http://www.mesbahyazdi.org/english/index.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/20/wiran220.xml
http://hoder.com/weblog/archives/014789.shtml
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3587846

The responsibility has fallen on my shoulder to translate ... so I take it short paragraph by short paragraph; that makes it easy for both of us.

Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi started his speech by offering his sincere congratulation on the 21st Anniversary of the success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and he has asked the Almighty to grant us all the blessing and success to be able to see more success for the revolution.

The Islamic revolution of Iran as a historical event is multifaceted and has a number of dimensions, and it requires a rather long time for him and anybody else to be able to look at all aspects of this revoluion.  Although for the sake of simplicity, he intends not to go through what has already been critiqued, what has already been discussed, and take one small angle from the Revolution.

We should go back to the initial time, the initial period when the revolution started, and how it continued for a period of 15 years, approximately, and the events that led to the success of the Islamic Revolution after 15 or 16 years and the events that took place after the success of the Islamic Revolution makes a history of approximaty 35 or 40 years, and it requires a long period of time to be able to analyze this long span of history completely.

If we go even further and look in our analysis, the fact is that what are considered to be the roots that brought or polarized people that gradually developed or created the environment for the Islamic Revolution succeeded ... makes is even more difficult to be able to look at all factors in a short space of time.

Analysis of this history the context may ... the youth, those who were not born before the revolution, or even if they were born they were too young to remember anything about the factors that led to the revolution, is extremely important for them, but it's lucky there are ... accounts that are recorded that they can resort to as a reference, probably in greater detail than what I can mention in this speech.

What Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi proposes to do, is to look at the revolution, its roots and the factors that led to its success from a Koranic viewpoint and he says that he intended to analyze history and he intends to be critical, or to look at the factors that led to the success of the revolution, it probably would help if we were to somehow focus this analysis and to look at it purely from the Islamic - from the Koranic - point of view to see how the Koran is projecting, or presenting, the idea of revolution, or whether the revolution comes anywhere close to the standards and the practices laid out in the Koran.

Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi points out that the form of the Koran is unique, in the sense that it present concepts in the form of stories.  The stories of previous nations have been presented in the Holy Koran repeatedly, and we have been asked to look at these stories and learn from them.  Particularly two aspects, two dimensions of these stories.

Number one, the fact is that .... leads to the increase blessings from Allah, and number two, concept or reasons for proofs that somehow these blessings would be taken away from them from Allah.  And then based on this concept, if we were to look at the Islamic Revolution in Iran and fully consider and see what the revolution brought in blessing for us, and how we can protect it so that the blessing continues, against ... and how we can overcome them so that ... Allah cannot take these blessings away from us.

One of the nations that the Koran repeatedly cites their story, is Israel, the Jewish nation.  In a number of verses and chapters in the Holy Koran, we see that the story of Israel has been directed again and again.  Chapter X and Chapter Y &c.  [Appears to be in Arabic]

If we look critically at the historical presentation that exists in the Holy Koran, we see the Koran, when it comes to dealing with the story of nations, particularly Israel, does not deal with the specifics, for example, in what city they had some problems, who was the leader and how many members were there.  What, on the contrary, beings in the ... of nation, constantly remind Israel and the Jewish nation that they should remember the blessing from Allah, that they were chosen to be the chosen tribes or the chosen nation.

And again reminds Israel to remember what happened during the Pharoah's time when you were slaves and you were dealt with as slaves, and how Allah brought forth the factors that led to your freedom and honor them.

If we draw a parallel between the Jewish nation and the ... of Allah, and the way that they were freed from slavery, and compare it to the Islamic revolution in Iran, we see that the instructive a point where the concept that the fruit and blessings from Allah, the Iranian nation that was under the kind of slavery that existed before the revolution, the revolution came and freed that nation from the slavery.

There are in a number of ..., we see that the blessing from Allah, in a situation, and somehow the Iranian nation came under difficulty, and could not see a way out of their problem or predicament.

The same thing can be seen in the early history of Islam.  Although the incident, the Battle of ..., was fresh in the minds of Muslims, however, we see that the blessing from Allah, or his mercy that through that mercy victory came to the Muslims despite the fact that they did not possess enough men or material, like swords or horses, and enemy was threefold in comparison to the Muslims and better-armed, because of persistence, patience, and somehow prayer, that they asked almighty Allah to support them, despite all the weakness that existed in the Muslims, they were victorious.

And I want to remind you on this, on a number of occasions show that it is only if you want victory and honor and dignity it only through persistent reliance on Allah and be totally submissive to the will of Allah that that can be achieved.

Those of you who are aware of the history of the Islamic Revolution, they know, as far as those who were in the revolution before its success, they were under a tyrannical regime that did not permit them any ability to move, and they were in a desperate situation.  And even after success, when all the countries in West and East somehow collaborated with each other against the Islamic Revolution, and they considered that the revolution must be destroyed, created a very difficult situation even after the revolution.  And it was only through an act of submission and trust in Allah that these difficulties were solved.  Despite the fact that the nation was such that they didn't have anything comparable to the nations that collaborated against them.

Those who were involved the Islamic revolution before its success, they got involved with total determination, and accepting the fact that they had to prepare themselves for all kinds of torture and even death, that was normally given out by the previous regime to its opponents.  Even after the revolution, with the starting of the war and the destruction in Iran, they were prepared for all eventualities, and they were prepared to go through all difficulties.

In certain people we come across individuals who for the sake of success of the revolution they even gave up on their close relatives and indivudal family members because they had an association with or a sympathy towards the previous regime.  We find that they somehow were determined to accept and bear this difficulty and stay with them with one name for the revolution to succeed.

The [...] states the same concept when he comments and states that during the night that the Holy Prophet, during the early part of Islam, "when we went with him and we faced our enemies and we were determined to destroy our enemies, occasionally we came across members, who were our close relatives, he says our fathers, our brothers, and our sons were in the midst of our enemies.

What gave us motivation, and we submitted - we cared about the will of Allah and nothing else, and we submitted to his command.  And for his sake we were prepared to destroy anyone that came or resisted his word, even if it happened to be our own families.  And when Almighty Allah found out, or realized, that our determination we seek nothing but his submission - his command - he granted us the capacity of victory."

We see in this important part of our history that when the youth, the young members, gave up on every single of their community for the sake of the success of the revolution.

The part of the War in Iran, we see pictures of mothers who gladly asked their sons, their young members of their community or their brother to actually go to the front, to encourage to motivate them to go.  We also have youth or young members or individual from familes who had no association with the Revolution as such, and they were not somehow adherents to the principles of the Revolution, but members of these families they tolerated all the difficulty.  But despite all the resistance they had from their family, they went to the front, so that they can defend their country and preserve their honor and dignity.  For themselves and their society as well as everybody else.

Those who committed such deeds learned these spirit and they somehow learned the lessons given by [...] on a number of occasions, and used what they had learned and whatever experience they had in helping them and motivating them and polarizing them to the success of the Islamic Revolution.

We should learn a lesson from our history and we should keep this spirit alive.  However, that does not mean that we should have war all the time.  He qualifies the statement.  What he means is that we should keep and preserve such a spirit among us, so that the enemies of Islam and the Islamic Revolution would not dare to somehow ... harm the Islamic revolution.

What we have learned was that the strength of the Islamic Revolution, the strength of those who helped the Islamic Revolution succeed, was their ... determination and prefer to sacrifice for the sake, of everything that they had, and we should learn to preserve such a spirit in our midst so that we can benefit from it.

So far, the positive concepts or issues that Koran has cited regarding the Jewish nation, is pointed to.  Now,... if we were to look again at the way that the stories of Israel have been presented, but in the negative sense, the sense that there is special characteristics that merit the destruction and dishonor and annihilation, we see that the Holy Koran points to two explicit concepts.

Number one, they have a ... comfort zone that they would not prefer to come out of it and struggle for the sake of their beliefs.  In this context, we see that the Holy Koran says that after they were somehow rescued from the clutches of perils & extremity, they were asked to point to a city and to defend their beliefs against the unjust & tyrannical rulers of that city.  But because they had this comfort they told the [messengers?] and God that they go ahead and fight, and once they had destroyed the enemy, then we'll come in.  And because of that Allah took the blessing ...  were granted ... with dishonor and total annihilation.

The Jewish nation or ibn Israel, after their success against Pharaoh, they wrongly concluded that all the blessings they received from Allah was because of the special characteristics of their tribe.  They thought that this special characteristic had given them this attribute of deserving the blessing of Allah.  And this is why we see that the word of ... said that they are the sons & friend of Allah, special relatives of Allah, and Allah would never somehow take away his blessings and mercy from us, even if there are some problems and shortcomings.

What is this?  Do you have a contract with Allah, some sort of a written contract that you cannot be punished for all the sins that you commit?  And then we see that Allah reminded them that all human beings that the contract between Allah and humanity is a two-way contract.  You honor your part of the contract and Allah will honor his part of the contract.  And he has made it clear, repeatedly in the Holy Koran, that as far as the blessing - the continuity of the blessing and the mercy of Allah, depends on one's total submission to his will.

And if you submit and thank Allah for the blessing you have received then the blessing will continue & it will be multiplied.  If you do not submit and if you be disrespectful there is no special relationship between Allah and anyone, this is the absolute rule that the blessing and the mercy will be taken away.

We see that the same mistake being made by Muslims and all ..., somehow association.  The Shiites as well as the Sunnis, or Muslims and Shiites, and the Arabs and non-Arabs.  The Arabs in particular they thought that because the Holy Koran was revealed in Arabic & because they have a special association with the Holy Prophet, that felt somehow they thought that if they commit any sins they had a special Mercy that Allah would not respond, and that the blessing and mercy would not be taken away.

As far as the Shia are concerned they thought that the close association with [Arabic] would protect them [Arabic] Shafa would somehow save them from any shortcomings that they do.  This is something unique, we see that ... was presented during the life of our holy Imams ... It states categorically that there is no special relationship between Allah and we mortals.  The only criteria is submission to his commands.  Whoever submits to his command he heal our body, or shield our body.  And whoever disrespect or sinful to he command of Allah, he is the enemy of Allah and is our enemy as well.

So what we have to do, this is an absolute rule that is not is made to have any exceptions and that rule states that those who have total belief and submission  and they are prepared to struggle and endeavor to preserve the divine package of divine values, Allah will reward them with compassion and mercy, and those who are not prepared to do this, they deserve nothing but dishonor and annihilation.

He says that - becasue we are running out of time - he will try to conclude what he has said in a few words, what he has presented, so that you will get the gist of his speech.  The first lesson that we learned from the story that I read you from the Holy Koran that we have to concentrate on a very important issue, and that is to learn & understand the benefits that the revolution brought for all Muslims, not specifically the Iranians.  The Islamic Revolution was the culmination of a quarter century of effort by everyone.  The result of the revolution was that no matter where Muslims were from, they felt a special relationship and some kind of honor and dignity was granted to them after this revolution.

It wasn't only Muslims that gained honor & felt elated.  Other people who belong to different faith apart from Islam - Christians for example - they were encouraged and to a degree they felt that the Islamic Revolution in Iran had granted them some kind of honor as well.  He cites first the ex-President of Austria made a comment that before the Islamic Revolution although he was a Christian believer be he could not contend, or come out in public and say that he was some kind of true and strong believer in his own faith, because he was afraid that he might be accused of being some kind of reactionary and not in the right mind.  The Islamic Revolution gave him the courage to be able to express the way he felt about his religion.

The same comment has been presented by a number of cardinals and bishops within the Christian faith, that before the Islamic Revolution they somehow were happy to be seen as individuals that claimed allegiance to their faith, but after the revolution, the had the courage to go out and speak to people without hindrance, and without being afraid that we would be labeled reactionary or old-fashioned.

And there are number of other stories & examples that because of the shortness of time we won't go over now.

The second issue that we have to remember is that we as Muslims had paid a very dearly very expensively or too much blood has been shed so that we were able to achieve the success of the revolution.  Keep this in mind, we must understand that we haven't gained this liberty for free, a high price has been paid, so that we should appreciate what we have.

The third point that he cites, points out that at the same time the Islamic Revolution was succeeding in Iran, the Afghani nation, a next-door nation to Iran, they also rose and they determined to gain their independence and freedom.  But although the IR in Iran succeeded very quickly, we see that after 20 years the Afghani nation is still at each others' throats and hate each other.  The main difference that existed between the Iranian revolution and the Afghan rebels, that somehow facilitated the success was the presence of a unifying and very charismatic and extremely able leader, and the was able to polarize people so they could work and gain the success of the revolution.  The absence of this concept in Afghanistan has resuled in disunity and what they are faced with now.

One of the factors, our responsibility because this revolution is so unique in human history, responsibilty to protect the Islamic Revolution, as well as its aims and objectives.  And we should struggle not only to gain its aims and objectives, but also to work hard to implement these aims and objectives as much as we can.  And we should remind ourselves that it is only through this struggle, and through the total determination and reliance on God, that we will be able to achieve and continue to achieve...

Paraphrase: Then he praised the Almighty Allah that he will elevate and the leaders, and the people, and to make our actions such that we are worthy of success.