The Necessary Requirements for “Preserving the System” in the View of Imam Khomeini (ra)
Given that the political thoughts of Imam Khomeini (ra) serve as a source on which the views of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution are based, we would elaborate on the most important elements of “preserving the system” in Imam Khomeini’s thoughts in order to create a theoretical framework for the present discussion.
1) “Preserving of the system” refers to the legitimate Islamic government with a competent ruler and defines its responsibility as upholding Islam and the Islamic state.
2) “Preserving the system” refers to the constitution accepted and acted upon by the nation. If the constitution, which is the basis of the agreement, is not implemented, or the divine right of self-determination is taken away from Iranians or employed for serving the interests of a specific individual or group, the political system would become inconsistent with its members and elements and thus there is no rational behind preserving it.
3) “Preserving the system” should not be in conflict with the basis of justice.
4) “Preserving the system” should not contradict Islam. Preserving “Islam” is more important than maintaining the Islamic system, and the system serves to preserve Islam, implement its rules, and manage society within the framework of Islamic criteria and regulations.
5) Avoiding the violation of shari’ah laws in the way of “preserving the system” and not utilizing forbidden tools; when Imam Khomeini (ra) realized that some government officials intrude on the private lives of people under the excuse of the necessity of going through the selection procedures, he issued an 8-article order on 15 December 1982 in which the officials were asked to refrain from such actions.
6) Compliance with the “public expediency” of society.
7) The term public expediency of the system is conditional: first, the ruler’s action on the basis of expediency should not be incompatible with the shari’ah laws. Second, when observing expediency, the issue had to be changed, so that its respective rule will be changed accordingly. Third, the ruling is temporary. Fourth, disruption of the system, corruption and impediment would be inevitable. The book “Wilayat al-Faqih” refers to the three conditions: “Government in Islam means obeying the law. Only the law rules the society.”
8) Protecting people’s rights. In Imam Khomeini’s view, the survival of the system depends on preserving and respecting the rights of the people without whom the system cannot survive.
9) Refraining from “preserving the system” with dictatorship: “We are not eager to impose anything on the nation. And Islam does not let us engage in the act of dictatorship. We depend on our nation’s votes. We follow up on what our nation decides. Neither God nor our Prophet (s) would give us the right to go against our nation’s votes.”
10) The need to take care of people especially the oppressed in all circumstances: “I advise the parliament, the government and the authorities to appreciate the people of this country and serve them well, particularly the oppressed and the deprived whom we respect a lot and their endeavours and sacrifices led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic and also their devotion and services guaranteed its preservation and survival. The authorities should regard themselves attached to the people and recognize them as part of their own being.”
11) Taking into account the collective interest and expediency, religion, Islamic ummah, and the Islamic country [not the interest of a certain individual or group]. “Maintaining the Islamic Republic is an obligation for all; it is more important than protecting just one person, even if he is Imam of the Time because he also will sacrifice himself for Islam.”
12) Addressing people’s expediency as well as public and national interests.
“Preserving the System” and its Requirements in the View of the Supreme Leader
According to the Supreme Leader, “creating a system” based on jurisprudence is a new work carried out by Imam Khomeini (ra) for the first time. As Imam Khomeini (ra) believed, “preserving the system” is superior and more important than any obligation in the view of the Supreme Leader. He believes Imam Khomeini (ra) put efforts into two things: “Protecting the Islamic Republic and keeping it in the right and correct direction.” Perhaps both of these can be interpreted as “responsible preservation of the system” which by taking into account certain principles would become more tangible and objective. These principles are addressed by the Supreme Leader.
Considering the Government along with the Legal, Legitimate and Accepted Methods as the Means
From the Leader’s perspective, preserving the system refers to the maintenance of a specific political system, i.e., the Islamic Republic. He believes that the concept of the system and the process of its development are gradual and dynamic: “Developing a system is a gradual process - and as I said earlier, our magnanimous Imam carried out this process on the basis of fiqhi (jurisprudential) principles. Developing a system does not just mean inferring the principles from fiqh once and for all and putting them into practice. Certainly, this is not the case. Developing a system is a gradual and ongoing process. It is something that has to be completed with every passing day. We might make a mistake in a particular case, but what is important is that we should learn from our mistakes and improve ourselves. This is an integral part of developing a system.”
Moreover, in the view of the Supreme Leader, although “preserving the system” is necessary to realize its objectives, such as building human beings and establishing an Islamic society, it is not justified at any cost. According to him, methods are as important as values.
Therefore, while supporting carrying out legal actions, he emphasizes that: “Illegal violence is not only bad but also a crime which must be fought.”
Addressing the National Interests Based on National Identity
From the point of view of the Supreme Leader, those who believe that national interests are in conflict with the ideological aspects of the Islamic system, interpret “Islamic identity” as opposed to “national identity.” He points out that the historical and cultural identity of Iranians along with their identity and religious beliefs and values derive from Islam, give meaning to their national interests and define them, and these two are not contradictory, rather they are in line with each other: “Everything which is in conflict with our Islam, our Revolution, our past and our rich historical background is not part of national interests.”
3. Rationality
Rationality means recognizing originality, relying on people and internal forces, and relying on God. Moreover, it is one of the “most important tools of work” which along with faith, struggle and dignity constitute the main foundations of an Islamic community.”
In the view of the Leader, Imam Khomeini’s school of thought is a perfect example of rationality; some manifestations of rationality in Imam Khomeini’s activism include: preferring democracy and relying on people’s votes and decisions, firmness and lack of flexibility against the aggressive enemy, infusing the spirit of self-confidence into the nation, ordering the Experts to write the Constitution, providing the ground for holding a referendum on the Constitution, and making people realize the fact that the country belongs to them.
The Rationality Based on Spirituality
The rationality that lacks Islamic spirituality has no place in the Leader’s thoughts because “spirituality is the spirit of the action.”
Here spirituality refers to Islamic and Quranic spirituality, which means communication with God and a spiritual journey, humbleness, remembering God, having hope and faith in divine help, sincerity, acting for the sake of God, recognizing and fulfilling the divine duty, trusting God and asking for His Help, morality, and avoidance of sins, slander, suspicion, backbiting, spite and enmity.
The Rationality Based on Justice
“Justice gives orientation and value to the works.” Caring for the deprived and needy people by the officials of the country who avoid leading an aristocratic life, the close relationship between officials and the people and providing public services for all parts of the country, choosing the officials from among the people, refraining from getting engaged in nepotism like what Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties did, and not relying on wealth and power to assume a position are some manifestations of the rationality based on justice in Imam Khomeini’s thoughts expressed by the Supreme Leader.
Revolutionary Rationality
From the point of view of the Supreme Leader, the way to responsibly preserve the system and maintain religious rule and the basis of Islamic government is “revolutionary rationality.” Revolutionary rationality is contrary to conservative rationality: “The moment we mention rationality and rational calculations, some people say: ‘Be careful. Act cautiously. Pay attention to wisdom. Do not say anything that may provoke the world. Do not do anything that may result in a confrontation with the world.’ This is conservative rationalism, and I do not believe in it at all.”
In response to those who consider challenging the powers as costly thereby preferring not to engage in such actions, Supreme Leader states: “Challenging powers may be costly, but so is compromising!” In his view, if challenging is done reasonably if it is based on logic and if it is accompanied by self-confidence, it will prove to be much less costly than compromising. This is so because deceitful and transgressing powers would not satisfy with a particular level and they demand more and more concessions.
Examples of Revolutionary Rationality
The results of revolutionary rationality include “gaining insightfulness and the power of analysis, being able to identify the enemy, making intra-faction analysis, recognizing issues properly and correctly, and categorizing them as primary principles and secondary issues.” Add to that “thwarting the enemy’s plan to exploit the actions of domestic political actors.” This is described as a “red line for political acts” in the opinion of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution: “Sometimes the enemy makes arrangements for certain people to adopt a righteous position. The enemy does not support truth and justice, so why does he want certain people to adopt a righteous position? This is because the enemy wants to complete his own puzzle…In such cases, it is necessary to avoid adopting the righteous positions that the enemy wants. It is wrong to complete the enemy’s puzzle. This is the level of vigilance that is needed. You should enter into politics and think about political matters, but you at the same time should remain extremely vigilant. The enemy should not find the opportunity to make use of any of your moves, comments and positions. This is the first principle and a red line.”
By referring to Martyr General Soleymani’s outstanding characteristics such as courage, wisdom and being revolutionary in all arenas from the battlefield to politics, Ayatollah Khamenei introduced him as the correct manifestation of revolutionary rationality. He added, “following the revolutionary path was a red line for Martyr General Soleymani.”
Reference: The Islamic Revolutionary Approach. Vol 15, No. 54, Spring 2021, Pp 3-20.
Archive of Ayatollah Khamenei
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