Every marja has his own risalah. For things that cannot be found in those books, you turn to the nearest representative of your marja, write a letter or e-mail or, more recently, raise the question on the website of your marja and receive your answer.
}} ===Authority=== Where a difference in opinion exists between the maraji', each of them provides their own opinion and the ''[muqallid](/source/Taqlid)'' (their followers) will follow their own marja's opinion on that subject.{{cite web|url=http://www.m-narjes.org/maaref/ahkam/tafkik/ahkam8.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109030831/http://www.m-narjes.org/maaref/ahkam/tafkik/ahkam8.htm|title=تکليف،تقليد و انتخاب مرجع تقليد براي بانوان|archive-date=9 January 2008}} Exempted from the requirement to follow a marja' are [mujtahid](/source/mujtahid), i.e. someone who has completed advanced training (''dars kharij'') in the hawza and has acquired the license to engage in [ijtihad](/source/ijtihad) (''ʾijāz al-ʾijtihād'') from one or several ayatollahs. However ijtihad is not always comprehensive and so a mujtahid may be an expert in one particular area of Islamic jurisprudence ([fiqh](/source/fiqh)) and exercise ijtihad therein but follow a marja' in other areas of fiqh. ===Who and where=== Several senior grand ayatollahs preside over hawzas (religious seminaries). The hawzas of [Qom](/source/Qom) and [Najaf](/source/Najaf) are the preeminent seminary centers for the training of Shia [clergymen](/source/Cleric). However, there are other smaller hawzas in many other cities around the world, the biggest ones being [Karbala](/source/Karbala) (Iraq), [Isfahan](/source/Isfahan) (Iran) and [Mashhad](/source/Mashhad) (Iran). There are 56 [maraji](/source/List_of_maraji) living worldwide as of 2023,{{Cite web |url=http://iraq.iraq.ir/vb/showthread.php?t=253437 |title=List of Maraji (Updated) as of 2017 |access-date=2018-08-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819182120/http://iraq.iraq.ir/vb/showthread.php?t=253437 |archive-date=2018-08-19 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.yahosein.com/vb/showthread.php?t=224096 |title=Another list of Maraji (2017) |date=22 July 2017 |access-date=2018-08-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819182053/https://www.yahosein.com/vb/showthread.php?t=224096 |archive-date=2018-08-19 |url-status=live }} mostly residing in [Najaf](/source/Najaf) and [Qom](/source/Qom). The most prominent among them are [Hossein Vahid Khorasani](/source/Hossein_Vahid_Khorasani), [Mousa Shubairi Zanjani](/source/Mousa_Shubairi_Zanjani), [Sayyid Sadeq Rohani](/source/Sayyid_Sadeq_Rohani), [Naser Makarem Shirazi](/source/Naser_Makarem_Shirazi), [Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi](/source/Sadiq_Hussaini_Shirazi), [Hossein Noori Hamedani](/source/Hossein_Noori_Hamedani) and [Abdollah Javadi-Amoli](/source/Abdollah_Javadi-Amoli) in Qom; [Ali Sistani](/source/Ali_al-Sistani), [Muhammad al-Fayadh](/source/Muhammad_al-Fayadh), [Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim](/source/Muhammad_Saeed_al-Hakim) and [Bashir al-Najafi](/source/Bashir_al-Najafi) in Najaf. ;Dispute over ''Marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq'' In the early 1990s, the leading marja', [Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei](/source/Abu_al-Qasim_al-Khoei), died and [Ali Sistani](/source/Ali_al-Sistani), "emerged" as the '' marja al-mutlaq'' or highest Marja' in the world of Shia Islam. According to Mohamad Bazzi, Sistani's word "on religious matters carries the most weight" among Shia. However, in 1994, the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) declared it was the [Supreme Leader of Iran](/source/Supreme_Leader_of_Iran), [Ali Khamenei](/source/Ali_Khamenei) who was "the single marja˓ al-taqlid" or "undisputed marja˓". According to Mohamad Bazzi, this was a bid "to displace" Ali Sistani, the true ''Marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq'', "and his allies in [Najaf](/source/Najaf)", but it "failed" because Khamenei "had modest religious credentials (he was only elevated to the rank of ayatollah after Khomeini's death, so he could assume the post of supreme leader). Faced with Baathist persecution and an Iranian power grab, Sistani was able to retain his position." Gleave does not mention Sistani but states that Khamenei's "position as the Marja˓ al-taqlid" has "remained a matter of dispute". ===Conditions for a marja'=== There is no formalized specific process nor official body resembling a council of ulama to designate someone a marja al-taqlid, because reaching the position of marja al-taqlid "is entirely at the discretion of the believers themselves". Nonetheless, there are "general principles" for their selection, including several "conditions" which have been "accepted unanimously by Shiʿite theologians".{{cite web |last1=yavari |first1=neguin |title=MARJA AL-TAQLID |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/marja-al-taqlid |website=encyclopedia.com |access-date=10 August 2022}} *maturity (''bulugh''), *reasonableness (''aql''), *being of the male sex (''dhukurrat''), *faith (''iman''), *justice (''edalat''), and *legitimacy of birth. Another condition is being able to raise enough money "to finance the education of religious students" from donations from the believers, is one of the qualifications of a marja'. ===How a follower chooses a marja'=== A marja'-e taqlid must first have devoted himself to the study of Islamic law until he is qualified as a mojtahed or faqih (jurist), which means that he can derive his own legal rulings and issue edicts on religious law. Baqer Moin explains that {{blockquote|unlike the Catholic pope or Christian bishops, he is not chosen by an electoral college, or by any other formal procedure. It is incumbent on every believer or `imitator` to make his or her own choice of marja'-e taqlid on the ground that he is the most learned mojtahed of his time and a man of great moral probity. "Of course, most ordinary people are not in a position to judge who is the most learned, so believers are instructed either to inquire of two upright and knowledgeable persons who are not contradicted by two other similar persons, or to satisfy themselves on the evidence of a group of learned and upright persons. In practice this means that most people rely on the assurances of their local mollahs, who in their turn will be influenced by people they respect or are further up the religious hierarchy. Hence the importance to any leading divine of a following among students and the lesser clergy, who will promote his position in this informal process of consultation."''Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah'', by Baqer Moin, (Thomas Dunne Books, c2000), p.33}} ==History== === First marja' === Shi'i "biographical compilations generally" consider [Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni](/source/Muhammad_ibn_Ya'qub_al-Kulayni) (d. 940 or 941) – one of the first compilers of Shi'ite hadith – to be "the first" post-occultation marja al-taqlid, according to Neguin Yavari and Eric Hooglund. However, according to [Robert Gleave](/source/Robert_Gleave), the institution of the marja' did not emerged until the nineteenth century,{{NoteTag|Ahmad Kazemi Moussavi agrees{{cite journal |last1=Moussavi |first1=Ahmad Kazemi |title=The Establishment of the Position of Marja'iyyt-i Taqlid in the Twelver-Shi'i Community |journal=Iranian Studies |date=Winter 1985 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=35–51 |doi=10.1080/00210868508701646 }}}} with the first universally recognized marja', "the influential mujtahid [Murtadha al-Ansari](/source/Murtadha_al-Ansari) (d. 1864)". Still another source – four mullahs at al-islam.org who were asked directly "Who was the first ever Marja-e-Taqleed?" – was non-committal. Only one of four (Mohammad Al-Musawi) replied and would only say, "from the time of the Prophet (SAWA) and the Infallible Imams, Muslims who lived in places far away from them, were ordered to refer in religious matters to the scholar in their area".{{cite web |title=Ask a Question. When did the institution of Taqleed get started? Who was the first ever Marja-e-Taqleed? Is Taqleed obligatory or optional and why? Is there any evidence from the Imams for it? |url=https://www.al-islam.org/ask/when-did-the-institution-of-taqleed-get-started-who-was-the-first-ever-marja-e-taqleed-is-taqleed-obligatory-or-optional-and-why-is-there-any-evidence-from-the-imams-for-it |website=Al-Islam.org |date=2 September 2020 |access-date=13 October 2022}} [Shiite](/source/Shiite) authorities in the history of [Shi'ism](/source/Shi'ism) have an important role in the religious, political and social thought of their communities. One example is the fatwa of [Mirza Mohammed Hassan Husseini Shirazi](/source/Mirza_Mohammed_Hassan_Husseini_Shirazi) imposing sanctions on the use of tobacco during Qajar rule, which led to the abolition of the tobacco concession.{{cite book|last1=Politics, Protest and Piety in Qajar Iran|title=Tobacco Protest|date=30 January 2013|url=http://www.al-islam.org/articles/politics-protest-and-piety-qajar-iran-n-zahra-rizvi|access-date=2015-08-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905221344/http://www.al-islam.org/articles/politics-protest-and-piety-qajar-iran-n-zahra-rizvi|archive-date=2015-09-05|url-status=live}} Taqlid has been introduced by scholars who felt that Quranic verses and traditions were not enough and that [ulama](/source/ulama) were needed not only to interpret the Quran and [Sunna](/source/Sunnah) but to make "new rulings to respond to new challenges and push the boundaries of Shia law in new directions."{{cite book |last=Nasr |first=Vali |title=The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will shape the Future |publisher=Norton |year=2006 |isbn=0-393-06211-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/shiarevivalhowco00nasr/page/69 69] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/shiarevivalhowco00nasr/page/69 }} ===Usulism and Akhbaris=== [Taqlid](/source/Taqlid) ("imitation") – i.e. the acceptance of a religious ruling in matters of worship and personal affairs from someone regarded as a higher religious authority (e.g. an 'ālim) without necessarily asking for the proof – is an important tenet of Usuli doctrine.{{Cite book | last =Momen | first =Moojan |author-link= Moojan Momen | year =1985 | title =An introduction to Shi'i Islam : the history and doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism | publication-place =Oxford | publisher =George Ronald | isbn =0-85398-201-5 }}{{rp|225}} [Usulism](/source/Usulism) ({{langx|ar|الأصولية |translit=al-ʾUṣūliyya}}) has been the majority school of [Twelver](/source/Twelver) [Shia](/source/Shia) [Islam](/source/Muslim) since the crushing of the other school (Akhbaris) in the late 18th century. The Usulis favor the use of {{Transliteration|ar|[ijtihad](/source/ijtihad)}} (reasoning) in the creation of new rules of [jurisprudence](/source/fiqh); in assessing [hadith](/source/hadith) to exclude traditions they believe unreliable; and in considering it obligatory to obey a ''mujtahid'' when seeking to determine Islamically correct behavior. ==See also== {{portal|Shia Islam|politics}} *[Hawza](/source/Hawza) *[Ijtihad](/source/Ijtihad) *[Mufti](/source/Mufti) *[Risalah (fiqh)](/source/Risalah_(fiqh)) *[Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom](/source/Society_of_Seminary_Teachers_of_Qom) *[Ulema](/source/Ulema) *[List of ayatollahs](/source/List_of_ayatollahs) *[List of current maraji](/source/List_of_current_maraji) *[List of deceased maraji](/source/List_of_deceased_maraji) ==Notes== {{reflist|group=note}} ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207113500/http://slate.msn.com/id/2098364/ Slate Magazine's "So you want to be an Ayatollah"], explaining how Shiite clerics earn the title Category:Religious leadership roles Category:Shia theology Category:Arabic words and phrases Category:Islamic honorifics Category:Ayatollahs Category:Hawza Category:Islamic scholars Category:Islamic religious leaders Category:Lists of Islamic religious leaders Category:Muslim scholars of Islamic jurisprudence Category:Titles Category:Marja' --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marja'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marja') by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marja'?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.