Marja': Difference between revisions

'''Marjaʿ''' (Arabic: {{ia|مرجع}}; literally: authority to which one refers) is a [[mujtahid|jurist and religious scholar]] whose [[fatwa|edicts]] (fatwas) about [[Fiqh|jurisprudential]] issues are followed and acted upon by a group of [[Shi'a]] and to whom his followers give their [[al-wujuhat al-shar'iyya|religious taxes and fines]]. '''Al-Marjaʿīyya''' (Arabic: {{ia|المَرجَعیّة}}, literally: religious authority) is the position of giving edicts and is the highest religious ranking for [[Twelver Shi'a]]s. The position is not held by appointment. The Shi'as usually make inquiries about the person who qualifies as an authority by consulting with religious scholars and clergies. The most crucial condition to qualify for Marja'iyya is [[a'lamiyya|scholarly superiority]] to other jurists. The followers of Marja' are called his "Muqallids" (who adopts Marja's edicts).

Given the demographic, several [[mujtahid]]s (jurists) usually undertake the position of Marja'iyya in each period, and in very few cases, one mujtahid is considered by the majority of the Shi'as in the world as the absolute authority. These jurists are usually referred to by honorary titles, such as Grand Ayatollah and [[Ayatollah]]. Most of the Shiite authorities were based in [[Iraq]] ([[Najaf]], [[Karbala]], and [[Samarra]]) and [[Iran]] ([[Qom]], [[Mashhad]], [[Isfahan]], and [[Tehran]]).

The most prominent recent Shiite authorities were [[Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi]] known as the author of ''[[Jawahir al-kalam]]'', [[Al-Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari]], [[Sayyid Muhammad Hasan Shirazi]] (who issued the fatwa of [[Tobacco Movement|prohibition of tobacco]]), [[Akhund Khurasani]], [[Sayyid Husayn Burujirdi]], [[Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim]], and [[Sayyid Ruh Allah Khumayni]] (the founder of the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]]).

==Marja'iyya==

Marja'iyya is the most important social and religious position in the Shiite community. Marja' is a [[mujtahid]] (jurist) who is followed by a number of the Shi'as, that is, some Shi'as practice their religious acts in accordance with that of mujtahid's [[fatwa|jurisprudential views]] and pay their judicial alms (al-wujuhat) to him or his representatives. To follow a religious scholar in this way is called "[[taqlid]]".<ref>See: Ṭabāṭabāʾī al-Yazdī, ''al-ʿUrwa al-wuthqā'', vol. 1, p. 4; Raḥmān Sitāyish, ''Taqlīd'', p. 789.</ref>

The extent of the social influence of a Marja' depends on the number of his followers. The financial power of a Marja' is reinforced by the judicial alms paid by his followers. Shiite authorities can spend these financial resources in religious propagation, administration of [[Al-Hawza al-'Ilmiyya|Islamic Seminaries]], helping people in need, and public services.

===Conditions of Marja'iyya===

A [[mujtahid]] can qualify as a marja' if he meets some requirements the most important of which is that he should be superior to other qualified mujtahids with regard to his scholarship in [[fiqh]]. Other conditions include justice, being a man, maturity, and sanity. Then, it is permissible to follow his fatwas, that is, to act upon his jurisprudential views.<ref>Ṭabāṭabāʾī al-Yazdī, ''al-ʿUrwa al-wuthqā'', vol. 1, p. 26-27.</ref>

A Marja' is not selected by appointment. A person becomes a Shi'i authority when the Shi'as accept him as an authority. In essays of fatwas (al-rasa'il al-'amaliyya), some ways are introduced for finding out about a person who is qualified for Marja'iyya: personal knowledge, judicial evidence (that two qualified persons testify that someone is [[A'lam]]—superior in scholarship), being well-known as A'lam<ref>Ṭabāṭabāʾī al-Yazdī, ''al-ʿUrwa al-wuthqā'', vol. 1, p. 24-25.</ref>, or being introduced by a group of scholars such that their views lead to personal knowledge.<ref>Khomeini, ''Tawḍīḥ al-masāʾil'', p. 12.</ref>

The most important task of a Marja' is to issue [[fatwa]]s for his followers in religious matters. However, Marja'iyya is not restricted to issuing fatwas. Shi'i authorities are usually well-known teachers of Islamic seminaries, and Islamic seminaries are administered under their supervision.

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

==The Influence of Marja'iyya==

Shi'i authorities usually have a strong influence on their followers and even all the Shi'as, and thus, they can establish their social and political views.<ref>See: Naqībzāda & Amānī, ''Naqsh-i Rūḥānīyyat-i Shīʿa dar pīrūzī-yi inqilāb-i Islāmī'', p. 81-82.</ref> For example, after the fatwa of [[Sayyid Muhammad Mujahid]], a great number of the Shi'as went to war against the Russians<ref>Naqībzāda & Amānī, ''Naqsh-i Rūḥānīyyat-i Shīʿa dar pīrūzī-yi inqilāb-i Islāmī'', p. 99-100.</ref>; the fatwa of the tobacco ban by [[Mirza Shirazi]] led to the abolishment of the tobacco monopoly in Iran<ref>Naqībzāda & Amānī, ''Naqsh-i Rūḥānīyyat-i Shīʿa dar pīrūzī-yi inqilāb-i Islāmī'', p. 102.</ref>; and [[June 5, 1963 Demonstrations]] in Iran to protest the arrest of [[Ayatollah Khomeini]].<ref>Naqībzāda & Amānī, ''Naqsh-i Rūḥānīyyat-i Shīʿa dar pīrūzī-yi inqilāb-i Islāmī'', p. 103.</ref>

According to the Sunni scholar, [[Muhammad Rashid Rida]], no Sunni scholar has had the influence of Shiite mujtahids—especially those educated in the Islamic seminary of Najaf—neither alone nor collectively. He mentions as examples the boycott of elections in Iraq in the period of the King Faisal and the tobacco ban by Mirza Shirazi.<ref>Rashīd al-Riḍā, ''al-Khilāfa aw al-Imāma al-ʿuẓmā'', p. 90.</ref> Samuel Benjamin, a US envoy to Iran, said that the most important mujtahid in Tehran commutes with a mule and has only one servant, but he can end a king's throne with one word.<ref>Abrāhāmian, ''Tārīkh-i Īrān-i mudirn'', p. 41.</ref>

==Historical Periods of Marja'yya==

For Shi'i Marja'iyya to gain grounds, it had to live through a variety of circumstances like governmental interventions, ethnic tendencies, political events, and strength or weakness of Islamic seminaries. The history of the Shi'i Marja'iyya can be divided into nine periods.

Rasul Ja'fariyan takes the recent period of Marja'iyya to begin with [[al-Wahid al-Bihbahani]] who had an authority in scholarship, rather than the administration of the Shi'i affairs, that is, it was not the case that the majority of the Shi'as followed him.<ref>Jaʿfarīyān, ''Tashayyuʿ dar ʿArāq marjaʿīyya wa Īrān'', p. 58.</ref> Before this period, the Shi'as usually acted upon the fatwas of some local scholars, and thus, there was no Marja' followed by the majority of the Shi'as in the world.

===The Beginning of Marja'iyya with Sahib al-Jawahir===

According to some researchers, the period of a global, influential Marja'iyya for the Shi'as began in the [[Seminary of Najaf]] with [[Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi]], known as "Sahib al-Jawahir" (d. 1266/1849).<ref>Ḥāʾirī, ''Tashayyuʿ wa mashrūṭīyyat dar Īrān'', p. 82.</ref> He did not require [[ijtihad]] (deducing edicts from the primary sources) for judges, and thus, he permitted that a judge adjudicates on the basis of the fatwas of a mujtahid (jurist).<ref>Jaʿfarīyān, ''Tashayyuʿ dar ʿArāq marjaʿīyya wa Īrān'', p. 59.</ref> Many of his students went back to Iran and served as propagators of his Marja'iyya and fatwas.

After Sahib al-Jawahir, the Shiite Marja'iyya was still based in Iraq and the Islamic Seminary of Najaf. The most influential authorities in this period include [[Shaykh Murtada Ansari]] (d. 1281/1864) and [[Muhammad Hasan Shirazi]] (d. 1312/1896) who issued the fatwa of the tobacco ban.<ref>Ḥāʾirī, ''Tashayyuʿ wa mashrūṭīyyat dar Īrān'', p. 82-83.</ref>

The Persian [[Constitutional Movement]] led to obvious interventions of Shiite authorities in political affairs. [[Akhund Khurasani]] and [[Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Yazdi]], the author of ''[[al-'Urwat al-wuthqa]]'', were crucial figures in the movement both of whom were Najaf-based Iranians. However, they had opposing views about the Constitutional Movement. Khurasani issued the Constitutional fatwa, and Yazdi opposed it.

In 1337/1918 when [['Abd al-Karim al-Ha'iri al-Yazdi]] (d. 1355/1937) moved to [[Qom]], a new period of the [[Seminary of Qom]] began. Sayyid al-Yazdi died in the same 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 along with 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.1365/1946) who lived in Najaf, Burujirdi was the prominent Shiite authority until 1961.<ref>Jaʿfarīyān, ''Tashayyuʿ dar ʿArāq marjaʿīyya wa Īrān'', p. 79.</ref>

After the death of Ayatollah Burujirdi, Marja'iyya was not passed on to a single person. It was provided by a number of Shiite authorities in Iran and Iraq at this period.<ref>Qurbānī, ''Tārikh-i taqlīd dar Shīʿa'', p. 373.</ref> Although in the early years of this period, [[al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim]] (d. 1390/1970) in Najaf was more outstanding than others<ref>Jaʿfarīyān, ''Tashayyuʿ dar ʿArāq marjaʿīyya wa Īrān'', p. 81.</ref>, late in this period of 33 years, [[Sayyid Ruh Allah Khomeini]] (d. 1409/1989), the founder of the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]], turned into the most widely accepted Shi'i authority in Iran and [[Al-Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khoei]] turned into the most influential Najaf-based Shiite authority.

After the death of al-Khoei in 1413/1992, the global Shi'i authority was concentrated in Qom for three years. This was because of the death of Shiite authorities in Najaf, the deportation of many Iranian scholars from the Islamic Seminary of Najaf, and the restrictions imposed by the ruling [[Ba'ath Party]] in Iraq. The compulsory migration of Najaf-based Iranian scholars led to the thriving of the Islamic Seminary of Qom and the weakness of the Islamic Seminary of Najaf. In this rather short period, [[Sayyid Muhammad Rida Gulpayigani]] and [[Muhammad 'Ali Araki]] were the most prominent Shiite authorities.

The period of the contemporary Marja'iyya began after the death of Muhammad 'Ali Araki (1415/1994). In this period, a number of mujtahids in Iran, Iraq, [[Lebanon]], and [[Pakistan]] have been the Shiite authorities.

{| class="wikitable" ; align="center" ; style="text-align:center; margin:5px 15px 5px 0px; font-size:95%;" ;

| ||Title||Period ||Prominent Marja's||[[Hawza 'Ilmiyya|Seminary]]

|-style="background:#DDEEFF;"

| 1||Before 13th century ||[[Minor Occultation]] to 13th century || Shi'a followed verity of scholars || Different areas

|-style="background:#FFE8E8;"

| 2||Before Sahib Jawahir ||1200 - 1266 A.H.||[[Mirza Qummi]], [[Muhammad Hasan Najafi]] (Sahib Jawahir) ||Iraq

|-style="background:#FFFFDD;"

| 3||Najafi to Ansari ||1266 - 1281 A.H. ||[[Murtada Ansari]] || Iraq

|-style="background:#EAFFEF;"

| 4||Ansari to Shirazi ||1281 - 1313 A.H. ||[[Sayyid Muhammad Hasan Shirazi|Mirza Shirazi]] ||Iraq

|-style="background:#CCFFFF;"

| 5||Shirazi to Yazdi ||1313 - 1337 A.H. || [[Akhund Khurasani]], [[Sahib 'urwa|Sayyid Yazdi]]|| Iraq

|-style="background:#FFFFC8;"

| 6||Yazdi to Isfahani ||1337 -1365 A.H. || [['Abd al-Karim Ha'iri]], [[Muhammad Husayn Na'ini|Na'ini]], [[Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Isfahani|Isfahani]]|| Iraq, Iran

|-style="background:#D2FFC4;"

| 7||Isfahani to Burujirdi ||1365 - 1380 A.H. || [[Sayyid Husayn Burujirdi]]||Iran

|-style="background:#DCEDEA;"

| 8||Burujirdi to Araki || 1380 - 1413 A.H. || [[Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim|Al-Hakim]], [[al-Khoei]], [[Imam Khomeini]], [[Sayyid Muhammad Rida Gulpaygani|Gulpaygani]], [[Muhammad 'Ali Araki|Araki]]||Iraq, Iran

|-style="background:#FAF2EF;"

| 9||After Araki ||1413 - now || [[Muhammad Taqi Bahjat|Bahjat]], [[Mirza Jawad Tabrizi|Tabrizi]], [[Muhammad Fadil Lankarani|Fadil]], [[Al-Sayyid 'Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani|al-Sistani]], [[Sayyid 'Ali Husayni Khamenei|Khamenei]], [[Nasir Makarim Shirazi|Makarim]]||Iraq,‌ Iran

==Marja'iyya in Iraq==

The global concentrated Marja'iyya began in the Seminary of Najaf in the 13th/19th century with [[Sahib al-Jawahir]] and [[Al-Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari]]. Since then, [[Shiite]] authorities were always based in [[Iraq]], and in particular, in [[Najaf]]. In addition to Najaf, some Shi'i authorities resided in [[Karbala]]. In the period of [[al-Sayyid Muhammad Hasan al-Shirazi|Mirza Shirazi]], the Shiite authority moved to [[Samarra]]. [[Akhud Khurasani]], [[Sayyid Kazim Yazdi]], and [[Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Isfahani]] were Shiite authorities in Najaf. In the years 1365/1945 - 1380/1960, the Shiite authority was concentrated in [[Ayatollah Burujirdi]] in Qom, but at the same time, [[Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim]] (d. 1970) and [[Sayyid Mahmud al-Husayni al-Shahrudi]] (d. 1974) were followed by some Shiite populations. When Ayatollah Burujirdi died in 1961, al-Hakim, al-Shahrudi, and al-Khoei (d. 1992) undertook the Shiite authority in Najaf. Because of the long period between the deaths of al-Shahrudi and al-Khoei, al-Khoei turned into one of the most influential Shiite authorities. From 1965 to 1979, Ayatollah Sayyid Ruh Allah Khomeini was banished from Iran to Iraq and lived in Najaf.

In 1970s, the Iraqi government deported many Iraq-based Iranians which led to the compulsory migration of some teachers and students of the Seminary of Najaf to Iran, and in particular, to the Seminary of Qom. (See: [[al-Mu'awidun]]) After the victory of the [[Islamic Revolution of Iran]] and the crackdowns of the Seminary of Najaf by the Ba'ath Government, the future of Marja'iyya changed. Marja'iyya has become more concentrated in Iran ever since.

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

After the [[Second Iraq War]] (Persian Gulf War) in 2000, the regime in Iraq changed. In this period, the Seminary of Najaf was relieved from pressures, and students from other areas went to Najaf. Some teachers who were deported from Iraq for years returned to Iraq. One of the most influential Shiite authorities in Najaf is [[Sayyid 'Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani]], a student of al-Khoei.

==Marja'iyya In Iran==

In the recent period, the Islamic Seminary of Qom was established after the migration of [['Abd al-Karim al-Ha'iri al-Yazdi]] in 1340/1921. When he migrated to Qom, part of the Shiite authority moved to Iran. He was alive until 1937. After him, three prominent teachers of the Islamic Seminary of Qom administered the seminary: [[Sayyid Sadr al-Din Sadr]], [[Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Khwansari]], and [[Sayyid Muhammad Hujjat]]. None of them had a global authority, however. In this period, the Shiite authority was mainly concentered in the Islamic Seminary of Najaf, and in particular, [[Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Isfahani]] (d. 1365/1946).<ref>Ḥāʾirī, ''Tashayyuʿ wa mashrūṭīyyat dar Īrān'', p. 84.</ref>

In 1364/1945 at the request of a group of scholars in the Islamic Seminary of Qom, Sayyid Husayn Tabataba'i Burujirdi, a student of [[Akhund Khurasani]], migrated to Qom. After Isfahani, he had a global, wide-ranging Marja'iyya. It can be said that late in his life, there was no other influential authority in Iraq or Iran.<ref>Qurbānī, ''Tārikh-i taqlīd dar Shīʿa'', p. 373. </ref>

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 [[Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani|Ayatollah Milani]] in [[Mashhad]], 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 Shahab 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.<ref>Rūḥānī, ''Nihḍat-i Imām Khomeini'', p. 77, 1238.</ref>

In 1994, [[Muhammad 'Ali Araki]], the last living student of 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri Yazdi, died. Since then, a number of mujtahids most of whom were students of Burujirdi and Khu'i were introduced as Shiite authorities. Although some of them have more followers than others, none of them has a global Marja'iyya. Here are the best-known living authorities (alive until May, 2017): [[Husayn Wahid Khurasani]], [[Lutf Allah Safi Gulpayigani]], [[Sayyid Musa Shubayri Zanjani]], [[Sayyid 'Ali Khamenei]], and [[Nasir Makarim Shirazi]] in Iran, and [[Sayyid 'Ali Sistani]] in Iraq.

* [[ Mujtahid]] (Jurist)

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