Ayatollah Khomeini

Ayatollah Khomeini
source
Name	Ayatollah Khomeini
Caption	Official portrait
Birth name	Ruhollah Mousavi
Birth date	24 September 1902
Birth place	Khomeyn, Persia
Death date	3 June 1989
Death place	Tehran, Iran
Resting place	Behesht-e Zahra
Office	Supreme Leader of Iran
Term start	3 December 1979
Term end	3 June 1989
Predecessor	Position established
Successor	Ali Khamenei
Spouse	Khadijeh Saqafi (m. 1929)
Children	Mostafa, Zahra, Ahmad
Religion	Twelver Shi'a Islam
Alma mater	Qom Hawza

Ayatollah Khomeini was a Shi'a Marja' and the central political and religious figure of the Iranian Revolution. He founded the Islamic Republic of Iran and served as its first Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 until his death, establishing a theocratic system of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist). His leadership transformed Iran's domestic politics and its international relations, most notably with the United States and Iraq.

Early life and education

Ruhollah Mousavi was born in the town of Khomeyn in central Persia. After his father, Mostafa, was killed, he was raised by his mother and aunt before moving to Arak to study under Abdul-Karim Ha'eri Yazdi. He followed his teacher to the Qom Hawza, the preeminent Shia seminary in Iran, where he immersed himself in Islamic philosophy, Irfan (mysticism), and Islamic jurisprudence. His early writings, such as Kashf al-Asrar, critiqued the secular policies of Reza Shah's Pahlavi dynasty and began to outline his vision for Islamic governance.

Political activism and exile

His political activism intensified during the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, particularly opposing the White Revolution reforms and the capitulatory laws granting immunity to American personnel. Following his arrest after the June 1963 protests, he was exiled, first to Turkey, then to Najaf in Iraq. During his fourteen-year exile in Najaf, he delivered a seminal series of lectures published as Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist, which fully articulated the doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih. He maintained contact with opposition networks inside Iran, and his cassette-taped sermons were smuggled into the country, galvanizing dissent against the Pahlavi dynasty.

Leadership of the Iranian Revolution

As public unrest against the Pahlavi dynasty grew into the Iranian Revolution, his role as its spiritual leader became paramount. From exile in Paris, he coordinated the revolutionary movement, giving directives to followers and forming the Council of the Islamic Revolution. His return to Tehran in February 1979 marked the revolution's triumph, leading to the collapse of the Imperial State of Iran. He swiftly moved to consolidate power, overseeing the establishment of a Referendum that created the Islamic Republic of Iran and the drafting of its Constitution, which enshrined the principle of Velayat-e Faqih.

Supreme Leader of Iran

As Supreme Leader of Iran, he wielded ultimate authority over the government, military, and judiciary. Key events of his rule included the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, the brutal suppression of opposition groups like the People's Mujahedin of Iran, and the protracted Iran–Iraq War. He supported the formation of Hezbollah in Lebanon and exported revolutionary ideology, confronting both Saddam Hussein and the Western world. Domestically, he oversaw a cultural revolution that purged universities and enforced strict Sharia-based social codes.

Ideology and religious thought

His ideology was defined by the revolutionary doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih, which posits that a senior Islamic jurist must hold political authority in the absence of the Twelfth Imam. He synthesized traditional Shia jurisprudence with a populist, anti-imperialist political philosophy, vehemently opposing Western imperialism, Zionism, and Marxism. His works, including Tahrir al-Wasilah and Forty Hadith, addressed both jurisprudence and ethics, but his political thought, emphasizing the necessity of an Islamic state, represented a radical departure from the quietist tradition prevalent in Najaf.

Death and legacy

He died on 3 June 1989 in Tehran after complications from surgery; his funeral drew millions of mourners and he was interred at the Behest-e Zahra cemetery. The Assembly of Experts appointed Ali Khamenei as his successor. His legacy is profound and contested, defining the Islamic Republic of Iran's political structure and its adversarial stance toward the United States and Israel. Institutions like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij remain pillars of the system he founded, while his writings and speeches continue to serve as foundational texts for the state's ideology.

Category:1902 births Category:1989 deaths Category:Supreme Leaders of Iran Category:People of the Iranian Revolution