Ayatollah Khomeini is famous for the theory of Islamic Government or Guardianship of the Jurists, and the Islamic Revolution. But his ever first political book known as “Kashf al Asrar” or “Revealing of the Secrets” written in 1940s shows that his politico-juridical opinion had been different before his exile to Iraq in 1960s and it, then, experienced a kind of radical change. In the current article, the researchers evaluate the main elements of Ayatollah’s governmental theory, his desired model of government in each book and the fundamental differences from the first work to the second one. In addition, the researchers investigate the effects of his personal experiences as well as Shi’a main paradigm of political jurisprudence in formation, formulation, and transformation of his thoughts and the degree of compatibility of his thoughts with his predecessors. The research reveals that his main concern in “Kashf al Asrar” was answering to the question that how should we govern, and then in Islamic Government he puts the question of, who should govern and what characteristics such a person should obtain in advance. These kinds of questions, in each book, were the result of a different juridical paradigm of thoughts that he had adopted.

Ayatollah Khomeini, in contrary with predominant trend of thought in Shi ' a, announced establishment of Islamic government in the occultation era necessary and an obligation for jurists. He with invoke to a set of transmitting and intellectual reasons tried to justify his theory of "Governance of the Jurist" and granted to it a divine legitimacy, which is examined in the first part of the present research. But how he viewed the role of people in legitimizing of his acceptable type of government? Despite that he believed to divine legitimacy of Governance of the Jurists, but acceptance and satisfactory of people was also strongly emphasized by him. In second part of the present research, the researcher investigates how he combined between divine right of the jurists and popular right in legitimizing of power and government. Résumé: Ayatollah Khomeini, en contradiction avec la tendance pré-dominante de la pensée chiite, a annoncé que la création d'un gouvernement is...

SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, led by the Imam Khomeini, kicked off a new era in interaction between the clergy and the government; an interaction which has taken shape and been institutionalized at different levels of regulation, legislation and execution, and for sure within the framework of the views of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and adopted laws. The Imam Khomeini's views about government-clergy interaction bears significance from two aspects; First and foremost, he was instrumental in the emergence of the Islamic Revolution and the ensuing establishment of the Islamic Republic, and also the stabilization of the role of leadership; Second, the criteria he has defined about clergy-government interaction could be an acceptable index for the assessment of their status quo. METHOD AND FINDING: The methodology of this article originally pursues an approach based on text analysis and hermeneutics although historical analysis is incorporated. For this reason, this article seeks to know the model of clergy-government interaction which is sketched out based on the Imam Khomeini's standpoint and specifically his 22-volume Sahifeh. The research hypothesis is that the model of clergy-government interaction preached by the Imam Khomeini relies on religious beliefs and the structure of an Islamic society with a view to monitoring the government and guiding people and making the life for its nation (Ommat) meaningful. CONCLUSION: The results of the research showed that this article highlights the Shia ideology before discussing the standing of the supreme authority on religious matters (Marja'), Shia political discourse and the process of its formation throughout different periods, as well as the new potentialities of the Islamic Revolution like institution of supreme clerical rule (Velayat-e Faqih) and religious democracy which is an influential factor in the formation and development of the Shia political discourse.

Leadership of the Muslim nation is one concept that Shīʿī scholars in Iran have seriously theorised, especially since the Safavid era. In Shīʿī thought, this concept is tied explicitly to the idea of occultation and the leader being talked about is considered the deputy of the Imam of the time. Imam Khomeini (d. 1989) put forward one of the most important and latest theories in this matter. His theory was revolutionary and hotly contested among Shīʿī ulamā (scholars). Khomeini's theory is critical because it was the basis of theories after him and practically implemented in contemporary Iran. This article tries to explain the Imam's theory about leadership of the society during occultation and examine its features, elements and critiques.

Sudden emerge of Ayatollah Khomeini as a prominent jurist in Iran and Muslim world political sphere and presenting Islamic Government theory considered by both Muslim and western scholars and analysts as a surprise. The Islamic Government theory which have been recognized as a turning point in Shi’a juridical and political thought, never deliberated and emphasized as much as this by any other Shi’a jurists before him. By focus upon and examining the personal experiences and interests, social and political affairs and his intellectual pursuits and the thoughts that affected his theorizing researcher aim to provide a more propound understanding of preconditions and roots of formation of his approach as well as its underlying structure. The study reveals that formation and development of his thought in the course of time in general and after publishing of his first political book, “Kashf al Asrar”, where he shows loyalty to theory of “Constitutional government with designation and permission of jurists” to “Islamic Government” book which he announced his major shift from old theory to theory of “Governance of the jurists” in particular was result of a series of social, political events and intellectual factors in Iran’s contemporary history that affected directly or indirectly his thought and contributed to formation, development and formulation of his thought