One day in the afternoon about seven or eight missiles struck around Jamaran (place of residence of the Imam). I went to the Imam and said: “If suddenly one of our missiles strikes the palace of Saddam and something happens to Saddam, how happy we shall be, but what if a missile strikes somewhere nearby-in Jamaran-and the ceiling here comes down and something happens to you?” In reply the Imam said: “I swear by Allah I do not consider any difference and advantage between me and that soldier serving on the warfront. I swear by Allah that it makes no difference to me if I am killed or he is killed.” I told him that we know this is how he felt but it did make a difference for the people. The Imam state: “No, the people must know that if I go to a place where the bombs kill the revolutionary guards around my house and does not kill me, I will no longer be of any use for leadership of this people. I will only be able to serve the people when my living is like the living of the people. If something was to happen to the people or these revolutionary guards or those that are living here, then let it befall me as well so that people know that we all are at the side of one another.” I asked him till what time did he want to remain there. He pointed to his blessed forehead and stated: “Until the time that a missile (shrapnel) strikes me here.”
Till the time the missile strikes me here: Hujjat al-Islam Sayyid Ahmad Khomeini