ABSTRACT
Histo ry Ruhollah Mustafavi was born in 1902 in the town of Khomeini in central Iran. His father, the chief cleric in Khomeini, was murdered during Khomeini’s early childhood. Khomeini studied as a mullah, or Muslim educated in religious law, and his aptitude allowed him to move through his studies quickly. According to tradition in Shi’a Islam, he adopted the name Khomeini after he became a cleric, as clerics take the name of their birthplace after reaching the highest rank. In 1929 Khomeini married Batol Saqafi and eventually had three daughters and two sons. As was custom, Khomeini’s sons followed their father into religious study and became mullahs. His daughters married into religious families.
