1. Member of the faculty of political science, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Branch.
Abstract
The miraculous victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, which is one of the upheavals of the 20th century, was not possible without the leadership of Imam Khomeini. The legitimacy of Imam Khomeini’s leadership stems from various factors, but his religious authority (marja’iah) was one of the most important factors for the legitimacy of his leadership. Without undervaluing other factors – such as personal courage and revolutionary valor – the present article is an attempt to study the role of marja’iah in Imam Khomeini’s political leadership. This entails a definition and analysis of the concept of marja’iah in Shiism and its functions, which are undertaken in this article.
