Ayatollah

Ayatollah ( Arabic : آية الله ; Persian : آیت‌الله ) is a high title given to major Shia clergymen . The word means 'sign of God ', and those who carry the title are experts in Islamic sciences such as jurisprudence , ethics , philosophy and mysticism , and usually teach in schools ( hawza ) of Islamic sciences. A handful of the most important Ayatollahs are accorded the title Grand Ayatollah ( ayat ullahi 'l-`udhma ), or Marja al-taqlid ("object of emulation"). There is usually only one Grand Ayatollah in Iraq and a few in Iran . There are six living Grand Ayatollahs: Ali Khamenei , Ali al-Sistani , Sayyid Ali , Kazem al-Haeri , Muhammad Fazel Lankarani and Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi . When Western people say 'the Ayatollah', they usually mean Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini , who brought the word into the international limelight during the 1979 Iranian Revolution ; a possible secondary meaning would be the term's use to indicate the serving Supreme Leader of Iran . See also : List of Ayatollahs

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. In the West, the title is commonly associated with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini , leader of Iran from 1979 to 1989.

Ayatollah ( UK : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t ɒ l ə / or US : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t oʊ l ə / ; ) is an honorific title for high-ranking Shia clergy in Iran that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.

High-ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī'a Muslim clerics This article is about the Shia Islamic title. Principles Monotheism Justice Prophethood Imamate Judgement Day Other beliefs Imamate of the Family Angels Mourning of Muharram Intercession Occultation Wilayat al-Faqih Usul al-fiqh Ijtihad Taqlid Irfan Practices Salat Sawm Hajj Zakat Khums Jihad Amr bi-l maʿrūf Nahy ani l-Munkar Tawalli Tabarri Other practices Mourning of Muharram Arba'een Pilgrimage Intercession Holy cities Mecca Medina Najaf Karbala Mashhad Jerusalem Samarra Kadhimiya Qom Groups Ja'fari Usuli Akhbari Shaykhi Other related sects and groups Alawites Sufi orders and Alevism Qizilbash Safaviyya Bektashism and folk religion Malamatiyya Qalandariyya Hurufism Bektashism Galibi Ni'matullāhī Scholarship Law Marja' ( list ) Hawza Ayatollah ( list ) Allamah Seghatoleslam Mohyeddin Hojatoleslam Ijtihad Hadith collections The Four Books Kitab al-Kafi Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih Tahdhib al-Ahkam Al-Istibsar Other hadith collections Book of Sulaym ibn Qays Bihar al-Anwar Wasā'il al-Shīʿa Reality of Certainty Nahj al-Balagha Mafatih al-Jinan Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya Al-Amali Sources of ijtihad and jurisprudence Qur'an Hadiths of The Infallibles Consensus Reason Related topics List of Twelver Shia books Criticism of Twelver Shi'ism Shia Islam portal v t e Ayatollah ( UK : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t ɒ l ə / or US : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t oʊ l ə / ; ) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran that came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most distinguished marja' at-taqlid mujtahid , it suffered from "inflation" following the 1979 Iranian Revolution when it came to be used for "any established mujtahid". By 2015 it was further expanded to include any student who had passed their Mujtahid final exam, leading to "thousands" of Ayatollahs. The title is not used by the Sunni community of Iran, nor by Shias in Lebanon , Pakistan , or India . In Iraq , the title is not unknown, but is only used for clerics of Iranian origin. In the Western world – especially in decade after the Iranian Revolution – it was associated with Ruhollah Khomeini , who was so well known as to often be referred to as " The Ayatollah ".

High-ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī'a Muslim clerics This article is about the Shia Islamic title. Ayatollah ( UK : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t ɒ l ə / , also US : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t oʊ l ə / ; Arabic : آية الله , romanized : ʾāyatu llāh ; Persian : آیت‌الله , romanized : âyatollâh [ɒːjjætˌolˈlɒːh] ) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy . It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most distinguished marja' at-taqlid mujtahid , it suffered from "inflation" following the 1979 Iranian Revolution when it came to be used for "any established mujtahid". By 2015 it was further expanded to include any student who had passed their Mujtahid final exam, leading to "thousands" of Ayatollahs. The title is not used by the Sunni community of Iran. In the Western world – especially after the Iranian Revolution – it was associated with Ruhollah Khomeini , who was so well known as to often be referred to as "The Ayatollah". Grand Ayatollahs of Qom , Iran; Religious leaders who have the authority to interpret sharia sources in Shia Islam used assertive titles such as Hujjat al-Islam , Ayatollah, Ayatollah Al-Uzma and gained tutelage over people and the administration .