Poetry was not a professional or primary activity in the life of Imam Khomeini; nevertheless, he continued composing poetry from his youth through the final years of his life.
According to this account, a significant part of Imam Khomeini’s poetry was rooted in practical mysticism and his spiritual outlook. Most of his poems were also composed during the later years of his life.
Studying these poems presents a different image of a figure who, alongside his scholarly and social activities, also maintained a poetic and mystical dimension.
“He composed poetry in accordance with his religious and social position, and especially because of his belief in practical mysticism. Therefore, praise poetry is very limited in his Divan, with only a few poems praising the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt and other great religious figures. There is no satirical or invective poetry in his Divan; rather, he mostly cautions those who are preoccupied with outward appearances. This stems from his knowledge of the Divine, and from his understanding that God creates everything with wisdom. However, most of his poems are mystical in nature, and this constitutes the fundamental and principal purpose of his poetry.”
Adapted from the article “Imam Khomeini , the Unknown Literary Figure” by Alireza Farghani.