Document Type : Research Article (Political Thought)

Authors

• Parviz Amini ¹
• Omid Hoseini ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Faculty of Governance, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

² PhD. Student, Faculty of Governance, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Imam Khomeini was one of the clerics who authored the book "Kashf al-Asrar" (Unveiling of Secrets) in response to Hokmizadeh’s work. In the course of answering the thirteen questions raised in Hokmizadeh's book, he presented a formulation of his political thought regarding government and the role of the clergy within that political structure. The objective of this article is to provide a theoretical and coherent formulation of Imam Khomeini’s political thought in Kashf al-Asrar. In this research, in addition to the documentary method for outlining the geometry of his political thought, we seek to answer, based on Skinner’s intentionalist hermeneutics method, the following:  What social context and background did Imam Khomeini's political thought form and cohere in, and, more importantly, with what intention was it written? The findings of this research indicate that Imam Khomeini, in this book, emphasizes the "Sovereignty of God's Law" (Hakimiyyat-e Qanun-e Khoda) as the central axis of the political structure. This is substantiated and justified from four perspectives:  necessity, legitimacy, expediency, and efficacy. The outcome is the formation of a Constituent Assembly to elect the Shah (provided the Shah adheres to God's law) and a Consultative Assembly (Majlis-e Shora), centered on the clergy, to supervise the implementation of God's law. Based on Skinner’s method, Imam Khomeini’s discourse in this book is formulated into three types of acts:  defensive, offensive, and dual-purpose (two-faceted).

Keywords

• Political Thought
• Pahlavi Era
• Islamic Laws
• Kashf al-Asrar
• Asrar-e Hezar Saleh

Main Subjects

• Political Thought