Historical Organization
Najaf seminary
Najaf seminary
Details
Organization Timeline
Khomeini transfers his exile to Najaf
📅 5 October 1965From the Iraqi centre of Shi‘i learning, he rebuilt teaching and political communication with Iran.
Najaf becomes a centre for revolutionary messages
📅 5 October 1965Students and visitors carried statements, books and recorded sermons from Khomeini’s circle into Iran.
Khomeini begins lectures on Islamic government
📅 21 January 1970In Najaf he set out the argument that qualified Islamic jurists should exercise political guardianship rather than accept monarchy.
Guardianship of the Jurist is presented as an alternative
📅 21 January 1970The lectures linked opposition to imperialism and despotism with the construction of an Islamic state responsible for justice.
The Islamic government lecture series concludes
📅 8 February 1970The lectures were later published and circulated clandestinely, giving supporters a more systematic political programme.
Khomeini calls for a boycott of Rastakhiz
📅 12 March 1975From Najaf, he declared compulsory party membership illegitimate and urged Iranians not to cooperate with the one-party state.
Mostafa Khomeini dies in Najaf
📅 23 October 1977Khomeini’s eldest son and close assistant died suddenly. Supporters widely suspected foul play, while the precise cause remained contested.