Manifestation of the Friend

Role Model of Strength and Patience

part 10

Promise of victory at the pinnacle of misery

One day I was received in the presence of the Imam. I was thinking to my self  that  perhaps  the  reports  concerning  the  war  were  not  being communicated to him precisely and perhaps he was not informed and it was better if I myself went and relayed the information from close. However, I noticed that the Imam gave a smile and with a radiant face that I will never forget stated: Go back and rest assured that you are victorious.”‌ Another clergyman had come from Kurdistan province with a problem and the Imam stated to him that, “These problems are not too important; God willing, we will clear that place of insurgents and when the place has been cleared then your problem will be resolved automatically.”‌

It is war; sometimes we win sometimes they win

The night of occupation of Khorramshahr city by the Ba‘athist Iraq army was an unforgettable moment for me and other brethren who were informed of every moment of the attack. The telephone would seldom stop ringing and

every locality that came under occupation of the bloodthirsty Ba‘athist regime was like a rock that banged us in the head. Friends at the office were so profoundly worried that they would only answer the telephone calls. No one had the strength to talk with another. Finally, the time would pass with difficulty and reached to a stage where news of the loss of Khorramshahr port struck us like a thunderbolt. Friends gave me the responsibility of informing the Imam of this ominous news. My throat was choked with emotion and I was concerned that with all that anxiety I would not be able to convey the news properly. Finally, having no alternative I entered the inner room and as I entered the room heads turned towards me with deep concern asking, “What is the news?”‌ God knows that I had rarely been in such a state. I replied unwillingly in the negative. The Imam who had noticed my disoriented condition did not enquire furthermore. I sat down near him and watched the television. After three or four minutes he addressed me and asked: “What is the latest situation?”‌ I replied with great trouble and choked with emotion that they had occupied Khorramshahr port. Suddenly, he responded in an angry tone that, “it is war. Sometimes we win; sometimes they win.”‌ I don’t know that how these few short sentences impacted me so that in fact it was like the proverbial bucket of cold water poured on my head for it eliminated my sorrow and I felt as if no war had taken place at all.

Self-assurance of the Imam in the aerial strikes of Kharg Island

At  a  point  of  time  in  the  war  when  the  enemy  was  intensely  and uninterruptedly conducting aerial strikes against Kharg Island and its oil installations, I together with some friends at the office of the Imam, journeyed to Kharg Island. When we entered the island, in keeping with the criteria and procedures that they had in place””because it was the time when normally, the enemy aircraft would appear””our friends requested that we remain  in  our  shelters  and  visit  the  port  facilities  after  the  aerial bombardment was over. We did not accept and immediately we went to inspect the port facilities.

We were on the jetties when the MIG-29 aircraft appeared overhead and dropped eighteen 500 kilogram bombs on the Island. Some of them dropped into the sea while the rest in various parts of the island but none of them struck the jetties. However, incidentally one of them dropped right on the building in which we were supposed to take shelter in order to avert danger! Anyhow, we witnessed the situation from close and returned on Thursday. Although on Friday morning the Imam would normally listen to the 8 o’clock news over the radio and then immediately go to take a bath, but when we told him that we had visited the Kharg Island, he sat to listen. We reported the situation to him and conveyed the message of the authorities over there.

The Imam listened to my words intently and finally, with unimaginable self-assurance prepared to recite supplications. It was a self-assurance that apart from faith and communion with God became clear to us with the passage of time and the uninterrupted export of crude oil until the end of the war”” despite all the pressure tactics of the enemy. Although the Imam was not physically present on the island but in comparison with those who were involved in the job, he was better informed of the present situation and future forecasts.

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Manifestation of the Friend: Role Model of Strength and Patience (part 6)

Manifestation of the Friend: Role Model of Strength and Patience (part 7)