Khomeini family

The Khomeini family is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a religious family associated principally with Ruhollah Khomeini, the cleric and revolutionary leader who led the 1979 Iranian Revolution and became the first supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He held that office from the establishment of the Islamic Republic until his death in 1989. The family is therefore historically important because of Ruhollah Khomeini's political and religious authority, rather than because it operates as a commercial brand, political party, or formal corporate organization. The family's origins are traced to Nishapur in present-day Razavi Khorasan, Iran. In the eighteenth century, an ancestor migrated to Kintoor in the Awadh region of the Indian subcontinent, then under the rule of a Shi'a Muslim dynasty with Persian connections. The family later returned to Iran and settled in Khomeyn, in Markazi province, during the early nineteenth century. Family tradition identifies the lineage as Musawi, claiming descent from Musa al-Kazim, the seventh Imam recognized in Twelver Shi'ism. Before the introduction of compulsory identity registration and surnames in Iran, members of the family were commonly associated with the designation Hindi, meaning from India. After the 1921 requirement that Iranians adopt surnames, different branches used names including Mostafavi, Pasandideh, and Hindi. The family line described in historical accounts runs through Ahmad Hindi, a religious scholar who left India in 1830, spent time in Najaf, and settled in Khomeyn in 1834. His son Mustafa Musawi became a prominent cleric and was killed in an ambush in 1903, shortly after the birth of his son Ruhollah. The killing was connected in contemporary accounts to Mustafa's opposition to powerful local landowners and led to a pursuit of legal retribution, including the execution of one alleged participant in Tehran in 1904 or 1905. Ruhollah Khomeini became the family's defining public figure. A cleric, political thinker, and revolutionary, he opposed the monarchy of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and became the principal leader of the movement that overthrew the monarchy in 1979. After the revolution, the new constitution created the office of supreme leader as the Islamic Republic's highest political and religious authority, and Khomeini occupied that position until 1989. His son Ahmad served as a close aide and intermediary, maintaining communications between Khomeini, state officials, and the public and holding several influential administrative roles. Another son, Mostafa, had died in 1977, before the revolution. Although Ruhollah Khomeini's authority made the family exceptionally prominent, accounts of the family emphasize that he discouraged relatives from entering politics during his lifetime. Other family members were consequently less politically active while he was alive. After his death, some descendants sought public roles, but the family did not retain the same direct institutional influence. Hassan Khomeini, a cleric and grandson of Ruhollah, became caretaker of the mausoleum where Ruhollah and Ahmad Khomeini are buried. He later pursued an electoral career, but the Guardian Council rejected his nomination for the Assembly of Experts election held in 2016. Hussein Khomeini has been described as a cleric with liberal and secularist views who has criticized Iran's theocratic system. Yasser Khomeini is a cleric and orator, while Ali Khomeini is another son of Ahmad Khomeini. The family was symbolically succeeded at the apex of Iran's clerical-political system by the Khamenei family after Ali Khamenei became supreme leader in 1989.

The Khomeini family is a Twelver Shi'a religious family whose historical prominence derives from Ruhollah Khomeini and the family's connection to the Iranian clerical tradition. Family accounts trace its ancestry to Nishapur in northeastern Iran, from where an ancestor moved to Kintoor in the Awadh region of the Indian subcontinent during the eighteenth century. The family later returned to Iran and settled in Khomeyn in Markazi province in the early nineteenth century. Its members identify themselves as Musawi, asserting descent from Musa al-Kazim, the seventh Imam in Twelver Shi'ism. The family's naming history reflects both migration and the modernization of Iranian administration. Before the government introduced identity booklets and compulsory surnames, the family did not consistently use a fixed surname. The designation Hindi, meaning Indian or from India, was associated with the family's period in the subcontinent and the return of its grandfather to Iran. After the 1921 requirement that Iranians adopt surnames, different members selected names such as Mostafavi, Pasandideh, and Hindi. Ahmad Hindi, born around 1800, was a religious scholar who left India in 1830. He first went to Najaf, an important center of Shi'a scholarship, and moved to Khomeyn in 1834. His son Mustafa Musawi, born in 1862, became a prominent cleric. Mustafa was fatally ambushed while traveling toward Arak in 1903, only months after the birth of his son Ruhollah. Historical accounts connect the attack to Mustafa's opposition to influential local landowners. His family pursued the case through the central government, and one alleged assailant was publicly executed in Tehran in 1904 or 1905. Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini, born in 1900, studied and taught Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy before becoming a leading opponent of the Pahlavi monarchy. His political opposition intensified over the course of the 1960s and culminated in his leadership of the revolutionary movement that overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979. Khomeini then became the founding supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an office established as the country's highest religious and political authority. He remained in power until his death in 1989. Other members of the family were comparatively less politically active during Ruhollah Khomeini's lifetime. He advised relatives not to enter politics, although his son Ahmad occupied a distinctive position as his close assistant and intermediary. Ahmad communicated with officials and the public and held important decision-making responsibilities before, during, and after the revolution. Ruhollah's other son, Mostafa Khomeini, was a cleric who died in 1977, before the revolution. After Ruhollah Khomeini's death, the family retained symbolic and religious importance but did not inherit the supreme leadership. Ali Khamenei became supreme leader in 1989, beginning the period in which the Khamenei family became more closely associated with the country's highest office. Among the next generation, Hussein Khomeini became known for criticism of Iran's theocratic government and for views described as liberal and secularist. Hassan Khomeini became caretaker of Ruhollah Khomeini's mausoleum in 1995 and later attempted to enter electoral politics. His nomination for the Assembly of Experts was rejected by the Guardian Council before the 2016 election. Yasser Khomeini has been identified as a cleric and orator, and Ali Khomeini as another son of Ahmad. The family's modern significance thus combines religious lineage, revolutionary history, mausoleum custodianship, and continuing debate over the political legacy of Ruhollah Khomeini.

• 2016

  Rejection of Hassan Khomeini's Assembly of Experts nomination

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  The Guardian Council rejected Hassan Khomeini's nomination for the Assembly of Experts election.

• 1995

  Hassan Khomeini becomes caretaker of the mausoleum

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Hassan Khomeini was appointed caretaker of the mausoleum containing the remains of Ruhollah and Ahmad Khomeini.

• 1989

  Death of Ruhollah Khomeini and succession by Ali Khamenei

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ruhollah Khomeini died, and Ali Khamenei was elected to succeed him as supreme leader.

• 1979

  Ruhollah Khomeini leads the Iranian Revolution

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ruhollah Khomeini led the revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and became supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.

• 1977

  Death of Mostafa Khomeini

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Mostafa Khomeini, Ruhollah Khomeini's elder son, died before the Iranian Revolution.

• 1903

  Death of Mustafa Musawi

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Mustafa Musawi, a prominent cleric and father of Ruhollah Khomeini, was killed in an ambush while traveling toward Arak.

• 1834

  Settlement in Khomeyn

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ahmad Hindi settled in Khomeyn in central Iran, establishing the family's later geographic association with the town.

• 1830

  Ahmad Hindi leaves India

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ahmad Hindi left India, reportedly to escape colonial rule, and traveled to Najaf before returning to Iran.

• 1800

  Birth of Ahmad Hindi

  [1]Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ahmad Hindi, later described as a religious scholar and an ancestor of Ruhollah Khomeini, was born.

A historically prominent Iranian religious family associated with the founding leadership of the Islamic Republic, clerical scholarship, revolutionary politics, and the public memory of Ruhollah Khomeini.

• 2016

  Hassan Khomeini seeks an Assembly of Experts candidacyOther

  Background

  Hassan Khomeini pursued a formal political role after serving as caretaker of the mausoleum associated with his grandfather and father.

  Action taken

  He submitted his candidacy for the Assembly of Experts, but the Guardian Council rejected his nomination.

  Aftermath

  The rejection prevented him from competing in the 2016 election and illustrated the limits placed on the family's post-1989 political participation.

  Source

1. 1Khomeini familyen.wikipedia.org