The blunders of Ayatullah Khomeni

                                             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 2^nd 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