Ayatollah: Difference between revisions

'''Āyatollāh''' (Arabic:{{iarabic| آیة الله}}) (the Sign of [[Allah]]), is a title that is used for top ranking Shi'a [[faqihs]] (Jurists). Using ayatollah in this meaning became prevalent since the early 14th/[[20th]] century. After the establishment of the [[Seminary]] in [[Qom]] by [[Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri Yazdi]], other great [[faqih]]s also became referred to with this title. In the past centuries, this title was only used for [[al-'Allama al-Hilli]].

Titles such as, [[thiqat al-Islam]], [[hujjat al-Islam]] and ayatollah were first used for specific individuals as expressions of respect and all these titles remained exclusive to those certain scholars for several centuries. In the 4th/[[10th]] century, the title, "thiqat al-Islam" was given to [[al-Kulayni]]. In the 5th/[[11th]] century, the title "hujjat al-Islam" was given to [[Muhammad al-Ghazali]]. In the 7th/[[13th]] century, the title "al-muhaqqiq" was given to [[al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli]].

[[Al-'Allama al-Hilli]] (d. 726/1326), was the first scholar to be given the title of "ayatollah". [[Sharaf al-Din Shulistani]], [[al-Shaykh al-Baha'i]] and [[al-'Allama al-Majlisi]], mention al-'Allama al-Hilli with the title: Ayatollah fi al-'Alamin (the sign of [[Allah]] in the worlds). Al-'Alamma al-Majlisi uses the same title for [[al-Shahid al-Awwal]].

==In the 14th/20th Century==

In the early 14th/20th century, the title, "ayatollah" was used for someone else for the first time: [[Mirza Husayn Nuri]] (b. [[1254]]/1836 - d. [[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 [[al-Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari]], [[Shaykh Husayn Najaf]] and [[al-Sayyid Muhammad Hasan al-Shirazi]]. At the time of [[Mashruta]] (Persian Constitutional Revolution) (1905 - 1911), historians used the title for [[al-Akhund al-Khurasani]], [[Mirza Husayn Khalili Tihrani]], [[Shaykh 'Abd Allah Mazandarani]] and others. Before this time, all [[marja']]s were officially referred to with the title [[hujjat al-Islam]].