Though executed more than two decades before 1979, Safavi is often remembered as an ideological forerunner of the Islamic Revolution. His emphasis on clerical leadership, anti-imperialism, and Islamic purity foreshadowed themes later embraced by Khomeini and the revolutionary movement. Leaders like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have praised him as a pioneer of revolutionary Islam who “lit the first sparks” of Islamic revival.
For some religious circles, Safavi is honored as a martyr who gave his life for Islam, while secularists and liberals view him as a dangerous extremist who introduced political violence into modern politics. Navvab Safavi is remembered as a bridge between traditional Shi’a clerical activism and modern Islamist militancy. His group, Fadayan-e Islam, marked one of the first organized Islamist militant movements, influencing later organizations across the Middle East.
