Imam Khomeyni 

The History of the Islamic Revolution
Imam Khomeyni 

Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Mostafavi, known as Imam Khomeyni, is the leader of the Islamic Revolution and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was born in the city of Khomeyn on September 24, 1902, which coincided with the auspicious birth anniversary of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra. His father, Sayyed Mustafa, was martyred by two khans of that area. From then on, his mother and aunt took care of him.

Ruhollah, along with his relatives, asked the rulers to bring his father’s murderers to justice, and in this way, he became acquainted with many of the acts of oppression carried out by the Qajar government and the oppressive khans.

He soon went to elementary school where he studied Persian literature, arithmetic, religious sciences, Quran and calligraphy. During this time, his older brother Sayyed Mortaza was his main teacher. He lost his aunt, and then his mother, Hajar, to cholera at the age of fifteen and became lonely. Four years later he went to Soltanabad (today’s Arak) to study religious sciences. With the arrival of Ayatollah Abdol-Karim Haeri-Yazdi in Qom, who had managed the seminary in Arak, he also left for Qom. Ayatollah Haeri founded the seminary of Qom in 1922 and this city became the centre for Islamic sciences in Iran.

In Qom, the young Ruhollah continued to learn various sciences including the interpretation of the Quran, philosophy, jurisprudence, mathematics, astronomy, etc. from the elite teachers of the seminary, and soon after he became a teacher. His most important teachers were Hajj Sheikh Abdul-Karim Haeri-Yazdi, Mirza Mohammad-Ali Adib-Tehrani, Sayyed Mohammad-Taqi Khansari, Sayyed Abolhasan Rafiei-Qazvini and -Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad-Ali Shahabadi.

In 1929, he married Khadijeh Saqafi, the daughter of a cleric in Tehran. They had two sons and five daughters.

Twelve years after entering Qom, in 1313 AH. He reached the degree of ijtihad. One of the most important subjects that he used to teach in the class in that period was ethics, which was welcomed by seminary students, people and tradesmen. The class lasted for years and resulted in the compilation of the book al-Arba‘un Ḥadithan (“Forty Hadith”), which is a summary of his moral discussions in that class. In addition, he used to teach philosophy, mysticism, as well as the principles of jurisprudence and jurisprudence for higher-level students.

The absence of a high-ranking cleric who has a high position in the seminaries, both scientifically and socially and one can lead the seminary and become the religious authority of the people, encouraged many to follow the religious opinions of Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Hoseyn Boroujerdi and invite him to stay in Qom. This action created a clear orientation within the seminary securing it from experiencing intellectual diversity and disagreements over the issue of leadership.

Sayyed Ruhollah was one of the prominent scholars in the seminary during the period of Ayatollah Boroujerdi’s comprehensive religious authority. The maraja’ al-taqlid (sources of emulation) sent him several times to meet with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and convey the views of Shi’ah scholars on important social and political issues. Although Haj Agha Ruhollah disagreed with Ayatollah Boroujerdi and other scholars of the time on some political issues, he always respected Ayatollah Boroujerdi’s leadership and never spoke or took any action against his views. In that time, he began teaching the high levels of the lessons of jurisprudence and the principle of jurisprudence.

With the demise of Ayatollah Boroujerdi on March 30, 1961, the number of mujtahids and religious authorities that people chose to follow their religious views increased. At first, Ayatollah Khomeyni, despite so many demands, refused to publish a practical treatise, but finally, he agreed to publish it on the condition that not a share of khums or other religious funds will be used in this regard. Eventually, a group of his students published Imam Khomeyni’s practical treatise.

The popularity of Ayatollah Khomeyni gradually was increased, especially after the events of the early 1960s. Ayatollah Khomeyni, who was exiled first to Turkey and then to Iraq because of his opposition to the government’s actions, continued to write scientific, religious, and mystical books and hold lectures. Many students eagerly attended his classes in Najaf. After fourteen years of forced exile, Ayatollah Khomeyni was forced to leave Iraq in October 1978 and went to France. He returned to Iran on February 1, 1979, and ten days later on February 11, 1979, the Islamic Revolution succeeded. A month later, he travelled to Qom but following a heart attack, he returned to Tehran in 1979. He lived in Tehran until his demise in the year 1989. Ayatollah Khomeyni has authored several books in Islamic sciences, including Sharh al-Du’a al-Sahar (An Explanation of Du’a al-Sahar), Misbah al-Hidayah ila al-Khilafah wal-Wilayah (The Lamp of Guidance into Vicegerency and Sanctity), al-Arba‘un Ḥadithan (Forty Hadith), Sirr as-Salah (The Mystery of Prayer), Adab as-Salat (The Disciplines of the Prayer) and Kashf al-Asrar (The Unveiling of the Mysteries).

Another aspect of Ayatollah Khomeyni’s life, through which he became known as Imam Khomeyni, was his serious presence in the political arena. Imam Khomeyni used to talk about political issues since he was teaching ethics in Qom, to the point that during Reza Khan’s reign, police officers closed his classes in Feyzieh Seminary. At that time, Imam Khomeyni closely followed the political events of the society and even he used to go to Tehran to attend the National Assembly sessions and see the process of the legislation and know about the views of the politicians.

Imam Khomeyni’s first political writing, which is kept in the Vaziri Library of Yazd, is dated to 1944. In that note, he wrote: “Selfishness and abandonment of rising for God’s sake have made us this wretched, and has caused the whole world to overwhelm us and has brought Muslim countries under foreign influence… Today is the day when the spiritual divine zephyr is blowing and it is the best time to rise for the reformation; if you miss the chance and don’t rise for God’s sake and restore the religious rites, a bunch of lustful vagabonds will prevail over you tomorrow and exploit all your faith and honour to their own vain ends.”

Before Ayatollah Boroujerdi’s demise, Imam Khomeyni had made statements on issues such as the establishment of the government of Israel, the formation of the Assembly for Revising the Constitution, and the granting of new powers to the Shah, but when most seminary scholars decided to shun politics and there was no influential and leading person like Ayatollah Boroujerdi to manage and lead the seminaries, Imam Khomeyni took political issues seriously and gained the attention of many seminary students.

Imam Khomeyni’s attention to the way the country was governed and the relations between Iran and other countries to a large extent hindered the Pahlavi regime’s movement towards de-Islamization and following Western models. What forced the Shah to deport Imam Khomeyni to Turkey on November 4, 1964, was his efforts to enlighten people concerning the formation of the State and Provincial Associations, the Shah’s intended referendum in the White Revolution, and finally, the legalization of Capitulation in Iran, all of which led to the occurrence of major socio-political events such as the 15 Khordad Uprising (June 6, 1963). This is because, before that, his arrest and imprisonment as well as intensive observation of his activities had not prevented Imam Khomeyni from acting against the Shah. Although the Shah’s regime, in addition to imprisonment, intended to sentence him to death on charges of acting against national security, a gathering of prominent scholars of Qom and Mashhad took place in Tehran acknowledged his religious authority prevented the Shah from doing so. After the deportation of Imam Khomeyni, the regime could quell the opposition through arresting, prosecuting and imprisoning dissidents and critics.

In September 1965, Imam Khomeyni’s place of exile was changed from Turkey to Iraq, and he settled in the city of Najaf. After a while, he began teaching in the seminary of Najaf and at the same time resumed his political activities. His first move was delivering a speech in 1965 in which he called on the leaders of Islamic countries and Islamic scholars to fulfill their main duties of preserving and protecting Islam and defending Muslims emphasizing the unity of all Muslims.

In March 1967, Imam Khomeyni, in an open letter to the Prime Minister of the Shah, Amir-Abbas Hoveyda, while protesting against his exile sentence, spoke of the nation’s poverty and misery, the rise in bankruptcy, as well as the backwardness of the country calling on him and the Shah to observe Islamic laws and principles. He also warned that otherwise, Islamic authorities and scholars, youth, intellectuals and guilds will do what is necessary in this regard.

Since the Pahlavi regime’s officials did not pay attention to Imam Khomeyni’s warnings and even made every effort to suppress the intellectual and political movements, Imam Khomeyni decided to, despite the shortcomings in terms of facilities, take the fight against the Shah’s regime more seriously.

The most noticeable characteristic of Imam Khomeyni compared to other scholars of the contemporary era is his special attention to the formation of a government based on Islamic rules. In the past, only a handful of scholars had merely addressed the idea of establishing an Islamic state. However, these plans were never implemented and even no one beyond the scientific fields became aware of them. That said, in 1348  (1969), Imam Khomeyni, within his teaching classes in Najaf began addressing the concept of establishing an Islamic government under the direct supervision of “Wali al-Faqih” (the Guardian-Jurist), which is called “Wilayat al-Faqih” (Guardianship of the Jurisprudent). Those lessons and discussions became a book entitled “Islamic Government” which was smuggled into Iran and distributed among the people. This shifted the practical initiative among the fighters and opponents of the Shah’s regime in favour of the religious forces whereas before that it had been mainly in the hands of leftist groups. What illustrates this view is the fact that the communists, following the example of the method of governing in the Soviet Union, referred to the intellectual and political vacuum among the Muslim fighters who had no model of governing.

Imam Khomeyni increased his activities against the Shah’s regime and took advantage of the situation in Iran, especially after Jimmy Carter became the President of the United States in 1976 and began to chant human rights slogans and seek change the political climate in Iran.

The mysterious death of Ayatollah Sayyed Mostafa Khomeyni, the son of Imam Khomeyni, on October 23, 1977, caused people to pay more attention to Imam Khomeyni’s messages and announcements. Shortly afterwards, the Shah’s regime provoked the anger of the people more than ever by publishing an insulting article about Imam Khomeyni in the Ettela’at newspaper on January 7, 1978.

The demonstrations of the people in protest at this article and their massacre in the city of Qom caused serious unrest against the Shah’s regime and many people were killed in the ceremony of commemorating the 40th day of the martyrdom of the martyrs of Qom held in Tabriz. The continuation of the same ceremonies in other cities and the massacre of the people led to a widespread and general revolution in Iran. In this period, Imam Khomeyni, who used to issue statements, deliver speeches and make interviews with famous journals to present his views and especially outline the future of the Islamic government, was forced to leave Iraq due to the pressure exerted by the Iranian government.

First, he went to the Kuwaiti border, but the Kuwaiti government officials did not allow him to enter the country. Then he went to France. Due to the existence of communication devices and news networks in France, Imam Khomeyni could lead the revolutionary people with better and more facilities. Furthermore, he managed to hold consultations with other community leaders over the future affairs of the country. Shah, who could not last any longer in Iran, left the country forever on January 6, 1979, while four days before his departure the Council of the Islamic Revolution had been established by Imam Khomeyni. Imam Khomeyni returned to Iran on February 1, while millions of people came to welcome him, and before a large number of people who had gathered in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery announced his plans regarding the formation of the government. On February 4, he introduced the Provisional Islamic Revolutionary Government. On February 11, 1979, which marks the complete elimination of the monarchy in Iran, he took over the affairs of the country and appointed the executive agents of the government in consultation with the Council of the Islamic Revolution. On March 1, 1979, Imam Khomeyni left Tehran for Qom where he continued managing the affairs of the country. But because of heart disease, he came to Tehran again and after a partial recovery, he resided in a small house in Jamaran. Imam Khomeyni lived in Qom for about one year during which a referendum was held on choosing an alternative to the monarchy and the people voted for the Islamic Republic. Soon, the constitution was drafted by his order, and the Assembly of the Experts for the Constitution, who had been elected by the people, began reviewing and drafting the constitution. Eventually, in December 1979, the people approved and accepted the constitution and hence the process of founding the institutions which the constitution approved initiated.

The main problems of the Islamic Republic of Iran were internal separatist conspiracies, divisions between groups and political parties, disagreements over how to run the country, assassinations of executive officials, a failed military coup, American military attack on Tabas which occurred after the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran by Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line and the beginning of Saddam’s all-out war against Iran. However, the country was saved from falling into the abyss of destruction owing to the foresight and leadership of Imam Khomeyni. 

After the establishment of the Islamic system, Imam Khomeyni considered the people as the most important element of the survival of the Islamic country believing that without a doubt, they are the most trusted when it comes to recounting the problems of the government. The relationship between Imam Khomeyni and the people had made it possible for the country to overcome hardships in the most difficult stages of the Revolution. Although in this way, the enemies of the Revolution inflicted damages on the nation and the country, Imam Khomeyni during the nearly eleven years of leadership in Iran could remove many obstacles the government faced and left for the future generations a government which has eliminated the biggest threat, namely the eight-year war and began to reconstruct itself.

In the last years of his life, Imam Khomeyni revised the theory of “Wilayat al-Faqih” and made it more practical, facilitating the process of governing the country based on Wilayat al-Faqih. In his political-divine will, which includes Iran’s future executive strategies for achieving great Islamic goals, he gave useful remarks to officials and the people.

Finally, Imam Khomeyni passed away on June 3, 1989, at the age of 87, from gastric cancer, and Iran lost its unique leader, who always treated his people with honesty, kindness and respect.

On June 5, his body was placed at the Grand Mosalla of Tehran so that people could bid farewell to their leader, and a day later he was buried in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery amid the grief of millions of Iranians who were mourning for him.

The arrival of Imam Khomeyni in Tehran on February 1, 1979, and his funeral, which took place on June 6, 1989, are two unparalleled events in the history of Iran.

Much has been said about his moral characters among which the following points stand out most:

He never disrespected anyone even when he was so angry, and always offered the best place in the room to his wife, and did not touch the food until she was at the table. Imam Khomeyni always advised his family to observe morals and asked them not to be arrogant.

For him, performing religious duties including offering prayers by his children, was of importance and when they said that they had performed their rituals he would accept that.

Imam Khomeyni emphasized the role of the people in managing the affairs of the society in such a way that he reminded the officials that you should avoid doing things that you cannot explain them to the people. We all owe the people. You must be with the people in times of pressure and hardship.

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