What comes following is a speech by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei who highlighted various perspectives of Imam Khomeini's divine personality.
We have said many things in this regard, but there is still room to speak about that great man. Today, what I want to discuss with you is about distorting the personality of Imam (r.a.).
Can characters and personalities be distorted? We usually use the term "distortion" for texts and documents, but can personalities be distorted as well? Yes, they can be distorted. Distorting personalities means that the main elements and constituents of a personality - such as the personality of that great person - remain unknown or that they are defined in a wrong, deviant and superficial way. All these things are related to distortion of personalities.
If a personality who is a role model, imam and leader and whose behavior and words are instructive for future generations is distorted, this will inflict a great loss. Imam (r.a.) should not only be considered as a respectable personality in history. Some people want this. They say, "Imam was an honorable personality in the history of this country. He was active and valuable once, but he passed away and his time is over now. We will continue to respect him and mention his name with great admiration. This is the only thing that we will do." Some people want to introduce Imam (r.a.) like this. They want to present such a portrayal of him. This is wrong.
Imam (r.a.) is the embodiment of the great movement that the people of Iran began and with which they transformed their history. Imam (r.a.) was the founder of an intellectual, political and social school of thought. The people of Iran accepted this school of thought, path and roadmap and they moved forward on it. The continuation of this path depends on gaining a correct understanding of it. Without knowing Imam (r.a.) - that is to say, knowing his principles - this roadmap will not be known. It is evident that our discussion is about Imam's (r.a.) intellectual principles. Our discussion is not about his temporary decisions which are confined to a specific time and location. Our discussion is about the main structure of our magnanimous Imam's (r.a.) thoughts. We want to gain a correct understanding of this.
Imam was a great faqih. He was an outstanding and great faqih, philosopher and expert on theoretical mysticism. He was an outstanding personality on these matters and in scholarly areas, but Imam's (r.a.) outstanding personality is not dependent on either of these things, rather his main characteristic is manifest in this ayah: "And strive in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him" [The Holy Quran, 22: 78]. With his outstanding scholarly capabilities, he entered the arena of jihad in the way of God. He continued this jihad until the end of his life and he created a great movement, not only in his own country, but also in our entire region, in the entire world of Islam and - in one sense - in the whole world. The product of this movement was a unique product.
In the history of our country, two great and unprecedented tasks were carried out by Imam (r.a.). One was the destruction of a structure which was based on a cruel and unreasonable hereditary monarchy. This hereditary monarchy had a millennium-long history in our country. This old and derelict structure - on the basis of which some people took over the government with the power of their swords and armies and then passed it to other people in a hereditary way - was a wrong and unreasonable tradition that dominated our country for several thousand years. The first task that Imam (r.a.) carried out was to destroy this wrong structure and to entrust affairs to the people.
The second great task that our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) carried out was to create a government on the basis of Islam. This was unprecedented in the history of our country and the history of Islam after the early Islamic era. The great jihad that our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) did brought about such a valuable product. Therefore, it is really necessary to say that "He strove in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him" [Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 33, p. 18] which also exists in the Holy Quran: "And strive in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him". Like other saints, this great man was a manifestation of "He strove in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him".
Of course, I should say in parenthesis that this great man's jihad was not merely a political, social and intellectual jihad, rather besides all these forms of jihad, he engaged in inner jihad as well. He engaged in jihad against one's self and he preserved his constant relationship with Allah the Exalted. This is another lesson. It is not the case that we will have the right to ignore this part of jihad if we want to enter the arena of intellectual, scientific, political and military jihad. Our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) used to show humility before God, shed tears, read duas and rely on Allah the Exalted.
He used to repeat this part of Dua Sha'baniyya in his Sha'ban speeches: "Oh God, bestow upon me the perfection to separate myself from others and to join You. Enlighten our hearts with the light of seeing You so that our hearts tear the veils of light and join the mine of greatness" [Iqbal al-A'mal, Vol. 2, p. 687]. Such was his behavior, his tears at sunrise, his supplication, his prayers and his constant relationship with God. This condition formed the spiritual source of support for the continuation of that great man's jihad. We should remember this concerning our magnanimous Imam's (r.a.) jihad in the way of God.
Imam's (r.a.) intellectual system enjoyed all the characteristics of an intellectual, social and political school of thought. First, it was based on a monotheistic worldview. All his activities and all his thought processes were based on monotheism which is the main infrastructure for all Islamic thoughts.
Another characteristic of this intellectual system - which has turned it into a school of thought in the real sense of the word - is that it was up-to-date. It addressed all the issues which were related to human societies and the Iranian society in particular. The addressees of Imam's (r.a.) intellectual system used to feel this. In Imam's (r.a.) intellectual school of thought, opposition to tyranny and arrogance was the most important matter. This is what the people of Iran and other Muslim peoples felt tangibly. This was why his invitation was promoted everywhere.
Another characteristic of this intellectual school of thought was that it was lively, dynamic and practical. It was not like other intellectual philosophies and theories which contain beautiful words, but which are not practical in the arena of action. Imam's (r.a.) logic, thoughts and path were practical. His path could be implemented in the arena of action and this was why it achieved victory and moved forward. This path changed the path of our country's history.
We people of Iran were an inferior people who were drowned in goalless-ness and despair. We were a dependent people. We were a people who had been kept backward on purpose. They used to impose both their thoughts and culture on our people. They used to take our economic resources and they made us sink in a quagmire of ugly habits. We used to be such a people, but Imam (r.a.) turned us into a motivated, hopeful and dynamic people who enjoyed great goals. Today, the people of Iran are dynamic, motivated and hopeful and they are moving towards great goals. Of course, we are far away from reaching our goals, but the important point is that we are moving towards them. The important point is that our people enjoy energy and the determination to make progress. The important point is that our youth believe that they can reach these goals, that they can completely achieve social justice, that they can bring progress and wealth to this country and that they can help us become an advanced and powerful country, as befits our historical identity. Today, this hope moves like a wave through our country and our youth are moving in this direction. We have saved ourselves from intoxication and drowsiness. This was done by our magnanimous Imam's (r.a.) movement. It was done by that great man.
If the people of Iran want to reach these goals and continue this path, they should gain a correct understanding of our magnanimous Imam's (r.a.) path and principles and they should not allow the personality of Imam (r.a.) to be distorted. Distorting his personality is distorting his path and changing the straight path of the people of Iran. If we lose, forget about and - God forbid - deliberately sideline Imam's (r.a.) path, the people of Iran will receive a slap across their faces. Everyone should know that the insatiable stomach of global arrogance has not ignored our country in any way. A large and wealthy country that is located in a sensitive global crossroads is very important to deceitful powers in the world. They have not abandoned their greed and they have not closed their eyes to our country.
They will retreat only when you people of Iran gain such power and make such progress that they become completely despondent. It is here that the danger of distorting Imam's (r.a.) personality becomes significant. If Imam's (r.a.) personality is distorted and if it is introduced in a bad and wrong way, all these grave dangers will threaten the people of Iran. It is here that the danger of distorting his personality should capture the attention of the officials of the country, the intellectuals of the Revolution, Imam's (r.a.) old students, those who are interested in his path and all youth, scholars and academic and seminary personalities. They should consider this as a warning. Well, this was an introduction to my statements.
Even during Imam's (r.a.) lifetime, there were efforts to distort his personality. On the one hand, this was done by the enemy who tried since the beginning of the Revolution to introduce Imam (r.a.) in his worldwide propaganda as a strict and harsh revolutionary - like the ones that existed in great and well-known revolutions in the world such as the French revolution, the Marxist revolution carried out by the Soviet Union and other well-known revolutions. He was introduced as a strict and violent person whose eyebrow wrinkles did not open at all, who was merely interested in confronting his enemy and who had no feelings and flexibility at all. They used to introduce Imam (r.a.) like this, but it was wrong.
Yes, Imam (r.a.) was decisive and determined and he did not falter in his resolve - I will expand on this matter later on - but he was the manifestation of affection, grace, kindness, sympathy and love for God and for His servants, particularly for the oppressed and underprivileged classes in society. From the first day, this was what the enemy used to do in his worldwide propaganda against our Revolution.
And on the other hand, some people inside the country used to distort Imam's (r.a.) personality, whether knowingly or unknowingly. They used to do so even during his lifetime. They used to ascribe any opinion that they deemed appropriate to Imam (r.a.). This was while it had nothing to do with him. The same orientation has continued after his demise. Some people have gone as far as describing Imam (r.a.) as a liberal who had no boundaries and limits in political and even intellectual and cultural areas. This is completely wrong as well.
If we want to identify Imam's (r.a.) personality in the real sense of the word, there is a certain method to do so. If we follow this method - I will say what it is - the problem will be resolved. If we do not do so, some people may introduce Imam (r.a.) according to their own interests and opinions and some others may deem it necessary to present another portrayal of him on the basis of other interests and other events that may occur in the world. This should not be done. Imam's (r.a.) popularity among the people is a permanent thing. The enemy could not destroy it. For this reason, the issue of distorting Imam's (r.a.) personality - which has influenced the hearts of many people inside and outside the country - is considered a grave danger.
The way to prevent this distortion is to reinterpret Imam's (r.a.) principles. Imam had certain principles and guidelines. These principles have been announced in different statements which were made during his 10-year Islamic government and before that, during the 15-year revolutionary era. Imam's (r.a.) principles can be found in these statements. When we put these principles and guidelines together, a system will be formed which belongs to our magnanimous Imam (r.a.). This is Imam's (r.a.) character.
I am not saying that you should pay attention to any peripheral matter. Imam's (r.a.) life - like other individuals' - had some peaks and troughs. Certain events took place during his lifetime, each of which had some characteristics. So, we are speaking about fundamental matters in his life, those matters which are undeniable and which are among Imam's (r.a.) clear principles. In the course of many years - before and after the formation of the Islamic government and before, during and after the eight-year imposed war - Imam (r.a.) repeated these principles in his statements. Of course, we should not choose these principles in a selective and exclusive manner. I will only refer to five, six of his principles, but I would like to add that Imam's (r.a.) principles may be more than this. Experts and those who have the capability to pursue this task should pursue it. They should take a look at Imam's (r.a.) statements - thankfully, his statements and speeches have been published and they are available to everyone - and find these principles.
Today, I cannot refer to all those principles that can be derived from Imam's (r.a.) statements. So, I will only refer to five, six of them. But I do not want to behave in a selective manner. Therefore, I ask other individuals to take a look and find other principles. The ones that I want to speak about today form a clear part of his logic, school of thought, path and orientation.
The first matter about Imam (r.a.) is that he proved original Muhammadi Islam and rejected American Islam. He differentiated between original Islam and American Islam. What is American Islam? In our own time, during Imam's (r.a.) lifetime and at all times - as far as we know, in the future too the situation will be the same - American Islam has only two branches: one is secular Islam and another is reactionary Islam. Imam (r.a.) always placed those who had secular thoughts - that is to say, those who wanted religion, society and individuals' social behavior to be separate from Islam - on an equal footing with those who had a reactionary outlook. The latter means those who adopt a backward outlook that is not understandable to broad-minded individuals. It means those who are prejudiced about their wrong principles. This is the meaning of being reactionary. Imam (r.a.) always mentioned these people together. If you take a look today, you will see that both of these kinds of Islam exist in the world of Islam and both of them are supported by bullying powers of the world and by America.
(The contents were originally published on Khamenei.ir)