An Excerpt from the Memoirs of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution

The Founder of Hosseiniyeh Ershad

Selected by Faezeh Sasanikhah
Translated by Kianoush Borzouei

2025-6-16

Regarding the presence of [Martyr Ayatollah Motahhari] in Hosseiniyeh Ershad, it would be inaccurate to refer to it just as “participation”; he was, in fact, one of its founders. At a time when Tehran lacked proper, organized, and intellectually rigorous religious gatherings, a few individuals decided to initiate such a movement—and the central figure among them was Mr. Motahhari. Mr. Homayoun, who provided financial support for the project, was also among its forerunners. A small group gathered, selected a plot of land somewhat above the current site of Hosseiniyeh Ershad, erected a tent, and enclosed it with a temporary wall. Thus, Hosseiniyeh Ershad came into existence, and various speakers were invited to deliver lectures.One of the invitees was Mr. Mohammad-Taqi Shariati, who had recently moved to Tehran  around 1966. He had been residing in Tehran for a couple of years and had already begun public speaking. Mr. Motahhari not only invited him but actively promoted his presence. Motahhari himself also delivered lectures there in 1967.

That same year, when the book “Mohammad, the Seal of the Prophets” was being prepared, Mr. Motahhari invited several individuals to contribute articles—including the late Dr. Shariati, who had only recently returned from France. Initially residing in Mashhad and living in relative anonymity as a teacher, he had impressed Mr. Motahhari deeply. Motahhari saw in him a brilliant, insightful, and perceptive young man of exceptional talent.

Naturally, someone of Motahhari’s stature would have admired Dr. Shariati, and he requested a written contribution from him. The late doctor composed a comprehensive article titled “From the Migration to the Demise of the Prophet”and also contributed part of the piece “The Countenance of Muhammad”. I was personally involved in the exchange of these articles, as Dr. Shariati was in Mashhad, Motahhari was in Tehran, and I would frequently travel between Mashhad and Qom, occasionally serving as the messenger between them. When Mr. Motahhari read Dr. Shariati’s articles, he was deeply impressed—particularly by “The Countenance of Muhammad”. He told me he had read the article three times, so captivated was he by Dr. Shariati’s fluent and graceful prose. This admiration prompted him to invite Dr. Shariati to deliver public lectures at the Hosseiniyeh as well. Initially, these lectures were sporadic and continued at a low frequency until around 1970.

By that year, Dr. Shariati’s appearances at the Hosseiniyeh had settled into a regular pattern—once every two or three months. However, a serious issue arose between Mr. Motahhari and Mr. Minaachi, who had been appointed as the internal manager of the Hosseiniyeh. This appointment effectively marginalized Mr. Motahhari and others from key internal affairs, such as the selection of speakers, scheduling, and publishing decisions.

Motahhari protested: “How can we be the founders of an institution that the public associates with us, and yet have no say in who speaks, what is published, or what content is presented?” Despite being one of the three trustees, his objections were disregarded by Minaachi, leaving Motahhari increasingly sidelined. The conflict escalated. During that summer, we were in Mashhad—Mr. Motahhari had traveled there, as had the late Dr. Shariati and his father. In a meeting where we all gathered, it was decided to address the issues surrounding the Hosseiniyeh. We held two intensive four-to-five-hour sessions in Mashhad to discuss the matter. Dr. Shariati was scheduled to initiate biweekly Islamology classes, but due to these tensions, Mr. Motahhari announced his withdrawal from the Hosseiniyeh in protest.

I vividly remember Mr. Motahhari declaring that as long as Minaachi continued to act unilaterally, he could not, in good conscience, remain involved. He publicly announced his departure from the institution, despite having previously planned a program for the 7th and 8th of Muharram. His exit deeply impacted the spirit of the Hosseiniyeh.

The late Dr. Shariati later confessed: “When Mr. Motahhari said he would not return, I felt as though all my aspirations had come to an end. Nothing held meaning for me anymore.” He was genuinely devoted to Motahhari and considered himself his admirer. With Motahhari’s departure, the institution was spiritually hollowed out. In an act of solidarity and to pressure Mr. Minaachi into addressing Motahhari’s concerns, the other speakers also canceled their programs. I, too, announced my withdrawal. Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani did the same. Even Mr. Mohammad-Taqi Shariati refrained from attending, and all programs were suspended. Dr. Shariati also announced the cancellation of his lectures. This collective action underscored the legitimacy and moral authority of Mr. Motahhari’s stance. I particularly recall a conversation with Mr. [Mohammad-Taqi] Shariati in Mashhad, in which he stated: “I will withdraw, but I won’t let Ali [his son] continue.” His clarity and conviction left no room for doubt. No one contested Motahhari’s reasoning—it was universally acknowledged as just and rational.

Consequently, the Hosseiniyeh was practically boycotted. However, in order to prevent its complete shutdown during the months of Muharram and Safar, it was agreed that Mr. Bahonar would give weekly lectures—a meager stream of continuity in place of the vibrant intellectual gatherings of the past. Mr. Minaachi, as I mentioned, was a highly capable and clever administrator. He managed to persuade Dr. Shariati that the continuation of the Islamology classes was vital, framing their suspension as a potential existential threat to religion itself. Although the Mashhad sessions had yielded a consensus to delay the start of these classes for two months to resolve the Hosseiniyeh conflict, Dr. Shariati was ultimately surrounded by those who insisted on immediate action. And so, he commenced the classes—thus freezing any reformative plan for the Hosseiniyeh. Mr. Motahhari never reconciled with the institution. Realizing that his perspectives were being completely disregarded, he abandoned what was essentially his own creation—an institution he had labored to establish. The Hosseiniyeh continued under Dr. Shariati’s stewardship. The sessions shifted from biweekly to weekly. Yet the institution had become person-centric; its vitality depended solely on Dr. Shariati. If he were ever absent due to illness, the Hosseiniyeh would essentially cease to function—a serious structural flaw that many sought to correct. At one point, a group approached me with a rather manipulative narrative, trying to persuade me to travel from Mashhad to Tehran to deliver one or two lectures at the Hosseiniyeh during the 28th of Safar. Only later did I realize that the truth of the Hosseiniyeh’s state had been concealed from me—that for months it had been functioning in this compromised form.

Later, the late Dr. Shariati visited me in Mashhad and suggested that we work together to revive the institution. He even drafted a plan. I agreed to collaborate. For approximately twenty hours or more, I participated in several continuous meetings in Tehran alongside Mr. Hashemi, Mr. Bahonar, and Mr. Shariati. We devised a comprehensive and promising blueprint for the future of Hosseiniyeh Ershad—meticulously written out and finalized. All that remained was a single affirmative word—“yes”—from Mr. Minaachi. Dr. Shariati assured us: “I’ll obtain that ‘yes’.” He went to secure it, but never returned. Eventually, we realized all our efforts had come to nothing. I returned to Mashhad; the others resumed their respective affairs.

Later, Dr. Shariati expressed his frustration: “Why didn’t you come?” We replied: “We came. You were supposed to obtain Mr. Minaachi’s approval.” And thus ended the chapter of Mr. Motahhari’s departure from Hosseiniyeh Ershad. Of course, there is much more to be said—but unfortunately, some have unjustly and cruelly distorted the truth of these events.^[1]