Imam Khomeini's Sources of Exegetical Hadith

According to Imam Khomeini's views, the reliability and loftiness of themes is considered as the benchmark for adequacy and inadequacy of exegetical hadiths and not the reliability of documents or its citation in the authentic hadith sources. Accordingly, Imam Khomeini does not emphasize on original and first-hand sources in transmission of the exegetical hadiths. Although most of hadiths, which have been cited in his works, are found in reliable hadith sources, some others are not found and have been popular in the next periods. They should be searched for in the Gnostic moral Imami Shia books. Another group of exegetical hadiths cited by Imam Khomeini in his works should be sought in Sunni hadith sources. Final group consists of hadiths with mystical themes that are not found in the primary sources, and even the Sunni hadith sources. These hadiths are often found in mystical, ethical and exegetical works of Sunni people, although some of them found their way into Shi`a books in the later periods. The present paper is concerned with investigation and classification of Imam Khomeini’s hadith sources in transmission of the exegetical hadiths.