Everything about Ayatollah totally explained
Ayatollah (
Arabic:
آية الله;
Persian:
آيتالله); is a high ranking title given to
Twelver Shi'a clerics. The word means "Sign of
God" and those who carry the title are
experts in
Islamic studies such as
jurisprudence,
ethics, and
philosophy and usually teach in
Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is
Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin.
Rank
The title is currently granted to top Shia
mujtahid, after completing
sat'h and
kharij studies in the
hawza. By then he'd be able to issue his own
edicts from the sources of religious laws:
Qur'an,
Sunnah,
Ijmāˤ and
'Aql "intellect" (rather than the Sunnī principle of
Qiyas). Most of the time this is attested by an issued certificate from his teachers. The Ayatollah can then teach in
hawzas according to his speciality, can act as a reference for their religious questions, and act as a judge.
There is an important difference from Shi'a Ayatollah's and "saints" in other religions and
Sunni Islam. They are not regarded as enlightened by God Himself, but by the Word of God.
There are a few females which are equal in ranking to the Ayatollahs, and are known as
Lady Mujtahideh. A current example of a Lady Mujtahideh is
Zohreh Sefati. Historically, there have been several Mujtahidehs in Shi'ism, most famously the women in the family of
Allama Hilli.
History
According to author
Baqer Moin, "the title `ayatollah` was introduced at the time of the
Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905 to honour those clerical leaders who signed the constitution."
Grand Ayatollah
Only a few of the most important Ayatollah are accorded the rank of
Grand Ayatollah (
Ayatollah Ozma, "Great Sign of God"). This usually happens when the followers of one of the Ayatollahs refer to him in many situations and ask him to publish his Juristic book in which he answers the vast majority of daily Muslim affairs. The book is called
Resalah, which is usually a reinvention of the book
Al-Urwatu l-Wuthqah, according to their knowledge of the most authentic Islamic sources and their application to current life.
There is usually one Grand Ayatollah in
Iraq that heads the
Hawzas (currently
Ali Sistani) and a few that coordinate with him like
Ayatollah Bashir Najafi Mohammad Said Al-Hakim,
Mohammad Ishaq Al-Fayyad, and
Mohammad Taqi Modarresi. There are more in
Iran and wherever the
Shi'a exist. There are
more than 20 living world-wide; the most famous of them are
Ali Khamenei,
Ali Sistani,
Makarem Shirazi,
Malakouti,
Montazeri,
Fadlullah,
Haeri and
Sadiq Shirazi.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ayatollah'.
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