Below is the transcribed presentation by Hujjatul Islam Wal Muslimeen Shaykh Ibraheem Zakzaky, Leader of the Islamic Movement in Niger...
Below is the transcribed presentation by Hujjatul Islam Wal
Muslimeen Shaykh Ibraheem Zakzaky, Leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria as
Special Guest Speaker, at the Imam Khomayni Conference in London, United
Kingdom on Saturday, 6th June, 2009.
The Moderator: “Our next speaker is not on your list. When we found
out that he was in the UK, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity, and had to
invite him down to come and address everyone here. He is the champion of the
oppressed and a hero amongst the righteous. With over three million supporters
for his cause, he is the pioneer of Islamic activism in Africa, the Leader of
the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, brothers and sisters, we are honoured to
present to you His Eminence, Shaykh Ibraheem Zakzaky, please introduce him to
the podium with a loud Salawaat”.
(Salutation)
Well, as you have heard in the introduction, I am not supposed to
be here. When I arrived yesterday, for a different conference, which will end
perhaps Wednesday, and I will be back to Nigeria Thursday. I was told about
this gathering and was also invited to say something.
Speaking about Imam al-Khomayni (QS) as the ambassador had said,
has so many aspects. Aspect about his Irfan, which one sister has talked on;
His knowledge and jurisprudence, which no one has talked on; His Jihad or
rather his revolution and foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. There are
so many aspects of the Imam, perhaps even about his poetry. I will use the few
minutes given to me to speak about the influence of the Imam and his impact
outside Iran.
The Imam actually came at a better time in history, just as the
Holy Prophet (SAWA) was reported to have said in a hadith: “I came in the best
time of human history”. At the time the Messenger of Allah came, the world was
dominated by two powers. I don’t know whether they were called superpowers at
that time. There was the Persian Empire in the East, and the Roman Empire in
the West. The Persian Empire was practicing traditional religion called
Zoroastrianism; the Roman Empire was practicing Christianity, which we believed
was the distorted remnants of the true teaching of the Messenger of Allah, Isa
(AS). At that time we might say, the world was in darkness, and a drop of light
appeared somewhere in the desert of Saudi Arabia. It started spreading in that
Arabian island, until culminated in smashing the two powers- East and West.
The Imam also came at a similar time, when there was the dominance
of two ideologies. There was the capitalist ideology in the western world, led
by the United States and some western European countries, and the Socialist and
Communist ideology in the East, led by the former Soviet Union, China and some
socialist countries. The rest of the world was made to see of which side to
belong. Because these people have defined the world; there was the first world,
the second world, most of the world was called the third world. The third world
was made to see which of the two worlds, it would go to. Some liberation
movements, particularly in Africa, even in Asia thought that Socialism with its
message of social justice was a better option. Most of the liberation movements
were inclined to Communism, including the ANC in what was then Rhodesia, now
Zimbabwe and South Africa. SWAPO, MPNLA in Angola and so many liberation
movements were all inclined to Communist ideology.
The Communists, with their “good” message of social justice had
problem of religion, which they coined as opium of the people. This was the
saying of Karl Marx, that religion was the opium of the people. At that
material time, when the thought was seemed to have come to stay, and the world
was supposed to be what it was, the Imam came and changed the equation. His
thoughts changed the views of the people concerning Islam and Shi’a in
particular, and religion in general. This could be seen in the statement by one
time Secretary-General of the United Nations for ten years, and Prime Minister
of Austria who said, he as a Christian, Imam Khomeini made him to be proud of
religion. When President Rafsanjani, then as President of Iran visited Korea,
the Korean leader Kim Il-Sung (pointing to Rafsanjani) said: “We used to
believe that religion was opium of the people, but your religion (Iranian
religion) showed us that it is a religion which is being used to wake people
up”. I could remember when I was a student in the late 70s, those days it was a
sign of being civilized, educated or progressive to identify oneself with
Communism. After the revolution, I could see a lot of those who were interested
in Communism were trying to find out about the Imam. One of them who used to
dress in T-shirt and trouser, after the revolution he started to dress in a
long gown, calling himself Ayatollah.
sheikh zakzaky speaks on imam khomeini
The revolution has also taught us about the power of the people.
This has impact elsewhere, outside Iran. Immediately after the revolution in
Iran, there was this revolution in Nicaragua, where the people realized that
the power did not belong to those in authority; it actually belonged to the
people. There was another one in Duvalier; there was also this uprising in
Philippine. It was all impact of the Islamic revolution led by Imam Khomeini,
which showed other people that, power actually belonged to the people.
The Imam is, of course, different. Imam had good understanding of
the Deen (Islam) and his time. Hitherto, a lot of Ulama had good understanding
of the religion, or part of it, believing it to be just rituals between oneself
and his Lord. It ends there. How much we hear from particularly the Christian
source about separation of politics from religion and religion being an
individual affair between an individual and his Lord. This had influence on
Muslims as well, who believed that if one is seen as religious he should be
isolated from the people, always reciting duas and going to the mosque. He
(Imam) had good understanding of the Deen in all its perspectives; of course
deep understanding of his Lord (Irfan) and good understanding of the different
aspects of the Deen as a universal message for the entire governance of
mankind. He also had good understanding of his time. Some scholars may
understand religion, but they understand little of their own time, and
therefore hardly made an impact. In fact, the Imam had made so much impact on
other people, including about his own personality. I could remember when my
sister brought her 3 to 4-year-old son and he saw the picture of Imam in my
house, and asked me whether it was the picture of the Prophet (SAWA). You can
see how the picture of the Imam could make such an impact on such a small boy.
It is true the saying of someone who had visited the Imam that, the pictures
were not showing the actual beauty of the Imam.
The impact of the revolution has now changed the meaning of Islam
to so many people with the examples I have given. We also believe that the
thoughts of Imam brought to an end the thoughts of Communism and the fall of
the Soviet Union. Believe it or not, that is the truth. In his letter to
Gorbachev, which Ayatullah Jawad Amuli had the honour of carrying; he wrote
words that had deep meaning to the extent that the Imam said for Gorbachev to
understand content of the letter he needed to send his intelligence to Qom and
study for some time. Gorbachev could offer no answer but called for
cooperation, but it struck in the heart. They knew that they had an ideology
which had contradiction, and as the Imam predicted it was bound to fall and
indeed it came to an end.
Success of establishment of an identity depends much on true
narration what that identity is. Sometimes nations, ideologies, organizations,
etc are based on false narrations and fabrications like the Communist ideology.
It was based on false narration, and it eventually collapsed that they found
out that they had to hide what they said were truths and facts. They used these
fabrications to even translate physical sciences that, man was said to be going
along natural quantinum from Primitism, Feudalism, Capitalism, when he develops
he goes to Socialism; finally, when he is most advanced he moves to Communism
and Marxism. So, even Biology was taught along these thoughts, now the texts
books had to be hidden because it shameful to read. If the Soviet Union
collapsed because it was based on false narrations, what do you think of what
you may call Capitalism, the western ideology, will it survive? Is it based on
true narration? I mean narration of the reality of things. The reason why Imam
Khomeini succeeded was because he based his teachings on true narrations, the
message of Allah the Almighty to entire mankind through His Messenger. This is
the truth. Both ideologies were covering up things they did not want people to
know; the Soviet Union would always say it had conquered knowledge in the sense
that it claimed to have come out with a formula which provided for social
justice. The Capitalist world would say, through the process of capitalism,
where an individual in the pursuit of his own satisfaction, would end up
satisfying others; therefore competition, democracy, liberty, human rights are
presented as a model of how human beings should live on earth. So, they think
they have answers to human problems.
Now with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ideology of
Communism sent into dustbin of history, it will appear very clear, will the
narration of the capitalist world survive? That is why the West, in an attempt
to survive and protect itself, shows Islam and the Muslims as the enemy. It
stigmatized everything about Islam being it the word, Islam, Muslim, Hijab,
Qur’an, Masjid, Madrasa, etc. They stigmatized everything about Islam and gave
it a bad meaning.
Sooner or later, just as the Soviet ideology of Communism
collapsed, that of Capitalism of the West will also collapse. The thoughts
before this world are the thoughts of Imam Khomeini. Imam Khomeini is alive,
because his thoughts are very relevant to this time and they will continue for
some time. The world, the whole world needs the thoughts of Imam Khomeini. Some
people think just as we have Imam Khomeini in Iran, other Muslim countries of
the world should have their own Khomeini-type leader. I heard someone saying
they needed their own Khomeini; one was even saying they needed Khomeinis.
Look, the world, the whole world, the entire world needs only one Khomeini and
it has one! What remains for the world is to follow the teaching of Imam
Khomeini. You cannot talk of Imam Khomeini being a former or an old leader, he
is still the leader. Alhamdulillah, he has got a successor in the person of
Sayyid Ali Khamene’i, (H), where the teaching of the Imam continues as if the
Imam is alive. That is why a lot of them think Imam Khomeini is still dangerous
to their interest, because he seems to be alive. This is why also there are
still attacks on his personality.
We therefore congratulate organizers of this gathering and similar
ones, may Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala bless us all; may Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala
protect the Islamic Republic of Iran; May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala spread the
message of Imam Khomeini to cover the entire world.
Wassalamu Alaikum, wa rahamatullah.
No comments