Imam Khomeini was a Shiite Muslim who solidly believed in the unity of Islam (regardless of its schisms). He believed that this unity is necessary vis-à-vis colonialists and the enemies of Islam. Call to unity forms an important part of Imam Khomeini’s messages and speeches.
His Holiness, the Imam has ruled out any move that would break up the lines of the Muslims and lead to domination by colonialists. By issuance of unique decrees and his support of the “Unity Week” in the Muslim world and by his repeated messages, he shows the practical ways for unity between the Sunnis and Shias denominations. During his leadership, he opposed any move that would end in division and dispute between these two major sects of Islam.
Imam Khomeini believed that faith in the oneness of God, and in the mission of the Prophet of Islam, and faith in the Holy Qur'an as the eternal charter for guidance, and acceptance of mottoes and decrees, such as the prayers, fasting, giving alms, Hajj and jihad are solid pillars for all the followers of various Islamic sects to come together in unity and stand up against the polytheists.
The reformist rise of the Imam and his messages are not meant only for Iranian society. He believed that man’s intuition is based on monotheism, charity, search for truth and justice and, if general awareness increases and the evil of ego (Nafs-e Ammareh) and the outside Satan be harnessed and weakened, then every human society will take to God-seeking and live in environments rich in justice and peace. For this reason, in all his public messages, the Imam has urged the Third World captive nations and the oppressed peoples to rise against the arrogant world. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, openly posed the idea of forming the “Party of the Oppressed Peoples” and defended it. The first universal gathering of international liberating movements convened in Iran during the Imam’s leadership.
He often emphasized that the Islamic Revolution is enemy to the domineering objectives of the heads and of ruling bodies of the U.S.A, the West and (former) Soviet Union and not to the nations of these countries, who are themselves victims of neocolonialism. Imam Khomeini’s motto was fighting the oppressor and defending the oppressed and he used to say, “We are neither cruel nor do we tolerate cruelty”.
His Holiness, the Imam considered the philosophy of the prophetic missions as a means by which men are led toward theosophy, to activate man’s perfection-seeking power, in negation of all darkness, in reformation of the society, and in establishment of equity and justice.
With regard to his motives and objectives of his uprising and challenge, Imam Khomeini often emphasized that: “Our entire aim is Islam.” The Imam regarded the Islamic Revolution as a radiation of the eternal rise of Imam Hossein (a.s.) on the day of Ashura, which was made to save Islam from the clutches of the cruel corrupters. He emphasized that: “Islam is not the religion for a particular nation; it recognizes no difference between Turks, Iranians, Arabs or non-Arabs. Islam belongs to all regardless of race, tribe, language or color, which do not count in this religion. All are brothers and equal. Honor is in virtue and chastity and in superior character and good conduct.”
Imam Khomeini was a divine philosopher and mystic, a jurisconsult, a religious authority and at the same time the leader of the Islamic Revolution, and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was acquainted with the principles of Western philosophy, and was well versed in the principles and arguments of logic and Islamic philosophy, in both, the peripatetic and brightened approaches. Perhaps it is safe to say that the Imam’s philosophical insight was somewhat leaning toward illuminationalism (Eshraqi and Pre-sentativeness) or somewhat close to eclectic style of the divine hakim Mullah Sadra with some differences and distinctions: Imam Khomeini taught philosophy on highest levels for 15 years. He followed philosophy as a path for recognition of the stage and the step taken to perceive the realities of existence and of creatures, and thus his philosophical outlook toward the truth of existence and pantheism and its stages, is deeply influenced by his school of mysticism.
Imam Khomeini’s mysticism is based on Quranic verses, Hadiths of the grandees of the religion and the whole knowledge of the prophets, within the framework of the holy religion of Islam. He was opposed to negative mysticism, which restricts the faith and religion in some recitals and cantations, and encourages living in isolation, avoiding sociopolitical responsibilities. The Imam believed that knowing oneself is the basis of theology and that purging oneself of ethical corruption and vices and acquisition of excellences are prerequisites to knowing God; and attaining to divine gnosis, and exalted moral stations is not possible except by following the path which the great prophets and God’s “proofs” on earth have learned and traversed. Therefore, Imam Khomeini was opposed to ways and asceticism that are outside the framework of the religion, and despised sanctimony and hypocritical mysticism, and holier-than-thou attitudes.
In addition to being highly versed in philosophy, mysticism, exegesis, ethics, and theology, Imam Khomeini was an outstanding jurisconsult with full knowledge of fiqh and principles, which he taught for 30 years on highest level. Presently, apart from the numerous books written by the Imam on fiqh and principles, scores of lessons and courses taught by him have been compiled by his students and are available. Imam Khomeini regarded the searching quality of fiqh and principles as a prerequisite to having a deductive (ijtihadi) view, and he maintained that the factors of time and place have a determinant role in independent reasoning in Islamic law (ijtihad) and ignoring them results in an inability to understand and answer the daily emerging issues. He further believed that the searching action of fiqh does not mean rendering infirm, the deductive procedure of the conventional ijtihad. By issuing revolutionary decrees, the Imam opened the way to change the angle of perception and its extension to vital and essential problems of the society and thus revived the forgotten chapters of the jurisprudence, and actually proved the unavoidable intervention of the factors of time and space.
On the basis of such viewpoint, Imam Khomeini has expounded the theory of “Formation of the Islamic Government on the basis of the guardianship of the Jurist during Occultation”, and tried for years for its realization. Thus, Imam Khomeini is the first person in centuries who has succeeded in establishing a religious government on the basis of leadership by a fully qualified mojtahid or jurisconsult.
In the Imam’s perception, the Islamic government, apart from the substantial difference of objectives and ideals from the organizational point of view, has also basic differences with contemporary political system. According to this viewpoint or theory, the “majority” becomes lawful on the basis of “truth” (haq), and in the wake of this, the necessity to enforce velayat or guardianship depends on the presence of its conditions including public acceptance, which is realized via direct natural selection, or through election by the experts of the nation.
Therefore, the link between the people and the leadership and the Islamic government is deep and faithful and because of this, Imam Khomeini could institute and conduct one of the most popular types of governments. In this type of government, contrary to all the world’s existing political systems, the people, after determination of leadership and carrying out elections, do not disavow responsibility, nor are they left to themselves. Rather, their presence in the scenes of management of the Islamic society and participation in the destiny of the Islamic System is guaranteed as an incumbent religious duty. According to Imam Khomeini, the pillar of Islamic rule is based on reciprocal love and trust between the people and competent leadership.
It was such a viewpoint that made Imam Khomeini to say: “If they call me a servant, it is better than being called a leader. Leadership is not what matters; what matters is service; Islam has made it necessary for us to serve... I am a brother to the Iranian people and regard myself as their servant and soldier... In Islam, one-thing rules and that is the law. Law also ruled during the time of the honorable Prophet; He was the implementer.”
The disintegration of the seemingly powerful Communist system, on the one hand and, on the other, the perpetuation of the Islamic Republic in Iran and its stability, in spite of the animosity of the existing world’s greatest powers and the imposition of an 8-year war, all these are best proofs of the rightfulness of the Imam’s theory.
It is obvious that Imam Khomeini’s view about Islamic rule and people’s position in it, has nothing to do with the so-called “nationalism” in the political culture of the world. Rather, it is the exact opposite of it.
In Imam Khomeini’s view, the establishment of real peace in the world with the presence of the domineering arrogant powers and while accepting their existence and domination is but a crude thought.
Concerning the true nature of the usurper Israeli government and its roots, the Imam has said: "I regard the plan for independence of Israel and its recognition, a catastrophe for the Muslims and an explosion for Islamic governments.” After the victory of the Revolution, Imam Khomeini called the last Friday of the month of Ramadan, the “Qods Day” and urged all Muslims of the world to hold annual demonstrations on this day as long as the Qods remains in the hands of the enemies of Islam, and thereby show their support for the Palestinian fighters.
His Holiness, the Imam has emphasized the infrastructural role of culture and has often said: “Culture is the origin of all happiness or misery...what builds the nations is an authentic culture.”
Imam Khomeini negated and considered worthless the arts that are at the service of colonialism. He also negated “art for art’s sake.” He used to say: “In Islamic mysticism, art is a clear description of justice, honor and fairness. It is the reflect of the affliction of the hungry people, who are anathematized by power and pelf.”
In the area of education, Imam Khomeini was both a theoretical and practical master. By his educative methods, he had been able to set up, as pioneer of the great religious movement, a society whose culture and values had been until then trampled by the treachery of the Pahlavi dynasty and its affiliates. As a result, this society had become inclined towards indifference. It is said that during the 15th of Khordad 1342 Uprising, in those sorrowful conditions of social strangulation, Imam’s friends had asked him with what force did he want to rise and form the rule of justice? The Imam had pointed to the cradle of a baby. Oddly enough, 15 years later the Iranian Muslim youths were the main performers in the arenas of the uprising.
Imam Khomeini considered self-consciousness and its regular purging of all devilish and carnal desires throughout one’s life, as a prerequisite for attaining to the true perfection (Kamal-e Haqiqi), and he believed that fostering or from childhood and even at fetus life, and so, he says: “A child’s first school is its mother’s lap.” Imam Khomeini regarded teaching as the profession of the prophets and considered the guidance of the community towards Allah, as the most important occupation of teachers apart from formal sciences.
One of the major outcomes of Imam Khomeini’s movement was the reinstatement of women’s part in the span of social activities. We dare say that, at no time in Iranian history had women gained as much general and political awareness as in this decade, nor have they been involved in their own destinies as today. During the climaxing days of the Revolution, the women were present, shoulder-to-shoulder with men, and sometimes even ahead of men, in all scenes. During the imposed war, Iranian women’s part in providing supplies for the war fronts, their encouragement of their husbands and brothers to participate in the defense of Islam and the Revolution, even their actual participation in providing supplies for the fronts, has been unprecedented in contemporary wars.
Right now, women are very active, along with men, in all social activities: in education, in universities, and in health and medical organizations as well as in government offices and other arenas.
Imam Khomeini’s economic positions and recommendations were generally based on justice and giving priority to the rights of the deprived and the oppressed members of the community. He called service to the deprived the highest worship and referred to them as the benefactors of the society and of himself. Most of the recommendations of Imam Khomeini to the employees of the Islamic System are about care for the indigent and abstain from developing palace dwellers temperament. He believed that the government, and its employees and managers are servants of the people and a servant has no right to demand for himself circumstances better than that of the public.
One of the outstanding characteristics of Imam Khomeini is that his words were all based on belief and truthfulness and he, before others, practiced what he taught. The life style of the Imam was a perfect example of asceticism, contentment and simplicity, and this style was not confined to his pre-leadership period. Rather, he believed that a leader’s standard of living must be on a par with or even lower than that of the commonest stratum of the population. He was attached to ascetic living all his life.
To get an idea of the Imam’s simple living and his belief that extreme care must be taken in spending the Muslim treasury, it is enough to note that, it was according to his view and emphasis that in article 142 of the constitution of the Islamic Republic, the Supreme Court is charged with investigating the assets of the leader and that of the upper strata of responsible authorities of the Islamic System, prior to and after their incumbency or assignment, to ensure that no unlawful increases have been made. Imam Khomeini was the first person to submit a list of his meagre assets to the state Supreme Court on January 14th 1979. Immediately after the Imam’s heavenly departure, his son, in a letter that appeared in the press, requested the judiciary branch to investigate the assets of the Imam again in accordance with the constitutional law.
The result of the investigation was published in a statement dated July 2nd 1989 by the Supreme Court. This statement revealed that during the lapse of time, not only nothing had been added to the Imam’s assets, but a plot of land that was inherited from his father was given to the indigent people of the place during his life and by his order.
Imam Khomeini favored or, rather, believed deeply in programming and discipline in life. He used to spend specific hours of each day and night in worship and devotion, prayers and recitation of the Holy Qur'an. Walking while invoking God and thinking were other features of his daily program. Reaching 90, he was still one of the hard working political leaders of the world. He would not forgo the exhilaration of service in the path of exalting the Islamic community and solving their problems, even in most vehement circumstances. Pressing daily activities and frequent meetings with authorities of the Islamic System could not prevent the Imam from having contact with the common people, whom he termed the most essential assets of the Islamic Movement. The particulars of more than 3700 meetings with ordinary people, in the years after the triumph of the Revolution, are recorded in the two volumes of a book entitled, Mahzar-e-Noor [The manifestation of Light]. This goes far to indicate the Imam’s deep interest in and relation with the people of his time. He never made a decision-affecting people’s destiny unless he first faithfully discussed it with them. He regarded the people as most trustworthy for knowing the facts.
Imam Khomeini had a kind and determined face. His looks were solemnly appealing and replete with spirituality. Any crowd before him would involuntarily be attracted by his spirituality, and many would shed tears unconsciously. The people of Iran had a right in their various slogans, to pray to God to take their lives and add instead, a moment to that of Imam Khomeini’s.
“Allah will complete His light, much as the unbelievers may dislike it.” (Quran 61:8)