Scientific Background
After passing high school, Sayyed Ali Khamenei entered the Seminary of Mashhad. Although he had started studying seminary lessons from the time of high school, he managed to pass the seminary courses in less than six years under the supervision of his knowledgeable and sympathetic father as well as the prominent scholars of Mashhad. Since he was 18, he used to attend the advanced level of seminary education (dars al- kharij) taught by Ayatollah Milani.
From 1958 to 1964, he continued his higher education in jurisprudence and philosophy in Qom under prominent figures such as Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Imam Khomeini, Shaykh Mortaza Haeri and Allamah Tabataba’i. However, due to the sickness and blindness of his father, Ayatollah Khamenei returned to Mashhad and along with nursing his father, continued his education. His high levels of knowledge and understanding are reflected in the words of many scholars, some of whom we mention below:
Ayatollah Meshkini:
Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Ali Khamenei (may his shadow be extended) – is a qualified jurisprudent, mujtahid, and has the faculty of deducing shari’ah rulings, hence, deserves the office of the Supreme Leader.
Ayatollah Mohammad Mo’meni:
When the Assembly of Experts was about to vote on the leadership of Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, his ability to do ijtihad was already proven to me, yet, after attending his classes on jurisprudence, I may state again that Ayatollah Khamenei is a just and fully qualified mujtahid.
Ayatollah Yousef Sane’i:
Ayatollah Khamenei is not only an undisputed mujtahid but also a fully qualified jurisprudent whom others must follow.
Haj Ahmad Khomeini:
Imam Khomeini repeatedly described his excellency as an undisputed mujtahid and the best person to lead the country.
Political Activities:
As Ayatollah Khamenei stated, Navvab Safavi was the person who inspired him to engage in revolutionary activities. In 1955, he joined the great revolutionary movement of Imam Khomeini. In 1963, Ayatollah Khamenei was commissioned by Imam Khomeini to convey his message (regarding the propagation activities of clerics during the month of Muharram) to Ayatollah Milani and the scholars of Khorasan.
Following numerous cultural struggles, disclosing the corruptions in the regime, and even writing various books against the Shah’s regime, he was arrested and tortured by SAVAK six times. In 1977, with the help of a number of clerics in Qom and Tehran, he founded the Combatant Clergy Association. Also, in the very early days of the revolution, as Imam Khomeini ordered, he joined the Council of the Islamic Revolution.
Before he became the Supreme Leader, he had served as the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the President, the 1st Chairman of Expediency Discernment Council, Chief of the Council on Revising the Constitution, Tehran’s Friday Prayer Leader, etc.
A review of the circumstances in which the Supreme Leader was elected indicates the importance of such a choice. In June 1989, Imam Khomeini was hospitalized and underwent surgery due to gastrointestinal bleeding. IRIB was broadcasting a detailed report on the treatment of Imam Khomeini every night. Also, people used to attend the mosques to pray for the well-being of Imam Khomeini. On the evening of June 3rd, while only a few hours earlier, the news of Imam Khomeini’s daily walk was reported, suddenly, it was announced that Imam Khomeini is in a critical condition and that his health is deteriorating rapidly. Finally, at 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, 1989, the physicians confirmed the death of Imam Khomeini. The news of Imam Khomeini’s demise was announced the next day. Black cloths and flags could be seen everywhere, and the people and officials while feeling sad and grief over Imam Khomeini’s demise were worried about the future of the revolution.
The most important concerns at the time may be summed up as follows:
1) Iraq’s refusal to accept a peace treaty and the failure of the Geneva talks, which only led to the acceptance of a ceasefire. Add to that the possibility of the war being waged again.
2) The consequences of Montazeri’s dismissal from the office of the Supreme Leader.
3) The destruction caused by the war and the need for reconstruction.
4) Arab peace treaty with Israel.
5) The shift in Soviet policy from supplying weapons to some Arab countries such as Syria to establishing peace in the region would have strengthened Israel’s status.
6) Imam Khomeini’s fatwa regarding Salman Rushdie provoked a harsh reaction from some countries thereby making them cut off their diplomatic relationship with Iran.
7) The poisonous propaganda of foreign media aimed at disappointing the people after the demise of Imam Khomeini.
The Experts and the Election of the Supreme Leader
In such circumstances, the Assembly of Experts, based on its legal authority, convened a meeting on June 14th and after discussing the issue, introduced Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei as the Supreme Leader of the revolution with the majority of the votes in favour. According to Article 109 of the current Constitution, the qualification and attributes of the Leader are as follows:
1) Scholarly qualification for issuing religious rulings (fatwa) concerning various discussions in jurisprudence;
2) Required justice and piety in leading the Islamic community;
3) Sound political and social perspective, prudence, courage, sufficient administrative capability, and power for leadership. In case there are a number of candidates who meet these qualifications, the person with a more efficacious political and jurisprudential insight has priority.
However, since at the time of the demise of Imam Khomeini the constitution of the country was going through the final stages of revision and reform, the members of the Assembly of Experts initially faced the question of whether, according to the amendment, the ability to do ijtihad is sufficient for the leadership or, based on the previous version of the constitution, possessing the actual religious authority (being a marja’) is required.
However, considering Imam Khomeini’s view that the prerequisite of marja’iyyah is not deemed necessary, the Assembly of Experts while rejecting the idea of collective leadership, decided to choose the new Supreme Leader according to the revised constitution. In his Friday prayer sermon delivered on June 9, 1989, Hujjat al-Islam Hashemi-Rafsanjani said, “In the previous version of the constitution we read, the qualified individuals or those who are qualified to become the Supreme Leader; they could be a marja’. I used “or” to point out that there are two views in this regard; whether a de facto religious authority (marja’iyyah) is necessary for the leadership or being qualified to lead would be sufficient. In the previous elections, when we elected the deputy Supreme Leader, the Assembly of Experts believed that the law meant someone qualified to be a marja’ though he might not be a de facto religious authority.
Therefore, they elected him as the next Supreme Leader though he was not a marja’ at the time. This was the perception of the Assembly of Experts.
Moreover, it is quoted by Ayatollah Ardabili that Imam Khomeini from the very beginning did not accept the qualification of marja’iyyah for the Supreme Leader, but since the Experts opted for that attribute and Imam Khomeini also realized such view, he accepted the necessity of that qualification. In fact, the perception of Imam Khomeini of this issue was that being a just mujtahid who is approved by the Experts would be sufficient. Before his demise, Imam Khomeini made references to Ayatollah Khamenei’s qualifications for leadership, which showed the way to the members of the Assembly of Experts.
In this regard, Hashemi Rafsanjani says: In a meeting where the heads of the three branches of power, Ayatollah Ardabili, Prime Minister, Haj Ahmad, Sayyed Khamenei and I were present, we discussed with Imam Khomeini about the constitution and its complexities with respect to choosing the new Supreme Leader warning that a vacuum might occur in this matter. He said, “There would be no leadership vacuum because there is a person who can take the office.” We said: “Who?” He replied, “Sayyed Khamenei.”
In conclusion, I want to mention the views of Ayatollah Baha’oddini about Ayatollah Khamenei:
If one can be trusted after the demise of Imam Khomeini, he would be Sayyed Ali (Ayatollah Khamenei). He is closer than anyone to Imam Khomeini. He is our hope. We should help him. You might not accept this view, but this is our vision and is proven right.
Archive of Ayatollah Khamenei
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