Manifestation of the Friend

With the People

part 20

If this is the rule, then don’t bring it

One day I was with the Imam that he turned to my brother Haj Ahmad Aqa and said: “You bring the book Kashf al-Asrar from here.”‌ The Imam was referring him to a place that I thought probably implied that the Jamaran Husseiniyyah had a library because he referred to a very close location and said: “Bring it for me from there.”‌ Ahmad Aqa replied that he would do as he was instructed but that, “It is the rules of this library that they do not allow you to take away books. Whoever wants a book must go there and read it.”‌ The Imam stated; “If this is their rule then it is not necessary for you to bring the book”‌ and then turning towards me he asked if I could get  hold of the book which I replied in the affirmative and arranged it from another place and gave it to him.

He observed the rules of the house

His Holiness the Imam took a walk three times a day and each time it lasted for about twenty minutes. One day when I was accompanying him, after we finished walking, he pointed to a part of the front yard and said, “I would like to sit here and sip a cup of tea.”‌ I said that that was no problem and I would bring a small rug and spread it on the floor so that he could sip his tea there. “No!”‌ he retorted, “your mother has said that whenever we wish to sit in the front yard, we must not sit in this part but should spread the rug and sit on the other side.”‌ This is the extent to which the Imam observed the rules of the house set by the woman of the household. That day heneither sat in the front yard nor did he sip tea.

Why do you want to change my prescribed medications?

I seldom saw a sick person during my days of practicing medicine that like the Imam follow the prescriptions of the doctor to the letter. For instance if it was prescribed that so and son medicine must be taken at every hour, this was something that an ordinary mortal cannot tolerate whereas for him””who was  an  exceptional  man  from  every  angle””it  was  perfectly  easy  to implement. We too intended to prescribe drugs that were “long active’ but were afraid that its absorption in the body would take place suddenly and cause undesirable side-effects. In any case, when we mentioned it to the Imam, he said: “Why do you want to change the prescription of my drugs?”‌ We replied that it was possible that his tolerance to drugs given hourly would reduce and we would feel responsible for causing him discomfort. He stated: “On no account will it cause me discomfort and it is not necessary for you to attempt to change the prescription.”‌

He would delegate power to the authorities

An outstanding and noteworthy feature in the Imam’s style of management was expansion of the area of decision-making and non-intervention in affairs that in keeping with the established government bodies needed to be performed by others. By the blessing of this style and policy of the Imam, we attained a maturity and discipline in the establishments. By giving authority and incentive as well as non-intervention in unimportant issues and precise supervision, the Imam enabled the forces to develop and to mature.

He emphasized the independence of the authorities

The intervention of the Imam in government duties was always in strategic cases. He always disliked interference in the duties of the government organizations and this style resulted in the maturity and development of the government bodies and apparatus. The Imam strongly believed in discipline in affairs and visits to his office was always arranged through relevant and responsible bodies. 

That   single   exceptional   instance   was   the   Minister   of Information. In this case too he did not mention a name and only reminded me to consult with him after I had come to a conclusion concerning an individual  or  individuals.  Regarding  the  formation  of  cabinet  and introduction of ministers to the legislative assembly, if at any time there was a problem that could not be resolved through normal procedures; he would delegate the responsibility for resolving the issue to a council. In any case, in general, I must say that the Imam emphasized the independence of the authorities and their actions be within the framework of the Constitution.

Source:

The Book "Manifestation of the Friend: A collection of memoirs about Imam Khomeini (R.A)"

Other Links:

Manifestation of the Friend: With the People (part 18)

Manifestation of the Friend: With the People (part 19)