Imam Khomeini’s Ideals and Our Identity in the Contemporary Times | ||||
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Even though some people may argue that Imam Khomeini (RA) was similar to many other figures who emerged in this land or elsewhere in the world in the past or the contemporary history to lead a movement or revolution and ultimately passed away after playing his role, it needs to be noted that the late Imam Khomeini was not a mere political figure and was, by far, beyond being defined in this way. As per the first materialistic outlook, the late Imam’s role pertained to a particular period of time and, thus, there is no need to pursue his thoughts and teachings except for historical research purposes. On the other hand, according to the second view, the late Imam Khomeini has been such a history-making figure whose role and contribution were not limited to a specific time. In other words, besides having a historical role he was a history-making personality and played an unprecedented and influential role that went beyond the scope of space and time. The sayings of the Supreme Leader also indicate that the founder of the Islamic Revolution had played a great history-making role and is, therefore, still alive because his ideals and thoughts keep appealing to many people across the various parts of the globe. Also in our belief, Imam Khomeini has been of such caliber and the kind that traces of his ideas, directional movement and his guiding spirit are alive in our society. One of the necessities of the present age is to pay attention to the profound and discourse-making thoughts of the Imam (RA). This is because his ideals form the identity of our political system, behavior, and character. With the advent of Imam Khomeini and the emergence of the Revolution under his leadership, a new discourse was introduced to the Muslim world based on which the will of a nation was expressed and was a natural response to religious needs or demands of the current era. Imam Khomeini’s discourse of the Islamic Republic was based on two pillars: Islam and the Republic. These two have been the most significant elements and pillars of the Islamic revolution. The Imam’s movement was also composed of some other elements such as a mass public uprising, change, and transformation. If someone intends to explore the explicit words of Imam Khomeini, he can witness these two main elements of Islam and the republic are radiant and evident. Therefore, the establishment of a popular system has been based on the genuine teachings of the divine religion of Islam. This discourse of the revolution was also, in fact, a response to the historical need of the Iranian nation and its major slogans of “independence, freedom, and the Islamic Republic”. Therefore, independence and freedom are other key elements of this discourse. Naturally, any discourse could become alive and dynamic as long as it can be appealing and effective in addressing the needs of society. In other words, the existence of any discourse depends on its popular origin. The writer believes that the discourse of Imam Khomeini ideals arises from a historical and religious need of the Iranian society from ancient times to the present. Imam Khomeini’s ideals will keep attracting society for many years and generations to come, and we must focus on institutionalizing this discourse more than ever before, especially for the youth. It is the natural right of the young generation to get acquainted with Imam Khomeini’s personality as exactly as he was and to become familiar with his life, behavior, and character. Imam’s multifaceted and integrated personality should be observed in all perspectives as he had great command over a range of Islamic disciplines. He was not only a jurist but also a philosopher, a mystic, and a commentator of the Holy Qur’an. We do not have another personality identical to the late Imam Khomeini (RA) in contemporary history because his ideals remain revolutionary, transformational, and youth-friendly. We have a duty to act correctly while presenting a profound analysis of his discourse to avoid distortion of the Imam’s spiritual personality or his ideals, for that matter. At the same time, we should not portray Imam’s thoughts in a wrong manner, presenting some aspects of his personality smaller than the others. We should keep in mind that many intend to target the discourse of Imam’s ideals either by distorting them or mentioning them within a contradictory context. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution has already warned that some are desperately attempting to distort Imam’s ideals. Such people cannot make changes in Imam’s words, but use his sayings in certain contexts to misuse or make them devoid of reality and alienated from their true soul and spirit. By Dr. Ali Komsari: Acting Head of the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works | ||||
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