The late Ayatollah Shah-Abadi without doubt had a key and defining impact on the mystical and spiritual personality of Imam Khomeini.
Ayatollah Shah-Abadi was originally from Isfahan, Iran. He was an expert in Islamic jurisprudence, Philosophy and Irfan. In philosophy and Irfan he was the student of the late Ayatollah Mirza Abul-Hasan Isfahani (1823-1897AD), known as Jelweh, and one of the four most celebrated philosophers in the history of Islamic philosophy. Apart from Jurisprudence, Philosophy and Irfan, the Grand Ayatollah Shah-Abadi was acquainted with Mathematics, al-Jafr and also mastered the French language.
Imam Khomeini said: “My teacher, the late Shah-Abadi would recommend to me to frequently recite Surah al-Hashr (59), especially from Ayah 18 to the end of the Surah.”
The Perfect Arif; Grand Ayatollah Shah-Abadi, departed this temporary world to his eternal dwelling in nearness to his Beloved One, the Almighty Allah, in 1950 (1369AH), and his body was buried at the shrine of Hazrat Shah-Abdul-Azim in Tehran.
Another important teacher of Imam Khumeini in Irfan was Ayatollah Mirza Jawad Maleki.