Iran's First Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomenei' Family Link With India's Uttar Pradesh
Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomenei, the first supreme leader of Iran, has roots in India, as his paternal grandfather, Ahmad Hindi, lived in the city of Uttar Pradesh back in the 1830s. The famous 1979 revolution, which drastically changed Iran, was spearheaded by Ayatollah Khomenei, uprooting the Western-backed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi regime while establishing the Islamic Republic.
Since then, Khomenei’s name has been everywhere in the country, from currency notes, classrooms and public buildings. Iran maintained supreme leaders as a high-ranking cleric and top commander of the country, to the date with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holding the title now.
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Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the Jewish regime has suggested that it will assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, days after its strikes killed top military officials, including the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
What Is Ayatollah Khomenei’s Connection With India?
The man behind the historic 1979 revolution, Khomeini, drew inspiration from the spiritual path of his grandfather, Ahmad Hindi, who lived in an Indian city after his father, Din Ali Shah, had earlier traveled from central Iran to India during the 1700s. Born around 1800 in Kintoor, a major a Centre of Shia scholarship. Khomenei’s grandfather grew up near Barabanki, about 30 kilometers from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The British control over India was gaining momentum back then while the Mughal rule was showing signs of decay.
In 1830, Ahmad Hindi left Barabanki for Iraq, in the early years of his spiritual journey, and decided to live near the Tomb of Ali in Najaf. By 1834, he moved to the Iranian town of Khomeyn and started a family. He had four children, one of them was Mostafa, father of revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini, who was born in 1902.
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Notably, Living in India untill 1869, Ahmad Hindi had always kept the title ‘Hindi’ as a reflection of his Indian roots. He was buried in the historic city of Karbala.
Khomenei is believed to be a humble leader who lived in a modest single-story house in Tehran even after rising to the highest political and religious position after the revolution. The house in which Khomenei lived reflected his humble persona, and he had refused to accept public money for his luxuries.
Khamenei’s successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, now leads Iran. Amid a rising threat from Israel and the US demanding unconditional surrender after losing several military leaders and facilities, Khamenei stated that his country will not surrender.
Israel, viewing Iran as a threat to its security, has stated it will not allow the Islamic Republic to achieve nuclear power. Although Iran maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, the Jewish nation last week launched aerial attacks against Teheran, drawing retaliatory attacks, pushing the middle east to further chaos and volatility amid the ongoing Gaza offensive.
