Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic advised believers and faithful women to adopt the holy daughter of the honorable prophet Islam as a role-model.
Imam once in a historic message in this regard said as following:
We must take this family as our role model, our women should try to emulate their women, and our men their men. All of us should learn from all of them. They dedicated their lives to the support of the oppressed and to the revival of the divine traditions. We should follow their example and dedicate our lives to them. He who knows the history of Islam, knows that each member of this family was a perfect human being, even more than that, a divine being, a spiritual person who rose up for the people and for the oppressed against those who sought to destroy them.
11 April 1979 (22 Farvardin 1358 AHS)
The exemplar is Hazrat Fatima Zahra, upon whom be peace. The exemplar is the Prophet of Islam. We can say that our country is Islamic, that we have an Islamic Republic when all these ideals that are contained in Islam are realized.
Likewise, if you women here, indeed all our women all over the country, have accepted today as Women’s Day, that is, have accepted the day which marks the birthday of Hazrat Fatima Zahra, with all the perfection it represents and the position it enjoys, as Women’s Day, then you have a great task to perform, one which includes struggle, just as she struggled, to the best of her ability, during the short span of her life, addressing the governments of the time and passing judgment on them.
Imam Khomeini also announced the birthday anniversary of Hadrat Zahra (PBUH) as ‘women Day’.
To truly accept her birthday as Women’s Day, you must imitate her. To truly accept it you must follow her example in her renunciation of the things of this world, in her devotion and piety and in all the virtues she possessed.
If you do not do this, then you have not entered into the true spirit of Women’s Day. Whoever does not accept these things has not entered into the true spirit of Women’s Day and has not recognized its true nature.
2 March 1986 (11 Isfand 1364 AHS)