A Visit with Imam Khomeini

... The night of February 8 it was announced that those invited to the conference would be addressed by Imam Khomeini at his residence in North Tehran. As soon as I heard the confirmation of what had been tentatively scheduled for any one day during the several weeks when the conference was in session, I immediately sensed the significance of this event for myself, for finally I would have the chance to measure the worth of this man directly; he would be held up to the scrutiny of my critical spiritual sensibilities, ... for although one cannot judge the inner state of consciousness of an individual, one can at least decide if there are some signs of a personal performance that would lend some credence to the nation of having achieved a state of 'liberation' from the narrow boundaries of the ego. There was just too much vengeance, blood, and doctrinal absolutism for me to finally assent to the idea that Khomeini was an 'enlightened' being, for although most reputed saints have emerged from a tradition-that is, from an organized, highly structured and antiquitous system of worship and purificatory practices-they are, when they have reached the climax of their devotion, detached from 'politics,' from heavy involvement in the surface appearance of life, from the rigid ideological warfare and clashing of opinions that dominate the more worldly individual. Khomeini's embrace-unconditionally-of harsh Islamic justice, for instance the stoning of an adulterer, the severing of the hand of a thief, and his violent denunciations of the United States and the Soviet Union-his attribution of all problems to the conspiracies of imperialism-all this seemed a little too one-sided and belief-ridden to be the representations of a human being who dwelled in the equanimity and putative bliss of the Absolute, the state of permanent freedom from the primacy of egohood. And then there were the portraits on Time magazine, the many depictions of the Imam, especially during the hostage crisis and even after the fall of the Shah: all these suggested a morbid seriousness, a humourless severity, and an apparent absence of gentleness, playfulness, or-and this is most important-compassion. The manifest characteristic of the human personality that had achieved some unity with pure consciousness was the radiant reality of love, the love that was simply the fact of that harmony, the fact of that non-separateness from and absolute cooperation with the laws of the universe that worked for the happiness of each creature. This had been the measure of all the great saints, whether Saint Francis, the Buddha, Lao-Tse, or even the Sufis I had read. Imam Khomeini was a symbol in the West of the most obdurate atavistic pride and implacable hatred. And even some Westerners with whom I had talked who had met Khomeini commented on his charisma, but in the same breath remarked at the total absence of humour or warmth in his demeanour.

Now I had the opportunity to judge for myself.

To be continued ....

Whoever continues to read this article with me, will surely fall in love with this great man that didnt attach his heart to anything other than Ahlulbeit (as) and Allah (swt)!

Wait to read what this CANADIAN journalist says and describes what he felt while waiting for Sayyed Khomeini (QAS) to come out !

Thanks a lot 4 U dear brother for these Excellent articles
Welcome back

Bismillah

Dear brother Ya Zahra Madad

Many thanks for the beautiful article.It's really great to share it with us

Today is the 4th of June which is the Death Anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Imam Khomeini r.a
.
May Allah enable us to follow his wise and vigilant guide lines!

Alsalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

I have returned to the forum but in a different name, insha'Allah I will continue using Ya Zahraa Madad only in the english forum,
and this one in the arabic one

Thank you for your participation and great comments

May Allah( (swt) reward you all

Wa Alaykum Assalaam Wr Wb

Welcome back...........I 've been always certain that one day you'd return

yahosein cannot be left no matter what happens , isn't that so?

We're happy to see you here among us again and we're looking forward to seeing your nice participations

And Insha Allah with your return the English Forum will be more active

Peace & Prayers

Well, now that the moderators have increased in the forum and the administration is being more serious in handling its responsibilities,
we can feel more secure in roaming around this site and taking part in it

Insha'Allah it wil remain like this, and as you said .. ya hosein cannot be left .. but sometimes we have to sacrifice a little for the sake of improving the website,
and alhamdulillah our sacrifice really helped in changing the forum

Insha'Allah the first story that I have promised to translate will be posted tonight,
and insha'Allah the rest will be posted after that when I have the ability to put them

Thank you again for your nice welcome,

Wasalam

You're welcome brother,

That's right! Serious decsions & procedures are being taken more than before

Indeed, your sacrifce for the sake of improvment worked.And Insha-Allah it'll always remain like this
May Allah (s.w.t) Reward you

And don't forget " Patience " also works ,especially here

We're really waiting for your story to be posted and many other works of yours

Thanks alot for your support & big effort

Keep going brother

Salaams & Duas