Narrated by Mr. Eshraghi, after passing away of Ayatollah Boroujerdi a meeting attended by some of Shiite religious authorities was held at Qom to nominate a new chancellor for the Seminary.
The one who would be the new chancellor, would be head of the Shiite religious establishment too.
Many discussions were circulated in that meeting.
One of the nominees promised he would pay part of the tuition fees for students. The other ensured about the rest of fees. And the third one promised about food supplies.
When Imam Khomeini was asked to make some sort of commitment, he replied:
“I have nothing to pay nor do I make a commitment for food or tuition fees!”
These statements meant he had no chance to be nominated and elected as the chancellor.
After the session we thought the Imam was annoyed that he had nothing to offer, but it was not so.
Mr. Eshraqi continued, the Imam, contrary to our expectation, came out of the meeting with consent and agreement.
When we asked him the reason for his consent, he replied gently:
“I feel happy and relaxed since the seminary has found individuals who will pay for fees and supply the food for students. It creates me a kind of tranquility and peace of mind!”
Narrated by: Ayatollah Mohammad Fadhil Lankarani
Impressions from Imam Khomeini’s Memoirs, vol. 5, chap. 7, pp. 150-51.