Declaration – 25 Shawwal 1399 (1979-09-17)

Instruction of His Eminence Haj Sultan Husayn Tabandeh, Reza Ali Shah
to All Fuqara on the Day of the Passing of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him)

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To all faithful brothers and اَخِلّٰاء (“spiritual companions”), the following is respectfully addressed: As has been repeatedly emphasized in both verbal discussions and written instructions, we must all support the Islamic Revolution, which is founded upon religious principles, and follow its great standard-bearer. We must understand that every Shi‘a—and indeed every Muslim—is obligated to support the path of Islam and its revolutionary movement, and to uphold the utmost respect and courtesy toward those who serve Islam and Shi‘ism, and strive to promote religious values and the Islamic Revolution.

We must all obey the great leader, the exalted commander, and standard-bearer of the Islamic Revolution. Indeed, we fuqara should be even more diligent than others in spreading the true religion, Islam, and the Shi‘a faith of which we are proud. We must combat corruption and all that contradicts religion and morality, stay oriented toward the religious revolution, and under no circumstances deviate from it or consider straying from it permissible.

We should express our appreciation and allegiance to the grand Ayatollahs and supreme religious authorities of Shi‘ism—especially the two great leaders, Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Shariatmadari— دامَت اِفاضٰاتُهُما (“May their blessings continue”). May God grant us all the success to follow the commands of the purified Islamic Shari‘a and the true Twelver Shi‘a path.