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Marja' (Arabic:مرجع,romanized: marjiʿ ; pluralmarājiʿ ;lit. 'source to follow' or'religious reference') is a title given to the highest level ofTwelverShia religious cleric, with the authority given by ahawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines ofIslamic law for followers and clerics below him in rank. The highest rankingmarjiʿ is known as themarja al-mutlaq ormarja al-taqlid al-mutlaq.[1][2][note 1] A marji' is usually also[3] agrand ayatollah.
Sources differ as to when the institution of the marja˓ emerged, withMurtadha al-Ansari (died 1864)[2] andMuhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (died 940 or 941)[4] both being called the first marja'.
As of 2023, there are approximatelyover 50 living maraji, almost all residing in Iran or Iraq.
Currently, maraji' are accorded the titlegrandayatollah (Arabic:آية الله العظمیʾĀyatullāh al-ʿUẓmā).[5] Previously, the titles ofAllamah (such asAllameh Tabatabaei,Allameh Majlesi,Allameh Hilli) andImam (such asImam Khomeini,Imam Rohani,[6]Imam Shirazi[7] andImam Sadr)[8] have also been used. Another source (Abbas Djavadi) states a marja' is "usually" a grand ayatollah.[3]
Someone who follows/"imitates" a marja' (who performstaqlid) is known as amuqallid.
Ayatollahs
The title of anayatollah is bestowed when a scholar/cleric reaches the level in thehawza (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 arisalah 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'sfatwas 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
The highest marja' or "first-among-equals", is called theMarja al-taqlid al-mutlaq.[9]
Traditionally,taqlid or "imitation" of an expert in Islamic jurisprudence (amujtahid) is not only lawful but obligatory on many religious questions for all Muslims not so trained themselves;[10] (on "matters of belief" orusulu 'din, it is obligatory for Shi'a to train themselves).[11]From the perspective ofShi'i jurisprudence, during the occultation ofthe Mahdi, (for the past 1000+ years) the highest rankingShiahawzah clerics are bestowed with responsibility for understanding and explaining Islamic religious jurisprudence. As of the 19th century, the Shiaulama taught believers to turn to "a source oftaqlid" (marja' at-taqlid) "for advice and guidance and as a model to be imitated."[12][13]
Abbas Djavadi gives examples of how amuqallid would imitate theirmarja':
Imagine you are a Shi'ite Muslim facing a long intercontinental flight and you aren't sure how to arrange your prayers or ablutions. Or imagine there is a political event or dispute in your society, such as an election, and you are not sure how to act. You check the book of your marja, therisalah (treatise on practical Islamic law), and find the answers you need.
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.[14]
Where a difference in opinion exists between the maraji', each of them provides their own opinion and themuqallid (their followers) will follow their own marja's opinion on that subject.[15] Exempted from the requirement to follow a marja' aremujtahid, i.e. someone who has completed advanced training (dars kharij) in the hawza and has acquired the license to engage inijtihad (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) and exercise ijtihad therein but follow a marja' in other areas of fiqh.
Several senior grand ayatollahs preside over hawzas (religious seminaries). The hawzas ofQom andNajaf are the preeminent seminary centers for the training of Shiaclergymen. However, there are other smaller hawzas in many other cities around the world, the biggest ones beingKarbala (Iraq),Isfahan (Iran) andMashhad (Iran).
There are 56maraji living worldwide as of 2023,[16][17] mostly residing inNajaf andQom. The most prominent among them areHossein Vahid Khorasani,Ali Khamenei,Mousa Shubairi Zanjani,Sayyid Sadeq Rohani,Naser Makarem Shirazi,Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi,Hossein Noori Hamedani andAbdollah Javadi-Amoli in Qom;Ali Sistani,Muhammad al-Fayadh,Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim andBashir al-Najafi in Najaf.
In the early 1990s, the leading marja',Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, died andAli 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.[1]
However, in 1994, the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) declared it was theSupreme Leader of Iran,Ali Khamenei who was "the single marja˓ al-taqlid" or "undisputed marja˓".[2]
According to Mohamad Bazzi, this was a bid "to displace" Ali Sistani, the trueMarja al-taqlid al-mutlaq, "and his allies inNajaf", 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."[1] Gleave does not mention Sistani but states that Khamenei's "position as the Marja˓ al-taqlid" has "remained a matter of dispute".[2]
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".[4] Nonetheless, there are "general principles" for their selection, including several "conditions" which have been "accepted unanimously by Shiʿite theologians".[4]
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'.[4]
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
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."[18]
Shiʿi "biographical compilations generally" considerMuhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (d. 940 or 941) – one of the first compilers of Shiʿite hadith – to be "the first" post-occultation marja al-taqlid, according to Neguin Yavariand Eric Hooglund.[4] However, according toRobert Gleave, the institution of the marja˓ did not emerged until the nineteenth century,[note 2] with the first universally recognized marja˓, "the influential mujtahidMurtadha al-Ansari (d. 1864)".[2] 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".[20]
Shiite authorities in the history ofShi'ism have an important role in the religious, political and social thought of their communities. One example is the fatwa ofMirza Mohammed Hassan Husseini Shirazi imposing sanctions on the use of tobacco during Qajar rule, which led to the abolition of the tobacco concession.[21]
Taqlid has been introduced by scholars who felt that Quranic verses and traditions were not enough and thatulama were needed not only to interpret the Quran andSunna but to make "new rulings to respond to new challenges and push the boundaries of Shia law in new directions."[22]
Taqlid or "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 technical proof -- is an important tenet of Usuli doctrine.[23]: 225 Usulism (Arabic:الأصولية,romanized: al-ʾUṣūliyya) has been the majority school ofTwelverShiaIslam since the crushing of the other school (Akhbaris) in the late 18th century. The Usulis favor the use ofijtihad (reasoning) in the creation of new rules ofjurisprudence; in assessinghadith to exclude traditions they believe unreliable; and in considering it obligatory to obey amujtahid when seeking to determine Islamically correct behavior.
