After the Constitutional Revolution, many elites explained the role of people in government and society and in this regard thinkers like Imam Khomeini and Sayyid Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr also theoretically justified and explained this role in the realm of the Islamic government.
However, the dimensions and aspects of the thoughts of these two contemporary Shiite scholars about the extent and quality of people's role in the political destiny are not clearly explained.
This is an important issue that religious researchers and thinkers have not paid serious attention to.
Therefore, the main question is: what is the role of the people in the Islamic government thought of Imam Khomeini and Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr?
It seems that they have explained the role of the people in government from the perspective of the two deep-rooted political–intellectual schools of Qom and Najaf.
Such a scientific possibility can guide us to the theoretical frameworks and goals of religious democracy in the political thought of Shiism.
The present paper, using comparative analysis, seeks to compare the political thoughts of these two great Shiite jurists from two different perspectives.
The emphasis of the school of Qom on the concurrent accompaniment of jurists and people, and the insistence of the school of Najaf on people's role as God’s vicegerent, but under the supervision of a competent religious authority, are from the findings of the present paper. Finally, Ayatollah Sadr's wish became ture and the Islamic revolution under Imam Khomeini's leadership emeged victorious in Iran in 1979.
Ayatollah Sadr and his scholar sister Bin al-Huda wanted to establish the Islamic-democratic system in neiboring Iraq as well. They were imprisoned, tortured and executed by the then Iraqi dictator Saddam.
Imam strongly condemned the then Iraqi dictatorial regime's brutal steps against al-Sadr and his sister in a message as following:
Message
Date: April 22, 1980 [Ordībehesht 2, 1359 AHS / Jamādī ath-Thānī 6, 1400 AH]
Place: Shemīrān, Darband, Tehran
Subject: The duty of all classes of the Iraqi nation against the Ba‘ath party
Occasion: Martyrdom of Sayyid Muhammad-Bāqir Sadr and his sister Bint al-Hudā
Addressee: The Muslim nation of Iran and the world Muslims
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Verily, we belong to God and to Him we shall return
It is a matter of great sorrow and regret that Āyatullāh Sayyid Muhammad-Bāqir Sadr and his respected victim sister, one of the demagogues of the knowledge and conduct, a pride of sciences and culture have attained the highest degree of martyrdom at the hands of the depraved Ba‘ath regime of Iraq.
This has been reported by the foreign minister obtained by the various reliable sources and the Islamic countries. Besides, other sources too have reported the same. Martyrdom is a heritage. These dear personalities have inherited from their ancestors. Likewise, tyranny and atrocity too is a heritage.
These cruel tyrants inherit from their tyrant ancestors. There is nothing strange in the martyrdom of these great men who spent their life in campaigning for the aims of Islam at the hands of tyrants who too spent their life in bloodshed and cruelty. The warriors in the way of truth die in their beds.
The tyrants, bloodthirsty, if their hands be clear of victims’ blood, which will be an odd and strange. It is not a matter of wonder that the late Āyatullāh and his honorable sister are martyred.
The wonder is here that the Islamic nations particularly the noble nation of Iraq and more particularly the tribes of Tigris and Euphrates and the youth and the Iraqi university students should remain indifferent at this agony, and havoc that has hit Islam and the Prophet’s House (peace be on them).
It is, indeed, strange that they give the cursed Ba‘ath party of Iraq a chance to kill the sources of our pride one after the other.
The army of Iraq and other forces should become tools in their hands.
This is a painful fact that they help them in destruction of Islam and Qur’an.
I am disappointed from the up grade army officers. But I am not from the soldiers and all the inferior officers. I do not expect them that they will raise and uproot the tyrants there.
They will do the same as happened herein Iran. Or they should run out of the camps and their squadrons. They should not incur shame of the deeds of the Ba‘ath party.
On the other hand, I am not disappointed from the workers and the governmental staff of the illegitimate regime. I hope they will extend their hands into the hands of Iraqi nation and eradicate this element of shame from Iraq. I pray God to wipe out this tyranny from Iraq.
In the honor of this literary personality and the holy warrior, the pride of the theological institutes and the religious oracle, I declare three days mourning commencing from Wednesday the 3rd Ordībehesht a public holiday. I pray to God to compensate this irretrievable loss and desire from Him the glory of Islam and Muslims.
May God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.
Rūhullāh al-Mūsawī al-Khomeinī
Ordībehesht 2, 1359 AH
Sahifeh-ye-Imam, Vol.12, page 221