Letters of Fahimeh

The Seventh Letter

Selected by Faezeh Sassanikhah
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2023-4-11

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, and Him aid we seek.

Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with God: of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait. (Sūra Ahzāb: 23)[1]

In the name of God who created us from soil, and gave us the choice between moving toward him or being a civilized animal. Hello to the proof of the truth (God) over the all places and times in the current time and the one who his lovers suffer from waiting for him like butterfly and leap for joy; hello to His righteous representative, the one who numerous mouths murmur his name in their last breaths and then be silent. In the name of the one who his pen, life, property, and action is a pattern of Mohammedan Islam and Alawi Shia; and hello to our nation who cultivate martyr and always roars tempestuously in the bastion of Islam, and its fertile blood relentlessly dedicates itself for Islam and reviving it. I think if you have look at the back of the letter and see it has been posted from Shush, you laugh much because it was just a few nights ago that I talked with you from Shadegan and we were supposed to be there for a while and spend Nowruz there. Of course not in Shadegan but in Darkhovin; however, as if God considered something other as expediency for us. It is the first night that we are with IRGC’s 40^th Fajr Brigade in its sapper team in a container half-covered in dust, a few kilometers away from the enemy’s front line. Last night, from the evening to dawn we along with the pillar of the brigade squatted and were chittering at the back of a Toyota between two blankets. It was dawn that we arrived at the residence base of Seman’s Jihad (Construction) in the aforementioned front. You were missed here when I livered in going to the mosque for doing the morning pray. How much hardworking they were, they had built a large mosque under the ground with ammunition boxes which was like a bouquet that resonate chant of Nudba Prayer[2] in the morning of Friday and made the air fragrant. In the cold weather at dawn and severe sleeplessness we had experienced, sleeping would really hit the spot but because of some tasks I wouldn’t be allowed to sleep. … I wrote to the beginning of this page at 9 p.m. on 03/12/1982. After this page, I started just now which is 5 a.m. on Saturday and I came back from guard duty, and I will continue to the time of Night Prayer. A clergyman had come from Islamic Propagation Office of Qom and had a lecture in the same mosque yesterday. He talked about expectations of people and his words was the same you told me on the phone and he said the people should be given an Eidi. Everybody and I think this attack is the last attack we have because Saddam has been spoiled as much that it is enough another windstorm would flow from Islam division so that overthrow fragile structure of his rule. We are supposed to advance to detect Iraqis and arrange preparations for the attack and Insha’Allah we would defeat them. … The same clergyman narrated the guys went for identification in an area of Shush a few nights ago, they fought with the enemy and one of them died a martyr; when they went to bring the corpse one of the brothers (fighters) saw the martyr was laying toward Qibla and a red flower was shining upon his chest and this was a sign for existence of the main commander. … Now, it is 2 p.m. on Saturday. We have been busy with setting up tents, trench, etc. moving is so hard. Insha’Allah, it is the last time we move our impedimenta and we really get annoyed. … Well, we hadn’t travelled at any time more than this period in the front, and wherever we go we receive some intact and new stuff, wear out them and deliver them. Now is day of Wednesday, 26^th of Esfand (March 17) and it is the last Wednesday of year; last night was Chaharshanbe Suri. We retreated from our base in the front line last night due to that a cannonball hit out a point 15 meters away from our tent at the time of breakfast in the yesterday; it added five people to caravan of our martyrs, so it was necessary in terms of safeguarding that keep themselves safe for the attack. The night before last, we went for detection of Raghabieh hills which was supposed to be seized by our brigade. We moved part of the path mistakenly and wandered till 3 a.m. among the weird sandy hills of the area, and finally, really with the help of God, we could find the path a few kilometers lower than our own path when the clouds moved away for some minutes and we saw moonlight. We went up and down as much if it was in a usual situation it wasn’t possible for us to endure one tenth of it. I think it was because of God’s grace and morning exercises. Let’s move on. I’m just beginning to understand what is presence of God in the front…what is commanding of Imam az-Zaman (aj). … Whenever we go for detection, when we do Maghrib and Isha prayers in the front line, it makes me feel happy and I feel I wouldn’t be alive in the next prayer. … you are so conspicuous by your absence. Insha’Allah you achieve it! … or at least, you would earn Thawab (religious reward). … Now is the afternoon of Wednesday and we are supposed to go again to another region. The time of attack is so close. The next target is the 4^th Site or Radar that Insha’Allah if we don’t wander, we would attack there! I think it has been about 7 to 8 days that I wanted to finish this letter and send it for you but I was as busy as a bee let alone writing a letter!... I would like if you could to come to the fronts both for your own and children’s mood. As well as, come to our front in Shush to get together. Although I had to come to Tehran for Eid according to fashionable traditions, but well, custom and the like is not matter for the war! However, if you could visit here, of course, it may be impossible from different aspects and my letter also would arrive late; anyway, if you could, the best way to spend Eid is this travel. Many things may also would have changed until you receive this letter; for example, we would be in the way of Karbala and invite you to move toward Karbala; or maybe we would have flight toward hexagon chamber of Imam Hossein. Of course, visiting Mashhad and other shrines is another thing! I know you surely will come and recite Ziyarat 'Ashura on my behalf[3]… however, whether we would be there or without us, it would be a great Eid for the nation and they would hear good news from the fronts. … Today, when the commander of brigade talked about changing goal and position of our brigade, he said they had received reports that it was eighty percent possible for Iraqi mercenaries to have a partial retreat due to being frightened by our overarching attack and got lost to the territory of Iraq. Anyway, in both cases, we will achieve our goal. The difference is that if they retreat can prevent negative effect of failure among their troops. … In any case, it is good for us…

I would like to write more but I think the longer the letter (another untold words) would remain.

So, I finish the letter with the hope for new victory over disbelief and hypocrisy which is going to happen.[4]

God Bless You

Reza

At the time of Maghrib Adhan, 6:35 p.m., evening of Wednesday