Ethical Politics in Imam Khomeini's Political Thought

The main argument of this research paper is to understand the concept of ethical Politics in the political thought of Imam Khomeini. The principal question, therefore, is this: With respect to the fact that the term ethical Politics has not been used by Imam Khomeini, how has it been pictured in his thought? To provide an appropriate response to this question, we made an analysis of the concept of ethical Politics in his thought and came to the conclusion that ethicality of the politics shall be determined by observation of the methods, tools and objectives of the politics. Therefore, the methods and objectives of politics in Imam Khomeini’s thought have been put up for discussion. The most important ways are purification of the carnal soul and treating people kindly. The objectives of the politics have been discussed in association with such concepts as prophets, Divine motivation as well as prioritizing deontological ethics and virtualistic ethics. A study of these two components shows that Imam Khomeini seeks the solution for political issues in resolving spiritual issues. This, he does with respect to the goals he has considered for politics, i.e. seeking everything in the cause of God and working for God’s satisfaction. To that end, he proposes purification of the carnal soul, devotion, meditation and spiritual struggle and argues that the most important goal and role of politics is to make man spiritually grown. In this sense, we can talk about ethical politics in his thought and practice. The main sources for this research work have been Imam Khomeini’s political lectures in the presence of officials and various walks of life after the victory of Islamic Revolution and also during his political leadership.