Manifestation of the Friend

Role Model of Strength and Patience

part 3

I too am a soldier of Islam

After the Imam was freed from prison of the Shah’s regime, the ‘Ittila‘at’ daily  wrote  an  editorial  claiming  that  the  clergy  had  come  to  an understanding with the government. The Imam gave a resounding and strident speech denying the claim. The Shah’s regime sent Colonel Mowlavi, the head of ‘Savak’ secret police of Tehran to deliver an apology to the Imam. He wanted that the meeting to be personal but considering that it was not the style of the Imam to meet any of the political personalities whether government or others in private, he ordered that some individuals be present in the room where the meeting was to take place. A few individuals including myself were present at the meeting. Mawlawi started to speak and to apologize for the mistake and while tendering apology, he uttered a sentence that seemed insulting. He said: “O’ Imam, do not give us a chance to put in to action our military duties.”‌ Suddenly, the Imam responded angrily and while pointing his own index finger at his chest stated: “I too am a soldier of Islam. Do not give us a chance to put into practice our military duties.”‌

Don’t do something that will cause me to order them to throw you out

In 1963 and on the day of ‘‘Ashura’, the Imam was to deliver a speech. Meanwhile, the commandos of the Shah’s army had been deployed inside the Faydiyyah Theological School. There was great commotion in the city and the rumor had spread that a great danger threatened the Imam and that it was better that he stay away from the Faydiyyah seminary on that day. However, he did not accept and was even not willing to sit in a roofed automobile. For this reason, he arrived at the Faydiyyah seminary in an open jeep and in the midst of the people and while addressing the Shah with the same blatant accent stated: “You puny guy, don’t do something that will cause me to order them to throw you out of this country.”‌

Fiercest attack on America

On the subject of ‘Capitulation’, one of the authorities had arrived in Qom to meet the Imam. The Imam did not give him an appointment and thus he went to his son, Haj Mustafa and had told him that if the Imam wanted to speak on the subject of ‘Capitulation’ he must take care not to say a word against America and that to speak against America in those days was far more dangerous than speaking against the Shah.

They would be overcome with fear while I would offer them sympathy

About the night when they arrested the Imam in Qom and took him away to Tehran, the late Haj Mustafa would quote the Imam as having stated that: “When they were taking me away, midway between Qom and Tehran the car swung off the main road. I thought that they wanted to put an end to the issue; but when I connected to my heart, I saw there it had not changed at all.”‌ Thus when in 1964 when he delivered a speech at the Greta Mosque following his release from prison, he stated: “By Allah, I have never been afraid in all my life. On that night when they were taking me away, they were overcome with fear whereas I would offer them my sympathies.”‌

No, I wasn’t afraid at all

After 15th Khordad (June 5, 1963) when the Imam was released from prison and resided in the Qeytariyyeh district of Tehran, Ayatollah Mar‘ashi came to pay him a visit and asked: “Were you not afraid when they were taking you away?”‌ the Imam responded: “No, not at all. Even on I assumed that they were pointing towards the Howd-e Sultan Lake (Salt Lake). At that time there were rumors that those who opposed the Shah or the regime or if there were opponents in the army, they would be taken there and thrown in the Salt Lake. Thus I had a feeling that they were pointing to that location. By God, at that time also, I was not afraid at all.”‌

Why are you doing this?

About the night when the Imam was arrested and exiled to Turkey, the servant of the Imam Mashadi Hussein who would serve tea had said that the Imam had told the Shah’s agents that, “what’s all this, why are you creating a mess? Don’t you feel ashamed; one of you could have come, knocked at the door and asked Khomeini to come out and well, I would have come out!”‌ later the Imam himself had told me that: “On the to Tehran when we reached the oil well, I told them that all our sufferings was because of this crude oil and why they were doing this to me. I spoke with them until we reached Tehran. One of them who was sitting next to me wept all the way to Tehran.”‌

The same feeling that I now have

Haj Ahmad Aqa was narrating in Najaf that he asked the Imam how he had felt when he boarded the plane and flew off to Turkey to which the Imam had stated: “By Allah, I had the same feeling that I have now sitting by your side.”‌

Source:

The Book "Manifestation of the Friend: A collection of memoirs about Imam Khomeini (R.A)"

Other Links:

Manifestation of the Friend: Role Model of Strength and Patience (part 1)

Manifestation of the Friend: Role Model of Strength and Patience (part 2)