صراط عشق صراط عشق
From its outset in February 1979 the Islamic Revolution that liberated Iran from domestic despotism and American hegemony, has been the harbinger of freedom for the people of the region and beyond.
The words of that Sage of the Age, Imam Khomeini (RA), who had described the Islamic Revolution as “explosion of light”, have continued to light up the path of progress to not only the Iranian nation beset by the plots of its sworn enemies, but also to the masses in the neighbourhood striving to change positively the map of the region – if not of the world.
Even before the formal establishment of the Islamic Republic system of government through a nationwide referendum in April 1979 and its prudent policies to ensure Iran’s independence and stability, it were the revolutionary anthems that infused the aspirations of the Iranian and other Muslim peoples.
Examples in this regard are “Allah Allah Allah, la ilaha illa Allah”; “Khomeini-e Imam, Khomeini-e Imam” and “Allaho Akbar, Khomeini Rahbar”.
The last named, with its Arabic version “Allaho Wahed, Khomeini Qa’ed” created ripples, if not waves, in the Arab world, including in Iraq where people were yearning to throw off the yoke of the repressive Ba’th minority regime.
At the same time, the Urdu and Azeri translations of this song, set to the same tone and inspirational music of the original Persian, played a great role in endearing the Islamic Revolution to the people of the Subcontinent and of the then Soviet-ruled southern Caucasus.
When the exasperated US ordered Saddam to invade Iran in a bid to overthrow the Islamic Republic, the export of the revolution picked up pace and inspired the Iranian and neighbouring peoples to firm up their faith and resistance with such anthems as “Ay Laskhar-e Saheb-Zaman Amadabaash Amadabaash”, and “Amrika Amrika marg bar nairang-e tu”.
The focus of these anthems on Islamic Iran being the harbinger of the Awaited Saviour of mankind, Imam Mahdi (AS) for establishment of the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice – as the 12th Infallible Heir of the Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) – moulded the freedom-loving people of the region into such formidable forces as Hezbollah, Ansarullah, Hashd ash-Sha’bi, Fatemiyoun, Zainabiyoun, and Haideriyoun, attracting even our Sunni Muslim brethren from Palestine, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc.
Set to soul-inspiring music these songs could be called exporters of the Islamic Revolution, which no political border, no geographical barrier, no propaganda ploy, no diplomatic deception, no aggressive army, no ethnic division, no linguistic bias, no macabrely murderous terrorism, and no economic sanctions could stop.
Their transcendental nature to surmount every obstacle has helped create epics in other nations and languages to the horror of the increasingly isolated US, the unelected repressive regimes it supports, and the traitors it nurtures in the vain hope of stopping the unstoppable spread of the revolutionary message from Iran.
In terms of rhythm and content, these could be called epic ballads, as they unnerve the enemies and inspire supporters to new heights of courage. In fact, they have become canonized as revolutionary anthem following a successful revolution that has breathed into Muslims the indomitable spirit of resistance against the common enemies, especially the US and the illegal Zionist entity.
Thus, the latest and the most popular one to this date in the chain of Islamic anthems is “Salaam Farmandeh” (Salute to the Commander) which has definitely taken the world by storm.
Writer Seyyed Mahdi Hashemi and singer Abuzar Rouhi have instantly been transformed into household names who have not just done a great service to the popularity in other lands of the Persian language in which it was composed, but have also enriched the culture of various countries with inspirational renderings into Arabic, Turkish, Azeri, Kurdish, Urdu, Pashto, Kashmiri, Hausa, Swahili, English, French, Spanish, Malayu, Russian and other languages.
Recently Rouhi was mobbed in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala as well as in Baghdad and Basra, where the Iraqis despite enthusiastically humming the Arabic translation, asked him to sing “Salaam Farmandeh” in his native Persian.
The same sort of welcome Rouhi received in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, and other parts of Pakistan as the Pakistani people – both Shi’a and Sunni – listened to him in the original Persian, and then sang in their native languages with chants of “Ya Mahdi Adrikni” (Hasten O’ Mahdi). Indians also followed suit.
In Bahrain, the pro-Zionist repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime banned the recitation of this Islamic anthem, but to its horror, Bahraini children took to the streets in an orderly manner to sing it in an emotional voice.
In Istanbul, the same enthusiasm was displayed by the Turkish people, while Syria, Lebanon, far off Indonesia, and even Gaza in Palestine echoed with the local versions of “Salute to the Commander”.
In short, “Salaam Farmandeh” now echoes all over the world, from Europe to Africa, West Asia, the Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and amongst the Muslims of the Americas in New York, Boston, Texas, and California, and the Latin world.
This means the days of the Great Satan and its devilish minions are numbered, as the world prepares for the eventual reappearance of Imam Mahdi, and Prophet Jesus, thanks to the spirit of resistance and martyrdom of the Iranian and other conscientious peoples in the region and beyond.
