Iqbal describes the difference between the Prophets and all other individuals having unitary experience and says:
The mystic does not wish to return from the repose of his “unitary experience”; and even when he does return, as he must, his return does not mean much for mankind at large. The Prophet's return is creative. He returns to insert himself into the sweep of time with a view to control the forces of history. And thereby to create a fresh world of ideals, for the mystic the repose of “unitary experience” is something final; for the Prophet it is the awakening within him and the unleashing psychological forces, calculated to completely transform the human world.
This prophetic approach is also seen in Imam’s conduct as well. He is a great caliber of mystic but has not distanced himself from the political and social arenas as well. The combination of mystic and prophetic views has drawn Imam to the core of the society and has formed a brave and prominent personality of Imam.
According to an account by Ahmad Khomeini, the elder son of Imam that one day Imam was at house and a crowd of people had converged and were chanting slogans in favor of Imam by saying, ‘peace be upon Khomeini’. Imam had responded to the event by telling his son that even if these slogans were reversed, then it would not make too much difference for him. Somebody may make similar claim, but imam had implemented all these good practices throughout his life.
Imam had decorated himself with great mystic values and had implemented all these norms in politics and society as well. These all values of great significance had turned Imam into an influential figure. Given all these facts, Imam had once said he had never fear anybody or occurrence throughout his life. This all was a direct result of his mystic approach and his reliance in God the Almighty. The man who puts his trust in God the Almighty and deems him dominant in the universe, then there would be no reason for that person to feel fear of anything.
Imam introduced his religious beliefs and faith to the society and established a logical bonds and relations with people. It was a mutual association and ultimately the people and the Imam were highly trusting each other. Imam Khomeini initiated the deep insight and religious conception for the mass public regarding the human dignity.
One of the special characteristics and distinguishing point about the great Imam is that he introduced the Islamic thought in a such manner that various walks and classes of the public could comprehended it very well. They ultimately discovered a great amount of coordination and coherence between their demands and Imam’s ideals.
The great problems Iran were facing cruelty, inequality and captivity before the emergence of the Revolution. The great Imam had fully realized that people needed freedom and civil liberties.
The great leader presented a certain approach towards Islam which could bring about freedom, social justice, dignity and relief. Therefore, it is Chrystal clear that Imam had fully paid attention to the people’s faiths and responded to their beliefs and aspirations in perfect manner.
Today, there are discussions among scholars that whether the rights such as seeking justice, freedom and attaching significance to human dignity and personality have deep roots in natural inclinations. Most of the Muslim scholars and the experts believe that these rights have natural roots and essence. According to analysts the human in their vey basic essence are seeking for implementation of justice and freedom. So the historical experiences show that if an approach towards religion is initiated which is in accordance with people sense of freedom and justice; it would be widely welcomed by the public masses. However if an interpretation is presented which is harmful to these values, then it would be abandoned by vast walks of the society. This is what happened in medieval centuries when the Europeans absolutely abandoned the church institution.
The great task done by Imam was that he presented a certain interpretation of religion which was based on ethical norms and human dignity. This was an approach which guaranteed freedom, justice and right of choice for the society. That is why Imam didn’t solely suggest an Islamic government, but emphasized that he was seeking to establish a comprehensive Islamic-democratic system. This happened at a very sensitive juncture of history when some other powers were installing and imposing government systems on people of the region. The right of choice was the major demand of the people during those periods of history.
The Realization of Human Dignity in Light of the Islamic Revolution
One of the great initiatives of Imam was that he could present a comprehensive interpretation of religion which attached significance to all aspirations of the people. It was entirely in accordance with people’s inclinations of freedom, independence, and stood against any type of the cruelty or oppression. The people came to know that the religion gives importance to freedom and independence and is destined to stand against the any kind of repression.
The great figure of the contemporary history also presented the religion as pioneer that could relieve the society and would guarantee the implementation of freedom and social justice. The religion was manifested as a divine phenomenon which could deliver the human beings their real status and position.
The great Imam also highlighted the logical, political, social and judicial demands of the people which were being raised at the core of the society and presented their solutions in accordance with the religion. Whenever they found this capacity in Islam, they were ultimately attracted towards the divine religion. In this way, the Islamic revolution was gradually formed. Given above-mentioned facts, someone can easily draw a conclusion that the Islamic revolution was fully compatible with human aspirations and nature.
The most important achievement and accomplishment of the Islamic Revolution was that the fate of the country would no more be decided by the external powers. The great Imam’s approach towards religion was assisting people to retrieve their real statues. Imam also attached a great importance to formation of a society which could move ahead by taking into consideration the human dignity and human values.