Ayatollah: Difference between revisions

'''Āyatollāh''' (آیت الله) (The sign of [[Allah]]), is a title that has been used for top ranking [[Shi'a]] scholars since the early 14th/20th century.

The title was first given to Hasan b. Yusuf b. 'Ali b. Mutahhar, widely known as: [[al-'Allama al-Hilli]]. After the establishment of the [[Seminary]] in [[Qom]] by Shaykh [['Abd al-Karim Ha'iri]], other great [[Fuqaha]] (Jurists) also became referred to with this title.

[[Al-'Allama al-Hilli|Hasan b. Yusuf b. Mutahhar al-Hilli]] was the first scholar to be given the title of "Ayatollah".  He is well-known by his other title, ''al-'Allama al-Hilli''. [[Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani]] (d.852/1448) refers to 'Allama al-Hilli as ''Ayat fi al-Dhaka'', (a sign of intelligence). [[Sharaf al-Din Shulistani]], [[Shaykh Baha'i]] and [['Allama Majlisi]], mention al-'Allama al-Hilli with the title: Ayatollah fi al-'Alamin (the sign of [[Allah]] in the worlds). Mulla Muhammad Baqir Majlisi uses the same title for [[Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Makki]].

In the early 14th/20th century, the title, "Ayatollah" was used for someone else for the first time: [[Mirza Husayn Nuri]] (1254/1836-1320/1903) gave the title to [[Al-Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Bahr al-'Ulum]].  After a few decades, [[Shaykh 'Abbas Qummi]] used the title of "Ayatollah" for [[Shaykh Murtida Ansari]], [[Shaykh Husayn Najaf]] and [[Sayyid Muhammad Hasan Shirazi]]. Gradually, [[Mashruta]] historians used the title for [[Akhund Mulla Kazim Khurasani]], [[Haj Mirza Husayn Mirza Khalil]], [[Shaykh 'Abd Allah Mazandarani]] and others.

In 1340/1922, when [[Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri]] established the (Hawza) [[Seminary of Qom]] as the center of Shi'a Islamic studies, several great scholars who gathered there were referred to with the title, "Ayatollah". Gradually, prominent scholars who had reached the position of a [[Marja']] became referred to as ''Ayatollah al-'Uzma'' (Grand Ayatollah).