The
Blunders of Ayatullah Khomeni
Ayatullah
Khomeni was a scholar of great repute with many genuine works to his credit.He
was a religious scholar as well as a hard core politician.Religion and
politics; religion and excorcism are
unsafe combinations because of a great deal of worldliness involved in
them.The better combinations are religion and science;religion and philosophy
and religion and ethics etc.
Khomeni,
being a religious politician wanted to bring all the Shia under one banner so
as to take revenge on his enemy number USA and enemy number two –Saddam
Hussain,the president of Iraq.Saddam Hussain was very ruthless towards the
Shias of Iraq.He assassinated the earstwhile leader Syed Baquir-us-Sadr along
with his sister Bint Huda.After the success of the revolution of Iran Baquir us
Sadr tried to bring a revolution in Iraq but failed miserably.Saddam got afraid
of the Shia in Iraq and was afraid of Iran general for its transport of
revolution policy.As Iran had just emerged from the revolution (1978), Saddam
Hussain took it as a ripe opportunity to teach Iran a lesson and establish his
superiority as a gulf leader.United Stated of America supported Iraq as they
were annoyed with Iran for removing the Shah who was staunch pro-American.Saudi
Arabia and surrounding gulf countries like Jordan,Libya and Egypt supported
Iraq because they were afraid of losing their monarchy.Thus, one fine morning,
Iraq penetrated Iran claiming the Abu-Musa island.To Saddam Hussain’s back luck
Ayatullah Khomeni,the good naughty boy,ordered self defence using the following
verses of the Holy Quran,
“أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا
وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ (22:39)
Othina lillatheena yuqataloona biannahum
thulimoo wainna Allaha AAala nasrihim laqadeerun
PERMISSION [to fight] is given to those
against whom war is being wrongfully waged [57] and, verily, God has indeed the
power to succour them.”Quran:22:39
As the decision was right and was guided by
Quran, Khomeni gained an upper hand and successfully pushed back Iraq and
entered Iraq in 1982.Saddam Hussain was jolted to the core as he was not
expectiong such a powerful pushback from a country which had recently emerged
from the onslaught of a bloody revolution uprooting the American backed
monarchy of the Shah of Iran.Iran gaining an upperhand in the war was a
nightmare for Saddam Hussain who immediately put forward a peace proposal.Ayatullah
Khomeni,being a great scholar of the Holy Quran ,could have easily accepted the
peace proposal respecting the following verses of the Holy Quran,
“Wain janahoo lilssalmi faijnah laha
watawakkal AAala Allahi innahu huwa alssameeAAu alAAaleemu
But if the enemy incline towards peace, you
(also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah, for He is One that hears and
knows (all things).”Quran 8:61
But Khomeni, to the contrary, rejected the
peace proposal and raised the slogan “ Fight till Fitna is no more,” using the
following versed of the Holy Quran,
“
وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لاَ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ
الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلّه فَإِنِ انتَهَوْاْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
(8:39)
Waqatiloohum hatta la takoona fitnatun
wayakoona alddeenu kulluhu lillahi faini intahaw fainna Allaha bima yaAAmaloona
baseerun
And fight them on until there is no more
tumult or oppression (Fitna), and there prevail justice and faith in Allah
altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that
they do.” Quran:8:39
The last part of the above verses is asking
to accept peace if it is proposed.But the Ayatullah was adamant on his
stand.Religious war (Jihad) , according
to the Shia school of thought and the shafaee school of thought . is
prohibited in the absence of a Prophet or an Imam (caliph) appointed by
God.Ayatullah Khomeni had no right to raise the slogan ‘Fight till Fitna is no
more’ because he was neither an Imam nor a Prophet appointed by God.In order to
order Jihad or a religious crusade Ayatullah Khomeni innovated a new concept
called Walayat-e-Faquih-complete authority of a religious clergy of highest
order over the mases,so that whenever a top clergy orders for a Jihad all
should obey his order without any question.Complete power destroys
completely.Walayat or complete authority is only for those who are given a post
by God through the Prophet, and such people are immune from mistakes and have
full knowledge of everything.
Imam Ali (KW); “How can Allah make obligatory
upon his servants obedience to someone who is veiled from the mysteries of the
heaven and the earth.” Bihar-Ul-Anwar-Vol-25-chapter-4:hadith e tariq-page-172
There are hundreds of traditions which talks
about pseudo scholars and scholars committing mistakes and blunders.The
following saying of Imam Ali (KW) from Nahjulbalagha is a clear proof,
“Often the ignorance( jahl) of a religious
scholar (aalim) ruins him while the knowledge he has does not avail him.
وَ قَالَ
عليه السلام: رُبَّ عَالِمٍ قَدْ قَتَلَهُ جَهْلُهُ وَ عِلْمُهُ مَعَهُ لَا يَنْفَعُهُ
.”
Nahjulbalagha:saying 107
The Holy Quran insults the clergy and
religious scholars in the following words,
“O
ye who believe! there are indeed many among the priests and religious guides,
who in Falsehood swallow the wealth of men and misguide (them) from the way of
Allah. And there are those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the
way of Allah. Announce unto them a most grievous penalty.”
Quran:9:34
The rejection of the peace
proposal by Iran was a disobedience to the Holy Quran and the introduction of
the concept of Walayat-e-Faquih was a disobedience to Imam Ali and the Holy
Quran.Hence, the outcome was obvious; Ayatullah Khomeni will fail in his desire
to remove Saddam Hussain from Iraq.The war continued till 1988-another six
years-after the peace proposal (1982) resulting in a total death toll of a
million people;the same number of people died during the 2nd world
war over a span of four years.Both the parties,Iran and Iraq, got
exhausted.Saddam Hussain put forth a peace proposal again and this time
Ayatullah Khomeni accepted the proposal with a heavy heart.The Ayatullah knew
that he had failed miserably and God did not support his revolution may be
because of his innovation of the concept of Walayat-e-Faquih.The unexpected
outcome of the war threw Khomeni into a deep depression.He was seen putting
forth questions like “ was our revolution wrong?”
“ Why had God not supported our
cause this time?”
Soon after the war(1988)
Ayatullah Khomeni developed an ulcer in his intestine which is usually caused
because of chronic depression , and died the very next year in 1989.The
Ayatullah taught us a very good lesson-scholars ,how so ever great they may be,
can commit blunders in the sphere of knowledge.Scholars are fallible-do not
blindly follow a scholar or a faquih.
Glossary
Surah -Al-Anfal
1.Wain janahoo lilssalmi faijnah laha
watawakkal AAala Allahi innahu huwa alssameeAAu alAAaleemu
But if the enemy incline towards peace, do
thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah, for He is One that hears
and knows (all things). - 8:61 (Y. Ali)
2. Surah-Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War) - 8:39
وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لاَ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ
الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلّه فَإِنِ انتَهَوْاْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
(8:39)
Waqatiloohum hatta la takoona fitnatun
wayakoona alddeenu kulluhu lillahi faini intahaw fainna Allaha bima yaAAmaloona
baseerun
And fight them on until there is no more
tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether
and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that they do. -
8:39 (Y. Ali)
3. Al-Hajj
أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا
وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ (22:39)
Othina lillatheena yuqataloona biannahum
thulimoo wainna Allaha AAala nasrihim laqadeerun
22:39. PERMISSION [to fight] is given to
those against whom war is being wrongfully waged [57] and, verily, God has
indeed the power to succour them - : -
4. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said:
Often the ignorance( jahl) of a learned man(alimo) ruins him while the
knowledge he has does not avail him.
وَ قَالَ
عليه السلام: رُبَّ عَالِمٍ قَدْ قَتَلَهُ جَهْلُهُ وَ عِلْمُهُ مَعَهُ لَا يَنْفَعُهُ
.
Nahjulbalagha:saying 107
