Preliminary Studies
Sayyed Ali started his seminary studies from grade five in Dar al-Ta’lim Dianati School. Mr. Ahmadi, one of the teachers of the school who was a clergyman himself, suggested teaching the book “Jami’ al-Muqaddamat” to some students who are eager to learn it. Sayyed Ali and a few others accepted to be his students.
Sayyed Ali had already started his “Jami’ al-Muqaddamat” with his mother. He had heard from her that “The first knowledge is the recognition of God.” He had learned “Amthilah” and parts of it from her. He had also learned “Sarf-e Mir” from his father. He started “Awamil fi al-Nahw” from the clergyman at school. “When I graduated from that school, I had already finished all of ‘Jami’ al-Muqaddamat.’” He learned a part of the book “Anmudhaj” from Hoseyn Abaei.
Entering the Islamic Seminary
After finishing elementary school, the future of Sayyed Ali was entering the Islamic Seminary and becoming a cleric. “When did I think of the future? I do not remember, [but] what I would choose as a job, it was obvious both for me and my parents from the beginning. Everyone knew that I was going to become a cleric. This is what my father wanted and my mother loved; I was also interested in it.”
He used to teach from the ending years of elementary school; he studied “Anmudhaj” and “Samadiyyah” and taught “Sharh Amthilah” and “Sarf-e Mir.” His students were two famous reciters. They had gone to Sayyed Jawad Khamenei and asked him to teach them “Sharh Amthilah” and “Sarf-e Mir.” The father had introduced his thirteen-year-old son, Sayyed Ali. “He said that you don’t need to get my time for this issue; he [Sayyed Ali] is enough for it.”
The First Pulpit
Getting familiar with these two great reciters prepared the settings for Sayyed Ali’s pulpit. One of them was named Kazem Talebian who held mourning ceremonies for women on Wednesdays before noon. It’s a costume in Mashhad that whenever a reciter has a ceremony in his own house, other reciters gather there and recite eulogies. This mourning session is called “nafilah” (bounty) since they do not get paid for it. Talebian suggested the young Sayyed Ali give a lecture in his ceremony. “I said: I don’t know how to give a lecture. He said: ‘No problem!’ I said: I will ask my father. My father said: Very good. And encouraged me to go. I said: I do not know how [to give a lecture]. He said: I’ll teach you through books. Take this book and read from it; you’ll get started gradually.”
The father took the book “Jala’ al-Uyoun” by Allamah al-Majlisi from his bookshelf and opened the pages which were about the life of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, peace be upon him and asked him to read. He read in front of him so that if he had mistakes, the father would correct him. Then he got “Majma’ al-Furu’ in his hands and taught a few lessons to his son. Sayyed Ali, who had only seen school books until that time, got two precious historical and jurisprudence books in his hands and headed to Talebian’s house. Sayyed Ali’s lecture got longer than the reciters’ eulogies. When he was about to leave the house, Talebian “Gave me a brand new five rial coin as the money for my lecture. Even though they wouldn’t pay the reciters, they did for me.”
He insisted a lot. Sayyed Ali came back home with that money. No one had ever given him such money. Ali gave the news of the pay to his father. He got angry and shouted; why did you get it, do not do this again. This was the first pulpit of Sayyed Ali Khamenei with all its difficulties.
Nationalization of the Iranian Oil Industry
When he finished elementary school, he entered the Islamic Seminary. This was when the Nationalization of the Iranian oil industry’s bill was approved by both senates and the flag of Iran was held up at Abadan Refinery. In Mashhad, a gathering of ten thousand people was held in the courtyard of the Shrine of Imam al-Ridha in support of the bill and started marching towards Tabarsi Street and replaced the sign of Iran and English Oil Company with “The Iranian Oil Company.”
The young Sayyed Ali was aware of the big gatherings held in Mahdieh with the help of Ali-Asghar Abedzadeh. He witnessed how Haji Abedzadeh, Mohammad-Taqi Shari’ati and Shaykh Mahmoud Halabi had been able to keep Mashhad active in cutting off the hands of the United Kingdom from the Iranian Oil Industry. It was with the efforts of these three that the Islamic Coalition Party was shaped in Mashhad; they were the leading group of political activities in the city. The followers of Sayyed Mojtaba Navvab Safavi were also among the constituent members of the Islamic Coalition Party.
Sayyed Ali had once met with Ayatollah Sayyed Abolqasem Kashani and recited Quran in his welcoming ceremony, but he was hearing his name more often these days; especially with the coming of Afsah al-Mutakalimin Araki to Mashhad, Kashani’s representative. It was rumored around Mashhad that there is a “meeting.” It was the first time he heard the word meeting. He was curious to know what this word is, which had incited the people so much. He headed towards Goharshad Mosque, the place of the meeting. “I witnessed that the people had gathered in numbers. It was also raining. There was a pulpit. Afsah al-Mutakalimin was standing on the pulpit. The people were standing too. The difference was that in the sessions of pulpit, people sit on the floor and the lecturer sits on the pulpit. Now people had been standing on their foot and the lecturer standing there.”
The people of Mashhad heard the news of the fall of Mohammad Mosaddeq’s government on August 19, 1953, from the radio. Organized monarchist groups along with army and police forces appeared in the city with two armored cars, attacking shops and buildings.
Getting Familiar with Navvab Safavi
It might be that the reason behind Navvab’s trip to Mashhad in June 1953 was to see his friends and supporters. Even though the trip was not of much worth in terms of the political and religious struggles of Navvab Safavi, but it was very effective for Sayyed Ali, bringing about a love which later led to being one of the factors of his political activities.
One day, he heard that Navvab is coming to Soleymani Khan school, where he used to study. Sayyed Ali reached close to Navvab through the people, staring at him. He heard words that he had never heard before. “He started saying bad about the Shah and British agencies. He said that Islam must be revived; Islam should govern; these people who are governing… are lying. They’re not Muslim.”
The next day, Navvab went to Navvab Islamic Seminary. Sayyed Ali made it there before he arrived. We’re not sure if Navvab realized the presence of a Sayyed wearing a turban sitting in front of him there at the school when he was giving a lecture, but the young man was asking himself “How can this man give a lecture in such an honest way with so many emotions and excitement, making the audience overwhelmed with joy?”
This much passion and frankness was appealing to Sayyed Ali. “The sparks of the Islamic Revolution were made in me through Navvab Safavi; I do not doubt that the late Navvab illuminated the first flames in our hearts.”
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