Born in 1901 A.D. his birthday coincides with the anniversary of the auspicious birth of Hadrat Fatima (S.A.), the most revered and highly respected woman in Islam. Imam Khomeini was born into a religious family; his father, Ayatollah Seyyed Mustafa Musavi was educated in Najaf and Samarra, and later returned to his birthplace, Khomeini, where he was the religious leader of the people until his death at the age of 42. Imam Khomeini's mother also had a religious background for she was the daughter of Ayatollah Mirza Ahmad, an exalted theologian.
Due to the early death of his father, the Imam was brought up under the loving care of his mother and his aunt Sahiba, however, when he was at the early age of fifteen his aunt came to an untimely end, and shortly afterwards his mother also passed away. The loss of his dear ones was a severe blow to one so Young but it also served to strengthen the will of Imam Khomeini and cemented his faith in Allah the Almighty all the more.
From early childhood the Imam paid keen interest in his studies. At a very early age he learned to read and write, and his elder brother, Ayatollah Passandideh also taught him Arabic grammar and logic along with the rudiments of many other subjects.
To further his studies Imam Khomeini studied literature at the Center for Theological studies in Arak and later in Qom, and became an authority on theological and canon law.
