The Roots of Formation of Ayatollah Khomeini’S Political Thought

Abstract

Sudden emerge of Ayatollah Khomeini as a prominent jurist in Iran and Muslim world political sphere and presenting Islamic Government theory considered by both Muslim and western scholars and analysts as a surprise. The Islamic Government theory which have been recognized as a turning point in Shi’a juridical and political thought, never deliberated and emphasized as much as this by any other Shi’a jurists before him. By focus upon and examining the personal experiences and interests, social and political affairs and his intellectual pursuits and the thoughts that affected his theorizing researcher aim to provide a more propound understanding of preconditions and roots of formation of his approach as well as its underlying structure. The study reveals that formation and development of his thought in the course of time in general and after publishing of his first political book, “Kashf al Asrar”, where he shows loyalty to theory of “Constitutional government with designation and permission of jurists” to “Islamic Government” book which he announced his major shift from old theory to theory of “Governance of the jurists” in particular was result of a series of social, political events and intellectual factors in Iran’s contemporary history that affected directly or indirectly his thought and contributed to formation, development and formulation of his thought. Key words: Ayatollah Khomeini; Shi’a jurists; Islamic government; governance of the jurists; Iran, roots of approach