A speech by Imam Moussa al-Sadr

The speech of Imam Moussa al-Sadr was made in assembly of the Ulema and Clergymen on the night of Eid al-Adha in February 1972 in Hosseinia Emadzadeh, Esfahan. In this lecture, the reason of establishment of the Supreme Council for Lebanese Shiites has been expressed.

Imam Moussa al-Sadr was born May 1928 in the city of Qom. Alongside Hawza education, he graduated in economics from Tehran University and then at the invitation of Seyed Sharafuddin, leader of Lebanese Shiites, departed to that country and took major steps related to the cultural, political and economic problem of Lebanese underclasses. He would travel to different countries to put a curb on the Lebanese civil war, in September 1978 arrived in Tripoli in Libya. But in 9 September Muammar Gaddafi agents, Libya's ruler, conveyed him to an unknown location and no trace of him has found.

Part of The text of speech of Imam al-Sadr that you hear is:

By the grace of God and the blessings of inmate, version of my religious propaganda was accepted by all religions; that is, as we concern about godlessness and discontent of people, especially the young class, Sunnis the same, the same Christians.

I never forget in a night that the chief minister who was Sunni, who is also the chief minister now, He told me that if you invite young Shia toward Islam for the sake of Ali (AS), invite youth Sunnis toward Islam for the sake of Muhammad (PBUH). I told we are servants of Mohammed (PBUH), if respect Ali (AS) because he was the best student of the prophet, as well as I touch lessons in Sunnis schools. Christians saw that their youth leave religion, of course God's invitation is accepted by all, they would invite us in monasteries, in schools for training priests, in Seminars, in lecture halls, colleges, American Faculty, Jesuit Faculty, everywhere I was invited, by the grace of God that I would speak.

I gradually understood Lebanese situation and was informed of Shiites of Lebanese and their woeful position and I found bad Shiite Situation. It was fell middle like a sacrificial meat and everyone steals. Such and such priest undertook a village in his name in Baalbek and Bringing people toward to Christianity. Such and such a person in a village named Majdal Tarshish made a mosque for Sunni and introducing people the Hanafi jurisprudence. In schools a young Shiite became Christian, so young Shiite is no longer willing to do anything in order to Tawalla[1] ("Loving the Ahl al-Bayt") and Tabarra[2], the situation is not good. I, no matter how run (thanks God I have a car) in a year I walked a hundred thousand kilometers, but I found that one could not doing anything. What did the others? They have a regular organization for their clergy. That is, 16 different religions have 15 regular religious organizations within their country.

We also are commanded to regulation in Islam. God says in the Holy Quran in Al-Rahman: "And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance"[3]. Where has God put balance? Balanced, however, implies everything is regularity, accuracy and balanced. Well, this is in another verse: "Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent,"[4] "And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure,".[5] Everything in the universe is accounted. "The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation,"[6]. Every particle, every wave, some water, every dust, some dirt, everything in the world is accounted. Well the Qur'an, which says: "And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance,"[7] says immediately: "That you not transgress within the balance,'' ''And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance."[8] Mankind, this world is the regular world, mess is not applied. If someone wants to be victorious in this world must move on the balance, be disciplined, be careful, otherwise would forget, extinguish and destroy all his works. Regular work must be accounted work. If this nice and beautiful Hossainia was not on account, the columns and the ceiling would fall down. The roof stayed because is on account. What is no accounted does not have any results. It has some resulting then destroyed.

All religions are regulated, why do we not regular? We said, Gentlemen, we must also be regular. We also need a central organization, because if without the central organization, our children have not religious education in school. Well child had not religious education in school, at home, on the street, then how does he become religious? I asked in a school, they did not know 12 Imams, did not know Ghadeer, did not know Eid al-Adha and did not know even Ashura. If there wouldn't be such an assembly, so these far and height areas which are in itself Lebanona and all are Shiites, no one send them a propagandist. Moreover, tens of thousands of Lebanese Shiites are in West Africa, North and South America, in Libya, in Canada, in Australia, so these people in Christians areas if wouldn't have propagandist they will lost. How many Shiite girls married with Christian husband and became Christian. How many Shiite boys married with Christian girls in Brazil and Argentina and Mexico and Peru, and became Christians, all was destroyed and generally the Shiite object is watering. So who is responsible for these things? Our ancestors kept Islam and Shiite in most difficult and critical situation, now which reaches us, did we lost it? It is not true.

We said Gentlemen we also must have organization. It came to mind of most people too expensive. Many people who saw lacking organization of Shiite is a suitable setting for their hunting, digesting themselves people, use us, it was expensive. Well they weren't silent, began slander, cursing, he came from Iran, he is the spy, he is accompaniment with the Central Treaty, is accompaniment with Israel, is accompaniment with America. One of them stated that Sayed Mousa was a baby Americans took him in America, educated him and later sent him. One of them said that Seyed Mousa has brother who is Iranian Ambassador in Israel. Whatever you think, they slandered, financial, moral and political slanders; 4-5 years; even I was in mortal danger. Twice or three times I was assassinated. On the other hand, these were 95 percent of Shiite were looking for us like fire, endorsed us, whatever they were told they did, we told threat they threated, we told come they came. They slandered, they poured. Whatever we wanted they confirmed. Well, we were struggled both inside and outside. Arabic countries were thought what's going on? What is this come from? Did he do a circumstance? There is definitely a political intention. We were caught. While as God is my witness there is no goal except for religion.

But by the grace of God, after 3-4 years much struggle and exhaustion, an organization called "Supreme Islamic Council for Shiites”[9] was established. We took the name of Islam to say that we are Muslims, Islam is not monopolized by Sunni, we are more Muslim than every Muslim, and more loyal to Islam than everyone else. …

Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

[1] -(Arabic: تولّى‎‎), is a part of the Twelver Shī‘ah Islām Aspects of the Religion and is derived from a Qur'anic verse

[2] - (Arabic: تبرأ‎‎) is a doctrine that refers to the obligation of disassociation with those who oppose God and those who caused harm to and were the enemies of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his family.