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Marja'
Marja' (Arabic: مرجع, romanized: marjiʿ ; plural marājiʿ ; lit. 'source to follow' or 'religious reference') is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and clerics below him in rank. The highest ranking marjiʿ is known as the marja al-mutlaq or marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq. A marji' is usually also a grand ayatollah.
Sources differ as to when the institution of the marja˓ emerged, with Murtadha al-Ansari (died 1864) and Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (died 940 or 941) both being called the first marja'.
As of 2023, there are approximately over 50 living maraji, almost all residing in Iran or Iraq.
Currently, maraji' are accorded the title grand ayatollah (Arabic: آية الله العظمی ʾĀyatullāh al-ʿUẓmā). Previously, the titles of Allamah (such as Allameh Tabatabaei, Allameh Majlesi, Allameh Hilli) and Imam (such as Imam Khomeini, Imam Rohani, Imam Shirazi and Imam Sadr) have also been used. Another source (Abbas Djavadi) states a marja' is "usually" a grand ayatollah.
Someone who follows/"imitates" a marja' (who performs taqlid) is known as a muqallid.
Ayatollahs
The title of an ayatollah is bestowed when a scholar/cleric reaches the level in the hawza (seminary) where his students and followers trust him to answer their questions on religious issues. An ayatollah must also have published a juristic book, known as a risalah amaliyah—a manual or treatise of practical religious rulings arranged according to topics dealing with ritual purity, worship, social issues, business, and political affairs. The risalah contains an ayatollah's fatwas on different topics, according to his knowledge of the most authentic Islamic sources and their application to current life. Traditionally only the most renowned ayatollahs of the given time published a risalah. Although some of the most well-known ayatollahs have declined to write one, numerous others of very prestigious backgrounds have done so in recent years.
Marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq
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Marja'
Marja' (Arabic: مرجع, romanized: marjiʿ ; plural marājiʿ ; lit. 'source to follow' or 'religious reference') is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and clerics below him in rank. The highest ranking marjiʿ is known as the marja al-mutlaq or marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq. A marji' is usually also a grand ayatollah.
Sources differ as to when the institution of the marja˓ emerged, with Murtadha al-Ansari (died 1864) and Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (died 940 or 941) both being called the first marja'.
As of 2023, there are approximately over 50 living maraji, almost all residing in Iran or Iraq.
Currently, maraji' are accorded the title grand ayatollah (Arabic: آية الله العظمی ʾĀyatullāh al-ʿUẓmā). Previously, the titles of Allamah (such as Allameh Tabatabaei, Allameh Majlesi, Allameh Hilli) and Imam (such as Imam Khomeini, Imam Rohani, Imam Shirazi and Imam Sadr) have also been used. Another source (Abbas Djavadi) states a marja' is "usually" a grand ayatollah.
Someone who follows/"imitates" a marja' (who performs taqlid) is known as a muqallid.
Ayatollahs
The title of an ayatollah is bestowed when a scholar/cleric reaches the level in the hawza (seminary) where his students and followers trust him to answer their questions on religious issues. An ayatollah must also have published a juristic book, known as a risalah amaliyah—a manual or treatise of practical religious rulings arranged according to topics dealing with ritual purity, worship, social issues, business, and political affairs. The risalah contains an ayatollah's fatwas on different topics, according to his knowledge of the most authentic Islamic sources and their application to current life. Traditionally only the most renowned ayatollahs of the given time published a risalah. Although some of the most well-known ayatollahs have declined to write one, numerous others of very prestigious backgrounds have done so in recent years.
Marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq