Hand of God

“Hand of God” is a book of memoirs of Colonel Ghasemali Zareie, comrade of martyr Haj Satar Ebrahimi. Zareie in this book narrates eloquently his friend and his own memories with a sense of humor. This book is an indication of the sacrifice of Asad-Abad [a city in central Iran] combatants during the Holy Defense. Colonel Ghasemali Zareie after years of service has narrated a part of Holy Defense history related to combatants dispatched from Hamadan province in Hand of God. He starts his memories from his adolescence adventures in Vali-Abad village, a suburban village of Hamadan city, when he has been a simple shepherd in this village, and then his coming to Tehran as a simple worker. He put on war clothes in adolescence and went to war fronts after his ideas. He has some memories from Mersad strait, Chahar Zebar camp, Hassan-Abad strait, Sar-e Pole Zahab and other places where he has fought and has spent sweet and sad days. The nature of Ghasr-e Shirin, its houses with walls full of shrapnel, its twisty mountains, Abuzar garrison, the standing blocks which shrapnel traces can be seen on their bodies and muddy waters of Alvand river narrate the story of not very far years. He has written his memories as his daughter has asked him, “Father, tell the story in a way so that I can narrate it for my friends.”

The story starts from 1979 summer and a farm in Valia-bad village, where the writer has been born, and continues in three parts. The first part is about the presence of narrator in war as a simple volunteer. The second narrates his activities in Ansar Brigade in 1984. In the last part, he has referred to his responsibilities in Ta’aavon foundation of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Martyr Haj Sattar Ebrahimi was his direct commander in battalion No. 155 of Ansar Brigade. A great part of the book is about him and his martyrdom. You can also read other memories of Zareie about Daryuosh Gol-mohammadi in trench, young Martyr Jafar Yaghoubi, explosive traps, barbed wires, mine fields and town of Khosravi too.

Ghasemali Zareie himself tells, “My motives in writing this book goes back to 1999 while visiting war operational regions. There I felt I should express the role of brave martyrs and combatants who have remained unknown in Holy Defense. The readers feel the presence of hand of God and a celestial fate everywhere in the book. Indeed I believe God’s hand has accompanied me in every moment of war. I have tried to be honest in reciting the memories and to avoid exaggeration. So I have expressed honestly the braveries and courage and even fears and panics in war fronts”.

In a part you read, “Reza was crying so heart rendering that sleep was seized from every body’s eyes and his moans invited all Basijies for Night Prayer. I liked to watch his amorous privacy with God. I liked to learn how he made love with God. He cried like a 4 or 5 years old kid who have performed a fault and is being departed from his mother to be punished. But apparently his love was not willing his romantic words to be revealed for anybody else. It was near day break and I hearing the call for prayer, got ready for Morning Prayer and slowly went toward Hosseinieh, while I heard Reza’s prayer yet. I could see the bustles of Basij combatants from above the canal in all lines. Some were making guard and gathering bulwarks. The one in charge of provision went from one bulwark to another and distributed biscuits and fruit juice. Gunny of pressed plastic bags of water circled hand by hand between fellows and they picked one reluctantly. I took one. The water was so warm and tasteless that made me ill. I had no appetite, seeing Iraqi corps fallen around us. I found my friends, Soleyman Asadi and Alireza Askari in the first gathering bulwark and it made me a little relaxed and I heaved a sigh of relief.

Another part of Hand of God reads: “Maryam and I were supposed to meet some relatives but she seemed sad. It was the first time she was so upset. She talked constantly but I felt an untold word was hidden beneath his expressions. One day at last she referred to what was in her mind and told, “When you are not beside me life is all meaningless”. My mother, known for her cleverness, could not stop saying “Ghasem think about your children”. I asked surprisingly, my children? But I have only one. Maryam laughed and told you had one and you will have another soon. Flabbergasted, I told but Nassibeh is only four months old. My mother told, your father has even dreamed about it. You will be the father of a handsome boy soon. I told, “So, God willing, I will name him Komeil.”

Bravery and simplicity of Haj Sater Ebrahimi is well narrated in this book. In the last part, Zareie writes, “one of the advantageous of the present book is that all the operations are dated correctly to be used by all walks of people”. The proper context of the story and good descriptions of the memories cause a deep linkage to be formed between reader and the book. Hand of God also refers to Islamic revolution campaigns too and portrays the life of one of the men of the Holy Defense. It shows that all walks of people and ethnic groups who felt the integrity of Iranian territory and Islamic revolution is at risk, went to the war fronts. This is itself a new start for expression of heroism of Holy Defense era. Zareie’s memories are written without exaggeration, which is the reason for the attractiveness of his book.

Hand of God is published in 32 chapters and 496 pages by Soureh Mehr publications in 2014. Prologue, anti-revolutionary movements, the start of imposed war, martyrdom of Haji Ghorban, the beginning of military training, supreme paradise, funeral ceremony of Gharaviz area martyrs, bombardment of Hamadan etc., are some of its chapters. Some images of the imposed war are attached in the ending pages of the book too.

Translator: Asghar Aboutorabi

Persian Source: http://oral-history.ir/show.php?page=books&id=614