The main spiritual teacher and mentor of Imam Khomeini was the late Grand Ayatollah Mirza Sheikh Muhammad Ali Shah-Abadi (1875-1950AD), one of the great Shia mystics of the 20th century. 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.