Typically, a revolution will succeed when a bipolar atmosphere prevails over society. A situation in which social groups are separated from the ruling political system and stand against it. Such a society is faced with a kind of dualism (duality of power), and in such circumstances first, the legitimacy of political power is questioned, and then social power is gradually formed following the people’s despair of the political system.
Therefore, on the one hand, the ruling structures and political institutions would face a decline to the point that they could no longer fulfill the minimum demands of society, and on the other hand, the social forces, who have gained sufficient power and confidence and have turned away from the political system, will confront the system. Gradually, this gap becomes so great that made the continuation of such a situation unbearable.
In the study of prevailing political and social conditions in Iran during the Second Pahlavi period, which was a clear example of a bipolar society, the following distinguishing factors can be enumerated:
Existence of discrimination, abuse and coercion and dictatorship, severe political repression, the strong dependence of government policies on foreign powers especially the United States and the United Kingdom, direct and indirect domination and influence of foreigners on the country, the humiliation of the national spirit of the people, indifference to social and economic problems, censorship of newspapers and periodicals, promotion of corruption and indecency, land reform, destruction of agriculture and developing urbanism, disregarding the dominant religious values and indifference to the demands of religious leaders, excessive licentiousness, not observing chastity and decency in the public sphere, changing Islamic history and returning to pre-Islamic values and traditions and promoting them were important factors that prepared society for a “social revolution” and had a major impact on the mobilization of the masses against the ruling Pahlavi regime.
The emergence, continuation and victory of the Islamic Revolution in these circumstances depend on the presence and application of the three pillars of the Islamic Revolution (the school of thought, the leadership and the people). Therefore, if these three factors emerge in the society, the formation of a revolution will not be out of reach; in this situation, no matter how strong the ruling regimes are, they may only be able to delay the formation of the revolution, but cannot prevent its occurrence, like what happened in Iranian society in 1979 and led to the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Thus, under the banner of the Shi’ah religious principles and teachings, and the active and widespread presence of the Muslim nation of Iran in the struggle led by the source of emulation (marja’ al-taqlid) – who had unparalleled genius and wisdom – the sides of the triangle of the Islamic Revolution, namely the Shi’ah school of thought, Imam Khomeini’s leadership and the revolutionary people, were formed and virtually marked the emergence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.
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The Nature and Basic Principles of the Islamic Revolution
Belief in the principle of Imamate, as the basic principle of Islam, prevents the Muslims from submitting to oppression and corruption, provides the ground for rising and fighting against tyranny and superpowers, and takes a stand against the existing political authority. According to the theory of Imamate, just as Prophet Muhammad (s) enjoyed both political and religious authority, his successors, infallible Imams (a), are the true heirs of such authority. However, due to unfavourable historical conditions, this right was not fully realized except partially for the first Imam (a).
On the other hand, while not allowing indifference, isolation and seclusion, the element of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil requires that every Muslim shoulder the great responsibility of safeguarding society, correcting the mistakes and removing the shortcomings. The more important the good or evil is, the more sensitive it will be in society.
The Principle of Nafi al-Sabil (Negation of the Domination of Unbelievers Over Believers), is derived from verse 141 of Surah an-Nisa: “God will never provide the faithless any way [to prevail] over the faithful”; it rejects any relationship in which the infidels dominate the Muslims and does not allow the Muslims to submit to the domination and superiority of the infidels.
A Shi’ah person is sensitive to the political and social situation of the society believing that it is his responsibility to shape the ruling framework of the society in a way that it would comply with and conform to the Islamic rules and values. If Iranian society was deprived of the cultural capital of the great religion of Islam and if it did not have such valuable cultural facilities, it could never have achieved its victorious and successful Islamic Revolution.
Studying contemporary developments in Iran, Michael Fischer points to the role of Shi’ah thought, the political and social life of the people and the growing power of this ideology in mobilizing the people. “Over the past decades, the Shi’ah school of thought has been employed to criticize the shortcomings and faults of the Pahlavi regime including posing threats by the secret police, overt corruption in the court and the upper classes of society, the destruction of agriculture, misusing the capabilities of the middle-class, preventing the Iranians from gaining progress in favour of foreign colonialists, and abdicating the responsibility in dealing with people’s affairs. In fact, the revolutionary ideology of Shi’ism contains major indicators that show the increasing power of religious thought in modern times to lead a revolutionary movement and overthrow a political system.
Imam Khomeini (ra) and the Islamic Revolution
Imam Khomeini’s theory about enjoining the good and forbidding the evil has been an important factor in mobilizing the Muslim nation and creating the courage to rise up. Throughout the history of Islam, and over time, this life-giving principle had been forgotten and lost its revolutionary effect; in this regard one of the main reasons lies in its necessity, that is to say, identifying the good, the possibility of being effective and not risking life, property and honour. These conditions limited this issue to merely personal and individual spheres depriving it of its socio-political effects.
In his struggles and leadership, Imam Khomeini (ra) has relied on the Principle of Nafi al-Sabil. He stated in this regard: “The Holy Qur’an says: ‘God will never provide the faithless any way [to prevail] over the faithful.’”
The doctrine of rising up for the sake of God and acting in accordance with duty created a context in which all the actions and thoughts of Imam Khomeini (ra) during the Islamic Revolution were pursued. According to this doctrine, Imam Khomeini’s policy to deal with the current unfavourable situation was based on fulfilling a religious and divine duty.
The People and Islamic Revolution
The participation of a large number of people in the Islamic Revolution of Iran astonished all the observers, because in this revolution, suddenly, all the people demanded a fundamental change, namely the fall of the Shah’s regime and the establishment of the Islamic government. The revolutionary spirit in the Islamic Revolution was so deep and widespread that the revolutionaries were never willing to surrender to the Pahlavi regime. Even when the regime tried to control the situation with a series of reforming measures such as the successive change of prime ministers, the release of political prisoners and giving limited freedom to the press, it failed because the people did not retreat. Even when the regime resorted to repressive measures such as declaring martial law, the revolutionaries did not surrender. The spirit of change and transformation in the whole structure of the Pahlavi regime and Iranian society had spread in such a way that the revolutionaries were satisfied only with the overthrow of the regime.
The important question is what caused the political behaviour of the people to become a model of confrontation. In response to this question, it should be said that no movement would begin unless people become aware. People need to be aware of their definite rights. This awareness is achieved in the context of the goals set by the leader or leaders of the revolution and may also be resulted from the intellectual maturity of the people of a society. Once awareness of the status quo is achieved, the awareness of how to change the status quo is needed, and also the nature and type of the movement are of importance as well. The movement of the Iranian people was based on the knowledge given to them by the ideologue of the Islamic Revolution (leadership), the ideology that existed in the Islamic tradition and was interpreted by the ideologue to be utilized in modern times.
Therefore, the combination of the three sides of the school of thought, leadership and people, in the unfavourable conditions of society, led to the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Thus, the active and widespread presence of the Muslim nation of Iran in the struggle led by the source of emulation (marja’ al-taqlid) who had unparalleled genius and wisdom, was realized under the banner of the Shi’ah religious principles and teachings. Therefore, the combination of the three factors of the Shi’ah school of thought, Imam Khomeini’s leadership and the revolutionary people, virtually led to the success of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.
Reference: Journal of Political Studies. Vol. 7, No. 25, Fall 2014, Pp. 109-124.
Archive of The Thought of the Islamic Revolution
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