Ayatollah Khomeini: Biography, Revolution, and Legacy

Few figures in modern history have reshaped a nation as completely as Ayatollah Khomeini. Whether you’ve seen his face on news clips from the 1979 Iranian Revolution or heard his name in discussions about Iran’s theocracy, his influence still pulses through global politics.

Full name: Ruhollah Mostafavi Khomeini ·
Born: May 17, 1900 (Khomeyn, Iran) ·
Died: June 3, 1989 (Tehran, Iran) ·
Role: First Supreme Leader of Iran (1979-1989) ·
Title: Ayatollah, Marja’

Six key facts about Khomeini, one pattern: the man who fused religious authority with political power in a way the Shia world had never seen before.

What was Ayatollah Khomeini known for?

Leadership of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

• Khomeini led the revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and ended the Pahlavi dynasty (Wikipedia).
• Britannica describes him as the architect of the Iranian Revolution and the first leader of the Islamic republic established in 1979 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• The official Iranian state outlet khamenei.ir (official site) says Khomeini was a Muslim cleric and marja who led the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran

• Khomeini became the paramount political figure in the new Islamic Republic after the revolution (khamenei.ir (official site)).
• Britannica says Khomeini was Iran’s ultimate political and religious authority for the decade after 1979 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Establishment of Velayat-e Faqih

• Khomeini is widely credited with developing the theory of velayat-e faqih, translated as the guardianship of the jurisconsult (khamenei.ir (official site)).
• Britannica states that Khomeini articulated the concept of velāyat-e faqīh as a basis for Iran’s Islamic republic (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

The implication: Khomeini’s innovation was both radical and presented as tradition, a duality that continues to define the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy.

What does Ayatollah literally mean?

Etymology and linguistic roots

• Ayatollah means “sign of God” in Arabic (UPI).
• It is a high-ranking title in Twelver Shia Islam (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

How the title is earned in Shia Islam

• The title is granted to senior religious scholars who have demonstrated deep knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence (Wikipedia).
• UPI describes Khomeini as a marja or marja al-taqlid, also known as a Grand Ayatollah, in Twelver Shi’a Islam (UPI).

Difference between Ayatollah and Grand Ayatollah

• Grand Ayatollah (Marja’) is a higher rank that fewer than a dozen living clerics hold — a designation that gives the holder the authority to be emulated by followers (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

The pattern: Khomeini’s religious titles were not just honorifics but tools of political consolidation.

What has happened to Ayatollah Khomeini?

Death on June 3, 1989 in Tehran

• The khamenei.ir (official site) says Khomeini died on Saturday, June 3, 1989, at age 89, after eleven days in hospital following an operation to stop internal bleeding.
• Wikipedia’s death and funeral article says Khomeini died on 3 June 1989 at 22:20 IRST in Jamaran after spending eleven days at a private hospital near his residency (Wikipedia).
• Britannica says Khomeini died in Tehran on June 3, 1989 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Mass funeral and burial at Behesht-e Zahra

• Khomeini’s state funeral reportedly drew more than 10 million mourners, with some accounts describing it as one of the largest funerals in history (khamenei.ir (official site)).
• Wikipedia says the funeral was attended by up to 10 million people, around one fifth of Iran’s population at the time (Wikipedia).
• Wikipedia’s funeral article says Khomeini was buried at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in south Tehran (Wikipedia).

Succession by Ali Khamenei

• Ali Khamenei was chosen as the next Supreme Leader on June 4, 1989 (Wikipedia).

The implication: Khomeini’s death was not an end but a transition, and the scale of mourning reflected the revolution’s enduring grip on the population.

How many wives did Ayatollah Khomeini have?

Marriage to Khadijeh Saqafi in 1929

• Khomeini had one wife, Khadijeh Saqafi (Wikipedia).
• They married in 1929 when he was 27 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Family life and children

• The couple had seven children, five of whom survived infancy (Wikipedia).

The pattern: Khomeini’s personal life was austere, mirroring the discipline he demanded from the state.

Is an Ayatollah like a pope?

Hierarchical differences between Shia Islam and Catholicism

• Ayatollahs do not have a centralized hierarchy like the Vatican (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• Infallibility (Ismah) applies to Shia Imams, not Ayatollahs (UPI).

Role of the Supreme Leader versus the Pope

• The Pope is head of the Catholic Church; Ayatollahs are scholars without singular global authority (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• Khomeini’s role as Supreme Leader created a hybrid — a cleric with political power — that has no direct Catholic equivalent (Wikipedia).

The catch: Khomeini’s innovation was to fuse the two roles, creating a theocratic office that has no parallel in Catholicism.

Timeline

• 1900: Born in Khomeyn, Iran (Wikipedia)
• 1964: Exiled to Turkey, then Iraq, then France (Wikipedia)
• 1979: Returns to Iran; leads Islamic Revolution; becomes Supreme Leader (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 1980-1988: Iran-Iraq War
• June 3, 1989: Dies after heart failure; funeral attended by millions (khamenei.ir (official site))
• June 4, 1989: Ali Khamenei appointed as new Supreme Leader (Wikipedia)

The timeline shows a life of exile, return, and consolidation — a pattern that continues to shape Iran’s leadership.

Quotes

“We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry ‘There is no god but Allah’ resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle.”— Ruhollah Khomeini, speech on the role of Islamic government (Wikipedia)

“Imam Khomeini revived the spirit of religion in the world. His most important achievement was establishing the Islamic Republic, a system based on the people’s vote and religious values.”— Ali Khamenei, on Khomeini’s leadership and legacy (khamenei.ir (official site))

“Khomeini was a charismatic leader who combined religious authority with political power in a way unprecedented in modern Shia Islam.”— Encyclopaedia Britannica, historical assessment (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

These quotes capture the competing narratives: revolutionary zeal, official hagiography, and scholarly detachment.

Summary

Khomeini’s project — a state ruled by a cleric through divine mandate — was an experiment that reshaped Iran, the Middle East, and global perceptions of political Islam. His death in 1989 did not end the experiment; it passed it to Ali Khamenei, who has governed Iran for over thirty years. For anyone trying to understand modern Iran, the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy, or the evolution of Shia political thought, Khomeini is not a historical footnote — he is the starting point. For Iranians today, the choice is clear: embrace the theocratic legacy he built, or find a way to reform it from within.

Frequently asked questions