Al-Khomeini, Al-Mussavi Ruhollah
(b. Khomein, Persia, 25 Sept. 1902; d. 3 Jun. 1989) Iranian; Leader-Guardian 1979–89 Khomeini was born a
Sayeed
(descendant of Prophet Mohammed), the son and grandson of mullahs. Educated at Qom's theological seminary, he became a distinguished religious scholar and
mujtahid
(authority on divine law), later teaching there. His first major work, published in 1941, was a factor in the murder of the anticlerical author, Kashravi, by an Islamist terrorist in 1945. Hojjatoleslam Khomeini led a delegation of mullahs to the Shah (
Pahlavi
) to ask for the terrorist's pardon. During the 1950s, Khomenei rose to the rank of Ayatollah. He had a large ...