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Sheikh Abdullah Makwinja Correspondent
This year marks the 29th anniversary of the demise of Imam Ruhullah Khomeini, the man who led one of the greatest revolutions of the 20th Century, a revolution which survived 40 years of punitive measures and permanently changed the political landscape of the Muslim world and redefined relations between the West and the Middle East in a way that no other event did in recent history.

June 4 marks that sorrowful day in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran on which the Father of the Islamic Revolution left the mortal world for his heavenly abode, leaving a grateful nation in grief.

As a matter of fact, conscientious people and the seekers of truth and freedom all over the world were aggrieved on hearing of the news of the passing on of Imam Khomeini (may God bless his soul).

The reformer, who shaped the most popular anti-oppression uprising of the century and revived Islam on the social and political scenes, continues to rule the hearts of the faithful.

Without being educated in the West, the Imam understood the West’s political and economic systems far better than most Western educated Muslims ever did.

It was his total reliance on God that enabled him to surmount immense challenges in the struggle to establish the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He was a leader who on the basis of religious teachings succeeded, in not just overthrowing a despotic regime, but also in reviving in society the genuine teachings of Islam in order to prevent deviation and innovation from creeping in.

It was he who brought the Islamic revolution to victory and showed the practicability of Islamic laws in society by enshrining them in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Freedom was one of the main mottos of the Islamic revolution and one of the concepts which Imam Khomeini defended fundamentally.

He termed freedom not as a motto and political tool, but as a basic human right. He maintained that it is man’s basic right to be free and it is immaterial whether the freedom has anything to do with others i.e. civic and social freedom or individual freedom which includes freedom of belief, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, freedom of parties and freedom of press.

Justice is one of the key concepts underscored by the late Imam Khomeini. It is considered to be the most pivotal social political orientation of the political system from his perspective.

In his theoretical and practical stance, Imam Khomeini considered the establishment of equity and justice in society as one of the most important objectives of the political system. Indeed, one of the characteristics of Imam Khomeini’s political stance is that he maintained that government is not, but a tool for actualisation and materialisation of justice and spirituality in society because if justice is established in the society, man is enabled to move towards growth and prosperity.

Imam Khomeini is one of the most influential thinkers of the present era in the contemporary history of the world.
He considers culture as the basis and pillar for political and economic issues. He was of the opinion that if cultural problems are addressed and man is educated properly, all other problems will be solved.

Unity among various strata of people is another constituent of Imam Khomeini’s thought in the world of politics.
He considered unity to be the secret behind the victory of the Islamic revolution. He believed that unity was one of the blessings of the Islamic revolution which led to dignity of the oppressed people. One of Imam’s remarkable attributes was that he reached out to the scholars of all schools of Islamic thought — Sunni and Shi’a —and Christianity and encouraged them to struggle for truth and justice. He was a symbol of unity and fight against injustice and its ramification in the entire world.

Sheikh Abdullah Makwinja is the National Director, Ahl-ul-Bayt Islamic Guidance Council of Zimbabwe.