Career
He was the paternal grandfather of the Supreme leader of the Iranian Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini. His family migrated in the early 18th century from Nishapur in Iran to Oudh in northern India. They settled in the town of Kintoor, Barabanki district.
Zayn al-"Abidin al-Musavi, who was progenitor of sayeds of Kintoor, was great-great-grandfather of Seyyed Ahmad.
He was born in Kintoor. He may have been recruited by the British to help them maintain rule over British-occupied India.
In about 1830 he permanently left India, initially on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Ali in Najaf, Iraq. According to Moin, this movement was to escape colonial rule.
He visited Iran in 1834 and bought a house in Khomeyn.
He later purchased more land in and around Khomeyn, including an orchard and caravanserai. These properties remained in the family up to modern times. He had five children, including a son named Mostafa (father of Ruhollah Khomeini), who was born in 1856 from Sakineh.
He died in 1869 and was buried in Karbala.
He continued to be known by the nisba (title) Hindi (ie from Hind or India). Even Ruhollah Khomeini used Hindi as a pen name in some of his ghazals.
Ruhollah Khomeini"s brother was known by name Nureddin Hindi.
