Dring the early 1900s the only way to save country from government corruption and foreign manipulation was to make a written code of laws. This sentiment caused the nstitutional Revolution
There are deep historical links between constitutional movement and the Islamic Revolution. Imam Khomeini on several occasion warned that the lessons must be learned from the constitutional movement. Imam on different occasions in this regard said as following:
History is a lesson for us. When you read the history of constitutionalism, you see at first the Constitutional Movement proceeded, but later hands came in and divided the entire people of Iran into two groups...Those despots later came, seized control of the constitutional movement, and led it where you and we saw... (Sahifeh-ye-Imam, Vol.18, page 143)
Whatever befell this oppressed nation in the course of history from the constitutional movement to the last appointments in tyrannical monarchy were definitely stemmed from corrupt Majlis. People did not participate or insignificantly interfered in selecting the Majlis deputies... The clerics were totally banned from intervention and forced to seclude. The hands of bullies and westernized and easternized elements were untied, leading the country to where we all witnessed. (Sahifeh-ye-Imam, Vol.18, page 143)
As for this constitution the late Shaykh Fadlullāh, was adamant that it be a legitimate one, and that the laws be in line with Islam. At the time, the foreigners who saw that the clergy wielded such power, arranged for a court to be set up in Iran wherin Shaykh Fazlulla, a crusading mujathid of high status, was tried by a perverted individual in the guise of a clergyman and hanged in the presence of a crowd of people in Tūpkhāneh Square. (Sahifeh-ye-Imam, Vol.13, page 304) .
All the gentlemen have heard about the constitutional movement. A group that did not want Islam to be strong in this country and sought to push here towards Europe provided an atmosphere in which people like Āqā Shaykh Fadlullāh who was an outstanding man in Iran and was accepted by all was hanged in public and people applauded. This was a scheme to do away with Islam and they did. From then onward the constitutional movement could not proceed as desired by the Najaf ‘ulamā’. ( Sahifeh-ye-Imam, Vol.18, page 205)