Ayatollah Khomeini: Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist

Ayatollah Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini’s Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist (in Persian, Hokumat-e Islami: Velayat- e faqih, which is sometimes translated as “Islamic Government: Guardianship of the Jurist”) is a book arguing for the establishment of Islamic law in the ayatollah’s native Iran and elsewhere. The essence of Khomeini’s belief is that because the laws of God govern society, all government leaders should be knowledgeable in Islamic law. And since Islamic jurists, called faqih have studied Islamic law, any ruler should also be a faqih and thus able to counter anti-Islamic influences emanating from non-Muslim sources, a role that Khomeini calls “guardianship.”