In my view we have yet to explore and discover the great spiritual and
intellectual dimensions that lie in the political thought and
Ijtihad
of the late Imam Khomeini, may Allah's mercy be upon him. I would go so
far as to suggest that perhaps a whole new research institute should be
established dedicated to research and writing on the contribution of Imam
Khomeini. But over the years I have learned that it is futile to make any
suggestions to our Iranian brothers. Their standard answer is 'we are already
doing that' or 'we have already done it.' In all cases almost invariably
they have neither done it nor do they have any intention of doing it.
In the meantime we must press ahead with our task of spreading the message
of the Imam to the entire Ummah. The area in
which the Imam has made his greatest contribution is in our understanding
of the processes of history. The Imam himself was a product of certain
trends in history that began a long time ago. With the help of some Shi'i
scholars I was recently able to trace the origins of Imam Khomeini's thought
to Allama Hilli (Jamaluddin Abu Mansur Hasan ibn Yusuf, d 1325 CE). The
doors of ijtihad that were opened up by the
usuli ulama only 200 years ago enabled Imam
Khomeini to establish an Islamic State in 1979.
Imam Khomeini clearly realized that theology was getting in the way
of history. He set about to redress the balance between history and theology.
In Islamic literature of all schools of thought, history and theology had
got mixed. Muslims had developed the almost fatal habit of writing history
as theology. The two had to be separated, specially in the Shi'i school
of thought where the absence of the Twelfth Imam had been used as an excuse
for opting out of the historical process. In a sense all ijtihad
by the usuli ulama over 200 years was concerned
with defreezing history out of the freezer of theology. Imam Khomeini arrived
on the scene at a time when history was ready for a final assault on its
wayward ways.
Imam Khomeini took the bull of history and calmly led it out of the
paddock of theology. The Imam's last testament (wassiyah) is a masterpiece
of restatement of his own position within the Shi`i school of thought,
and a masterpiece of his statement on the arena of history which unites
all schools of thought in Islam. Imam Khomeini treated history as an impartial
factor in the progress of time. Theological purity was no guarantee to
historical progress. History is intolerant of all degrees of perversion
of the truth. Truth is also a historical reality, not only an abstract
spiritual statement. A failure to compare actual facts with the promised
and desired goals leads to erosion of morality and false claims to success
and supremacy. History is contemptuous of those who indulge in this type
of self-deception. A great deal of behaviour of the modern Islamic politicians
is of this kind. Bureaucracies do almost nothing but indulge in self justification
and self preservation. With the passage of time history develops a profile
of deviation and half-truths and converts them into hard facts.
Imam Khomeini understood these inalienable characteristics of history
on the widest possible canvas of time. But even in this short period since
the Islamic Revolution this pattern of historical development can be traced
and understood. The election of Bani Sadr to the presidency, the conduct
of the war, the role of the liberals, the bureaucratic logjam and inefficiency,
the episode of Ayatullah Montezari's nomination and denomination, the failures
of foreign policy...are all examples of history taking its revenge. Any
attempt to hide behind theology, or to rewrite theology to fit uncomfortable
facts, will be the shortest route to destroying the legacy of Imam Khomeini.
When in 1988 Imam Khomeini had to accept a ceasefire in the war with Iraq, he called it a 'cup of poison,' but he did not defend the decision in terms of theology. This was his unique taqwa. The courage to take responsibility for one's own actions is, or must be, part of taqwa. For me, Imam Khomeini has changed the whole concept of taqwa. It is taqwa that is the essential quality of leadership, State and politics. This must mean that competence is part of taqwa. An incompetent man can also be muttaqi, provided he knows the limits of his competence. But to attempt or insist on performing a role above one's competence is the opposite of taqwa; the person concerned may be a small official or a mujahid or even a marja'. On these issues Imam Khomeini was clear and made no compromises.
Imam Khomeini also realized that the processes of history must unite the Ummah. Anything that divides the Ummah or is an obstacle to unity could not be desirable in Islam. He found and defined the common ground on which the Ummah could stand, specially in the global struggle with the powers and agents of kufr. Many of his speeches and his annual messages to the pilgrims were designed to achieve this goal. He saw Hajj as the obvious arena for the exposure of nifaq in the Ummah. For him Hajj as worship ('ibadah) was not enough; Hajj was the ultimate expression of the power of Islam. This is why he made Hajj and the liberation of Al-Quds central to his thinking. These are issues on which the Islamic State cannot negotiate in the diplomatic arena. These are not subjects for diplomacy. Imam Khomeini restored jihad to the top of the agenda of the Ummah.
In short, Imam Khomeini was an ocean of new insights into Islam in its totality. Any attempt to limit him, and his relevance, to Iran, or one school of thought in Islam, would be a great injustice to him, to Islam and perhaps also to Iran.
This was written in 1990 by the late Dr. Kalim Siddiqui, founder and leader of Britain's The Muslim Parliament.
Ummah: The world community of Muslims.
Usuli: One who follow the usuli school of thought among Shi`i Muslims.
Ulama: Scholars of Islam
Taqwa: Faith in God, commitment
Muttaqi: one committed to the path of God
Mujahid: one who takes part in Jihad (see Jihad)
Marja': a 'Grand Ayatullah' who is considered worthy of emulation
Kufr: Rejection of belief in God
Nifaq: hypocrisy, disimmulation or dissemblance
Jihad: any kind of struggle to promote or defend Islam or Muslims