Before the victory of the revolution, I had been exiled to Iranshahr. In one of the neighboring cities, I had a few acquaintances, one of whom was a driver, another had a business…
Based on their appearance, they were regarded as intellectually ordinary or “common” people. However, they were truly among the “elite.” The cleric of their city was also a good man, but he was a common man. You see! The truck driver was one of the “elites,” but the esteemed cleric and prayer leader was a “common man”! For example, the cleric used to say, “Why do you recite one Salawat when the name of the Prophet is mentioned, but when the name of ‘His Eminence (Imam Khomeini),’ is mentioned you recite three Salawats?!” The driver replied, “The day we stop fighting when the revolution wins, we will stop reciting three or even one salawat! Today, the three salawats represent our struggle!” The driver was able to understand it, but the cleric couldn’t understand it!
Imam Khamenei, [June 9, 1996]
