High-ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī'a Muslim clerics
This article is about the Shia Islamic title. For other uses, see Ayatollah (disambiguation).
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Ayatollah (UK: /ˌaɪəˈtɒlə/orUS: /ˌaɪəˈtoʊlə/; Persian: آیتالله, romanized: âyatollâh, Persian pronunciation:[ɒːjjætˌolˈlɒːh]) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.[1][2]
Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most distinguished marja' at-taqlidmujtahid, it suffered from "inflation" following the 1979 Iranian Revolution when it came to be used for "any established mujtahid".[3] By 2015 it was further expanded to include any student who had passed their Mujtahid final exam,[4] leading to "thousands" of Ayatollahs.[5]
The title is not used by the Sunni community of Iran,[1] nor by Shias in Lebanon, Pakistan, or India.[1] In Iraq, the title is not unknown, but is only used for clerics of Iranian origin.[1]
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".
^ abcdAlgar 1987
^Glassé 2003
^Momen, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam, 1985, p.205-6
^Golkar 2017, pp. 219
^Cite error: The named reference Momen178 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Ayatollah (UK: /ˌaɪəˈtɒlə/ or US: /ˌaɪəˈtoʊlə/; Persian: آیتالله, romanized: âyatollâh, Persian pronunciation: [ɒːjjætˌolˈlɒːh]) is an honorific title...
Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 1902 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian Islamic revolutionary, politician, and religious leader...
the hawza of Mashhad, under mentors such as Sheikh Hashem Qazvini and Ayatollah Milani. Then, he went to Najaf in 1957, but soon returned to Mashhad due...
clerical rank is Grand Ayatollah also known as Marja'. This list contains only the names of ayatollahs. To see lists of grand ayatollahs, or hujjatul islams...
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was superseded by the theocratic government of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a religious cleric who had headed one of the rebel...
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of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam is a non-fiction work written by Mark Bowden. Guests of the Ayatollah relates...
On 3 June 1989, at 22:20 IRST, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the Iranian Revolution and the first Supreme Leader and founder of the Islamic...
Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Muhammad Hussain Najafi (Arabic: آيت الله العظمى علامه شيخ محمد حسين; 10 April 1932 – 21 August 2023) was a Pakistani Twelver Shia...
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Spring 2003) Iran portal Shia Islam portal Biography portal Ayatollah List of ayatollahs "Hardliner Clerics in Iran Demand More Executions, Amputations"...
Ayatollah Sayyed Abbas Almohri (Arabic: آية الله سيد عباس المهري; 1912–1988) was one of the first Kuwaiti Shia scholars based in Kuwait. He was born in...
study religion in 1961. There he was educated by Ayatollah Seyyed Mostafa Mohaqiq Damad, and Grand Ayatollahs, including Mohammad Ali Araki and Hossein Ali...
coercive at the time. Consultations in February the following year led to Ayatollah Khomeini ordering the appointment of a 13-member council that was given...
was destroyed under the direction of Khalkhali, which was sanctioned by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khalkhali ordered the executions of Amir Abbas Hoveida...
son of Ayatollah Khomeini. He died before the Iranian Revolution. Khomeini was born in Qom on 12 December 1930. He was the eldest son of Ayatollah Khomeini...
conservative" and "hardline." His rank has been given both as Hojjatoleslam and Ayatollah. He is the Friday Prayer leader in Mashhad, Iran and is also that city's...
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