Khamenei was our father, a spiritual leader: Iran's envoy in India

Iran's special representative in India, Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi, described the late Ayatollah Khamenei as a "father" and spiritual leader for millions, highlighting his deep love for India and refuting claims about his wealth or security fears.

Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi, Special Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India, described the late Ayatollah Khamenei as Iran's "father" and a towering spiritual authority whose death, according to him, marks a profound loss not just for Iran but for millions of followers worldwide.

In an interview with ANI, Ilahi said, "Actually, our Supreme Leader wasn't just an ordinary leader. He was our father. He was our spiritual leader. He was our Marja in our religion. Marja means authentic, which we rely on him. He is not only for Iranians. There are millions of Muslims who like and love him. Millions of Muslims support him, and they follow him. He was our everything, and his martyrdom is a very big loss for everyone."

Ilahi said he had witnessed emotional scenes of mourning. "I met a lot of people here, and I saw in films and photos that they are crying very hard. So actually he was a very pious man."

Khamenei's Deep Admiration for India

Recalling Khamenei's intellectual interests, Ilahi claimed the Iranian leader had read "more than a thousand volumes of novels" and had a deep admiration for India. "He loved India too much, which is unimaginable," he said. "Whenever I met him, or he met anyone related to India, he was sending his salam to Indians. He knew Indian scholars by their name, whether Muslim or not Muslim, it didn't matter. He was saying we have much more civilisation with India, and he loves India too much."

Ilahi added that Khamenei would often speak about "the history of India and civilisation of India and philosophy of India and the poem of India," and would meet poets annually, including those invited from India. "Whenever he met Indian poets, he was very happy and listened to them. Whenever I met him, he said, 'Please send my salam to Indians and take care of India."

Highlighting what he described as a special bond, Ilahi said only "less than five countries" had been assigned official representatives by the Supreme Leader. "This depends on his love for that country. In Syria, he was, and also here in India and in Lebanon," he said.

Refuting 'Narrative War' on Khamenei's Final Days

Addressing reports about Khamenei's security in his final days, Ilahi alleged there had been "a narrative war" filled with misinformation. "They were saying that Ayatollah Khamenei is out of his house, his office, out of the city of Tehran capital and he lives in a basement or in some very safe place," he said. "But when he was martyred, and he was killed, everyone in the world knows that he was in his office in the early morning with his family, with his grandchildren, with his daughter-in-law."

He dismissed claims that the leader had fled Iran or amassed wealth. "They were saying that he took a lot of money, and he went to Russia. All of this was wrong and false," Ilahi said.

Recalling a conversation with security officials, Ilahi said, "I asked his security, ' Why are you not providing security for him? Why are you not asking him to go out? Why do you allow him to stay here? They said because he's not accepting."

According to Ilahi, the Supreme Leader had refused to leave Tehran despite security concerns. "We asked him several times to move him from Tehran to another city. He said, 'If you can provide this opportunity for all Iranians to go out of Tehran, OK, I'm ready.'"

A Simple and Pious Lifestyle

Ilahi also emphasised what he described as Khamenei's simple lifestyle. "Even he had four sons. None of them has a house. They are living in rented houses. Really, they are living in rented houses," he said.

"He was in the power of Iran. Two terms he was president of Iran, but he has nothing. Even he has one house, a very small house, roughly 100 square meters, which he had from before the Islamic Revolution. Never did he buy even one meter of land."

Calling his death a moment of national grief, Ilahi said the late leader's legacy would continue through his teachings and followers. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)