By: S. Nawabzadeh
"We will surely test you with a measure of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits; and give good news to the patient;
"Those who, when an affliction visits them, say: Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return.
"It is they who receive the blessings of their Lord and [His] mercy, and it is they who are the [rightly] guided. (Holy Qur’an 2:155-to-157)
The new calendar year in Iran, 1398 solar hijri, which started on the exact time of the Vernal or Spring Equinox in the early hours Thursday, March 21 (01:28:27 hours sharp), as the Planet Earth revolving on its orbit completed yet another of its regular rotations another around the Sun, had an auspicious beginning, coinciding with the 13th of the sacred month of Rajab, the blessed birth anniversary of the Commander of the Faithful, the Leader of the Pious, the Master of the Patient, and the Epitome of Justice, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) – the Divinely-Designated Vicegerent of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to all mankind, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, rightly called it the "Real Nowrouz” in his New Year Day speech at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad in the presence of tens of thousands of pilgrims and viewed live by millions throughout Iran, as he took stock of major developments of the past year, with full confidence of Iran’s further progress in all fields, including defence, cyber, and aerospace technology in the Year 1398, which he has designated as "Year of Boosting Production”.
Indeed, the memorable life of Imam Ali (AS), who was born in the Holy Ka’ba (the Symbolic House of God) and who 63 years later was martyred in the prayer niche of the Mosque of Kufa, while engrossed in worship, has continued to provide lasting lessons to the believers in every age and era, with his patience in the face of the worst calamities and his steadfastness that resulted in the only instance in history of the establishment of the model government of social justice.
Indeed, the memorable life of Imam Ali (AS), who was born in the Holy Ka’ba (the Symbolic House of God) and who 63 years later was martyred in the prayer niche of the Mosque of Kufa, while engrossed in worship, has continued to provide lasting lessons to the believers in every age and era, with his patience in the face of the worst calamities and his steadfastness that resulted in the only instance in history of the establishment of the model government of social justice.
Without the least doubt, Iran and the Iranian people, who for the past forty years have been subjected to the economic terrorism of the US and the West, in addition to the chain of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods that have plagued the Iranian Plateau for the past millenniums as part of divine trials and tribulations, remain indebted to the peerless personality of the person who practically showed to mankind how to lead a meritorious life of self-contentment vis-à-vis all sorts of adversities by holding aloft the banner of humanitarian values, which no tyrannical trespasser or the vagaries of weather can subjugate.
In other words, as is clear by the Revealed Words of God Almighty, cited at the beginning of this Viewpoint Column, the current spate of floods that have left a trail of destruction in several parts of the county with at least 70 persons having lost their life so far, besides the extensive damage to some 1,900 towns and villages where many people have become homeless and lost all their worldly belongings, is nothing but a test from the heavens for the afflicted and the rest of the countrymen, including officials who ought to be efficient in providing relief, as well as for the outside world, which because of the satanic policies of US President Donald Trump, has sacrificed humanitarian values on the altar of so-called self-interests by refraining from rushing relief.
Well, Iran is not in need of foreign help, thanks to the spirit of brotherhood of the Iranian people, who are sparing no efforts to alleviate the sufferings of their compatriots through whatever means possible, as they have been doing for the past four decades, especially during the 8-years of the Holy Defence in the 1980s when the US had imposed a devastating war through its agent, Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad.
This sense of solidarity is on full display again today and will indeed provide the incentive for fast-paced reconstruction of the damaged areas, with better planning by the officials for all future national projects, such as roads, dams, railroads, and more important proper urban development by refraining from building residential and commercial units in dried river beds, or deforestation of the wooded areas.
Nonetheless, though the torrential rains have made the arid parts of the country bloom with parched fields turning green and empty reservoirs brimming with water, Iranian people have the right to invoke the wrath of the All-Merciful Lord against the enemies of humanities, who afraid of the spectacular development of the Islamic Republic in all vital areas, including its growing influence in the region and beyond, are indulging in terrorist tweets, unaware of the severe affliction lurking for them, as the following ayah of the Holy Qur’an foretells:
"Let the faithless not suppose that the respite that We grant them is good for their souls: We give them respite only that they may increase in sin, and there is a humiliating punishment for them.” (3:178)
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