What is the Nature of Revolution from the Perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei?

It is a fundamental change in social institutions and values that is based on the deep dissatisfaction of men and their mass participation in a way that is against the law governing society and with violence and with the intention of overthrowing the ruling political system.

Based on these characteristics, many political and social phenomena, although they have a serious and lasting appearance, cannot be called a revolution. We need to briefly mention these events.

1. Reform: The difference between reform and revolution is that reforms are carried out by the ruling political regime, and there are no such things as mass mobilization, political regime change, and violence.
2. Movement: The movement is usually long-term, of which the revolution may be only a part, such as the Islamic Movement of Iran, which can be traced at least since the early 1961s.
3. Coup d’état: The swift action of a group of soldiers against a political regime that does not benefit from the participation of the people and some other features of the revolution.
4. Rebellion: These are similar words and phrases such as revolt, turmoil and uprising, a cross-sectional movement or a reaction of a different nature and scope, which is sometimes the prelude to a revolutionary movement, and in many cases with the support of the people, the new ideology does not have a plan to change the socio-political institutions. Many riots are soon suppressed and subsided.
5. Civil war: Armed struggle to gain power between the parties involved in a country is called civil war, which is carried out by a group of residents due to the outbreak of part of the power against the other part or the request for territorial disintegration, autonomy and independence. (17-15)

Now we need to enter into the discussion of what the Islamic Revolution is. Most theories and perspectives have assumed the Islamic nature of the Iranian revolution, and fewer discussions have been held on this nature.

The general picture of the various theories of revolutions and the Islamic Revolution can be illustrated as follows:

1. Some consider the definitions of the nature of the revolution to be a change in the governing body.
2. Some equate the definitions of fundamental change in all political, cultural, and economic structures with revolution. The role of consciousness and the will of individuals is not necessarily determinative.
3. Some consider the definitions of reliance on certain principles and foundations to be important in the nature of revolutions.
4. Some consider the definitions of reliance on certain principles and foundations to be important in the nature of revolutions. In these definitions, if revolutions do not articulate clear principles, they cannot bring about fundamental change.
5. In describing the nature of the revolution, some consider important definitions of the type of revolution to occur: The nature of revolutions is violent and law-breaking, and any evolution that is not accompanied by violence cannot be revolutionary.

What is the Nature Of Revolution from the Perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei?

Ayatollah Khamenei has taken a detailed approach to this issue and has addressed the nature of the revolution in general and the Islamic Revolution in particular in various aspects. In describing the nature of the revolution, some consider the definitions of the type of revolution important: the nature of revolutions is violent and law-breaking, and any change that is not accompanied by violence cannot be revolutionary.

In many cases, Ayatollah Khamenei has defined the concept of revolution and has explained part of this concept in every statement. By juxtaposing all these statements, their full purpose of this concept can be explained.

In one place, the revolution is equated with the fundamental change of all the main institutions of society’s life:

The revolution is not just about rioting, pouring out the streets and controversy. Revolution means a fundamental change in all the main institutions of society’s life; a fundamental change in what is wrong and crooked, in what is right and direct. (Statements, 4 February 2003)

Elsewhere, they liken the revolution to a burning furnace that changes the shape and order of the elements of beings.

Because of this transformation nature, it relies on the principles that make the nature of revolutions different from developments such as Coup d’etat. Revolutions are evolutions that are carried out by the people and are based on the doctrinal and social principles and foundations of society. In his view, such revolutions have taken place in the world in the last few decades (Friday prayer sermons, 9 February 1990)

Ayatollah Khamenei also considers the phenomenon of revolution to have a positive nature, and this is contrary to the view of functionalists, who consider the revolution to be a negative category because it disrupts the status quo, which results in nothing but anomalies and the growth of all kinds of social harms. Of course, revolution is positive for some and negative for others. The revolution is a positive thing for a nation that seeks to achieve true salvation and happiness and to enjoy material and spiritual excellence and evolution by denying and rejecting the status quo. But for those who have clung to a country for many years, the biggest blast for them is nothing more than a revolution. (Statements of the Supreme Leader, 15 September 1999)

From the total statements of Ayatollah Khamenei, we can reach this definition of revolution:

Revolution is a fundamental change in all aspects of human life that first occurs within human beings. This transformation is based on certain principles and foundations, and in order to change the current misguided situation, it is directed towards a direct and desirable situation with the participation of the masses.

What is the Nature of the Islamic Revolution?

Understanding what the nature of revolution is in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view can be understood in light of the few minutes they give about the nature of the Islamic Revolution. He also considers the indicators considered for the general revolutions to be true of the Islamic Revolution: Fundamental change in all aspects of life and the beginning of this change in the minds and hearts of human beings. But the main point is the difference between the Islamic Revolution and other revolutions in its principles and orientation.

Ayatollah Khamenei believes that the Islamic Revolution is a layered and complex phenomenon whose full understanding of its dimensions requires flipping through and studying its various layers. The Islamic Revolution is not a one-off movement; it is a continuous movement whose requirements are different at different times. When you open the revolution like a book, there are chapters and lines of knowledge: religious knowledge, political knowledge, and moral knowledge. All this is below the word revolution (Statements of the Supreme Leader, 15 September 2002). The scope of the Islamic Revolution encompasses all the pillars and structures of society. A purposeful transformation must take place in individuals and infrastructures so that we can say that the revolution has taken place; in addition, this development must spread throughout the Islamic world:

Our problem was not that of a corrupt government that goes to work, and we find the courage of non-corrupt work. This was a preliminary issue. The fundamental issue is a revolution, that is, a real change in the pillars, foundations and infrastructures of society in order to create justice, freedom, intellectual and scientific advancement, and in short, the fertilization of human personality and the emergence of scientific, cultural and economic infertility. We didn’t get here. We want to go to get there (Statements of the Supreme Leader, 27 January 2003).

Elsewhere, the Islamic Revolution is described as follows:

It is a fundamental change based on a series of values and a forward movement.

What happened in our country is the Islamic Revolution, which was a great change in the political, economic and cultural elements of the society, and a step forward and an action towards the progress of this country to this nation. (Friday prayer sermons, 12 May 2000).

The most important of these values are religion, faith, justice, avoidance of extravagance and luxury at the level of rulers, religious and moral health of rulers, political independence, economic independence, cultural independence, freedom of thought, the spread of morality, popular government, righteous government and human beings with religion and piety at the top. According to him, these values, which are in the society and are the basis of the Islamic system, must first be accepted in one place. If we accept some of these, if we do not accept some, it is incomplete.

Second, based on these values, society must move, evolve, and move forward. He has to correct the wrong methods day by day and take a new step in order to achieve the result. In this case, the current of the Islamic Revolution will continue to be continuous and complete.

Therefore, in general, in defining the Islamic Revolution, three basic elements should be considered:

1. That the values on which the revolution is based should be taken into account and strongly protected.
2. See these values together. It should not be the case that one pays attention to political, cultural and economic independence, but does not pay attention to religiosity; or pays attention to religiosity, but does not pay attention to freedom of thought; or pays attention to freedom of thought and expression. If this is the case, the work is incomplete.
3. Move forward. Stagnation and quietness and silence cause solidity, stagnation and obsolescence, and values lose their effectiveness. Old age is followed by destruction. If they want to avoid the old, they have to progress and moving forward.

We see that they consider a gradual and continuous nature for the Islamic Revolution and therefore believe that the Islamic Revolution is a permanent and inexhaustible evolution and should not be divided into hypothetical and imaginary periods:

I see some people say that! Some say that the “decades of the revolution,” the first decade, the second decade, the third decade, but the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first years have no distinctive features. It’s not like a wall has been drawn between this decade and that decade. Revolution is a period; the revolution is a continuous movement; the revolution is not an immediate thing; the revolution is an evolutionary change that has been going on continuously for many years. The faster and better we go, the sooner and better we will achieve our goals (Statements of the Supreme Leader, 2 February 1999). Considering this point (the continuity and gradualness of the revolution), it can be said that the Islamic Revolution is rooted in the past. On the other hand, it is moving towards the destinations ahead and the houses of the future, as well as the current situation. Therefore, in defining the revolution, both the factors and the ends are considered.

Elsewhere, there are two characteristics of the Islamic Revolution that distinguish it from all other revolutions: The first characteristic was that the basis of this revolution was religious, moral and spiritual values, and another characteristic was that the revolution remained based on the will of the people in forming and running the government. That is, after the victory of the revolution, the importance of the role of the people was not taken away from them and it remained as an element for the revolution. According to him, these two characteristics had the greatest impact on the image of this revolution in the world, just as it has the greatest impact on the victory and permanence of the revolution in the Islamic country. These two characteristics are distinguished both before and after the revolution. Other revolutions have often been based on materialistic thinking.

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