Iran’s earthy art is mixed with authentic mysticism, and many great artists of our country were also benami mystics. Perhaps the most important difference between Imam Khomeini and such artists and mystics is the issue of his practical mysticism. The path of the Imam’s mysticism first of all passes through the very difficult way of fighting against the ego and then through the practical struggle against the oppressors.
Encyclopaedia WikiArt Boraq Hamim – Imam Khomeini (pbuh) who was a powerful poet himself, has views on art that deserve attention due to his mystical influence and deep philosophical thoughts – which are one of the main pillars of the art building in Iran. Much more understanding. If it wasn’t for Imam Khomeini (pbuh), a revolutionary jurist and the founder of a new military in the political arena of Iran and the world, these views could be considered as an important part of the sources of understanding Iranian-Shiite art. Of course, other dimensions of Imam’s life and thoughts reflect these views on a much wider level and in close connection with social life and political society.
It is worth noting that Imam Khomeini (PBUH) has many words about various types of arts such as music, poetry, painting, cinema, etc. Placed. And his most important words in this context is the message that he sent to the artists and the families of the martyrs after the adoption of UN Resolution 598 and the end of the imposed war. It is about art.
The word art in Imam’s words
Imam Khomeini (pbuh) has used the word art in different meanings. Like he considers Jihad in the way of God and sacrificing himself in this way as “the art of God’s men”. (Sahifah Imam, vol. 14, p. 478) However, art in its special sense is generally the same as mustafa crafts, which includes various and numerous disciplines such as poetry, painting, calligraphy, storytelling, etc. Of course, art is also used as a Persian word meaning great and outstanding work, collection of information and experiences, industry, and the like.
In Imam’s words, art is mentioned both in its special meaning (various art disciplines) and in other meanings. In addition to the lexical meaning of art, this word has been defined by many thinkers in different ways, so that it can be said that “art” has hundreds of definitions and it is still discussed and examined by the opinions and definitions of thinkers, who envision an end for it. is not. Of course, it is not possible to count the existing definitions, but as an example some of these definitions are given below:
Aristotle: Art is an imitation of nature.
Hegel: Art is an effort to create beauty.
Tolstoy: Art is the transfer of the artist’s personal experience and the transmission of this feeling to others.
Oscar Wilde: Art is the key to understanding life.
Nima Yoshij: What is the basis of beauty in art is truth and correctness. (honar-masaeel. persianblog. ir)
Benedito Croce (Italian thinker): Art is a kind of intuition of God in the appearance of beauty.
Iqbal Lahori: The purpose of science and philosophy is to discover the truth, and the purpose of art is to manifest and represent the truth. (http: / / www. firooze. ir / article-fa-219. html)
In addition to the definition of art, many thinkers have raised many topics about art in independent books, including the book “What is art?” The work of the famous Russian writer: Leon Tolstoy
In his book, Tolstoy emphasizes the element of “communication” in order to explain good and correct art.
He believes that art should create a specific emotional connection between the artist and the audience so that it affects the audience. Therefore, true art must have the capacity to unite people through communication. He believed that the understanding of art includes any human activity in which a person manifests by means of external signs and represents the feelings he has already experienced.
This art is good art because it has an element of communication because it is clear, open and honest and even wonderful art. The more effective and stronger the art, the more valuable it is.
Tolstoy’s view is mainly based on religion. In his opinion, good art cultivates the fraternal feelings of all. All good art has a messianic message. Because it is only Christianity that teaches true brotherhood among all human beings. However, the word “Christianity” shows only a part of the meaning of the word.
He also believes that art produced by elites is almost never good art. Because the upper classes have completely lost the truth and the source of the Christian religion. In addition to this, the art that appeals to the upper classes naturally shows the emotions that are specific to the beliefs of that class. (Wikipedia, December 2013)
Tolstoy’s views regarding the religious, truth-seeking and perfectionist contexts have similarities with the views of Imam Khomeini (PBUH) and many great mystics and artists of Iran, which require more opportunities to investigate. But in general, it can be said that Iranian art is closely related to mysticism. The mystical concepts that flow in the vastness of Iran’s culture are the key to understanding the art of this land.
Although from the point of view of many thinkers, beauty – whether it is external beauty or spiritual and true beauty – is considered the central element of art, but Iranian art masters often look at these values from the perspective of mysticism.
The mystics of Iran who believe that “Allah is beautiful and beautiful” consider humans to seek beauty by nature. Even when an artist expresses and shows corruption and ugliness, he is presenting deviations and crookedness and shortcomings of human life to get rid of such corruptions and problems. In fact, no artist wants ugliness. Beauty is the basis of art. All definitions of art rely on the reflection of beauty. Sometimes, the reflection of the truth is called art, and sometimes it is the effect of love and sometimes the high human values, and all of these are beautiful manifestations that are present in human life.
In our country, we know few mystics who are alien to art, but we know many artists who have been known mystics on the path to perfection.
A look at the views of great Iranian artists clearly shows this meaning.
Ferdowsi (the great epic of Iran) says:
People’s art should be true and it was crooked and lacking
Hafez sings:
Scammers don’t buy the truth for half-heartedness
Or
Let’s kill that painter / Cain played an amazing role in his busy career.
Saadi sings:
What is the fault of the people that you love all your life? Saadi has the same art
Or
Saadi, the art of breaking people’s nine claws / Be a good man, if you break your breath
Or
If you have an art and seventy flaws / a friend does not see it, except for that one art
In fact, the great artists of our country were often so-called mystics, and the fusion of mysticism and art has a remarkable clarity in their works. Stories such as the famous story of Roman and Chinese painters in Masnavi which begins like this:
The Romans said we are deaf / the Chinese said we are painters
Who are you to choose in the lawsuit / Sultan said, I will take the test
It expresses this amazing fusion of mysticism and art of our land. It is interesting that this story is reflected in the works of some mystics and poets before Rumi, such as Imam Mohammad Ghazali, Nizami Ganjavi, Anwari, etc., which indicates the antiquity and deep roots of such concepts in the mysticism and art of this region.
On the other hand, the works of Iranian poets and intellectuals and mystics show that they were truth-telling and truth-seeking artists, defenders of the deprived and suffering, and enemies of oppressors, ascetics, hypocrites, flatterers, and the like.
Naturally, Imam Khomeini (pbuh) as a great mystic – who has a name in theoretical and practical mysticism – looks at art from a high position. In addition, it should be kept in mind that the Imam was both a professor of philosophy and a jurist and a great authority. On the other hand, he is the founder of the new military in the field of world politics.
Although jurisprudence and philosophy are close to politics and the history of political philosophy is considered the most important part of the history of philosophy, Ali al-Zahir’s mysticism is relatively far from politics and political categories. However, some great mystics have had an eye on politics. The poems of poets who are known as the famous figures of mysticism, especially Hafez, Saadi, and Rumi, have many political points, that is, points related to the government and administration of the country. Of course, the majority of such poems are either to give advice to the rulers or to criticize their performance, which in the latter case is mostly ironic and satirical. In any case, such points make up a small percentage of the collection of poems of these mystics.
In short, throughout history, few mystics have sought to overthrow the oppressive political system and establish a military based on truth and justice. Perhaps this is the reason that after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, which came to fruition under the leadership of Imam Khomeini (PBUH), the discussion of the relationship between mysticism and politics appeared in mass media in a very wide way.
In any case, the views of Imam Khomeini (pbuh) in various fields are mainly based on his ascetic life and deep jurisprudential, philosophical and political studies and his experiences of long revolutionary struggles. These characteristics and his exceptional position in contemporary history have made him a unique character, which makes the examination of his views and ideas even more important. These views are a mixture of jurisprudence, philosophy, politics and Islamic mysticism.
For this reason, his theories in any field, including art, are multi-dimensional theories.
Imam Khomeini’s famous message addressed to artists and families of martyrs is as follows:
The name of God the Merciful
The pure blood of hundreds of wise artists on the fronts of love, martyrdom, honor and dignity is the imperishable capital of the kind of art that should, in proportion to the greatness and beauty of the Islamic Revolution, always perfume the breath of the beautiful soul of the Taliban, Jamal Haq. The only art accepted by the Qur’an is that which polishes the pure Islam of Muhammad – may God bless him and grant him peace – the Islam of Imam Huda – peace be upon him – the Islam of the poor in pain, the Islam of the barefooted, the Islam of those who have been whipped by the bitter and shameful history of deprivation. It is a beautiful and pure art that crushes modern capitalism and vampiric communism and destroys Islam of prosperity and luxury, Islam of eclecticism, Islam of compromise and humility, Islam of the prosperous and painless, and in one word “American Islam”.
Art in the school of love shows the blind spots of social, economic, political, and military problems. Art in Islamic mysticism is a clear depiction of justice, honor, and fairness, and a bitter representation of the hungry, angry people of power and money.
Art in its true position is the image of Zale Sosfatan who enjoy sucking the blood of authentic Islamic culture, the culture of justice and purity. One should focus only on the art of learning the way to fight against the globalists of the East and the West, America and the Soviet Union at the head of them.
Our artists can lay down their responsibility and trust without worry, only when they are sure that their people have reached eternal life without relying on others, only and only within the framework of their school. And our artists were like this in the fronts of our holy defense, until they rushed to the high crowd. And they fought for God and the honor and happiness of their people; And on the way to the victory of dear Islam, they disgraced all the claimants of painless art..
May their God surround them with His mercy.
– 30/6/67.- Ruhollah Al-Mousavi Al-Khomeini. (Sahifah Imam, Vol. 21, pp. 145-146)
The importance of Imam’s message is due to the fact that this message is clearly a part of Imam Khomeini’s political speech. Of course, the discursive examination of Imam’s speech has certain complications
And it is not possible to specify the main elements of the Imam’s discourse with one message, but according to the discourse research that has been done regarding his words, some of the characteristics of the Imam’s discourse in the desired message are presented as follows:
1- Positive and negative words, that is, which words or terms in the text in question have a positive aspect and which have a negative aspect. (value vocabulary)
A- Some positive words (pure blood, wise artist, fronts of love and martyrdom, honor and dignity, imperishable capital, greatness and beauty of the Islamic revolution, beautiful soul, Taliban of Jamal Haq, fragrant, Quran, pure Muhammadan Islam (p. ), the Islam of Imam Hoda (AS), the Islam of the poor in pain, the Islam of the barefooted, beautiful, pure, crushing modern capitalism and vampire communism, the destroyer of the Islam of prosperity and luxury…, the school of love, Islamic mysticism, justice, honor, fairness, embodiment The bitterness of those who are hungry for power and money, the real position, the authentic Islamic culture, the culture of justice and purity, the fight against the world-eaters, without relying on others, eternal life, holy defense, the supreme multitude, God, prosperity, victory, dear Islam, and…
B- Some negative words (painful, whipped, bitter and shameful, deprivations, modern capitalism, vampire communism, Islam of prosperity and luxury, eclectic Islam, Islam of compromise and humility, painless prosperous Islam, American Islam, points blind, bitter, hungry, angry with power and money,
Zalovesfatan, the world-eaters of the East and the West, America, the Soviet Union, claimants of painless art, and…
Hint – The point that can be found in considering the positive and negative words of the message is that the vast majority of these words have a positive aspect and even additional or descriptive words, terms and compounds are placed in a positive conceptual format. For example, words such as painful, whipped, bitter and shameful, deprivations, etc. are negative words by themselves, but according to the beginning of the sentence or quasi-sentence, these words take on a positive color, such as the Islam of the whipped, the Islam of the poor in pain.
In the same way, sometimes positive words have a negative aspect due to the additional or descriptive mode, such as painless, prosperous Islam or American Islam. However, the number of positive words prevails. And according to the date of the message, which is a short time after the acceptance of the truce resolution of the imposed war, which the Imam had described to himself as “deadlier than poison” (Sahifah Imam, vol. 21, p. 95), and during those days he was considered physically ill. and in his old age and near the end of his blessed life, such a positive, young, fighting and passionate spirit that is evident in his beautiful and literary words is really surprising.
2- The mentioned people and institutions, that is, like words, which person or person or institution has a positive face and which has a negative face.
A- People and persons with a positive face (artist Farzaneh, Taliban of Jamal Haq, Messenger of God (PBUH) and Imam Huda (PBUH), the poor in pain, the barefooted, the victims of the bitter and shameful history of deprivation, the hungry hungry for power and money, our artists , people and…)
B- People and persons with a negative face (Zal Wesfatan, the globalists of the East and the West, America, the Soviet Union, claimants of painless art.)
In fact, wise and deprived artists are placed under the banner of the Messenger of God (PBUH) and Imam Huda (AS) against the world-eaters of the East and the West and artless pretenders. It can be said that from Imam’s point of view, art without faith in the Almighty and without fighting and standing against the arrogant world-eaters will be lined up in the domain of the oppressors of history. The Imam refers to the constant struggle between right and wrong, which has continued since the beginning of history and will continue until the end of human life in the earthly world, except that its examples and forms are different in different times.
3- Description or polarization, in the sense of how the self (me or us) is described and how the other self or others are described (in this text, although the descriptive concepts are about art, the author of the text called martyr artists “farzaneh” and By emphasizing “our artists”, he places himself in a group of which these artists are the people of Iran, but in addition, such people are followers of the Messenger of God (pbuh) and the Imams of Hoda (pbuh). Pure Islam, the poor, the poor, and the secretives of history, that is, this group goes far beyond one nation and includes all places and times “Throughout history, in front of the “we” of the text, this collection has marked the bitter and shameful history of deprivations, whose face today is in the form of modern capitalism, vampire communism – America and the Soviet Union – leeches, the wealthy without pain, Compromisers and submissives stand out.
The polarization of the text, like the persons and institutions of the text, is based on the same constant debate of right and wrong. “We” of the text is placed on the front of truth and “other” of the text is placed on the front of falsehood.
4- Citing or quoting a witness, in the sense of which person or person or evidence and experience, etc. is cited to confirm the words (central citation of the text, Islam, the Holy Qur’an, the Messenger of God (pbuh) and the Imams of Hoda (pbuh) are. )
Along with these ideological standards, the imposed war fronts and the martyrs of the artist form the structure of the message as the most important objective references. This message has shaped all the elements of the Imam’s discourse in an ideological and experimental structure with continuity and coherence.
5- Implicit implications (presuppositions, insinuations and associations), in the sense of what assumptions the text relies on to communicate between issues and categories and understand the subject, what intellectual and practical teachings it induces, and what content it evokes. The righteousness of Islam, the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, is the basis of the implied meanings of the text. At the same time, the imposed war, the martyrs of the artist, the authentic and correct art, the people of Iran, the deprived of the world, etc. They are standing without pain, without pain, etc.
6- Expression, that is, what is the basis of the means of expressing the content: naming, generalization, threat, warning, awareness, reasoning, etc. (in this message, awareness, naming, as well as threat and warning are used effectively. )
7- What are the basic propositions of the text? That is, what is the sincerity of the speaker’s words and what does he want to say or what is the soul of his words (the proof of the truth of Islam, Islamic art, is the martyrs of the imposed war, especially the martyrs of the artist, the result of which is the truth and greatness of the Islamic Revolution.)
8- The source of legitimacy, which means that for the speaker, his position and what is legitimizing his words from his point of view (the position of the producer of the message as the leader of the Islamic Revolution, the founder of a new military in the world, the reference for imitation of knowledge, etc. for the audience of the message , is clear and completely acceptable. He is in a position that can make such great judgments and condemn the great powers of the world and give a firm opinion about the art and the artist from the perspective of Islam The author of the text is perfect in relation to his position and this is the position that gives him the authority to produce such a message.
An overview of text production events
The date of the text in question is the 30th of Shahrivar 1367, that is, the anniversary of the military attack of the Iraqi Baath regime on our country (31st Shahrivar 1359). This history itself has a deep meaning. It is as if Imam Khomeini (PBUH) is giving a message to the warriors who rose to defend the country.
This text is after the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 598, dated July 29, 1366, which was accepted by Iran on July 27, 1367. Imam Khomeini (PBUH) likened the acceptance of the said resolution to drinking a cup of poison: “Accepting this issue is more deadly for me than poison; But satisfied with God’s pleasure and for his satisfaction, I drank this drink. (Sahifah Imam, vol. 21, p. 95)
The long imposed war and brave resistance of Imam Khomeini (pbuh) and the warriors did not reach the results that the Imam and his followers expected. Accepting United Nations Resolution 598 was the only and most rational way possible in those circumstances, but at the same time, it was considered a kind of retreat from the desired goals of the Imam and the people of Iran.
The message of acceptance of the resolution was announced by Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, who commanded the war on behalf of the Imam, on the TV of the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the time of announcing the issue, his face, which is known for his meekness, patience and steadfastness in hardships, showed deep pain and suffering. It cannot be denied that many people were happy because the war imposed an unbearable pressure on the country, but many people – especially the fighters, even those who could no longer go to the front – became very depressed and disturbed. The writer knows fighters who did not come out of their homes for days after accepting the resolution and were busy crying and wailing, reading the Quran and praying, and if it were not for the hopeful messages of the Imam, they might have surrendered.
In his message, Imam Khomeini (pbuh) clearly explains the issue of accepting the resolution and by honestly accepting full responsibility for the course of defense and war and how to end it, he shares the reasons for his decision with everyone. Of course, why and for what reason the imam explains and to whom he explains has points that are not in the scope of this article.
But in any case, the state of ending the war does not detract a hair from the greatness and beauty of the great work of the warriors of the Iranian nation. The Imam’s words remind people of the very deep and path-breaking words of Hazrat Zainab, peace be upon them, who even after the apparent defeat and captivity of the family and companions of the Messenger of God (PBUH) called out “Ma Raiyat Ella Jamila” against the oppressors of the time. And the whole point of the imam is that what is beautiful and great is the act of a person who is truthful. Drawing, picturing and expressing this kind of action is one of the same actions. Showing beauty is beautiful itself.
Imam Khomeini (pbuh) in many messages that he has expressed at different times emphasizes on doing one’s duty and not on obtaining desired results, and this is one of the axes of the Imam’s discourse.
He writes in the message regarding the acceptance of the resolution:
“Dear and honorable people of Iran, I consider you as my own children. And you know that I love you; And I know you; You know me too. In the current situation, what caused the order was my divine duty. You know that I made a pact with you to fight until the last drop of blood and the last breath; But today’s decision was only to determine expediency; And only hoping for his mercy and satisfaction, I passed everything I said; And if I have a reputation, I have made a deal with God. My dears, you know that I have tried not to put my comfort before your rights and comfort. God, you know that we are not ready to compromise with disbelief… God, you know that arrogance and world-eating America filled the flowers of the garden of your mission. God, in the world of oppression and violence, you are all our support, and we are alone and we do not know anyone other than you, and we did not want to know anyone other than you. Help us, you are the best of helpers. Oh God, make up for the bitterness of these days with the sweetness of Hazrat Baqiyat Allah – our souls for the sake of the beginning of al-fida – and reaching yourself..
My revolutionary children, you who are not ready for a moment to give up your holy pride, know that every moment of my life is spent in the path of holy love to serve you.
I know you are having a hard time; But isn’t it hard for your old father? I know that the testimony is sweeter than honey in front of you; Isn’t it like this for your servant? But be patient because God is with the patient. Keep your revolutionary grudge in your chest; look at your enemies with anger; And know that victory is yours. And I emphasize that you should not think that I am not aware of the work of the war and its officials. The officials are my trust. Don’t blame them for the decision they have made, because such a proposal was difficult and unfortunate for them. God willing, may God make us all successful in our service and satisfaction. (Ibid., pp. 95 and 96)
In these messages, Imam Khomeini (pbuh) did not mention his view on ending the war after the conquest of Khorramshahr on the third day of June 1361, a matter that became clear after his death. The late Haj Seyyed Ahmad Agha announced in an interview after the death of the Imam that the time after the conquest of Khorramshahr was the right time for peace and standing behind the international borders in the form of a ceasefire. And this shows his opposition to the continuation of the war after the conquest of Khorramshahr. However, this personal opinion of the Imam was not used as the basis for action, and in summarizing the opinions of military and political experts, an opinion was given on the continuation of the war, which was approved by the Imam. They preferred their own personal opinion. (Research and information portal of the Institute for Editing and Publishing the Works of Imam Khomeini (PBUH), January 2014)
In any case, the Imam proved in his messages with a strong argument that although the desired and final victory was not achieved, what was achieved was a victory with all the martyrdoms and losses, the victory of defense against the world-eaters.
One of the characteristics of Imam’s messages is that he introduced the enemy by name and characteristics. In that situation, the globalists of the East and the West, America and the Soviet Union at the head of them, are introduced as the enemies of pure Islam and authentic Islamic culture. Fighting against these world eaters is the same as fighting against oppression and supporting the oppressed and the suffering.
But the remarkable thing is that during his rule, the Imam never condemned the foreign enemies in a way that he was responsible for himself and the officials of the country, despite taking a strong front against the arrogant and the world-eaters. Finally, in his political and divine will, he apologized to the Most Merciful and Merciful God and to the Iranian nation for his lack of service and negligence. Imam Khomeini (pbuh) really considered himself the servant of the Muslim nation of Iran and dedicated his whole life and energy to this cause.
In any case, the message in question is actually a continuation of the message regarding the acceptance of the resolution. Basically, the acceptance of the resolution was not a simple issue that could be resolved with one or two messages, but it required a great deal of clarity. Imam Khomeini (pbuh) made the people aware of the merits and demerits of the issue through numerous messages and in addition to maintaining the morale of the warriors and officials and the general public, he put the enemies of the Islamic system in a passive position. In fact, these messages were a struggle and a great defense so that the arrogant world-eaters and their regional affiliates could not use the position gained to attack the revolution and the Islamic system, a struggle that Imam Khomeini (pbuh) fought until the end. His life continued.
The messages of that great man from the time of the adoption of the resolution to the last messages were pieces of a divine shield connected together to prevent injuries and blows from the enemies of the Islamic system. And the result was the preservation of the Islamic system, the proof of the legitimacy of Iran and the brilliant victory of the Muslim nation of Iran, which reverberated everywhere, although the all-round and final and desirable victory of the Imam and the warriors was not achieved. In one word, Imam Khomeini (pbuh) showed and proved that the winner of the defense battle against the cannibals was the Muslim nation of Iran, a battle that will continue until the final victory – which is the definite promise of Almighty God.
some notes:
A- In order to better understand the Imam’s message to the artists, it should be considered in a series of messages after the end of the imposed war, which is not within the scope of a short article. However, since most of the discourse elements of Imam Khomeini (pbuh) are present in most of his messages, it is possible to obtain some of the elements or the general framework of his discourse in any subject and at any point in time by considering each of these messages.
It is noteworthy that in this message, drawing, visualization, image and actually representing art are mentioned. It means that the producer of the message correctly understands the role and function of art. The work of art is to show. Also, the creator of the text mentions various subjects for art, which are not exclusive and are mostly presented as headlines, such as the clear depiction of justice, honor, and fairness, and the bitter portrayal of the hungry, angry with power and money, showing the blind spots and Ambiguity of social, economic, political, military problems, etc., but this drawing and showing takes place in a space that Imam calls as the real place of art, school of love and Islamic mysticism. These sentences reflect the ancient concept of Iran’s land art, which is mysticism. According to the Imam, it is a beautiful and pure art that perfumes the nose of the beautiful soul of the Taliban, Jamal Haq. Such art is naturally opposed to oppression. Such an art is on the way to fight against oppression, which opens its way to perfection and absolute truth. Basically, it is the sending of divine messengers and the revelation of the book and measure in order to establish justice. (Holy Quran, Hadid, 25)
This is that the connection between art and Jihad and Mujahideen in the path of truth is more apparent due to the presence of artists, many of whom drank the syrup of martyrdom during the imposed war. But there are other fields in which the presence of art is necessary and artistic action in them is also considered a struggle, such as drawing justice and honor or showing the blind and ambiguous points of social problems, etc.
Another point is that the Imam’s advice, although it was given in very difficult circumstances, is basically looking at the future. Therefore, his message is based on principles that do not disappear with the change of time. In fact, Imam Khomeini (pbuh) considers the Islamic revolution beyond what was achieved in the Islamic revolution of Iran. This revolution is the beginning and preparation of a great revolution that will definitely cover the whole world according to God’s promise, and real and original art finds its meaning in this way. Such art is on the path of perfection and mysticism; Whether it is on the front of love and martyrdom, whether it is in the position of fighting against oppression, colonialism and arrogance, whether it is in the position of serving the deprived and hungry, whether it is in the pursuit of solving problems and social disorders, etc.
B- One of the most important characteristics of Imam Khomeini (PBUH) is to write many poems in different stages of his life, which were published in the form of a voluminous divan after his death. Of course, this divan does not contain all of his poems and apparently some of them – like many of his writings – were lost or destroyed during the struggles and exile of that great man. But in any case, it can be said that Diwan Imam contains the vast majority of his poems.
Another point is that these poems have no date and it is not known exactly when they were written. However, from the concepts of some of them, it is possible to get an approximate date of their composition. All of these poems – including sonnets, odes, quatrains, etc. – were written in the form of ancient Iranian poetry and are deeply mixed with the mystical concepts of the poems of poets such as Hafez and Saadi, and recreated many of their semantic elements.
Most of the concepts of Imam’s poems are placed in the circle of mystical behavior. And probably, the poet’s failure to include the date refers to this transtemporal meaning.
Also, from Imam’s point of view, the artists who were with the warriors and had the heavy duty of conveying their actions and words, and many of them were martyred during their activities, do not lack anything from the warriors and are considered among the best warriors of the right religion. Imam Khomeini (pbuh) considers martyrdom to be “the art of God’s men”. He considers artists as warriors who disgraced all the claimants of painless art on the way to the victory of Islam. In fact, from Imam’s point of view, warriors like Hemats and Bakris and artists like Avinis walk the path of divine love and mysticism, whose peak of evolution joins each other at the point of martyrdom.
“The art is to rise to jihad for God without political noises and satanic displays and to sacrifice oneself for the purpose and not the ego, and this is the art of the men of God…” (Sahifah Imam, vol. 14, p. 478)
Analysis of text and hypertext
The focus of the text is based on the demarcation between right and wrong. The audience of the message, the positive and negative words, and the people and powers towards whom the creator of the text has a positive or negative view, all confirm this demarcation. This text was produced in the conditions after the acceptance of the resolution, which apparently the war is over, but from the point of view of the producer of the message, the real battle is still going on and will continue until the final victory of right over wrong.
In this message, there is no mention of Saddam or the Iraqi Ba’ath party and some other important issues of the eight-year war, such as the imposition of war on Iran, etc., and the most important reasons are probably the following:
1- Political considerations; Because the opposition against Saddamian – even verbally – was not proportional to the acceptance of the resolution.
2- Determining the face of the main enemy; Because from Imam’s point of view, Saddam and the Iraqi Baath Party – and many sheikhs of the region – acted only as pawns of the superpowers and in the direction of their policies.
Imam’s Qur’anic view is based on the fight against oppression, which in the conditions of that day included both the superpowers of the East and the West, and this message has specific references to their actions.
“Ghir” or other messages are mainly these two big powers that claim painless art and their ilk are joined to these arrogant powers. Art that is not in the direction of pure Islam is in the service of American Islam.
Imam Khomeini (pbuh) always mentioned the authenticity of “pure Islam” and put it against other deviant views of Islam and defined them all as “American Islam”.
Such a perception of Islam with luxury, prosperity, eclecticism and oppression of the powerful, has no problem and is only for the benefit of those who eat life. But the original and accepted art of Islam, in its sublime movement, is the supporter of the deprived, the suffering, the poor, and the enemy of oppressive powers.
When the Imam says, “Martyrdom is the art of God’s men.” “, in fact, it draws the main path of art, which is struggle in the direction of truth until meeting Allah.
Irfan, from Imam Khomeini’s point of view, is mujahidah in the path of Almighty God. Original art is also understood in this space. Art is nothing but mysticism. As mujahidah in the path of truth is the highest mystical path, the pure and accepted art of Islam is also considered mujahidah in the path of truth. It is that at the climax of “martyrdom” both paths end at the same goal.
Naturally, many internal and external forces and powers have lined up against such a path, which Imam Khomeini (pbuh) defines with negative words: the world-eaters of the East and the West, the wealthy without pain, the supporters of American Islam, the artless claimants, etc.
In addition to this, when the Imam emphasizes the “fronts of love, martyrdom, honor and dignity” at the beginning of his message, he raises the flag of righteousness and indomitability of pure Islam against all the world-eaters and their agents, including Saddam Hussein.
In general, Imam Khomeini’s (pbuh) messages after accepting the resolution have a different mood. In these messages, the discourse elements of Imam Khomeini (PBUH) appear more clearly and explicitly. The main element of the Imam’s discourse is the fight against oppression and the defense of the oppressed and deprived. These discursive elements in his other words about art – especially before the acceptance of the resolution – seem to be weaker. In fact, with the purpose of having this message, one can better understand Imam’s words about art and mysticism.
Conclusion
Art has a moral and sublime aspect in the view of the great artists of the world. This state seems more prominent in the art of our country. In addition, the art of Iran is mixed with authentic mysticism, and many great artists of our country were also benami mystics. Perhaps the most important difference between Imam Khomeini (PBUH) and such artists and mystics is the issue of his practical mysticism. The path of the Imam’s mysticism first of all passes through the very difficult way of fighting against the ego and then through the practical struggle against the oppressors. First, one must be a man of God in order to be able to reach the peak of the sublime human movement in the direction of fighting in the path of truth, which is meeting God. The requirement of such art is to confront the oppressors and their dependents and defend the oppressed and deprived and try to solve social, economic, political, military problems and depict justice and fairness and honor as well as show the pain and suffering of those who are oppressed by power and money. Art in Islamic mysticism serves society. In the speech of Imam Khomeini (pbuh), mysticism and art are not separate from each other and they find meaning and are introduced with a common goal in the field of society.
References:
1- Holy Quran
2- Imam Khomeini (pbuh), Imam’s Sahifa (statements, messages, interviews, rulings, Shariah permits and letters), twenty-two volumes, Tehran: Imam Khomeini (pbuh) Editing and Publishing Institute, autumn 1378, print First
3- Wikipedia, December 2013
4- Diwan Saadi
5- Diwan Hafez
6- Masnavi Maulana
7- The research and information portal of the Institute for Editing and Publishing the Works of Imam Khomeini (S), questions and answers, December 2014)
Creator: Dr. Abulfazl Maravi
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