Sayyid Ali Husayni Khamenei: Difference between revisions

Ayatollah Khamenei is knowledgeable in literature and has also composed some poems and his pen name is "Amin". Contemporary history is another field of his studies and interest areas. <ref>Tadawum-i aftab, p. 21</ref>

Sayyid 'Ali was born on April 19, 1939 to a religious family in Mashhad. His father, Sayyid Javad Khamenei (d. 1986) was among mujtahids and scholars of his time. He was born in Najaf and moved to Tabriz and later in 1918 moved again to Mashhad. After a while, he went back to Najaf and after completing his studies with great scholars such as Mirza Muhammad Husayn Na'ini, Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Isfahani and Aqa Diya' 'Iraqi and receiving his permission of ijtihad, <ref>Sharif Razi, Ganjina-yi danishmandan, vol. 7. p. 127 </ref> returned to Iran and settled in Mashhad to the end of his life. He was the prayer leader of Seddiqiha mosque in Bazaar of Mashahd (Azerbaijaniha Mosque) while he taught different seminary topics. <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, p. 15</ref> He was also among prayer leaders of the Grand Goharshad Mosque. <ref>Zangana, Mashahir-i madfun dar haram-i radawi, vol. 1, p. 77 </ref>

The grandfather of Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Sayyid Husayn Khamenei (about 1843–1907) was among pro-constitution scholars and student of scholars such as Sayyid Husayn Kuhkamara'i, al-Fadil al-Irawani, Fadil Sharabyani, Mirza Baqir Shakki and Mirza Muhammad Hasan Shirazi. <ref>Aqa Buzurg Tihrani, al-Dhari'a, vol. 2, p. 640 </ref> After his return from Najaf to Tabriz, he became a teacher at Talibiyya School and the prayer leader of the grand mosque of Tabriz. <ref>Gulshan-i abrar, vol. 2, p. 971 </ref>

Shaykh Muhammad Khiyabani, the combatant cleric of Mashruta era was a student and the son-in-law of Sayyid Husayn Khamenei. <ref>Kasrawi, Qiyam-i shaykh Muhammad Khiyabani, p. 92 </ref>

Sayyid Muhammad Khamenei (1876–1934) known as "Payghambar" <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, vol. 12 </ref> was the uncle of Sayyid 'Ali Khamenei and a student of al-Akhund al-Khurasani and Shaykh al-Shari'a Isfahani and among pro-constitution scholars. <ref>Aqa Buzurg Tihrani, al-Dhari'a, vol. 6, p. 13 </ref>

Ayatollah Sayyid Hashim Najafabadi (known as Mirdamadi) (1886–1961), the grandfather of Sayyid Ali Khamenei's mother was among students of al-Akhund al-Khurasani and Mirza Muhammd Husayn Na'ini. He was among the Qur'an scholars and exegetes and one of the prayer leaders of Goharshad mosque. <ref>Aqa Buzurg Tihrani, al-Dhari'a, vol. 2, p. 559 </ref> He also made great efforts in enjoining to the good and forbidding evil and was exiled to Semnan following his criticism of killing people in Goharshad mosque at the time of Reza Shah. <ref>Mirza 'Abd al-Rahman, Tarikh-i 'ulama-yi Khurasan, p. 308; Qasimpur, Daha-yi sarniwishtsaz, p. 60 </ref> Sayyid Ali Khamenei's lineage from the side of his mother reached Muhammad al-Dibaj, son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a). <ref>Zangana, Mashahir-i madfun dar haram-i radawi, vol. 1, p. 458 </ref>

Sayyid Ali began studying in Maktabkhana by learning the Glorious Qur'an since he was 4 years old. <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, p. 49 </ref> At the same time, he began learning recitation and tajwid of the Qur'an under some reciters of Mashhad. He began primary hawza studies when he was at last years of the primary school. After he finished primary school, he continued his religious studies in Sulayman Khan School. He studied a part of "muqaddamat" (primary courses of Hawza studies) and intermediate level with his father. He finished the intermediate level in Nawwab School. He continued his studies up to the second year of high school at the same time with his studies at Hawza. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 1226 </ref>

In 1964, he attended advanced lessons (the highest-level courses of Hawza) of Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani. In 1966, he had a short trip to Najaf with his family and participated in the lessons of famous teachers of there; however, due to his father's disinclination for staying in that city, returned to Mashhad <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 1226 </ref> and attended for one more year in the class of Ayatollah Milani and in 1967, he went to the Hawza of Qom. <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, p. 78 </ref>

• Allama Tabataba'i <ref>Jomhuri-yi Islami Newspaper, January 19, 1980 </ref>

Ayatollah Khamene'i began research and writing since he was a seminary student as he wrote his teachers' class scripts. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 1228 </ref> His thoughts have been compiled in a comprehensive work under the title of Hadith-i Wilayat. Different books have also been compiled and published containing his talks and written messages. Moreover, some other works of him and some translations have been published.  

The turning point for Sayyid 'Ali which led to beginning of his political activities and fighting Pahlavi regime was meeting with Sayyid Mujtaba Navvab Safavi (Mirluwhi) in Mashhad. In February 1963 <ref>Jalali, Mashhad dar bamdad-i nihdat-i Islami, p. 148 </ref> and also in 1964, he was the messenger between Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Milani. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 1229-1231 </ref>

In a trip to Birjand, he made a speech against the regime and thus was arrested on June 2, 1963 <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, pp. 129-134 </ref> and was prisoned in Mashhad. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 614; 1231-1232 </ref> After he was released, Ayatollah Muhammad Hadi Milani visited him. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no.1233 </ref> He was among the clerics who sent a telegram to Sayyid Mahmud Taliqani, Mahdi Bazargan, and Yadullah Sahabi, who were imprisoned after their support for Imam Khomeini, on January 1, 1964. <ref>Yaran-i Imam bi riwayat-i asnad-i Savak, vol. 1, p. 468 </ref>

At the same time, having him as their leader, some clerics from Khorasan wrote a letter to Hasan Ali Mansur, the prime minister of the time, and published it, in which they objected to the continuation of Imam Khomeini's arrest. Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Abu l-Qasim Khaz'ali, and Muhammad 'Aba'i Khurasani were among those clerics. <ref>Imam Khomeini dar a'ina-yi asnad, vol. 4, p. 392 </ref>

In February 1964, Sayyid 'Ali Khamenei went to Zahedan for preaching and explaining the theories behind the Islamic Movement. <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, pp. 162-166 </ref> His speeches in the mosques of Zahedan led to his arrest and moving him to the prison of Qizil Qal'a. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 1234 </ref> He was released from the prison on March 4, 1964. <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, p. 187 </ref> And later, he returned to Qom from Mashhad in the Fall of 1964. <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, p. 192-195 </ref>

He was with 10 other people including 'Abd al-Rahim Rabbani Shirazi, Muhammad Husayni Bihishti, 'Ali Fayd Mishkini, Ahmad Adhari Qumi, 'Ali Quddusi, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Sayyid Muhammad Khamenei and Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi to make a group of 11 formed to fight the Pahlavi regime by strengthening and reforming the Hawza of Qom. <ref>Hashimi, Duwran-i mubarizi, vol. 2, p. 1566 </ref>

He was also the leader of congregational prayer at Amir al-Mu'minin Mosque in Tehran. Following the arrest of Ayatollah Sayyid Hasan Qumi in March 1967 which happened after his anti-regime speech in Goharshad Mosque, Sayyid 'Ali Khamenei asked Ayatollah Milani to object to his arrest. <ref>Yaran-i Imam bi riwayat-i asnad-i Savak, vol. 3, pp. 5-7 </ref>

On April 3, 1967 he was arrested in the funeral of Ayatollah Shaykh Mujtaba Qazwini <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 614 </ref> and was released on July 17. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 574 </ref> He went to visit political prisoners in Tehran later. <ref>Bazargan, Yaddashtha-yi ruzana, pp. 422-423 </ref>

After the destructive earthquake of the south of Khorasan on August 31, 1968, some clergies led by him went to Ferdos in order to help and organize people's aids to earthquake-stricken people. While he was there, he continued his political activities in meetings, lectures, and religious gatherings. Such activities made his stay in Ferdos cut short. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 614 </ref>

Even though he was prosecuted, he was in contact with some combatant clerics in Mashhad and Tehran such as Sayyid Mahmud Taliqani, Sayyid Muhammad Rida Sa'idi, Muhammad Jawad Bahunar, Muhammad Rida Mahdawi Kani, Murtada Mutahhari, Akbar Hashimi Rafsanjani, and Fadl Allah Mahallati and even though he was in Mashhad, he came to Tehran and participated in some of the gatherings of scholars and combatant clergies. <ref>Yaran-i Imam bi riwayat-i asnad-i Savak, vol. 1, p. 248; vol. 2, p. 497; vol. 38, p. 14; vol. 44, p. 521; vol. 15, p. 355 </ref>

In August 1969, he was invited to make some speeches in some politically active Islamic centers of Tehran including Husayniyya-yi Irshad and Masjid al-Jawad in order to promote the movement. <ref>Bihbudi, Sharh-i ism, pp. 331-332; 470-471 </ref>

After Ayatollah al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim passed away in May 1970, Sayyid 'Ali Khamenei made a greater effort to reinforce the religious authority of Imam Khomeini as the most knowledgeable religious authority. On September 24, 1970, he was arrested and was held in army prison of Khorasan. In August 1971, he was summoned to SAVAK of Mashhad and sent to the army prison of Khorasan again so that he would not have any activities against the 2500 year celebration of Persian Empire. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 123; no. 614 </ref> These celebrations were banned by Imam Khomeini. <ref>Sahifa-yi Imam, 358, 372, 373 </ref> After he was released, he was arrested two more times in the same year and in the second time, he was sentenced to 3 months prison with the charge of acting against the national security. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 614 </ref>

In December 1973, he moved the place of his congregational prayer and tafsir class to Karamat Mosque. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 614 </ref> After a while, security organizations stopped holding congregational prayer in that mosque. <ref>Yaran-i Imam bi riwayat-i asnad-i Savak, vol. 31, p. 455; Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 573 </ref>

In November 1974, he began making speeches in Jawid Mosque of Tehran. He was again arrested in January 1975, but this time he was moved to the prison of the Joint Committee of Anti-Sabotage in Tehran. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 527, 574, 614 </ref> In this prison, he had no opportunity of having any visit and the place and situation of his prison was not informed to his family. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 575 </ref>

He was released on August 24, 1975, but he was still under surveillance of security agents and he was banned from leading congregational prayer, making speeches, teaching and holding tafsir courses even in his own house; <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no.304, 389, 575 </ref> however, he continued his tafsir and other activities in private. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 572, 576 </ref>

After Ali Shari'ati passed away on June 19, 1977, Sayyid Ali Khamenei attended in his funeral. After Sayyid Mustafa Khomeini passed away, Sayyid 'Ali Khamenei and some other combatants held a memorial ceremony for him in Mulla Hashim Mosque on October 28. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 389, 572 </ref>

He then was sentenced by the Social Security Commission of Khorasan to exile to Iranshahr for 3 years. <ref>Archive of the Center of Documents of Islamic Revolution, no. 576 </ref> So, agents rushed to his house on December 14, 1977 and arrested and moved him to Iranshahr.  

After Imam Khomeini immigrated to France, he ordered the formation of The Council of the Islamic Revolution in late October 1978 and its members were being gradually chosen by him. <ref>Sahifa-yi Imam, vol. 5, p. 426-428 </ref> The first members of the council were Mortaza Motahhari, Sayyid Mohammad Beheshti, Sayyid 'Abd al-Karim Musawi Ardabili, Muhammad Rida Mahdawi Kani, Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Muhammad Jawad Bahunar, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.  

Sayyid 'Ali Khamenei attended in the sessions of the council in late January 1979. <ref>Pa bi pa-yi aftab, vol. 2, p. 192 </ref> At that time, the council made very important decisions about fighting with the regime including negotiation with the officials of Pahlavi government and foreign countries, forming the committee of welcoming Imam Khomeini[51] and introducing Mahdi Bazargan to Imam Khomeini as the president of the temporary government.[52]