A memoir about Haj Seyyed Javad Khamenei — father of Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — has been published in Arabic in Lebanon, offering deep insight into the roots and values that shaped one of the most powerful figures in the Middle East.
The book, titled 'The Guiding Father: A Memoir of Haj Seyyed Javad Khamenei' (Arabic: 'Al-Ab al-Qa'id'), was released by Dar Al-Mahaja Al-Baydha' publishing house. Its content draws on notes, correspondence, and family accounts, focusing on the period when the Supreme Leader's father taught at Islamic centers in Najaf (Iraq) and Mashhad (Iran).
Haj Seyyed Javad Khamenei (1895–1986) was a Shia Islamic scholar from a longstanding religious family in Khorasan province, northeastern Iran. He taught at religious schools (Hawza) and participated in the movement against the Pahlavi monarchy, though he never held a prominent political role like his son.
According to the publisher's description, the memoir underscores the father's influence on Grand Ayatollah Khamenei's political and religious thinking. It includes details of how Haj Seyyed Javad encouraged his son to pursue scholarship, read works of Islamic thinkers such as Allameh Tabatabai, and remain loyal to the ideology of the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
'From a young age, Haj Seyyed Javad was a model of faith and perseverance. It was he who laid the foundation for his son's deep religious belief and political will,' the book's introduction states. 'His life is the story of a father, a scholar, and a citizen who lived fully for his ideals.'
The Arabic edition aims to reach readers in Arab countries with large Shia Muslim communities, especially Lebanon, Iraq, and Bahrain. The book was previously published in Persian in Iran, attracting interest from scholars and researchers of contemporary Islamic political history.
The memoir's launch in Lebanon comes as Iran increases its cultural and religious influence in the Levant through channels such as Hezbollah and other Tehran-aligned Islamic organizations. However, analysts say the book is more of a family memoir than direct political propaganda.
There is currently no information about whether the memoir will be translated into Vietnamese or other Asian languages.
