are some despondent?! Why are some despondent that we can reach a complete Islamic system in our country?!

Of course, from the day this system started until today, we have progressed a lot. This is not comparable to the tyrannical systems or the usual systems of the world, especially with that vile and impure system that ruled Iran before the revolution. There, the basis of the state and government and politics was corruption. From Mohammad Reza himself and his close associates, to the lower levels. These biographies of theirs that have been published, you must have seen and read them. Perhaps ten or fifteen titles of their biographies have been published. One sees what corruption and stench existed inside them; from there to the lower levels—their affiliates, the security apparatuses, the law enforcement and military apparatuses—those who were affiliated with them, all were corrupt. Of course, some were inside the apparatuses and were righteous and upright people. That is, their affiliation with them was minimal. We had righteous military personnel, righteous law enforcement personnel—we had seen these: faithful, religious, upright officers; both military and law enforcement—or some of the administrative personnel. Especially in the scientific sectors, there were many. Good people were not few; but those leaders and affiliates were corrupt.

Their affiliates among the clergy were also corrupt. There were clerics affiliated with them. Now we say 'court cleric'; but the court did not even pay attention to some of those clerics! That is, they were affiliated with the local SAVAK or the police chief of their area. To that extent, they were corrupt. Anyone who was even slightly close to the royal system was corrupt. The closer, the more corrupt. When you reached the core and the essence, it was the center of corruption and stench.

In the Islamic Republic system, the situation is exactly the opposite. Those who are corrupt are distanced from the system to the same extent. Within the system itself, the officials of the system are pure and immaculate people. Observe the President! A noble, faithful, learned, striving in the path of God, experienced, popular, and tested man. The officials working with the President, each in their own way, are the same. Of course, at lower levels, naturally, the integrity is not as much as at the main and higher levels; that is, the further we move from the center of the system, that state of integrity cannot be guaranteed. Of course, in the Islamic Republic system, even at lower levels, there are noble and truly rare individuals, who never in any system in Iran were there such pure and sacred people—sacred in the true sense. How many of these pure-hearted individuals do I know in these various apparatuses—young and not young—who are truly noble people! All are trustworthy, truthful, indifferent to worldly adornments; who have been able to easily cross that bridge that the thick-necked ones of history could not cross—the bridge of selfishness and wealth accumulation and comfort-seeking. This is the state of this system. This system is the exact opposite of the previous system. We have come this far; the appearances have changed this much; the directions and innards have changed this much. But the complete Islamic system is still distant from us. We are moving, striving, to reach the complete Islamic system. The ambition is this. The hope is this. Some say: 'What is the use? It cannot be done! In this world, it cannot be done!' We say: 'Why should we be despondent?! It can be done! It can be done that in the Islamic Republic system, we implement Islamic justice in the true sense of the word. It can be done that in the Islamic Republic system, it becomes such that the rightful owner, even if weak, can take his right without worry from the one who has taken his right—even if that person is strong.' We can reach this point. Our ambition is to reach this point. The plan is to reach this point. Alawi governance means this. It can be done that in the Islamic system, every official serving anywhere in this system is just so that one can pray behind him. Why should we consider these matters improbable?! It can be done that we reform the administrative apparatus of the country in such a way that a hint of misuse and bribery provokes the anger of the other party. All these are possible. Some become despondent and say: 'More than this cannot be done in this world!' Why cannot more be done?! Just as the original Islamic system was out of reach, its perfection, even if out of reach, must be realized like the original system that was realized. This is the first point.

And now, the matter I especially want to address to you freed prisoners: Dear brothers! I have repeatedly said: Every moment of your captivity is charity. Every moment is charity! Those painful moments you endured became an asset. That is, you, as a freed prisoner, whether eleven years, ten years, eight years, five years—whatever—were in captivity, you accumulated a treasure of hardships; both from an individual aspect and from a social and public aspect. This matter is worth considering. There are two ways to deal with the product of experiences and hard trials. One way is to say: 'We went to this harsh prison and endured all this torture and came back; so we have done our part. Now let others do it.' This is one logic. (Again, I refer to before the revolution. Some were like this and had this logic. The person had come from prison, or suppose he had participated in an operation, a movement, and now he was tired and said: 'I have done my part. I have a wife, I have children. The rest is up to others.' Often, such individuals left the circle and went. The rule is also that they go. The nature of the work is also that when a person flaunts what he has accumulated in his struggle to God and creation, God Almighty will not bless his accumulation.) This logic is fundamentally not a correct logic. But the second logic is the correct logic.

What is the second logic? The second logic is to say: 'Did we easily obtain these five years of imprisonment or ten years of captivity?! I was in captivity for ten years, and this nation endured my ten years of captivity. My family, my father and mother, my friends, my city and my homeland, all of them endured the pain of my captivity not to let it go to waste and not be used.' If hardship has been endured and a product of God's grace has been obtained, now this person who has undergone this great test and experience is like that student who has completed a course. Someone who has completed a course is different from someone who has not. Now that the nation and your family gave you, endured the pain of your separation, and you completed a difficult course, what is the rule of the matter? The rule of the matter is to use this course. Now is the time to use this hardship. Now is the time for the nation to use the treasure obtained with ten years, eleven years—less or more. That is, the experienced and tested and hardship-endured elements of the captivity period are those who are more prepared than others to serve in the path of God and strive for progress towards the goals of the revolution. They are the ones who have endured hardship; their spirit and will are strong, and their faith has been tested.

This is the second interpretation. I accept this second interpretation. This is also correct. I say: Freed prisoners are the best soldiers of the revolution. Freed prisoners are the most tested children of this nation. Freed prisoners are the most deserving individuals to defend the revolution and the Islamic Republic system. Freed prisoners are considered a source of hope and trust for this system and should also be considered for future tasks. If an enemy stands against the revolution or the Islamic Republic system, the first person who should strike a blow to his chest is the freed prisoner; because the freed prisoner has endured more than anyone else to preserve this system. He has experienced more than anyone else; he knows himself better and has tested his endurance in difficult days.

This is the second interpretation. Therefore, freed prisoners should be relied upon both in the field of the country's construction and in the field of defending the revolution. This is what you, as a freed prisoner and as a revolutionary Muslim, should expect from yourself. You must stand against the enemies and detractors and critics of the revolution. Some imagine that because we have distanced ourselves from the origin of the revolution, the further we move from the origin of the revolution, the weaker our revolutionary spirit becomes! This is a mistake. The revolution is not for a specific time, so that as we move away from that time, our revolutionary spirit diminishes. The revolution is a faith; it is a belief; it is a religion. Religion does not distance itself from a person! A person's distance from religion does not increase or decrease according to time!

You must stand against these thoughts. This hardship that God Almighty imposed on you was a divine test. Of course, some may not have emerged with honor and dignity from this test. Not everyone is the same! But you dear faithful brothers who emerged with honor from this divine test, you must value this. You must consider this a treasure. And with this treasure, continue to strive in the path of God. In Islam, we do not have 'my turn is over!'

Our dear Imam, on the day he went to divine mercy and to the abode of divine mercy, was a man about ninety years old. Until that time, he was striving and working. He did not say, 'I have done my part and brought this revolution to victory; now let others bear the other burdens.' No! The great hardships and sorrows were his. He was still doing our greatest tasks; like the issue of war; decision-making in the fate of the war and many other major issues of the country. He was making the decisions.

To say, 'Someone has done a task and now his share is over,' is a mistake. My message to you dear ones is that you must remain steadfast, energetic, and reliant on what God has given you in the field of the revolution. That is, another hard and heavy test; that is, optimistic about the future and hopeful about what will come with your efforts and the efforts of the officials. In short, as a true, genuine, self-reliant element attached to Islam and the revolution, you must always remain in this field, and I know that you will remain. The one who has passed such hard tests like you has his eyes more open to God's mercy. What worthy and noble individuals we have observed and seen among our freed prisoners! What delicate souls! What tested individuals!

With supplication and entreaty, I ask Almighty God to provide the means for the release of other dear ones we still have in the enemy's clutches, by His grace and generosity; and God willing, bring good news to the families of our dear missing ones—for the hearts of waiting and hopeful fathers and mothers.

We ask Almighty God to grant all of us—wherever we are—patience, the power of endurance and perseverance, and a clear vision of our duties concerning the revolution.

We ask Almighty God to bestow His mercy and grace upon the pure soul of our Imam—who opened this path before us—and the pure souls of our martyrs—who were pioneers in this path and underwent the greatest tests.

We ask Almighty God to make our fate the fate of our martyrs, and not to make our death anything but martyrdom, and to make our conduct pleasing to the sacred presence of the Imam of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him and may God hasten his reappearance.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings