Ruhollah Khomeini

Ruhollah Khomeini (Arabic: روح الله الخميني) was a Twelver Shia theologian and jurist who held the rank of ayatollah, a senior position among Shia clergy. He led the movement that overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's monarchy in 1979 and subsequently served as Supreme Leader (rahbar) of the Islamic Republic of Iran until his death in 1989.

The most significant doctrine he developed was wilayat al-faqih (guardianship of the jurist), which holds that in the absence of the awaited Imam, an Islamic legal scholar possesses political and governmental authority. This doctrine formed the basis of Iran's 1979 constitution and continues to define the country's power structure.

Early life and education

Khomeini was born in the city of Khomein in central Iran in the early twentieth century. He received his religious education at Iran's principal seminaries, particularly in Qum, the leading center of Shia religious study in the country. He specialized in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), methodology, Islamic philosophy, and Shia mysticism (irfan). He was a long-standing teacher in Qum and spent approximately thirty years reaching the rank of marja—a senior jurist whose legal opinions are followed by believers.

Opposition to the monarchy and exile

Khomeini spoke out against the reforms the shah announced in the 1960s, which included land redistribution and ties with the United States. Following demonstrations and arrests, he was exiled from Iran. He spent years in Turkey and then in the city of Najaf in Iraq, where he delivered lectures expounding wilayat al-faqih. In late 1978, after leaving Iraq, he went to France. His lectures and sermons, distributed on cassettes, reached Iran and became part of the mobilization for demonstrations.

The 1979 revolution and establishment of the new system

The shah left Iran in early 1979, and within weeks Khomeini returned to Tehran to a massive reception. A referendum that year established the Islamic Republic. The new constitution created the office of Supreme Leader, held by Khomeini, who commanded the armed forces, the judiciary, and the media, while a president and parliament also existed. This period saw the founding of the Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards Corps) and the carrying out of executions and purges against various opposition groups, including leftist and former military figures.

International affairs and the Iraq War

In November 1979, students sympathetic to Khomeini seized the American embassy in Tehran, an event that lasted until early 1981 and severed relations between the two countries. In 1980 Iraq attacked Iran, leading to an eight-year war that ended in a ceasefire in 1988. Khomeini later accepted the ceasefire resolution, describing it as a difficult decision. In 1989 he issued a fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, which provoked international controversy and affected Iran's relations with Western countries.

Death and legacy

Khomeini died in 1989 and was succeeded by Ali Khamenei, who was selected as Supreme Leader, with constitutional amendments made to restructure the offices of president and leader. His tomb in south Tehran became a major pilgrimage site. The system he established remains the foundation of Iran's governance, though questions about the limits of the jurist's authority continue to be debated among Shia clergy both within Iran and abroad.