One day the Imam asks one of his close acquaintances to pay a visit and extend his wishes on his behalf to so and so erudite scholar on the next day at nine in the morning. The acquaintance says: “In order not to forget the appointment, I made a written note of it. The next day at nine in the morning as I was passing by the Imam’s residence, I saw that a large crowd had gathered around his residence. I became very worried as to what had happened because in those days there was widespread discussion and rumour that the evil oppressor regime was aiming to assassinate the Imam and so I felt that surely some extraordinary event had taken place. With great anxiety I approached the Imam’s residence and asked what had happened. I was told that the Imam’s son His Holiness Ayatollah Hajj Mostafa had been martyred and the seminary students and clergymen had gathered there in order to express their grief and condolences to the Imam and were weeping. Out of intense anxiety, I totally forgot the nine o’clock appointment and visit to the erudite scholar and went inside the Imam’s residence instead. On entering his room my eyes fell on the Imam and as looked at his radiant countenance, I began to weep with greater intensity. Without displaying any emotion and as if nothing had happened, the Imam stated to me: “What about that matter?” I was in sixes and sevens and asked: “What matter?” the Imam stated: “Yesterday’s matter.” I tried hard to think what he was talking about and then realized that what the Imam meant was the visit and calling on the erudite scholar. This was at a time when the body of his son was lying in state and the sound of weeping and mourning could be heard from all around! The Imam continued: “Go and apologize to him on my behalf.”
Name of the narrator: Hujjat al-Islam wal Muslimeen Ansari Kermani, Message of the Revolution journal, no. 50.
Title of the Book: Impressions and Memoirs about Imam Khomeini's Practical Behaviour, vol. 1, chapter six, page 253