Biography of H. E. Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei
The Leader of The Islamic Republic of IRAN
Childhood and Education
Sayyed Ali Khamenei was born in Mashad, the holiest city, in the
north-eastern province of Khorasan, in 1939. Both his parents belonged to clergy's
families and spent the year 1964, he achieved the highest degrees in his theological
studies at the Theological Academy of Qum but continued his studies at the Theological
Academy at Mashad up to the age of twenty-nine.
Political Activities before Victory of The Islamic Revolution
During the rule of the deposed shah, Ay. Khamenei was a favourite pupil
of Imam Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, he was also considered to be one
of the most eminent and dependable leaders of the movement of the Iranian Muslims, this
movement entered a new phase in 1962 after Imam Khomini`s pronouncements against the Shah
regime.
Responsibilities After the Victory
In the course of these struggles, Ay. Khamenei was arrested many times
and spent three years in prison between 1964 and 1978. He was also exiled to a place with
worst climate condition for almost a year.
In 1978, upon return from exile and the height of the revolutionary of
the Iranian Muslims, he, together with a few close associates led the struggle of the
people in Khorasan.
Later, in the same year when Leader of the Revolution was temporarily in
Paris, he was selected as a member of the government of the Islamic Republic of IRAN. He
was entrusted with the responsibility of representing the Revolutionary Council in the
Army as well as Deputy for Revolutionary Affairs at the National Ministry of Defence and
some time later. He was appointed to the post of the Revolutionary guards.
At about this time, Imam Khomeini chose him to lead the Friday
congregational Prayers in Tehran and in 1980 he was elected to Islamic Consultative
Assembly by the people of Tehran. After the formation of the Supreme Council of Defence,
Ay. Khamenei joined it as the representative of Imam Khomeini.
Ay. Khamenei was one of the founding members of the Islamic Republic
Party in IRAN and held the post of the Secretary-General of the Party.
Ay. Khamenei was the victim of an assassination attempt on 27th June
1981. having delivered an important speech at the consultative assembly, which ended in
the dismissal of Bani-Sader from the Presidency of IRAN, he was addressing the faithful at
poor residential area in Tehran, after leading the congregational prayer, when a time-bomb
exploded nearby which injured him in the hand, chest and face. He was immediately
transferred to a hospital by the deboted people of Tehran and he miraculously survived;
his right hand, however, is not still functioning properly.
Presidency
In the 1981, following the martyrdom of the second President of the
Islamic republic of Iran, he becomes a candidate and, in September of the same year, he
was elected the Third President of the Islamic Republic of Iran with %95 of the votes cast
in his favour by the Iranian people (the total number of votes was 16,847,717). He was
reelected as president in 1985 for a second four-year term.
Ay. Khamenei heads the Supreme Council of Defence and the Supreme
Council of the Cultural Revolution.
Since the beginning of the imposed war, he has often visited various war
fronts and has often inspected the frontline in order to help remove any shortcoming or to
advise on organizational matters.
Leadership
In 4th June 1989, One day after demise of Imam Khomeimi, Assembly of
Experts closed Ayatollah Khamenei to lead the Islamic Revolution of IRAN.Since 1994,
Ayatollah Khamenei has been introduced as the Religious authority in religious authority
for Shi`ait people in the world by the Ulama from different countries.
Family
Mr. Khamenei is married and has six children.
Works & Books
He has a good command of the Arabic and Turkish and English language
and, in addition to writing, he is a good judge of literary and poetic works. He has
translated and written numerous books on Islam and history. His translations include
" Future of the Islamic lands," " A Thdictment against the Western
Civilization," and " Ima Hassan`s Peace Treaty." From among his writings,
one may mention: " The Role of Muslims in the Independence struggle of India."
General Pattern of Islamic Thought in the Quran," The Question of Patience," On
the Inner Depth of prayers," "Understanding Islam properly," "Imam
Al-Sadegh`s Life," and a collection of lectures on the question of Imamate. He was
also a co-writer of the famous pamphlet " Our Positions," which helped the
political, social and philosophical advancement of Islamic Republic Party. Other
contributors were martyred Ayatollah Beheshti, martyred Hojjatol-Eslam Bahonar and
Hojjatol-Eslam Hashemi Rafsanjani.