Khadijeh Saqafi

Khadijeh Saqafi
خدیجه ثقفی
Saqafi in 1987
Born1915 or 1916
Tehran, Sublime State of Persia
Died (aged 93)[1][2]
Tehran, Iran
Resting placeMausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini
Spouse
​
(died 1989)​
Children7, including Mostafa, Zahra, Farideh, and Ahmad

Khadijeh Saqafi (Persian: خدیجه ثقفی‎; 1915/1916 – 21 March 2009) was an Iranian revolutionary and the wife of Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran and figurehead of the Iranian Revolution. In Iran, she was known as "the mother of the Islamic revolution".[1]

Early life

Saqafi was born in 1915 or 1916 in Tehran, the daughter of Hajj Mirza Mohammad Thaqafi-e Tehrani, a respected cleric and merchant.[3]

Marriage and later years

Saqafi became the bride of 29-year-old Ruhollah Khomeini in 1929[3][4] or 1931.[2] They had seven children together, although only five survived childhood.[4] The family resided in Qom until Khomeini's exile in 1964.[5] Their son Mostafa died in Iraq in 1977 while in exile, while their second son Ahmad died of cardiac arrest in 1995.[2]

Throughout their marriage, Saqafi largely stayed out of the public eye, although she was described as being a strong supporter of her husband's opposition to Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.[2] Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former President of Iran, referred to Saqafi as the "closest and most patient" supporter of her husband.[2]

Death

Saqafi died in Tehran on 21 March 2009 aged 93, following a long illness.[1][2] Thousands attended her funeral at the University of Tehran, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[2] Saqafi was buried next to her husband and son at his mausoleum in Behesht-e Zahra.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Iranians mourn Khomeini's widow". BBC News. 22 March 2009. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Khadijeh Saqafi, Khomeini's Wife, Is Dead at 93". The New York Times. 23 March 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Dabashi, Hamid (1993). Theology of Discontent: The Ideological Foundations of the Islamic Revolution in Iran (PDF). New York: New York University Press. p. 410. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Marital life". Imam-khomeini.ir. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012.
  5. ^ Azizi, Arash (4 June 2019). "Three decades after Khomeini's death, his clan rules from the sidelines". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019.
Honorary titles
First
New title
 Spouse of the Supreme Leader of Iran
1979–1989 		Succeeded byas wife of Ali Khamenei