On the 21st of March 1987, which coincides with the Iranian New Year, the Imam’s following statement was broadcasted on both the radio and the TV:
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
O the Transformer of the hearts and insights! O the Interchanger of the nights and days! O the Changer of the states and conditions! Change our condition to a better one.
This year's New Year has certain peculiar features which are blessed for us. In view of these features I extent felicitations to all the Muslims of the globe, the oppressed of the world and our combatant and dear nation. Among these features is that, thank God, we enter a new year prior to which there were conspicuous victories which are known to everyone.
I hope that in this New Year God would grant us the victories that must be granted to us. Among the features that rarely happen is that this year, the New Year falls between two great feasts; between the 31st of Rajab and the Mab`ath. Mab`ath belongs to the Great Friend of Allah, the absolute Friend of Allah par excellent, while the birthday is again a feast of Friend of Allah) Imam `Ali (. These two great personages were together in the unseen worlds; they were united and in martyrdom in this world one is the manifestation of that Absolute Unseen in the Mab`ath while the other one is the manifestation of that Absolute Unseen in Imamah.
Imamah and Mab`ath are two concepts from which emanate this general great spirituality and wilayah guardianship. And on account of it, this national feast, this great day, being enveloped by these two great feasts, is also a blessed one. Along this line, I have to state that we are between these two feasts, one of which is the birthday of the Commander of the Faithful while the other one is the feast of Mab`ath which are among the great feasts of Islam. Just as these two great personages were united and in unison in the unseen world and beyond, in this world in which they came, they had brotherhood and unity.
This must be a lesson for us; now, on this feast, in this New Year in which we are between two feasts whose owners were together in all the worlds and they were also brothers in this world, we have to learn lesson and preserve our brotherhood. All those who are taking charge of the affairs in this country have to keep their brotherhood. We have to follow the brotherhood of those two great personages and we must have brotherhood just as they were together all the time throughout their lives in this world; they supported one another; and in following the other, one took charge of all the affairs and in following him he faithfully took charge of the affairs; he was with him and was his brother in all affairs. Those who are in this country, from whatever stratum or group, particularly those who are taking charge of the affairs, should imitate these great personages in preserving their brotherhood; they should be brothers with one another particularly at this juncture when any defect in the brotherhood of these gentlemen, is tantamount to a blow to Islam. As such, the issue is an important one, and we are at a crucial and great juncture. If we preserve our unity and the Army, the IRGC, the Basij and the other armed forces such as tribal people and others succeed in doing so, we have followed our masters and we will attain felicity, God willing.
If, God forbid, one day carnal desires start to take hold and we follow our desire and confront each other, we should know that we will be disgraced in this world and the hereafter. Thus, on this feast, at this juncture, in this thing that has happened to us now- and this is the new day, the New Year being enveloped by the two great feasts- we have to follow them and preserve our unity everywhere.
I beseech God Almighty to preserve this unity among all the organs, assemblies and councils, the government, judiciary, and the rest of the people, and among all the strata of the nation, and make us follow our masters, so that we will depart from this world in bliss, God willing. And the important point is the issue of carnal desire. From among all the affairs, the one which entangles man is this carnal desire.
I pray to God Almighty to make Muslims successful and help rulers of Muslims not to follow their carnal desires in their actions. Our nation which, thank God, has reached this stage and gained these victories- though they offered martyrs, those missing in action, and their youth- they remained together and support one another and should support each other and be like brothers from now on.
I hope that this New Year would be auspicious for all, for all the strata of the nation and each of the tribes of the nation.
I hope that those who have now been with the Islamic Republic and those who belong to Iran and have been baselessly opposing the Islamic Republic, will stop their opposition and do whatever is pleasing to God.
Today, the pleasure of God is for Islam to radiate everywhere. And this depends on you inside, all the strata, those who baselessly do oppose or did oppose, and those who are abroad and are baselessly opposing, to wake up, to be conscious and to relinquish the carnal desires. The carnal desires must be abandoned. May God make all the strata happy, God willing, and make them successful in this service to Islam and service to the nation and the Muslims.
May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.