The following is the full text of the will and testament of Martyr Major-General Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the IRGC’s Quds Forces who formerly led many operations during Saddam’s eight-year U.S.-backed war on Iran as well as accomplishing numerous other valorous achievements during his blessed life. His life was characterized by extraordinary faith, exemplary courage and passionate attachment to Wilayat. May he rest in peace and drink from the fountain of eternal bliss.
In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I Testify to the Main Principles of Islam
I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. I testify that Ali ibn Abi Talib and his immaculate children – the twelve Imams – are our Infallible Imams and that they are “Hujaj Allah” (God’s proofs).
I testify that the Day of Judgment is true, the Quran is true, Heaven and Hell are true, the questioning and answering (on the Day of Judgment) are true, and that Resurrection, God’s Justice, Imamate and Prophethood are true.
Oh God, I thank You for Your blessings
Oh God, thank You for transferring me from one loin to the next, from one century to the next, and from one family to the next, until You bestowed on me the blessing to live during a time when I could see one of your most prominent Friends who is close to and a companion of the Infallibles, Your righteous servant – the Great Khomeini. And, I thank you for letting me be his soldier. If I did not have the blessing to be the companion of Your Great Messenger, Muhammad al-Mustafa, and if I did not live during the period of the oppression of Ali ibn Abi Talib and his immaculate and wronged children, You helped me tread the same path on which they laid down their lives – which are worth all the universe and its creatures.
Oh God, I thank You for letting me take the path of Your other righteous servant – after dear Khomeini – whose innocence even surpasses his righteousness, a man who is today’s sage of Islam, Shi’ism, Iran and the political world of Islam. This man is dear Khamenei (may I sacrifice my life for his sake).
Dear God, thank You for allowing me to associate with Your best servants, for giving me the opportunity to kiss their heavenly faces, and for letting me smell their divine scent – the Mujahideen and Martyrs on this path.
Dear God, Capable, Mighty One and Merciful Provider, I prostrate before You in gratitude and humbleness for having helped me take the path of the purest Fatima and her children in the Shi’ah religion – the true scent of Islam – and for letting me shed tears for the children of Ali ibn Abi Talib and the purest Fatima. What a great blessing it is, your greatest and most precious blessing. It is a blessing that contains light, spirituality and restlessness, in which there is the most assuring peace of mind. It contains sorrow that is coupled with tranquility and spirituality.
Dear God, I am grateful to You for giving me parents who were poor but pious, who loved the Household of the Holy Prophet of Islam, and who always treaded the path of purity. I beseechingly ask You to associate them with Your Friends in Your Heaven and allow me to meet with them in the Hereafter.
Oh God, I Have Hopes for Your Pardon
Oh Dear God, Oh Wise and Unique Creator, my hands are empty, and so is my backpack. I rush to you without any provisions, hoping that You will treat me to Your banquet of pardon and generosity. I do not have any provisions with me, for what provisions does a poor man need in the presence of a generous Lord?
My shoes are filled with the hope of Your Grace and Your Generosity. I have brought with me two closed eyes, which contain a treasure in addition to their impurities. That jewel is tears shed for Fatima’s Husayn, tears shed for the Household, and tears shed in defense of the oppressed, the orphans and the innocent who were caught in the claws of oppressors.
Oh God, I have nothing in my hands. They have nothing to present, nor do they have the power to defend. However, I have stored something in my hands, which I am hopeful about, that is a continuous movement towards You. When I reached out my hands towards you, when I put them on the ground and on my knees for Your sake, and when I carried weapons in order to defend Your religion, these are the wealth that I carry in my hands and I hope that you have accepted them.
Oh God, my legs are frail and have no stamina. They do not have the courage to cross the bridge that crosses over Hell. My legs tremble even when crossing an ordinary bridge. Woe to me, as Your path (the bridge over Hell) is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword. Nonetheless, I harbor some hope that I may not tremble and that I may find salvation. I set foot in Your sanctuary and circled around Your House (the circumambulation of the Holy Ka’bah). I ran bare-footed in the shrines of Your Friends and between the shrines of Husayn and Abbas. I bent and hugged my knees in long trenches. And, I ran, jumped, crept, wept, laughed and made others laugh, cried and made others cry, and fell and picked myself up in defense of your religion. I hope that you will pardon them (my legs) because of these jumping, crawling, and these holy shrines.
Oh God, my head, my wisdom, my lips, my nose, my ears, my heart and all parts of my body harbor the same hope. Oh most Merciful, Compassionate God, accept me and accept me in purity. Accept me in a way that I will be worthy of seeing You. I do not want anything other than meeting You. Heaven for me is being next to You, Oh Allah.
Oh God, I Have Been Left Behind the Caravan of My Friends
Oh dear God, it is many years now that I have been left behind a caravan. I have constantly sent others towards it, but I myself have been left behind it. You Yourself know that I have never been able to forget them. Their memory and their names always echo, not in my mind, but in my heart and in my eyes with tears and sighs.
My dear God, my body is becoming infirm. How could You possibly not accept someone who has been waiting at Your door for 40 years? My Creator, my Beloved and my Love, I have always asked You to fill my heart and my soul with the love of You. Let me burn and die in being apart from You.
My dear One, I have wandered into deserts feeling restless and ashamed of being left behind. I go from one city to another and from this desert to the next in winters and summers, because I harbor a hope. Generous God, my Beloved God, I have fixed my hopes on Your Generosity. You know that I love You. You know that I do not want anyone other than You. Help me join You.
Oh God, terror has engulfed my whole existence. I am not capable of controlling my will. Do not disgrace me. I ask You, for the sake of those whose sanctity You have vowed to preserve, to join me to the caravan that has come towards You before I see the sanctity of these shrines being disrespected.
You, Whom I worship, my Love and my Beloved, I love You. I have seen and felt You many times. I cannot remain separate from You any longer. It is enough. It is enough. Accept me, but only when I am worthy of You.
A Word with My Mujahid Brothers and Sisters
My Mujahid sisters and brothers in this world, you who have offered your lives for the sake of God, risking your lives and putting them on sale in the bazaar of love, please pay attention. The Islamic Republic is the center of Islam and Shi’ism. Today, Husayn ibn Ali’s base is Iran. You should know that the Islamic Republic is a sanctuary, and if this sanctuary is preserved, others will be preserved as well. If the enemy destroys this sanctuary, no sanctuary – neither the sanctuaries belonging to Ibrahim nor Muhammad – will remain.
My brothers and sisters, the world of Islam is constantly in need of leadership, one that is connected to and endorsed by the Infallibles in terms of Islamic law and jurisprudence. You know perfectly well that the purest religious scholar who shook the whole world and revived Islam – our great and pure Khomeini – stated that “Wilayat-e-Faqih” is the only prescription for the salvation of this nation. Therefore, those of you who believe in it as Shi’ah Muslims and based on religion, and those of you who believe in it as Sunni Muslims and based on logic, should know that you must refuse to abandon the tent of Wilayat, and without any discord among yourselves. This tent is the tent of the Messenger of God. The basis of the enmity against the Islamic Republic throughout the world, is for burning and destroying this tent. You should circle around it (like the circumambulation of the Ka’bah). I swear to Allah, I swear to Allah, I swear to Allah, if this tent is harmed, there will be no sign of God’s House (Ka’bah), Madinah – where the shrine of the Holy Prophet is located – Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiya, Samarra or Mashhad, and the Holy Quran will be damaged as well.
A Word with My Iranian Brothers and Sisters
My dear Iranian brothers and sisters, you honorable and glorious people for whom I, and individuals like me, wish to sacrifice our lives thousands of times – as you sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives for the sake of Islam and Iran – you should take care of the “Principles.” The Principles means “Wali-Faqih” (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), in particular that sage and that oppressed man who is imbued with religious piety, jurisprudence, spirituality and religious understanding. Dear Khamenei should be very dear to you. You should know that respecting him is like respecting the sanctities.
Brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, my dear ones! The Islamic Republic is experiencing its most glorious period today. You should know that it does not matter what the enemy thinks about you. What did the enemy think about your Prophet? How did the enemies behave towards the Messenger of God and his children? What accusations did they make about him, and how did they treat his immaculate children? The enemies’ reproach, censure and pressure should not divide you.
You should know – and you do know – that the most important achievement of dear Khomeini was that firstly, he applied Islam to help Iran, and then, he put Iran at the service of Islam. If it were not for Islam, and if an Islamic spirit had not ruled over our nation, Saddam would have rent our country to pieces like a predatorial wolf, and the U.S. would have acted in the same manner like a rabid dog. However, Imam Khomeini’s accomplishment was that he brought Islam to the help of this nation. He brought forth Ashura, the month of Muharram, the month of Safar, and Fatimiyah (the period of mourning for Hazrat Fatima (phuh)) to help this nation. He created revolutions within the revolution. It is for this reason that in every period, thousands of self-sacrificing individuals laid down their lives to shield you, the Iranian nation, Iranian soil and Islam. They humbled the biggest worldly powers. My dear ones, do not become divided over the “Principles.”
Martyrs are the axis of dignity and respect for all of us. They have joined the vast ocean of God, the Pure, not only for today, but for eternity. You should regard them as great in your eyes, hearts and on your tongues, as they truly are great. You should familiarize your children with their names and their photographs. You should look with respect at the children of Martyrs who are the orphaned children of all of you. You should respect their wives and their parents. In the same way that you treat your own children with leniency, pay special attention to them in the absence of their fathers, mothers, wives and children.
You should respect your Armed Forces which are headed by the Wali-e-Faqih for the sake of defending yourselves, your religion, Islam and the country. Likewise, the Armed Forces should respect, protect and support the nation, its honor and its soil, in the same way that they defend their own homes. As the Commander of the Faithful – the Leader of the Pious – said, “The Armed Forces should be a source of dignity for their nation. They should be the castle and the refuge for the oppressed and the people, and they should adorn their country.
A Word with the Dear People of Kerman
I have a point to raise with the dear people of Kerman, a lovely people who made the greatest sacrifices throughout the period of the 8-year Holy Defense and sacrificed great generals and honorable Mujahideen for the sake of Islam. I always feel humble before them. They trusted me for eight years for the sake of Islam. They sent their children to deadly battlefields and difficult wars such as operations Karbala-5, Valfajr-8, Tariqul-Quds, Fathul-Mobin, Baytul-Moqaddas and other operations. And, they founded a great and valuable army in the name of and for the love of our Infallible Imam, Husayn ibn Ali – the Tharallah Division. That Division frequently made the hearts of our nation and of the Muslims happy, working like a sharp sword and erasing grief from their hearts.
My dear ones! Today, I am no longer among you due to divine destiny. I love you more than my father, my mother, my children, my sisters and my brothers, because I spent more time with you than I did with them, while they were my flesh and blood, and I was theirs. They accepted for me to dedicate my life and my existence to you and to the Iranian nation.
I would like Kerman to remain with Wilayat till the end. This Wilayat is the Wilayat of Ali ibn Abi Talib, and its tent is the tent of Fatima’s Husayn. You should circle around it. I am with all of you. You know that I paid more attention to humanity, to affection and to innate nature than to political colors. I am addressing all of you who consider me to be a part of you and as your brother and your child.
I ask you in this will to not leave Islam alone in this period of time, when it has been manifested in the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic. Defending Islam requires intelligence and special attention. When it comes to Islam, the Islamic Republic, sanctities and Wilayat-e-Faqih in political matters, know that these are the colors of God; therefore, you should prefer the colors of God to any other color.
A Word with the Families of the Martyrs
My children, my daughters and sons, children of the Martyrs, fathers and mothers of the Martyrs, you shining lights of our country, and brothers, sisters and loyal, pious wives of the Martyrs! The voice that I heard every day, to which I was so attached, that gave me so much tranquility like the voice of the Quran did, and that I considered to be the greatest source of spiritual support for me was the voice of the children of the Martyrs, which I would listen to almost every day, and also, that of the Martyrs’ fathers and mothers in whom I felt the presence of my own parents.
My dear ones, as long as you are the mentors of this nation, you should appreciate your value. Reflect and manifest your Martyrs in yourselves in such a way that whenever someone sees you, they feel as though the fathers and children of Martyrs are the living images of the Martyrs with the same degree of spirituality, power and qualities.
I beseechingly ask you to forgive and to pardon me. I was not able to do what was necessary for many of you, or even for your martyred children. I ask for forgiveness and for you to pardon me.
I would like my body to be carried by the Martyrs’ children in the hope of receiving God’s attention, thanks to the touch of their pure hands on my body.
A Word with the Politicians of the Country
I have a short point to make to the politicians of the country, both to those who refer to themselves as “Reformists” and to the “Conservatives.” What made me suffer the most was that we usually forget – or sacrifice – God, the Quran and values under two circumstances. My dear ones, no matter what rivalry and contention you have with each other, if your actions, words and debates weaken religion and the Revolution in one way or another, you should know that you will receive the wrath of the Holy Prophet of Islam and the Martyrs on this path. You should set limits. If you want to stand together, the condition for being together is agreement over the Principles and expressing them in an outspoken manner. The Principles are not lengthy or detailed (and therefore not open to interpretation). The Principles are comprised of a few important tenets:1. The first is believing in Wilayat-e-Faqih in practice. This means that you should listen to his advice and act on his recommendations and warnings as the true physician of religious laws and science. A person who wishes to undertake a certain responsibility in the Islamic Republic should know that the main condition is having a true belief in Wilayat-e-Faqih and acting on the Wali-e-Faqih’s words. I am not speaking about a “Burning Furnace Wilayat” (This refers to a narration from Imam Sadiq (pbuh) where he asked one of his followers to sit in a burning furnace, and the follower immediately submitted to his order without hesitation.), nor a Wilayat due to law. Neither of these two will solve the problem of unity. Wilayat due to law is particular to people in general – including Muslims and non-Muslims – but Wilayat in practice is particular to officials who wish to undertake the important affairs of the country, an Islamic country with all these Martyrs. 2. Having true faith in the Islamic Republic and what it has been founded on. This includes morals, values and responsibilities, whether responsibilities towards the nation or towards Islam.3. Employing pure individuals who believe in the nation and who are the servants of it, not individuals who evoke the memory of former Khans, even if they are elected as a chairman in a very small village.4. They should establish a method, which includes confronting corruption and refraining from it, and also includes avoiding a luxurious lifestyle.5. During their term of office in any position of responsibility, they should consider respecting the people and rendering services to them to be acts of worship. And, they themselves should promote values, not boycotting them over vain excuses.
Acting as the fathers of the society, they should pay attention to their responsibility in the area of cultivating and protecting the society, rather than supporting behavior – driven by negligence and emotions and for the sake of winning the votes of people who have a transient feelings – that would promote divorce and corruption in society and would cause families to break apart. Governments are the main factor in both strengthening families as well as in causing families to break apart. If the Principles are acted on, everyone will be on the path of the Leader, the Revolution and the Islamic Republic. Then, there will be a proper competition based on these Principles for the sake of electing the most eligible person.
A Word with My Brothers in the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Army
I wish to address a brief word in my dear, self-sacrificing brothers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and in the IRGC-like Army. You should set courage and the power to manage crises as the main criteria for appointing commanders. Naturally, I do not mention Wilayat, because Wilayat is not a part or a component of the Armed Forces, rather it is the basis for the survival of the Armed Forces. This condition is inviolable.
Another point is that you should gain a timely understanding of the enemy, his goals and his policies, and then, you must make decisions and act promptly. If any of these is carried out belatedly, it will have a major impact on your victory.
A Word with the Religious Scholars and Honorable Religious Authorities
I, a 40-year soldier in the field, would like to have a brief word with the honorable religious scholars and great Religious Authorities who cast light on society and eradicate darkness, in particular Grand Religious Authorities. Your soldier saw from a watchtower that if the Islamic Republic is harmed, religion and what you have endeavored hard to preserve and for which you have made every effort to develop expertise in, will be destroyed. This period is different from all other periods. If they take control this time, nothing will remain of Islam. The correct path to take is to support the Revolution, the Islamic Republic and Wali-Faqih without any reservation. You – who are the source of hope for Islam – should not allow others to make you hesitate.
All of you loved Imam and believed in his path. Imam’s path was the path of fighting against the U.S. and supporting the Islamic Republic and the Muslims, who are oppressed by the Arrogant Powers, under the flag of Wali-e-Faqih. Even with my flawed mind, I could see that some vicious individuals tried and continue to try to persuade influential Religious Authorities and religious scholars in society into silence and hesitation through the use of self-righteous gestures and words. It is clear what the truth is. The Islamic Republic, values and Wilayat-e-Faqih are the legacies of Imam Khomeini (may God bestow mercy on him). Therefore, they should be earnestly supported.
I see Hazrat Grand Ayatollah Khamenei greatly wronged and alone. He needs your cooperation and assistance, and you great personages should direct the society with your statements, meetings and support. If this Revolution is harmed, then the situation will not even be like the time of the cursed Shah. Even worse than that, the Front of Arrogance will do its best do promote sheer disbelief and deep deviation, which cannot be reversed.
I
kiss your blessed hands (in humbleness) and apologize for these words. I
would have liked to make these statements in my meetings with you in
person, but it was not meant to be.
Your soldier who kisses your hands
I Ask Everyone to Pardon Me
I ask my neighbors, my friends and my colleagues to forgive and to pardon me. I ask the soldiers of the Tharallah Division and the great Quds Force, who are a thorn in the eye of the enemy and a strong fortification against it, to forgive and to pardon me, in particular those who helped me in a brotherly manner.
I cannot avoid mentioning Hussein Poor-Ja’fari who helped me well-intentionally, like a brother with his child, and whom I loved in the same way that I loved my own brother. I apologize to his family and to all my revolutionary and Mujahid brothers who were bothered because of me. Of course, all the brothers in the Quds Force showed me brotherly love and helped me, including my dear friend General Qa’ani, who tolerated me with patience and dignity.