Gnostic and Spiritual Aspects of Imam Khomeini's Personality

Undoubtedly, the fundamental secret of the Imam's success and popularity was his complete attention towards Almighty Allah. When a human being believes that everything, including himself, has been created by Allah and that He is Lord of all the creatures, he negates any kind of independence and becomes a Servant of Him in its true sense. In this case, such a person would never, even for a second, give up or neglect his responsibility of servitude towards, and worship of, Allah. In other words, the spirit of worship is that a person must bear in mind the satisfaction of his Lord in all aspects of his life. Islamic gnosticism in its correct meaning has its roots in the moral education of the Tmams and the saints. Practically following such human beings who possess a lofty status and divine insight and knowledge, leads a human being to prosperity and salvation. Exa- mining the gnostic and spiritual aspects of the Imam's personality is impossible without bear- ing in mind this important point. Imam Khomeini (may his soul rest in peace), from his early youth and his first years at Arak Theological School and, later, Qum Theo- logical School, due to the fact that he had a good and suitable family and education ge- nuinely attempted to purify his soul and under- go an internal holy struggle. In his youth and throughout his studies he found the opportu- nity to study under one of the gnostic and prominent personalities, Ayatullah Shahabadi. The Imam respected this great personality and attached much importance to his lessons, for he was studying under a person who him- self had passed several stages of gnosticism and spirituality. When he was twenty-seven, Imam Khomeini compiled his first gnostic work entitled Sharhe Do'aye Sahar when he was thirty-five years old he wrote the commen- taries as Sharhe Phosous al-Hekam and Mes- bah al-Uns which is one of the famous gnostic works by Mohi ad-din Arabi and this work was considered to be very unusual for such a person at such a young age. ]mam Khomeini was able to carry out all these projects due to his purification of his soul as well as his atten- tion to Allah. It is certain that when a person attempts to lead an ummah, and become the origin of a basic change in the path of Islamic history after a period of over 1400 years, he needs the blessings of Allah, which can be acquired only through real faith in and reliance upon Him. Real belief in Allah will be brought about when a person seriously attempts to acquire it. Faith and pious deeds, when accompanied by knowledge, will become the basis of each human being's prosperity and salvation. Pro- ceeding in this path necessitates undergoing great sufferings and problems, and requires a great spiritual capacity, which can only be achieved by continuous building up of one's own self and his continuous reliance on Allah. Imam Khomeini brought about such con- ditions in himself. He was truly a human being who relied upon the One Lord and who be- lieved in the righteousness of the path he was following. Freedom-loving gnostics have no other aim but becoming nearer to their Crea- tor. The way to achieve this lofty goal is that the person should continuously think of Allah, and Imam Khomeini fulfilled these condi- tions. His uprising and Revolution, his lessons and his discussions, his poems and books, were all based on the axis of acquiring Allah's satisfaction. In consideration of the spiritual aspect of the Imam's personality, his simple way of living and his devoutedness possess a special status. His simple way of life astoni- shed those who visited his residence for the first time. It is said that he performed his night prayers (which is done before dawn) faithfully; prayers which are highly recom- mended in Islamic narrations and which were compulsory for the Prophet (s). Even when Imam Khomeini was returning from France to Iran, he recited his night prayer in the plane. In most of his meetings with various people and national and international figures, he always talked about purification of one's soul, piety and paying attention to Allah. It was as a result of this very relationship with Allah that he was able to confront the superpowers and to expose their falseness to the oppressed people of the world. Imam Khomeini's kindness and humility towards the masses, especially the oppressed masses of society, is a good example of how he followed the path of the great Prophet of Islam (s). His sincerity and devotion towards the combatants in tile path of Islam, can be mentioned as one of the manifestations of his gnosticism. On the occasion of one of the victories achieved by the combatants of Islam in the imposed Iraqi war he said: " I kiss your hands, which are supported by Allah and the divine angels, and am proud of this." The purity and softness of the late Imam's spirit was to the extent that when a memorial was held for the leader of the martyrs, Imam Hossein (a) and his sufferings in Karbala were recounted, he would shed sincere tears of sorrow. He had reached a high level of cer- tainty from the viewpoint of believing in Allah and metaphysics and gnosticism. He believed that all the world belongs to Allah, and bore in mind His fear and recalled Him. He was never frightened of any power except Allah. This was why he acquired such a high spirit that he ascended from the earth towards His Lord.

Imam Khomeini:
FUSION OF THE GNOSTIC AND THE POLITICAL IN IMAM'S PERSONALITY
Imam's Biography ... [ 1 ] ... [ 2 ]
Imam and Islamic Unity
Imam's Poems
Imam and al-Quds
Imam's Photo Gallery
al-Quds: The Focus of Muslims Grief
al-Wilayah Site
Islamic Scholars
Islamic Links
Index