A Boy From India Shaped Iran’s History…
There is a serious risk of an all-out war between Iran and Israel as the bilateral ties touched a new low when the Persian Gulf nation launched a salvo of about 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli defence targets on October 1, 2024 in retaliation for the death of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 27 (2024). However, the two West Asian nations used to share a cordial relationship in the past. Decades ago, the Jews considered Iran, the only country in the world where Shia Islam forms the foundation of both its Laws and Governance System, as their friend! Iran was highly influenced by the Western culture at that time as the Iranian girls, in bikinis, were seen roaming at beaches! Bars, pubs and nightclubs used to remain open till late night! It may be noted that Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (October 26, 1919 – July 27, 1980), the last Monarch of Iran who is commonly referred to the Western world as Mohammad Reza Shah or simply the Shah, was a big supporter of Western culture!
However, the scenario changed abruptly after the 1978-79 Islamic Revolution that triggered the fall of the Monarchy on February 11, 1979. Iran became a radical Shiite nation, overnight. Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (May 17, 1900/September 24, 1902 – June 3, 1989), an Iranian Islamic revolutionary, politician and religious leader who served as the first Supreme Leader of Iran (or Ayatollah) from 1979 until his death, was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Islamic Revolution. He had an emotional connection with India!
Syed Ahmad Musavi Hindi, the grandfather of Ruhollah Khomeini, was born in Kintoor near Barabanki in the northern Indian Province of Uttar Pradesh in the year 1800, although his ancestors had arrived in India from Khorasan. He migrated from Barabanki to Iran in 1830 in search of a better life. According to historians, Syed Ahmad Musavi had arrived in Iran along with all the spirituality of Shia Islam! BBC journalist Baqer Moin, once, mentioned that Ruhollah Musavi’s grandfather had used Hindi as a surname to show his association with India. Syed Ahmad’s father Din Ali Shah had come to India from central Iran in the 18th Century when the British East India Company began to gradually take political control of the South Asian country.
Syed Ahmad, who used to believe in the revival of Islam, reportedly emerged as a Shia cleric at the age of 30. He had left India mainly to visit the Sanctuary of Imām ‘Alī or the Mosque of ‘Alī, located in Najaf, Iraq. It is basically a mausoleum that the followers of Shia and Sunni sects of Islam believe contains the tomb of Alī ibn Abī Tālib, a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In other words, Syed Ahmad originally migrated to West Asia as an Islamic pilgrim and settled in Iran (then Persia) after visiting various places of Iraq. He reached Iran four years after leaving India, purchased a house in Khomeyn (what is now Iran’s Markazi Province) and started living there with his three wives and five children. Ruhollah Khomeini was born in Khomeyn in 1902. Incidentally, his father Mustafa Musawi (1862-1903) was murdered in 1903 when Khomeini was a toddler.
Although Syed Ahmad passed away before the birth of his grandson Ruhollah Khomeini, he influenced his family members with Shia spirituality. Khomeini, too, was highly influenced by the thoughts of his grandfather. Hamid Algar (born 1940), the British-American Professor Emeritus of Persian Studies at the Faculty of Near Eastern Studies, University of California and the biographer of Ruhollah Khomeini, mentioned that the Supreme Leader penned a number of ghazals (a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry) and verses! Interestingly, Ruhollah Khomeini used Hindi, the surname used by his grandfather, in his literary works! However, Professor Algar did not mention whether the Supreme Leader did so because of his love for India.
Read: How a boy from India changed course of Iran’s history
The murder of his father had a profound effect on Ruhollah Khomeini as he became increasingly drawn to Shia Islamic spirituality and orthodoxy. Khomeini became a Shia cleric at a young age and started influencing Iranian Politics! At that time, the Shah’s Iran was trying hard to make economic progress by following the path shown by the Western modernity. Although the urban population of the Persian Gulf nation welcomed the Monarch’s decision, the rural population strongly opposed it. Ruhollah Khomeini took this opportunity to form public opinion against the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The Pahlavi Dynasty, the last Royal Dynasty of Iran, ruled the West Asian country for a little over 53 years between 1925 and 1979. A large section of Iranians used to consider Mohammad Reza, the last Monarch of Iran, as a puppet of the US. His secular policies were of great concern to them. The Cold War broke out between the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union shortly after the end of the Second World War in 1945. During the Cold War, Washington DC backed the Shah’s policies in an attempt to increase its influence in West Asia. However, the Iranian religious clerics, including Khomeini, viewed the US’ gesture with suspicion. Hence, Iranian Politics went through many upheavals in the 1960s and 1970s. The students, religious communities and Islamic clerics were seen staging protests against the Shah’s rule during this period. Interestingly, Khomeini emerged as the harshest critic of the Monarchy in the 1970s.
As expected, the Shah Administration detained Khomeini and put him behind bars! However, Khomeini continued to receive support from the Iranians living in foreign countries. Finally, he came to power after the Islamic Revolution dethroned the Shah. After his demise, Ruhollah Khomeini was succeeded by Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei as Ayatollah. Experts believe that Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei has fuelled radicalisation in Iran.
Iran still remembers the India connection of Ruhollah Khomeini. On October 5, 2024, Iraj Elahi, the Iranian Ambassador to India, expressed hope that the South Asian nation would play a constructive role and convince Israel to stop genocide in Gaza. He stressed: “We believe that India can play a constructive role, despite having good relations with Israel. So, it can convince Israel to stop genocide in Gaza and to stop escalation in the region.“
It may be noted that Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (born Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad; November 11, 1888 – February 22, 1958), an Indian Independence activist, author and the first Minister of Education of India, was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mecca was a part of the Ottoman Empire when he was born. Azad’s forefathers had arrived in India from Herat, Afghanistan. His father was a Muslim scholar who used to live in the Indian capital of New Delhi with his maternal grandfather. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he left India and settled in Mecca. Azad’s grandfather Muhammad Khairuddin bin Ahmed Al Hussaini had penned 12 books, while his grandmother Sheikha Alia bint Mohammad was the daughter of Sheikh Mohammad bin Zaher Al-Watri, a reputed scholar from Medina who had a reputation that extended even outside of the Arab World. However, Azad settled in Kolkata (then Calcutta) with his family in 1890.
Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook
Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter
Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin
Contact: kousdas@gmail.com
ISMC
Boundless Ocean Of Politics 