Imam Khomeini’s Last Will and Testament

I. As for our theological schools, by this last will and testament of mine I feel impelled to repeat what I have said on frequent occasions before, namely, that our time is marked by a struggle of the opponents of Islam and the Islamic Republic for doing away with Islam by satanic designs and by the strategy of introducing deviate and vicious people into our theological schools; that as such the immediate, though grave, implication of the strategy would be to disrepute our theological schools by their unbefitting behavior and deviated ethics and principles, and that its long-term and exceedingly grave impact would be the coming to higher offices of one or a number of imposters who, by virtue of their insight of Islamic sciences, win the favor and affection of the masses and the innocent people, only to pound a deadly blow upon Islam, theological schools, and our country when the opportunity avails itself.
We know that the big plundering world powers have their own various agents of different categories among the people of other nations, such agents including nationalists, the imposter¬ intellectuals and turban-wearing hypocrites, the latter being the most dangerous of all if given the chance. Sometimes they live among the people for thirty or forty years, assuming a quasi¬ Islamic, a clerical and a sanctimonious and saintly appearance, or hide themselves under such masks as ‘pan-Iranism’ or pretend to be patriotic, resorting to all possible subterfuges, and when they find the opportunity inflict their blow upon the society.
Since the culmination of the Islamic Revolution, our beloved nation has seen examples of such people, among them the Mujahideen Khalq Orgamza1ion (MKO), the Fada’eyan Khalq5, the Tudeh Party6 and others and it is necessary that we all vigilantly neutralize such forms of plots.
But most important of all are our theological schools in which the purge must be carried out with the joint effort of our respectable theological teachers and senior scholars and with the approval of religious authorities of the time. Perhaps the proposition that ‘order’ is in ‘disorder’ is the sinister indoctrination theory of the very same plotters.
At any rate, my testamentary reminder on the topic is that in the face of the increasing plots and conspiracies in our time a breakthrough attack for giving a system to our theological schools is necessary, and it is necessary that our revered theological teachers invest time and effort in that so as our theological schools and especially the Qum Theological School will be protected against harm.
It is incumbent upon the ulama and theological teachers to make sure that principal topics related to fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) are presented unadulterated and in their proper format, which have been bequeathed to us by the leading pioneers in the field, and make sure that each and every day more and more scrutiny than in the past, with a view to safeguarding the traditional fiqh which is the bequest of our elders and betters to deviate from which would be to undermine the foundations of our scholarship, and so that new scholarship will regularly follow previous scholarships.
Naturally for other areas of human learning other programs will be prepared. and more people should be provided education in those area, but among the most exalted areas of human learning and education are the spiritual sciences of Islam such as ethics, spiritual edification and moral uplifting, which are the hardest struggles of all.
J. The executive branch of the government is one that needs to be purged, reformed and protected. At times it is likely that plausible bills are ratified by the majlis and endorsed by the Council of Guardians and then communicated to responsible administrators by the relevant government minister, but that the law degenerates in the hands of the former, or its execution becomes entangled in customary red tape and bureaucracy, which may be deliberately hampered with for the purpose of disconcerting the people and gradually arousing their revolt.
My exhortation to our government ministers and their future successors is: You and the employees of government ministries make a living by receiving salaries from a budget which belongs to the nation and, therefore, you should all be serving the people and especially the oppressed masses. To needlessly inconvenience the people and behave against the responsibility is now a religiously sinful act which may sometimes, God forbid, incite divine wrath. You all need the support of the nation.
We owe the victory of the Islamic Revolution to the support of the people, and especially to the support of the oppressed masses, and owe it to them for having stopped the tyrannical monarchy from plundering our land and from its resources. Bereft of their support, you will be done away with and tyrants such as there were during the monarchy will occupy your offices. Therefore, in the face of this obvious reality you should do your best to win the favor of the nation, and to discard un-Islamic behavior.
By the same token, I advise the future incumbents of the Interior Ministry to exercise maximum scrupulousness in their selection of Governors-General and to make sure that they will be meritorious, pious, self-committed, wise and well-behaved people so that the country will have complete peace.
Although invariably all government ministers are completely responsible for administering the affairs of their ministry according to the dictates of Islam, some have a heavier responsibility than others, among them the Foreign Ministry, which is in charge of our embassies abroad. At the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution I gave periodical advice in connection with the prevailing monarchical morality in our government ministries and the need to reform government agencies consistent with the character of an Islamic Republic.
Some government ministers, however, either refused to reform their ministries or were unsuccessful in their efforts for doing so. Today, three years7 since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Foreign Minister has undertaken various measures for this purpose and I hope this significant undertaking will be accomplished by the investment of more time and by continued application.
My testamentary advice to the Foreign Minister and to future incumbents of his ministry is: You are shouldering a grave responsibility. Both for reforming the Foreign Ministry and our embassies and for recasting our foreign policy and protecting the nation’s independence and its interests and for establishing friendly relations with the foreign governments which do not intend to interfere in our internal affairs and avoid anything that is contaminated by any kind of dependency.
Remember that although in some areas dependence on a foreign country might seem perfectly all right with certain transitory advantages, in the long run it will cause the destruction of the country. Do your best to improve your relations with Muslim nations, to awaken the people at the helm in other [Muslim] countries, call them to solidarity and unity, and rest assured that Almighty God will assist you.
I advise Muslim nations against expecting external help for attaining their goal that is Islam and the institution of Islamic edicts. You should help yourself in this vital task which ensures your freedom and independence. So let the ulama and preachers in Muslim states call on their governments to rid themselves from dependence on big foreign powers and to come to an understanding with their own people, which assures them victory.
Let them call on the nations for unity and for discarding racism, which is against Islam. Let them shake a brotherly hand with their brothers-in-faith of whatever race, since Islam refers to them as brothers, and once this spirit of brotherhood has become a matter of fact between all Muslim governments and Muslim nations you will see that Muslims are the greatest power on earth. Let us hope to witness this brotherhood and this equality between Muslim nations, God willing.