Marja': Difference between revisions

'''Al-Marja'īyya al-Dīnīyya''' (Arabic: {{ia|المَرجَعیّة الدینیة}}, literally: religious authority) or '''Marja’''' (Arabic: {{ia|مرجع}}) is a [[mujtahid]] whose [[fatwas] about jurisprudential issues are followed and acted upon by some [[Shi'as]] and who receives judicial alms ([[al-wujuhat al-shar'iyya]]) from his followers. Al-Marja'iyya is the highest religious ranking for [[Twelver Shi'as]]. The position is not held by appointment. The Shi'as usually identify the person who qualifies as an authority by asking religious scholars and clergy. The most crucial condition for qualifying for al-Marja'iyya is [[a'lamiyya|scholarly superiority]] to other mujtahids. The followers of al-Marja'iyya are called his “Muqallids” (followers). Jurisprudential views of al-Marja'iyya are usually collected in a book known as [[al-Risalat al-'Amaliyya]] (book of fatwas).

Marja'iyya is the most important social and religious position in the Shiite community. Marja' is a mujtahid who is followed by a number of the Shi'as, that is, some Shi'as practice their religious acts in accordance with that mujtahid’s jurisprudential views (that is, [[fatwas]]) and pay their judicial alms (al-wujuhat) to him or his representatives. To follow a religious scholar in this way is called “[[taqlid]]”.

The institution of Marja'iyya is financially dependent on judicial alms, people’s donations, and personal [[nadhr|vows]].

According to some researchers, the period of a global, influential Marja'iyya for the Shi'as began in the [[Islamic Seminary of Najaf]] with [[Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi]], known as “Sahib al-Jawahir” (d. 1266/1849). He did not require [[ijtihad]] for judges, and thus, he permitted that a judge adjudicates on the basis of the fatwas of a [[mujtahid]]. Many of his students went back to Iran and served as propagators of his Marja'iyya and fatwas.

In 1337/1918 when [['Abd al-Karim al-Ha'iri al-Yazdi]] moved to [[Qom]], a new period of the [[Islamic Seminary of Qom]] began. Sayyid al-Yazdi died in this year. When the Islamic Seminary of Qom was taking shape and Sayyid al-Yazdi and [[Shaykh al-Shari'a Isfahani]] (d. 1339/1920) died, part of the Shiite authority moved to Iran and al-Ha'iri himself. [[Sayyid Husayn Burujirdi]]’s migration to Qom in 1363/1943 and his activities led to the burgeoning of the Islamic Seminary of Qom. After the death of [[Sayyid Abu l-Hasan al-Isfahani]] (d. 1946) who lived in Najaf, Burujirdi was the prominent Shiite authority until 1961.

After [[1991 Uprisings in Iraq]], the Iraqi government increased the crackdown on the Islamic Seminary of Najaf. In the early years after the deaths of Khu'i and Muhammad 'Ali Araki, two of Khu'i’s students ([['Ali Gharawi Tabrizi]] and [[Murtada Burujirdi]]), who were candidates for Marja'iyya, were assassinated and killed. After a while, [[Sayyid Muhammad al-Sadr]], a student of [[Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr]], whose Marja'iyya was accepted by some Shi'as, was also killed. These assassinations and pressures practically isolated the Islamic Seminary of Najaf. However, part of the Shiite Marja'iyya still survived in Najaf.

Burujirdi’s presence in Qom led to the thriving of the Islamic Seminary of Qom. After his death, a number of mujtahids were introduced as Shiite authorities. Other than [[Ayatollah Milani]] in [[Mashhad]], other Iran-based authorities resided in Qom. Here are the most important figures: [[Sayyid Ahmad Khwansari]] (d. 1985), [[Sayyid Kazim Shari'atmadari]] (d. 1986), [[Sayyid Ruh Allah Khumayni]] (d. 1989), [[Sayyid Shahb al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi]] (d. 1990), and [[Sayyid Muhammad Rida Gulpayigani]] (d. 1993). Two days after the death of Ayatollah Burujirdi, Kayhan newspaper published a list of some Shiite mujtahids who were possible candidates for Marja'iyya.