He was educated by the best

Khomeini's elder brother, who was at this point the family's leader, was aware of his propensity for religious and academic endeavors. In 1920, he made the decision to send Khomeini, then 18 years old, to Sultanabad. Khomeini would spend three years learning under the renowned Islamic scholar Yazdi Hariri. In 1923, Khomeini traveled with Ha'iri to Qom in order to further his education and mentor younger pupils.

He was educated by the best. In particular, plans had been made for him to attend the Islamic seminary in Isfahan after World War I, but he was drawn to the school in Arak. Ayatollah Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi took over as his leader. Khomeini relocated to Arak in 1920 and started his studies there. The next year, Ayatollah Haeri Yazdi asked his pupils to join him when he relocated to the Islamic seminary in the holy city of Qom, southwest of Tehran. The offer was accepted, and Khomeini relocated to the Dar al-Shafa school in Qom. In addition to studying Islamic law (sharia) and jurisprudence (Fiqh), Khomeini had also developed an interest in poetry and philosophy at that point (Irfan).

Khomeini, therefore, sought the advice of Mirza Ali Akbar Yazdi, a specialist in philosophy and mysticism, after landing in Qom. Yazdi passed away in 1924, but Khomeini continued to study philosophy under the guidance of Rafi's Qazvini and Javad Aqa Maleki Tabrizi. However, Mulla Sadra and Ibn Arabi were among the historical Sufi mystics who may have had the greatest impact on Khomeini, in addition to another instructor, Mirza Muhammad 'Ali Shahabadi.

Plato, whose ideas "in the realm of divinity" he considered to be "grave and substantial," and Aristotle, whose philosophy he considered to be the father of logic, were both influential on Khomeini as he studied Greek philosophy. Avicenna and Mulla Sadra were the two Islamic philosophers by who Khomeini was most influenced.