: His most famous political work, detailing the theory of clerical rule. Read on Internet Archive . Islam and Revolution
This work offers a profound insight into Khomeini’s mystical and ethical perspective, demonstrating his expertise in Islamic theology far beyond politics. He provides detailed interpretations of forty chosen Hadiths, focusing on self-purification and spiritual development. Jihad-e Akbar: The Greatest Jihad (Combat with the Self) Focus: Self-Improvement/Spirituality
Khomeini composed mystic, political, and social poetry from his adolescence onward. His poetry integrates doctrines of Islamic mysticism and Shi'ism, such as the concept of the Perfect Man, using the language of love and spiritual longing. The translators describe his poetry as "a compendium of all the qualities and aspects of his personality" – a medium through which his "unspoken secrets" found expression. The Divan-e Imam , his collected poems, was first published by the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works in 438 pages.
: A comprehensive two-volume manual on Islamic jurisprudence ( ayatollah khomeini books pdf
) : An unabridged manual containing thousands of "problems" and solutions for laypeople regarding hygiene, banking, and ritual purity [26].
Available for download on the official Imam Khomeini Portal .
If you are looking for specific titles, these are his most widely read works available in PDF: Wilayat al-Faqih (Islamic Government) : His most famous political work, detailing the
This is one of the most widely circulated English-language compilations. Often called "The Little Green Book," it is a translated selection of fatawa (religious rulings) and sayings drawn from Khomeini's major works: Valayate-Faghih , Kashfol-Asrar , and Towzihol-Masael . The English version was translated by Harold J. Salemson. It provides a direct, though sometimes decontextualized, look into the specific legal rulings that guided Khomeini's version of Islamic governance. A PDF of this text is frequently found on various online document repositories.
A vast library of scanned books where you can find out-of-print English translations of Velayat-e Faqih and Kashf al-Asrar .
Useful for finding scholarly analyses of his works, and sometimes PDFs of critical, authorized commentaries. 3. Important Themes in Khomeini’s Writing The translators describe his poetry as "a compendium
Published in the early 1940s, this was Khomeini's first major political book, written as a direct polemical response to a secularist critique of Shia Islam titled Asrar-e Hezar Saleh (Secrets of a Thousand Years).
The inner, spiritual dimensions of daily prayers.
A direct polemical response to secularist critiques of Islam during the Pahlavi dynasty.
For much of his early career, Khomeini was a traditional academic, writing complex legal and philosophical treatises. However, his opposition to the pro-Western monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, began in the 1960s. His vocal criticism of the Shah's "White Revolution" and his arrest in 1963 propelled him onto the national stage. After a brief imprisonment, he was exiled in 1964, spending over 14 years away from his homeland, including time in Turkey, Iraq, and finally France. It was during his exile in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, that he crystallized his revolutionary political theory, culminating in his most famous book, which would provide the blueprint for the 1979 Islamic Revolution he would later lead.