Manifestation of the Friend

Role Model of Strength and Patience

part 11

Firmness and Dignity

Firmness in infancy

Mr.Pasandideh narrated that in his youth, the Imam would stand first in sprinting among the youngsters of Khomein and at the age of eight or nine, he would jump the highest from among his playmates and he even once injured himself. One of the playmates of the youthful days of the Imam would say that in the Sabzikaran neighborhood of Khomein, the children of the locality did not dare to use foul language and engage in bullying activities out of fear of the Imam.

Silence embellished with dignity

The Imam possessed a unique dignity, charisma and personality while at the same time being humble. Mostly, he would be silent and speak little. He would try to speak as much as was necessary while his words would be to the point, when he would deliver a speech at a non-public gatherings, he would speak less and reflect more. He would be thoughtful at all moments and make the maximum use of his time.

I was mesmerized by the splendor of the Imam

I remember the first day that I called upon the Imam; I was mesmerized by his splendor to the extent that it prevented me from being able to speak because  he  was  always  in  possession  of  an  inimitable  grandeur  and magnificence. Martyr Shahidi who was an experienced hand of the Imam and was his protégé realized my dilemma and narrated my problem to the Imam who replied to my problem.

Charisma of the radiant personality of the Imam

One of the interesting points that I noticed in the Imam and which is still etched in my memory was the composed and distinguished look, the movements and the meaningful and calculated silence of the Imam. This was because apart from the handsome face, slim body and radiant personality that were God-given gifts, the black beard, luminous face, the matching turban and extremely clean and spotless clothing that were made locally; his disciplined, timely and penetrating look; the movements of his hands, head and neck when he would sit and stand up in gatherings; his style of speaking with the opposite party and his inexpressible composure and dignity while in a walking position were all in all the hall mark features of the Imam.

As if no incident had occurred

The eleven years that I was in the presence of the Imam I Najaf, it never occurred that important political events and incidents to cause the Imam to remain absent from the program of the seminary and teaching Islamic jurisprudence or to undertake these programs with indifference and apathy. On many occasions it occurred for us and many of his protégés that because of varied political events we would either not attend classes or would attend his lectures with lethargy and apprehension. But the Imam at the very sensitive moments when the greatest political crises and incidents and events of his life took place, when he sat on the chair to begin lecturing, he would scrutinize jurisprudential issues in such a way that as if no incident had taken place. On the very day that his beloved son was arrested by the anti-Islamic Ba‘athist regime of Iraq, and taken to Baghdad, there wasn’t the slightest change in the teaching program of the Imam and I can dare to say that he analyzed the various academic debates more extensively and deeply. Also following the martyrdom of his son Martyr Haj Sayyid Mustafa, he protested to the officials and mentors of the Theological School to refrain from stoppage of classes and activities of the theological school and to begin lessons. When he sat on the chair to lecture, he also resorted to analyze and investigate deeply into the academic discussions such that it appeared as if no incident had occurred.

Admiration of the French students for the Imam

Once when we noticed that every night a group of French students were coming to hear the speech of the Imam, we asked them through one of the brethren who spoke French to ask them whether they knew Farsi and could understand what the Imam was saying. To which they replied that, “We are not conversant with Farsi and don’t understand the speeches of the Imam at all!”‌ we then asked them why they would come every night to hear his speeches to which they replied: “When we come here and he speaks, we feel a spiritual transformation take place within us.”‌

Source:

The Book "Manifestation of the Friend: A collection of memoirs about Imam Khomeini (R.A)"

Other Links:

Manifestation of the Friend: Role Model of Strength and Patience (part 8)