Leadership and Its Status in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Today, on the 28th anniversary of the election of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, following the departure from the mortal world of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him), we present you a special article on the status of leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Leadership has a special status in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is the system of government based on popular religious rule. The person to serve as the Leader of the country should be a top religious scholar, well versed in Islamic sciences, aware of political and social issues, courageous, and with a flawless moral record. The Late Imam Khomeini, as initiator of the dynamic concept of Velayat-e Faqih or Governance of the Supreme Jurisprudent, bequeathed to the nation and the world the rules of governance of the society by the most qualified person of his times, in the absence of the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (AS), the 12^th and Last Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), who is awaited as the Redeemer of Mankind for establishing the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice. Prior to Imam Khomeini, prominent ulema and figures had dwelt on the concept of ideal government, but none of them had the opportunity to practically implement this system. God had sent His Last and Greatest Prophet with the universal message of Islam to guide mankind towards moral and social perfection, by practically setting the precedents, and also establishing the ideal governing system based on social justice and the real aspirations of human beings. Following his migration from Mecca to Medina, the Prophet established the first Islamic state, which lasted for a decade. Before passing away, the Prophet by God’s commandment proclaimed his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb as vicegerent and successor. He also explicitly told the huge gathering of Muslims that they will not go astray after him, if they held fast to the Book of God, that is, the holy Qur’an, and to his progeny the Ahl al-Bayt, whose first and foremost figure is Imam Ali (AS), and who during his four-and-a-half political rule of the vast Islamic realm spreading from Central Asia to North Africa, gave the model of the ideally perfect state of social justice.

Thus, it is clear that the constitution of Muslim societies is the holy Qur’an and the Sunnah or practice and behaviour of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). After the martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS), the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet were persecuted and deprived of their rights of political leadership by charlatans who masqueraded as caliphs. The result was the chaos and misfortune that afflicted Muslims, the wounds of which are still evident on the body-politic of the Ummah, which has splintering it into sects. The Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, as the rightful successors of the Prophet and possessors of the dynamic shari’ah of Islam, continued their guiding role in society, despite persecution, imprisonment and martyrdom. Before the occultation of the 12^th and Last of them, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), his father, Imam Hasan Askari (AS), explicitly said that in the absence of the Infallible Imam, those of the ulema, who are qualified, are fully aware of the situation, have excellent moral characteristics, and are courageous, should be in charge of affairs, until the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (AS). Thus, in view of these facts, unlike the highly flawed manmade systems such as socialism, communism, libertarianism, democracy, and the like, it is the Islamic system of government that is fully capable of guiding human societies towards real progress and perfection. On such a firm foundation, Imam Khomeini gave to Iran and the world the concept of Velayat-e Faqih or Governance of the Supreme Jurisprudent, after throwing into the dustbin of history the tyrannical monarchial system.  

In the first decade of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini played the role of helmsman of a ship, ably guiding Iran towards security and consolidation by weathering the plots of the anti-revolutionaries and the Americans, as well as the 8-year war imposed by Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime of Baghdad. Each of these political crises, economic sanctions and military offensives failed to undermine the Islamic revolution, because of the prudence and political acumen of Imam Khomeini, who stabilized the Islamic Republic system. The unique role of Imam Khomeini made enemies of Islamic Revolution think that after him, the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic will come to its end. They were proved wrong. Imam Khomeini’s foresight had established such a strong and stable system, that it was important for any event to derail it. The constitution of the Islamic Republic which is based on the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, and the guidelines of the Infallible Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, set in motion such a perfect mechanism that the next Vali-e Faqih or Supreme Jurist, as the Leader of the country, is determined through the vote of the the Assembly of Experts, which is a highly qualified body of ulema, elected through public ballots. This ensured that there will never be any leadership vacuum in the Iranian society. The Assembly of Experts within less than 24 hours after the passing away of Imam Khomeini, took a historic decision by electing Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the then president of the Islamic Republic as the Vali-e Faqih and Leader of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution. He was not voted to the post of Vali-e Faqih because he was the president, but because he was a fully qualified jurisprudent, aware of political and social issues, flawless of moral characteristics, frank, forthright, and courageous in the face of enemies and their plots.

Ayatollah Khamenei proved a worthy successor to Imam Khomeini, as is evident by his role in guiding the country on the path of progress and protecting it from the plots of both the internal and external enemies. For the past 28 years, much to the chagrin of the Great Satan, the US, and the client regimes in the region, as well as the anti-revolutionaries who want to sell out the country to the superpowers, he has shown profound wisdom and prudence in defeating all sorts of plots. The various elections in the country, as envisaged by the constitution, such as presidential, parliamentary, assembly of experts, and town and urban councils, have continued to be held under his supervision, will full freedom for the people, based on Islamic teachings. In the recent, presidential elections, over 73% of eligible votes participated. This is proof of the dynamism of the Islamic Republic system and the astuteness of the Leadership. In the current turmoil in the region, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands as the land of stability and the people of various walks of life, are living in security, thanks to the insight of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. He has ensured that the unique system of government based on popular religious rule is exemplary and is serving as a model for people of the neighbouring countries aspiring to determine their own destiny by breaking free of the shackles of dictatorship and the deceit of western liberal democracy, as advocated by their enemies, especially the US.

AS/MG