Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini played a great role in shaping the world stage by leading the revolution, which toppled the Shah and established the Islamic Republic, resulting in significant changes in Iran’s governance and society. His influence will later be felt outside the boundaries of Iran, affecting global Islamic movements and the formation of international relationships. His life and legacy continue to be subjects of intense study and debate.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s Early Life

Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini was born on September 24, 1902, in the small town of Khomein, located in central Iran. His family was staunchly religious, descending from a long line of clerics. His father, Mostafa Hindi, was also a prominent cleric. Ruhollah killed him when he was five months old. Ruhollah, under the guardianship of his mother Hajar and aunt Sahebeh, was raised following this tragedy which marked his development.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini studied in madrasas of his locality, where he quickly advanced in the study of Islam. In 1920, he went to Arak for further education under notable teachers. His educational quest took him further to Qom in 1923—an Islamic center of learning. An institution to which Khomeini belonged and studied under some of the prominent clerics of his time in the fields of Islamic jurisprudence, philosophy, and mysticism; he developed a deep understanding of such fields and was recognized as an outstanding personality in matters of both religion and politics.

Career and Major Achievements by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Khomeini earned recognition as a transcendent mind and devout Islamic scholar through his work as a teacher and religious scholar in the city of Qom. He wrote extensively on Islamic law and ethics, and his many students and colleagues followed his teachings.

He continued his political life by criticizing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s policies in the 1960s. Khomeini early on had attacked the Shah’s White Revolution as an attempt to Westernize Iran and bring degradation to traditional Islamic life because of its land reforms and women’s suffrage. Khomeini delivered a hotly-worded critique of the Shah. The Shah arrested him summarily. Khomeini began creating the groundwork for what later became known as the June Uprising. In 1964, the Shah exiled Khomeini first to Turkey and then to Iraq, from where he continued his opposition from the holy city of Najaf.

Throughout his exile, Khomeini’s influence in Iran continuously increased. Smugglers brought his speeches into the country; thus, his writings and speeches agitated masses of people against the Shah. Towards the end of the 1970s, big parts of society protested and went on strike against the Shah’s regime. A year later, on February 1, 1979, Khomeini triumphantly returned. It was the beginning of a new history in Iran.

Sitting at the summit of the Iranian Revolution, Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic of Iran, a kind of theocratic state ruled according to Islamic tenets. The most learned cleric, based on the principle he coined, “Velayat-e Faqih,” wields absolute authority in the new system. Khomeini became the supreme leader through the new Iranian constitution, consolidating power in the system of governance.

Personal Life

Khomeini married Khadijeh Saqafi in 1929 and had the following children: seven, surviving only five into adulthood, namely Mostafa, Ahmad, Zahra, Fatemeh, and Sadiqeh. His family played important roles in his and the revolution. One of his leading supporters and organizers was his son Mostafa until he died mysteriously in 1977, allegedly at the hands of the Shah’s regime.

Despite his political power, Khomeini maintained an extremely simple and austere way of life. He practiced frugality, performed the five daily prayers, and adhered to other Islamic rites. He marked his personal life with discipline and adherence to the principles he espoused in public.

Legacy and Impact of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

One of the deepest and most multifaceted legacies he has left behind, Ayatollah Khomeini was the architect of the Islamic Republic. He politically and socially altered the face of Iran. Under his leadership, Iran had turned from a secular monarchy into a theocratic republic governed by Islamic law. That nation would determine its cultural, economic, and foreign policy course based on this.

His influence extended beyond Iran to spark Islamic movements in the Middle East and beyond. He learned to appeal more powerfully for Muslim unity and resistance against Western influence before November 1979. Controversies and problems engulfed his reign. During the Iran-Iraq War between 1980 and 1988, chemical attack victims were treated enormously and destructively. Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, launched it and brought about immense loss of life and economic hardship. Domestic critics have also condemned Khomeini’s suppression of political dissent and human rights abuses.

Khomeini’s vision for an Islamic government acts as the prime mover of current Iranian policy and its relation to the world at large. The issues he put at the top of his agenda—self-reliance, resisting Western influence, and the interlocking of religion and politics—lie at the core of the Iranian state’s identity.

Conclusion

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini is arguably one of the most influential persons to have ever lived, not just in contemporary times. What he did during the Iranian Revolution and the later rise of the Islamic Republic changed the face of Iran and had a ripple effect on politics throughout the world. Even though opinions about his life’s work are divided between admirers, who specifically point out his commitment to upholding Islamic values, and critics who pronounce him as an autocrat, Khomeini undoubtedly made a lasting impact on Iran and the greater Islamic world. But that man’s life and legacy remain a point of research and debate today—an echoing instance of effects that ever spill over across history.

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