We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 December 2024
In this chapter I shall analyse the quatrains Ayatollah Khomeini composed in 1984 and 1985, during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). These poems highlight the influence of mysticism, Shiism and martyrdom on Ayatollah Khomeini's politics. They are also interesting since they contain numerous biographical details, such as the special relationship he had with Fatemeh Taba’tabai, his daughter-in-law. The occasion for his first quatrain was the fifth anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 11, 1984. Within a year Ayatollah Khomeini composed another 107 quatrains on a variety of subjects. As in most of his poems, mysticism plays an important role in his quatrains, but several other elements also make them particularly interesting: his veneration of the controversial mystical figure of Mansur Hallâj; his references to the Battle of Karbalâ and Imam Hoseyn; and his rejection of the Kaʿba in Mecca. These elements are also used to mobilise soldiers at the front. The interpretive challenge lies in reconciling Ayatollah Khomeini's mystical poetry, rich in love and wine motifs, with his stern public persona. The analysis offered here takes up these issues and explores how Khomeini fused mysticism with Shiism and martyrdom for political ends.
Keywords: Khomeini, Iran-Iraq war, mystical poetry, antinomianism, martyrdom, Mansur Hallâj, Imam Hoseyn
A considerable part of Ayatollah Khomeini's Divân consists of many robâʿis: 117 of the 296 poems he composed. Ayatollah Khomeini wrote the robâʿis in 1984 and 1985. The immediate occasion for his first robâʿi was the fifth anniversary celebration of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on February 11th, 1984. Ayatollah Khomeini wrote the poem “Our Republic” several weeks later, on March 31st, 1984, together with three other robâʿis in which he celebrated the Islamic Republic. Within a year Ayatollah Khomeini composed another 107 robâʿis on various subjects. As in most of his poems, mysticism plays an important role in his robâʿis. Khomeini's poetry is interesting since it allows us to peak into the mind of one of the most influential political leaders of the twentieth century. Many of his robâʿis contain biographical elements, details on his relationship with his daughter-in-law Fâteme Tabâtabâʾi and references to the war against Iraq.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
