marji'
Sign in to saveAlso known as marji al-taqlid
Marja (; plural marājiʿ; ) is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and clerics below him in rank. The highest ranking marjiʿ is known as the marja al-mutlaq or marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq. A marji' is usually also a grand ayatollah.
~9 min read
Article
15 sectionsContents
- Title
- Other clerical titles
- Role, authority, requirements
- Providing religious guidance
- Authority
- Who and where
- Conditions for a marja'
- How a follower chooses a marja'
- History
- First marja'
- Usulism and Akhbaris
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
Marja (; plural marājiʿ; ) is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and clerics below him in rank. The highest ranking marjiʿ is known as the marja al-mutlaq or marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq. A marji' is usually also a grand ayatollah.
Sources differ as to when the institution of the marja' emerged, with Murtadha al-Ansari (died 1864) and Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (died 940 or 941) both being called the first marja'.