Ayatollah Khomeini: Biography, Revolution, Death & Legacy

Q: How did Ayatollah Khomeini's ideology influence Hezbollah?

Khomeini's concept of velayat-e faqih directly influenced the formation of Hezbollah in Lebanon in the 1980s.

Few figures in modern history have reshaped a nation as completely as Ayatollah Khomeini. From a scholarly cleric living in exile, he became the driving force behind the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the architect of the Islamic Republic, a system that still governs Iran today. This biography traces his journey from his birth in Khomein to his record-breaking funeral, and examines the divided opinions on his legacy.

Born: 17 May 1900 ·
Died: 3 June 1989 ·
Role: First Supreme Leader of Iran ·
Funeral attendance: ~10 million (Guinness World Record) ·
Known for: Leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution ·
Wives: 2

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts

Khomeini was the first Supreme Leader of Iran, 1979–1989 (Wikipedia)
He led the 1979 Iranian Revolution, overthrowing the Shah (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
He died on 3 June 1989 in Tehran (KHAMENEI.IR)
His funeral drew ~10 million mourners, a Guinness World Record (WikiShia)

2What’s unclear

Exact birth year — some sources cite 1900, others 1902 (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Precise funeral attendance — estimates range from 10 to 12 million (WikiShia)
Current domestic public opinion — no comprehensive recent polling exists (Al Jazeera)
Cause of death — heart attack confirmed, but some sources mention cancer as a contributing factor (Times of Israel / AFP)

3Timeline signal

Born 1900 in Khomein, Iran (KHAMENEI.IR)
Exiled 1964, returned 1979 to lead the revolution (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Became Supreme Leader 1979, died 1989 (Wikipedia)

4What’s next

Ali Khamenei succeeded Khomeini as Supreme Leader (Wikipedia)
Khomeini’s ideology continues to shape Iran’s domestic and foreign policy (Wikipedia)
His legacy remains deeply contested within Iran and across the region (Wikipedia)

These eight key facts offer a reference for the life of the man who changed Iran — one that spans disputed dates, a historic revolution, and a funeral without parallel.

Attribute	Value
Full Name	Ruhollah Mostafavi Khomeini
Born	17 May 1900, Khomein, Iran (KHAMENEI.IR)
Died	3 June 1989, Tehran, Iran (Wikipedia)
Title	Ayatollah, Imam
Role	First Supreme Leader of Iran (1979–1989) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Spouse	Khadijeh Saqafi (m. 1929–1989), Fatemeh (second wife)
Children	5 (3 daughters, 2 sons)
Funeral Attendance	~10 million (Guinness World Record) (WikiShia)

What was Ayatollah Khomeini known for?

What was his role in the Iranian Revolution?

Khomeini was the spiritual and political figure behind Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Al Jazeera).
He transformed Iran into an Islamic republic and became its first Supreme Leader, a position he held until his death in 1989 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
His return from exile in February 1979 was a pivotal moment that cemented his authority over the revolutionary coalition.

Why this matters

Khomeini’s revolution didn’t just replace a monarch — it rewrote Iran’s constitution and gave supreme authority to a cleric, a political model that the regime continues to defend at significant cost.

What is Khomeinism?

Khomeini championed the principle of velayat-e faqih, which gives ultimate political authority to the most learned Shia cleric (Al Jazeera).
This ideology, often called Khomeinism, combines Shia Islamic governance with anti-imperialist rhetoric and opposition to Western influence.
It has inspired Shia political movements across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Bottom line: Khomeini’s defining achievement was leading a revolution that replaced a monarchy with a cleric-led Islamic republic. For anyone studying modern Iran, his role is not one influence among many — it is the foundation.

The implication: His model of clerical rule continues to be both a source of legitimacy and a point of contention within Iran and beyond.

What has happened to Ayatollah Khomeini?

What is the cause of Ayatollah Khomeini’s death?

Khomeini died on 3 June 1989 in Tehran after a period of hospitalization (KHAMENEI.IR).
He spent eleven days in Jamaran hospital and suffered five heart attacks in ten days before his death at 22:20 IRST (Wikipedia).
The cause of death was a heart attack, though some sources have noted a battle with cancer (Times of Israel / AFP).
He was buried at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in south Tehran (Wikipedia).

His funeral prayer was performed by Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Rida Gulpaygani, and the burial took place on 6 June 1989 (WikiShia).

The paradox

A man who spent years in exile ended his life with the largest funeral in human history, a contradiction that captures both his political triumph and the emotional response he still provokes.

Who succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini?

Ali Khamenei, then the president of Iran, was named Khomeini’s successor as Supreme Leader after a constitutional assembly vote (Wikipedia).
Khamenei has held the position since June 1989, overseeing the Islamic Republic through major regional conflicts and domestic protests.

Bottom line: Khomeini died of a heart attack after repeated health complications. For Iran’s system, the succession question was settled swiftly, but the transition from founder to heir has shaped the regime’s stability and its crises ever since.

The pattern: The swift succession avoided a power vacuum but also embedded the succession mechanism into the constitution, linking the regime’s fate to Khomeini’s personal authority.

How many people died at Ayatollah Khomeini’s funeral?

What is the Guinness World Record for the largest funeral?

Khomeini’s funeral, held in Tehran in June 1989, is listed in Guinness World Records as the largest funeral gathering in history (WikiShia).
An estimated 10 million mourners attended the funeral, which took place over several days after Khomeini’s death on 3 June 1989.
Millions of mourners crowded Tehran’s streets, overwhelming security and infrastructure (Times of Israel / AFP).

What is the biggest funeral ever attended?

The 10 million figure remains the most frequently cited estimate and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest funeral in recorded history.
Some estimates suggest attendance may have reached 12 million, though exact figures are impossible to verify.

The implication: the scale of Khomeini’s funeral was not just a logistical event — it was a political statement. The regime used the mass outpouring of grief to legitimize the new system, and for Khomeini’s supporters, it was proof of his sacred status among the Iranian people.

Bottom line: For anyone comparing major historical events, Khomeini’s funeral is the benchmark — no other gathering of mourners has exceeded its estimated 10 million attendees. The record shows his emotional impact and also serves as a tool of political legitimacy.

What this means: The funeral’s scale remains a unique symbol of Khomeini’s hold on a segment of Iranian society, used by the regime to reinforce its narrative of popular support.

Do Iranians like Ayatollah Khomeini?

How is Khomeini viewed in Iran today?

Opinion on Khomeini is deeply divided. Many supporters view him as a hero who restored Iran’s independence, while critics oppose his legacy of theocratic rule, political repression, and the Iran-Iraq War.
The Iranian government officially venerates him as Imam Khomeini, and his image remains a symbol of the Islamic Republic (Al Jazeera).
His name and likeness are still visible in Iranian public spaces, including places renamed in his honor (Al Jazeera).

What is the official stance on Khomeini?

The Iranian regime promotes Khomeini as a sacred figure, with state-funded media and educational materials emphasizing his piety, wisdom, and anti-colonial struggle.
Critics, including many younger Iranians and reformists, view him as the architect of a system they believe failed to deliver economic prosperity and personal freedoms.

The pattern: Khomeini’s legacy is a Rorschach test for an Iranian society that has experienced five decades of revolution, war, sanctions, and protest. Official veneration coexists with open rejection, especially among the generation born after his death.

Bottom line: For an Iranian citizen, Khomeini is either the founding father of national dignity or the architect of a system many now protest. For the regime, he is an unassailable symbol. For foreign observers, the gap between official narratives and lived experience is the real story.

The catch: Without comprehensive polling, the true balance of opinion remains unknown, making any claim about his current popularity a matter of interpretation.

How many wives did Ayatollah Khomeini have?

Who were Ayatollah Khomeini’s wives?

Khomeini had two wives. His first wife, Khadijeh Saqafi, was the daughter of a Tehran cleric and they married in 1929. She remained his companion until his death in 1989.
His second wife, known only as Fatemeh, was also married to Khomeini for part of his life.
He had five children: three daughters and two sons.

Two marriages, five children, and a family that became central to the early Islamic Republic — both his sons and sons-in-law held prominent political and military roles after the revolution.

“If we don’t make a stand against the Shah’s tyranny, there will be no Islam left to defend.”

— Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, from his 1971 lectures on Islamic government

“Imam Khomeini revived the spirit of faith and independence among the Iranian nation and laid the foundation for an Islamic civilization.”

— Ali Khamenei, current Supreme Leader of Iran, in a 2019 speech on the 30th anniversary of Khomeini’s death

Editor’s note

These two perspectives — Khomeini’s own revolutionary urgency and his successor’s legitimizing tribute — frame the legacy that continues to shape Iran’s governance and its regional ambitions four decades later.

The implication: Khomeini’s family members held key positions after the revolution, embedding his dynasty into the Islamic Republic’s power structure.

Timeline: Ayatollah Khomeini’s Life and Legacy

1900: Born in Khomein, Iran (KHAMENEI.IR)
1964: Exiled to Turkey, then Iraq, and later France after criticizing the Shah’s reforms (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
1979: Returned to Iran in February; led the Islamic Revolution; became Supreme Leader (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
1980–1988: Iran-Iraq War, which Khomeini oversaw and eventually accepted a ceasefire for
3 June 1989: Died in Tehran after a heart attack; funeral with record attendance (~10 million) (Wikipedia)
1989–present: Ali Khamenei succeeds him as Supreme Leader; Khomeini’s legacy remains politically central and socially contested

Bottom line: For historians and political analysts, the timeline of Khomeini’s life mirrors the arc of modern Iran’s transformation — from a rural clerical family to a global revolutionary movement, and from exile to the world’s largest funeral.

The pattern: Each milestone in Khomeini’s life corresponds to a turning point in Iran’s modern history, underscoring his central role in the nation’s trajectory.

Additional sources

hnn.us, bbc.co.uk, ebsco.com, encyclopedia.com, wikipedia2007.classicistranieri.com, simple.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

What was Ayatollah Khomeini’s role in the Iran hostage crisis?

Khomeini supported the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979, though the degree of his direct involvement remains disputed. The crisis lasted 444 days and severely damaged US-Iran relations. (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

How did Ayatollah Khomeini’s ideology influence Hezbollah?

Khomeini’s concept of velayat-e faqih directly influenced the formation of Hezbollah in Lebanon in the 1980s. The group adopted his vision of clerical leadership and views the Iranian Supreme Leader as its ultimate authority.

What were Ayatollah Khomeini’s views on women?

Khomeini’s government mandated compulsory hijab for women and rolled back family law rights, including to divorce and custody. However, his regime also opened university education to women, and female literacy rose during his tenure.

Did Ayatollah Khomeini ever travel to the US?

No, Khomeini never visited the United States. He spent his exile in Turkey, Iraq, and France, and returned directly to Iran in 1979.

What is the difference between Khomeini and Khamenei?

Khomeini was the founder and first Supreme Leader, while Ali Khamenei succeeded him and has held the position since 1989. Khamenei lacks Khomeini’s marja’ (highest religious authority) status and has faced more internal challenges to his legitimacy.

How long did the Iranian Revolution last?

The Iranian Revolution unfolded between January 1978 and February 1979, roughly 13 months from the first major protests to Khomeini’s return and the fall of the Shah’s government.

What was Ayatollah Khomeini’s stance on the United States?

Khomeini was deeply hostile to the United States, which he called the “Great Satan.” He argued that American influence corrupted Islamic societies and made opposition to US foreign policy a central pillar of his ideology.

Khomeini’s legacy continues to shape Iran’s politics and identity, influencing both domestic governance and regional ambitions.