Shi'a Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

the guidance of

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...

and keeping such a structure holds a great importance. The clergy structure depends on the branch of Shi'ism is being referred to.

Twelver

Usooli and

Akhbari The ʾAkhbāri's ( ar, أخباریون, fa, ‌اخباریان) are a minority of Twelver Shia Muslims who reject the use of reasoning in deriving verdicts, and believe in Quran and Hadith. The term ʾAkhbāri's (from ''khabāra'', news or ...

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the ...

Twelver Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

believe that the study of

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or ''Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the main ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...

is a continual process, and is necessary for identifying all of

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

's laws. Twelver Shia Muslims believe that the process of finding God's laws from the available Islamic literature will facilitate in dealing with any circumstance. They believe that they can interpret the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

and the Twelver Shi'a traditions with the same authority as their predecessors. This process of ijtihad has provided a means to deal with current issues from an Islamic perspective. Generally, clergy in Twelver Shi'a have exerted much more authority in their religious community than the Sunni ulema in theirs. Usooli Shia considering it obligatory to obey a mujtahid when seeking to determine Islamically correct behavior. They believe the 12th Imam, ordered them to follow the scholars ( Fuqaha) who: "...guard their soul, protect their religion, and follow the commandments of their master (Allah)..." The mujtahid they follow or emulate is known as a

Marja' Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority gi ...

Taqleedi. As of 2014 there were over 60 recognized Marj in the Shia Muslim world.

Historical role in politics and society

Modern history

The Shia clerics in this period were closely tied with the bazaars that were in turn strongly linked with the artisans and farmers that together formed traditional socioeconomic communities and centers of associational life with Islamic occasions and functions tying them to clerics who interpreted Islamic laws to settle commercial disputes and taxed the well-to-do to provide welfare for devout poorer followers. A succession of prayer-meetings and rituals were organized by both clergy and the laity. Bazaars also enjoyed ties with more modern sectors of Iranians society as many Iranian university students were from the merchant class. But since 1970s, the

Shah of Iran This is a list of monarchs of Persia (or monarchs of the Iranic peoples, in present-day Iran), which are known by the royal title Shah or Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes around 671 BCE until the deposition of the ...

aroused the defense and oppositions of the bazaar by attempts at bring under control their autonomous councils and marginalizing the clergy by taking over their educational and welfare activities. This combined with the growing public and clerical dissatisfaction with Shah's secular policies and his reliance on foreign powers particularly the United States, led to a nationwide revolution, that saw a high ranking cleric

Ayatollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...

and his clerical disciples as its top leadership, that deposed the Pahlavi Shah and founded the

Islamic Republic of Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Ismaili

The Imamate in

Nizārī Ismā'īlī The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize independen ...

doctrine (Arabic: إمامة) is a concept in

Nizari The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize independent ...

Isma'ilism Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al ...

which defines the political, religious and spiritual dimensions of authority concerning Islamic leadership over the nation of believers. The primary function of the Imamate is to establish an institution between an

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, se ...

who is present and living in the world and his following whereby each is granted rights and responsibilities. See also

Imamate in Nizari doctrine The Imamate in Nizari Isma'ili doctrine ( ar, إمامة) is a concept in Nizari Isma'ilism which defines the political, religious and spiritual dimensions of authority concerning Islamic leadership over the nation of believers. The primary f ...

for further information. The term Dāʻī al-Mutlaq ( ar, الداعي المطلق) literally means "the absolute or unrestricted

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

". In

Ismā'īlī Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-S ...

Islām, the term ''dāʻī'' has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imāms and the Daʻwa or "Mission" is a clerical-style organization. "The Daʻwa" was a term for the Ismā'īlī faith itself from early on. The Dāʻīs are also called Syednas. See

Musta'li The Musta‘lī ( ar, مستعلي) are a branch of Isma'ilism named for their acceptance of al-Musta'li as the legitimate nineteenth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir Billah. In contrast, the Nizari—the oth ...

and

Taiyabi Tayyibi Isma'ilism is the only surviving sect of the Musta'li branch of Isma'ilism, the other being the extinct Hafizi branch. Followers of Tayyibi Isma'ilism are found in various Bohra communities: Dawoodi, Sulaymani, and Alavi. The Tayyibi ...

for further information.

List of Dai of Dawoodi Bohra Short history The Dua't al-Mutlaqin Al-Malika al-Sayyida (Hurratul-Malika) was instructed and prepared by Imām Mustansir and following Imāms for the second period of ''satr''. It was going to be on her hands that Imām Taiyab abi al-Qasim ...

Contemporary scholars

Afghanistan

* Ali Mohaqiq Nasab *

Asif Mohseni Muhammad Asif Mohseni ( fa, آیت‌الله العظمی محمد آصف محسنی; 26 April 1935 – 5 August 2019) was an Afghan Twelver Shi'a Marja', widely considered to be the most powerful in Afghanistan.Mackey, Robert. "Afghan Husband ...

* Muhammad al-Fayadh * Mohaqiq Kabuli

Azerbaijan

* Allahshukur Pashazadeh

Bahrain

Abdul Amir al-Jamri Sheikh Abdul Amir al-Jamri ( ; ar, شيخ عبدالأمير الجمري; 1 March 1938 – 18December 2006) was one of the most prominent Shia clerics and Bahraini opposition, opposition leaders in Bahrain. He was also a writer and a poet. Bo ...

Ali Salman Ali Salman Ahmed Salman ( ar, علي سلمان أحمد سلمان) is a Bahraini Twelver Shi'a cleric and the Secretary-General of the Al-Wefaq political society. In January 1995, the Bahraini government forcibly exiled him to Dubai for leadi ...

Isa Qassim Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim (Arabic: آية الله الشيخ عيسى أحمد قاسم) is Bahrain's leading Shia cleric and a politician. He is the spiritual leader of Al Wefaq, Bahrain's biggest opposition society. He is the fou ...

India

Ali Naqi Naqvi Grand Ayatollah Syed Ali Naqi Naqvi (born 26 December 1905 – 18 May 1988) (26 Rajab 1323 AH – 1 Shawal 1408 AH), also known as Naqqan Sahib, was a Twelver Shia Marja, thinker, poet, writer, jurist and Qur'anic interpreter. He is famous ...

* Syed Ali Nasir Saeed Abaqati *

Aga Syed Yusuf Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi Syed Yousuf Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi (1904 – 29 August 1982) ( ur, آغا سید یوسف الموسوی الصفوی) was a Kashmiri religious scholar and leader of Shia Muslims. He founded the influential Anjuman-e-Sharie organization. Earl ...

* Syed Aqeel-ul-Gharavi * Syed Hamidul Hasan * Hasan Naqvi * Syed Kalbe Hussain *

Kalbe Jawad Kalbe Jawad is a Shia Muslim cleric from Lucknow, India. Family background He comes from a family of scholars known as ''"Khandan-e-Ijtehad"'', and traces his lineage from Dildar Ali Naseerabadi (also known as Ghufran Ma'ab), their ancestors ca ...

* Mirza Mohammed Athar *

Aga Syed Mohammad Fazlullah Aga Syed Mohammad Fazlullah Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi (26 November 1947 – 29 January 2018) was a Kashmiri Shia Scholar and cleric. He was the son of Aga Syed Yusuf Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi, president of Anjuman Sharie Shiyan (B), a member of the Worl ...

* Sheikh Mussa Shariefi * Aga Syed Mustafa Moosavi *

Syed Ali Akhtar Rizvi Syed Ali Akhtar Rizvi (19 September 1948 – 10 February 2002), widely known as Adeeb-e-Asr and Allamah Shaoor, was an Indian Twelver Shī'ah scholar, public speaker, translator, and historian as well as an author and poet. He authored and ...

* Syed Saif Abbas Naqvi * Syed Zafrul Hasan Rizvi * Zeeshan Haider Jawadi

Iran

* Abbas Ali Akhtari *

Abbas-Ali Amid Zanjani Abbas-Ali Amid Zanjani (30 March 1937 – 30 October 2011) was an Iranian politician and cleric. He was the only cleric president of University of Tehran, who himself had had no academic education of any kind, that served from 2005 to 2008. Ear ...

* * Abbas-Ali Soleimani *

Abbas Amirifar Hojjatoleslam Abbas Amirifar (born 1957) is the prayer leader of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and head of the presidential cultural committee. He was arrested in May 2011 on charges of "sorcery", after he produced a controversial film pred ...

* Abbas Hosseini Kashani *

Abbas Ka'bi Ayatollah Abbas Ka'bi Nasab (Persian: آیت الله عباس کعبی) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a cleric who was born in Ahwaz in 1962 into a religious family. Records mention that he is one of the 12 members of the Guardian Council of the ...

Abbas Mahfouzi Grand Ayatollah Abbas Mahfouzi ( ar, آيت‌الله العظمى عباس محفوظى; born 1928) is an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja. He has studied in seminars of Qom, Iran under Ruhollah Khomeini, Grand Ayatollah Houssein Borujerdi and Mirz ...

* * Abbas Almohri *

Mohammad Montazeri Mohammad Montazeri fa, محمد منتظری (1944–28 June 1981) was an Iranian cleric and military figure. He was one of the founding members and early chiefs of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was assassinated in a bombing in Tehr ...

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Seyed Abbas Mousavi Motlagh ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...

* Abbas Tabrizian *

Abbas Vaez-Tabasi Abbas Vaez Tabasi ( fa, عباس واعظ طبسی; 25 June 1935 – 4 March 2016) was an influential Iranian cleric who held memberships at different institutions. He was Grand Imam and Chairman of the Astan Quds Razavi board from 1979 until his ...

* Abdul Fattah Nawab * * Abdol Hossein Dastgheib * Abdul Hussein Mo'ezzi * Abdol Javad Alamolhoda * *

Abdul Karim Farhani Abdul Karim Farhani (Persian: عبدالکریم فرحانی) is regarded as an Iranian principlist member of Assembly of Experts, who is one of Khuzestan province representatives in the 5th period of that. He was born in Ahwaz in 1964 (1343SH ...

* Abdolkarim Hasheminejad * Abdul Karim Haghshenas *

Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili Sayyid Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili ( fa, سید عبدالکریم موسوی اردبیلی, 28 January 1926 – 23 November 2016) was an Iranian reformist politician and Twelver shi'a marja. Political career Ardebili was a supporter of Ayatolla ...

* Seyyed Abdollah Fateminia * * Abd al-A'la al-Sabziwari *

Abdollah Javadi-Amoli Abdollah Javadi Amoli ( fa, عبدالله جوادی آملی; born ) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He is a conservative and principlist Iranian politician, philosopher and one of the prominent Islamic scholars of the Hawza. The official we ...

Abdullah Musawi Shirazi Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Abdullah Al-Musawi Al-Shirazi (February 25, 1892 – September 29, 1984) was a Grand Ayatollah of Twelver Shi'a Islam. Life Grand Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Abdullah al-Shirazi was born in Shiraz, Iran. At the age of 15 he ...

Abdollah Nouri Abdollah Noori ( fa, عبدالله نوری ) is an Iranian cleric and reformist politician. Despite his "long history of service to the Islamic Republic," he became the most senior Islamic politician to be sentenced to prison since the Irania ...

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Abdul-Majid al-Khoei Sayyid Abd al-Majid al-Musawi al-Khoei ( ; ; 16 August 1962 – 10 April 2003) was a Shia cleric and the son of grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei. Life al-Khoei was born in Najaf. He lived and studied under his father in Najaf until 1991 ...

* * Abdul-Nabi Mousavi Fard * Abdul-Nabi Namazi * Ayatollah Abdul Rahman Heidari Ilami * * * Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari * *

Seyed Abolfazl Mousavi Tabrizi Seyed Abolfazl Rihani, known as Ayatollah Seyed Abolfazl Mousavi Tabrizi ( 1935 – 14 April 2003). He was a member of the Assembly of Experts, was involved with the creation of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran being a member of ...

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Abulhassan Navab Seyyed Abolhasan Navvab (born 1958 in Shahreza, Isfahan) is an Iranian professor and cleric who currently serves as chancellor of the University of Religions and Denominations. He was one of the candidates for the 2008 parliamentary election, b ...

Abolghasem Khazali Ayatollah Abolghasem Khazali Boroujerdi ( fa, ابوالقاسم خزعلی بروجردی, 21 March 1925 – 16 September 2015) was a hardline Iranian politician, fundamentalist Shi'i cleric and a founding member of Haghani school with close ...

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Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Musawi al-Khoei ( ; ar, أبو القاسم الموسوي الخوئي; fa, ; November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an Iranian- Iraqi Shia marja'. Al-Khoei is considered one of the most influential tw ...

Abolghasem Wafi Yazdi Ayatollah Abolghasem Wafi Yazdi ( fa, ابوالقاسم وافی یزدی), born in 1935, in Hoseynabad, Yazd, is a Shia cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts. He was also one of the representatives of the city of Yazd in the first ...

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Ahmad Alamolhoda Sayyid Ahmad Alamolhoda (also Alam Olhoda or Alam al-Hoda; fa, احمد علم‌الهدی; born September 1, 1944) is an Iranian Shia Islamic cleric who has been described as "senior" and "ultra conservative" and "hardline." His rank has been g ...

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Ahmad Azari Qomi Grand Ayatollah Ahmad Azari-Qomi-Bigdeli was an Iranian cleric. Born in 1925 in Qom, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution he served on the Special Clerical Court, and Assembly of Experts, founded the conservative Resalat Newspaper. He was arrested ...

Ahmad Beheshti Sheikh Ahmad Beheshti , (born 1935) is an Iranian Ayatollah. He was the president of Qom University. He represented the people of Fars Province in the first and second terms in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, as well as the third, fourth, ...

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Ahmad Hosseini Khorasani Seyyed Ahmad Hosseini Khorasani (Persian: سید احمد حسینی خراسانی) is an Iranian Twelver Shia ayatollah who was born in 1959 Fajr-Abad (Shirvan).He is a member of Guardian Council and also representative of Razavi Khorasan Provi ...

Ahmad Jannati Ahmad Jannati ( fa, احمد جنتی, born 23 February 1927) is an Iranian conservative politician. He was born in Ladan, Isfahan. Jannati is known for his anti-LGBT rhetoric and opposition to secularism. He is also a founding member of the H ...

Ahmad Khatami Sayyid Ahmad Khatami ( fa, احمد خاتمی, born 8 May 1960) is a senior Iranian Shia cleric, member of Guardian Council and a senior member of the Assembly of Experts. In December 2005, Ali Khamenei appointed him as Tehran’s substitute ...

Ahmad Khomeini Sayyid Ahmad Khomeini ( fa, سید احمد خمینی;‎ 14 March 1946 – 17 March 1995) was the younger son of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and father of Hassan Khomeini. He was the "right-hand" of his father before, during and after the I ...

* Ahmad Khonsari * Ahmad Marvi * Ahmad Mazani *

Ahmad Moballeghi Ahmad Moballeghi is professor of Qom Seminary at Kharij level, member of Assembly of Experts and the president of the Majlis Islamic Studies Center in Qom. He is one of the international figures of Hawza as well as one of the most eminent theor ...

* Ahmad Mohseni Garakani * Ahmad Mojtahedi Tehrani * *

Ahmad Ghabel Ahmad Ghabel ( fa, احمد قابل) was an Iranian Hojjatoleslam Shia Muslim cleric, theologian, seminary lecturer, researcher, and author. He was a follower of the dissident cleric Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri and was detained several time ...

* Mir Ahmad Reza Hajati * Seyyed Ahmad Reza Shahrokhi * *

Ahmad Salek Ahmad Salek ( fa, احمد سالک) is an Iranian Shia cleric and conservative politician who was the former Member of the Parliament of Iran for the city of Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ...

Ahmad Vaezi Ahmad Vaezi ( fa, احمد واعظی; born 1963) is an Iranian philosopher, scholar and clergyman. He is now the chief of Islamic propagation office of Qom. Early life and education Ahmad Vaezi was born in Rey, Iran, in 1963. He entered Qom s ...

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Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...

* * * Ali Akbar al-Modarresi *

Ali Meshkini Ali Akbar Feiz Aleni ( fa, علی‌اکبر فیض آلنی; 2 December 1921 – 30 July 2007), better known as Ali Meshkini, was an Iranian cleric and politician. Life Meshkini was an Iranian Azerbaijani born in a village near Meshkin Sha ...

Ali-Akbar Hosseini Sayyid Ali-Akbar Mousavi Hosseini ( fa, سید علی‌اکبر موسوی حسینی) was an Iranian Shia cleric, conservative politician and television personality. A member of parliament representing Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr f ...

* * Ali Akbar Masoudi Khomeini * Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur * *

Ali Akbar Ghoreishi Ayatollah Seyed Ali Akbar Ghoreishi ( fa, علی‌اکبر قریشی, born 1928 in Bonab, East Azerbaijan) is an Iranian Shiite cleric, author and politician. He is a member of 1st, 2nd, 3rd 4th and 5th Assembly of Experts from electorate We ...

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Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri ( fa, علی‌اکبر ناطق‌نوری; sometimes spelt Nategh-Nouri, born 6 October 1944) is an Iranian politician, who served as the Chairman of the Parliament of Iran from 1992 to 2000. He was also the Minister of ...

* Ali Akbar Rashad * Ali al-Sabziwari * *

Seyed Ali Asghar Dastgheib Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Asghar Dastgheib ( fa, سید علی‌اصغر دستغیب) (born 1945) is an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja and member of the Iranian Assembly of Experts. He was among those who advised Ruhollah Khomeini in probate mat ...

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Ali Asghar Rahimi Azad Grand Ayatollah Ali Asghar Rahimi Azad (Persian: علی اصغر رحیمی آزاد) (born 1939) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He published a personal Resalah. His office is currently in Qom Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or ...

* Ali Asghar Rahmani Khalili * Ali Banaei *

Ali Fallahian Ali Fallahian ( fa, علی فلاحیان , born 23 October 1949) is an Iranian politician and cleric. He served as intelligence minister from 1989 to 1997 under the presidency of Ali Akbar Rafsanjani. Early life and education Fallahian was bo ...

Ali Davani Ali Davāni(Persian: علی دوانی) was an Iranian scholar and researcher, working in the fields of anthropology, bibliography and history. Early life and education Davāni was born on 27 September 1929 in Davan, a village located at the n ...

* * Ali Golzadeh Ghafouri *

Ali al-Sistani Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani ( ar, علي الحسيني السيستاني; fa, , Ali-ye Hoseyni-ye Sistāni; born 4 August 1930), commonly known as Ayatollah Sistani, is an Iranian–Iraqi Twelver Shia Ayatollah and marja'. He has been described ...

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Ali Khamenei Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president ...

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Ali Mohammad Dastgheib Shirazi Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Mohammad Dastgheib Shirazi (Persian: السيد علی‌محمد دستغیب شيرازي ) (born 14 March 1935) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. Biography Ayatollah Dastegheib has studied in seminaries of Qum, Ir ...

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Ali Orumian Sheikh Ali Orumian ( fa, شیخ علی ارومیان) is an Iranian Ayatollah born in 1932 in Maragheh. He Served in the Second and Third terms of the Assembly of Experts, as well as the second term for the Islamic Consultative Assembly repres ...

* Ali Qazi Askar * Ali Qoddusi * *

Alireza Arafi Alireza Arafi ( fa, علی رضا اعرافی) (born 1956, in Meybod) is an Iranian Shia cleric and he is currently a member of the Guardian Council and also a member of the Assembly of Experts. He was former Chairman of Al-Mustafa Internat ...

* * * * Alireza Panahian *

Alireza Qaeminia Alireza Qaeminia is an Iranian philosopher and associate professor of epistemology at the Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. He is a recipient of the Iranian Book of the Year Award Iran's Book of the Year Awards is an annual aw ...

Alireza Salimi (politician) Alireza Salimi ( fa, علیرضا سلیمی) is an Iranian Shi'a cleric and conservative politician who currently serves as a member of the Iranian Parliament representing Mahalat and Delijan Delijan ( fa, دليجان, also Romanized as Del ...

Ali Safi Golpaygani Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Ali Safi Golpaygani ( Persian: علی صافی گلپایگانی) (1913 – 3 January 2010) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He was born in Golpayegan, Iran. He has studied in seminaries of Najaf, Iraq under Grand A ...

Seyyed Ali Shafiei Seyyed Ali Shafiei ( fa, سیدعلی شفیعی) (born 1940 in Dezful, resident in Ahwaz) is an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, who is a member of Assembly of Experts from Khuzestan province. He is a/the son of Seyyed Mohammad Reza (Shafiei) who w ...

* Ali Shirazi * *

Ali Younesi Ali Younesi (born 26 August 1955) is an Iranian politician, who served in different positions. Education Younesi is a graduate of the Haqqani school in Qom. Career Following the Islamic Revolution, Younesi became the head of the Islamic Revo ...

* * * * * Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani *

Assad-Allah Imani Assad-Allah Imani ( fa, اسد‌الله ایمانی), (or Asadullah Imani) (1947 – 7 May 2018) was an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, who was a member of assembly of experts, and also the Imam of Prayer in Shiraz. Family and life Assad-Alla ...

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Mir Asadollah Madani Mir Asadollah Madani Dehkharghani (1914 – 11 September 1981) was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric. He was the second Imam Jumu'ah of Tabriz, the Imam Jumu'ah of Hamadan, the representative of the Supreme Leader in East Azerbaijan for les ...

* Asgar Dirbaz *

Ataollah Ashrafi Esfahani Ayatollah Ata'ollah Ashrafi Esfahani ( fa, آیت‌الله عطاءالله اشرفی اصفهانی; 1902 – 15 October 1982) was an Iranian religious leader. He was born near Esfahan and educated in Esfahan and at the Qom Seminary. He becam ...

Azizollah Khoshvaght Azizollah Khoshvaqt ( fa, عزیزالله خوشوقت), also known as Ayatollah Khoshvaqt (1926 – 19 February 2013), was a contemporary philosopher, mystic, theologian and faqih. He was a student of Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Seyyed Hossein ...

* * * Fakhreddin Mousavi * *

Mir Ghesmat Mosavi Asl Mir Ghesmat Mosavi Asl ( fa, ‌‌میرقسمت موسوی‌اصل; born 1961) is an Iranian Shiite cleric and politician. Mosavi was born in Germi, Ardabil Province. He is a member of the 2000 and present Islamic Consultative Assembly ...

* * * Gholam Ali Safai Bushehri * Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani *

Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i ( fa, غلامحسین محسنی اژه‌ای, Ğolām-Hoseyn Mohseni Eže'i, ; born 29 September 1956) is an Iranian conservative politician, Islamic jurist and prosecutor who currently serves as Chief Justice of ...

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Gholamreza Hassani Ayatollah Gholamreza Hassani ( fa, غلامرضا حسنی, az, Qulamrza Həsəni) 21 July 1927 – 21 May 2018) was the previous Friday prayer, first First imam of Masjid-e-Jamé mosque of the city of Urmia in northwest Iran after Iranian Re ...

* Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam * Gholamreza Rezvani * *

Habibollah Ashouri Habibollah Ashouri ( fa, حبیب‌الله آشوری) was an Iranian Shia cleric and revolutionary. Mehdi Khalaji states that before Iranian Revolution, Ashouri was in the inner circle of Ali Khamenei in Mashhad but the two broke up after Ashou ...

* * * Habib Boromand Dashghapu *

Hadi al-Modarresi Ayatollah Sayyid Hadi al-Husayni al-Modarresi ( ar, هادي الحسيني المدرسي; fa, ; b. 1947), is an Iraqi-Iranian Shia scholar, leader and orator. He is viewed as a charismatic speaker, enamoring many Muslims, radiating a certain ...

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Hadi Khamenei Sayyid Hadi Khamenei ( fa, سید هادی خامنه‌ای; born 26 January 1948) is an Iranian reformist politician, mujtahid and linguist.(14 February 1999Reformist Kin of Iran Leader is Attacked by Militants''The New York Times'' He is a key ...

Hadi Khosroshahi Seyyed Hadi Khosroshahi ( fa, سید هادی خسروشاهی; – 27 February 2020) was an Iranian cleric and diplomat who served as Iran's first ambassador to the Vatican. Career When he was 15 years old, Khosroshahi joined the leader of m ...

* Hadi Ghabel * Hadi Rohani *

Hamid Rasai Hamid Rasaee ( fa, حمید رسایی; born 23 July 1967) is an Iranian Shia cleric and principlist politician and former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Ma ...

* Hamid Shahriari *

Mirza Hashem Amoli Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amoli Larijani ( fa, لاریجانی میرزا هاشم آملی; 26 February 189925 February 1993) was an Iranian Shia Marja' and scholar of jurisprudence. Biography Hashem Amoli Larijani was born on 26 February 1899 ...

* Hashem Bathaie Golpayegani * * Hashem Hashemzadeh Herisi *

Hashem Hosseini Bushehri Seyyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri ( fa, سید هاشم حسینی بوشهری) is an Iranian Twelver Shia cleric who was born in 1956 in Bandar-e Deyr, Bushehr province. Hosseini Bushehri is the representative of Bushehr province in the Assembl ...

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Hasanali Morvarid Ayatollah Sheikh Hasanali Morvarid ( fa, ; 1911–October 5, 2004) was a senior Iranian Shia scholar and teacher.He was a widely respected teacher at the Islamic seminary of Mashhad, and a well-known ''tafkiki'' figure of the second generation of ' ...

* Hasan Ali Nejabat Shirazi *

Hassan Ameli Ayatollah Seyed Hassan Ameli Kalkhoran ( fa, سید حسن عاملی, born 1962 in Ardabil) is an Iranian Shiite cleric, author and politician. He is a member of 4th and 5th Assembly of Experts from Ardabil Province electorate. Ameli said abou ...

* Hassan Emami * Hassan Hassanzadeh Amoli * Hassan Eslami Ardakani *

Hassan Khomeini Sayyid Hassan Khomeini ( fa, سيد حسن خمينی; born 23 July 1972) is an Iranian cleric. He has been called "the most prominent" grandchild of Ruhollah Khomeini, who had 15 grandchildren in total, and the one "who many think could have a ...

* * * Hassan Namazi * *

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...

* Hassan Sanei * * * * *

Hassan Tabatabaei Qomi Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Hassan Tabatabaei Qomi ( ar, حسن الطباطبايي القمي; fa, ; 1912–2007) was a prominent Shia marja' who was born in Najaf. He was known as Seyyed Hassan Qomi. Seyyed Hassan was inhabitant in Mashhad, and was ...

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Heydar Moslehi Heydar Moslehi (born 1957 in Isfahan) is an Iranian cleric and politician who served as the minister of intelligence from 2009 to 2013. Early life and education Moslehi was born in Shahreza in the Isfahan province, Iran, in 1957. He was a stud ...

Hussein-Ali Montazeri Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri ( fa, حسینعلی منتظری‎ ; 24 September 1922 – 19 December 2009) was an Iranian Shia Islamic theologian, Islamic democracy advocate, writer and human rights activist. He was one of the lead ...

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Hossein Borujerdi Grand Ayatollah Seyyed, Sayyid Hossein Ali Tababataei Borujerdi (Luri language, Luri/ fa, آیت الله العظمی سید حسین طباطبایی بروجردی; 23 March 1875 – 30 March 1961) was a leading Iran, Iranian Shia Islam, Shia ...

* Hossein Ansarian * * Hossein Ayatollahi * * * Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi * Hossein Lankarani *

Hossein Mazaheri Grand Ayatollah Hossein Mazaheri Isfahani ( ar, حسين المظاهري الأصفهاني) (born November 16 1933) is a senior Iranian Twelver Shia Marja. He was also a member of the Third Assembly of Experts. Biography Grand Ayatollah Hossein ...

* * Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi *

Hossein Noori Hamedani Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori-Hamedani ( fa, آيت الله العظمى حسين نورى همدانى ) (born March 21, 1925) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. Nuri-Hamadani has been called a "hard-line cleric". He has expressed his stro ...

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Hossein Taeb Hossein Taeb ( fa, حسین طائب) is an Iranian Shia cleric and senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official who was head of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization. Biography According to a biography from the "pro-government" Iran Studen ...

* Hossein Wahid Khorasani *

Ebrahim Amini Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini (30 June 1925 – 24 April 2020) was an Iranian conservative politician who was a member of the Assembly of Experts. He was also a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, and was previously identified as a possible ...

* Mir Ebrahim Seyyed Hatami *

Ebrahim Raisi Sayyid Ebrahim Raisolsadati ( fa, سید ابراهیم رئیس‌الساداتی; born 14 December 1960), commonly known as Ebrahim Raisi ( fa, ابراهیم رئیسی ), is an Iranian principlist politician, Muslim jurist, and the eighth ...

* * Esmaeil Khatib *

Seyed Esmaeil Mousavi Zanjani Ayatollah Seyed Esmaeil Mousavi Zanjani ( fa, سیداسماعیل موسوی زنجانی, was born 1928 — died 2002) was an Iranian Shiite cleric and politician. He was a member of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Assembly of Experts from the Zanjan ...

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Jafar Sobhani Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani ( fa, جعفر سبحانی) (born 9 April 1929 in Tabriz) is an Iranian Twelver Shia marja, influential theologian and writer. Sobhani was a former member of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom and founder of Ima ...

* Jafar Shojouni *

Jalaleddin Taheri Seyyed Jalaleddin Taheri Esfahani ( fa, سید جلال‌الدین طاهری اصفهانی, sometimes spelled Jalaluddin Taheri or Jalaleddin Taheri, 1 January 1926 – 2 June 2013) was an Iranian scholar, theologian and Islamic philosopher. ...

* * * Javad Gharavi Aliari * * Javad Khamenei *

Jawad Tabrizi Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Mirza Jawad Kubar Tabrizi ( fa, ; 1926 – November 20, 2006) was an Iranian Shia marja'. Tabrizi was another prominent student of the late grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, and one of the leading religious au ...

* Javad Mojtahed Shabestari * * *

Karamatollah Malek-Hosseini Seyed Ayatollah Karamatollah Malek-Hosseini (1924 – 2 November 2012) ( fa, سید کرامت‌الله ملک‌حسینی) was an Iranian Ayatollah and member of the Second, Third and Fourth terms of the Assembly of Experts. Biography ...

* Khalil Boyukzadeh * Khalil Mobasher Kashani * *

Kazem Nourmofidi Seyed Kazem Noor Mofidi ( fa, سید کاظم نورمفیدی, born 1940) is a Supreme Leader's representative in Golestan Province, the leader of congregational Friday prayers of Gorgan, and a member of the Assembly of Experts in Iran. He is ...

Kazem Seddiqi Kazem Seddiqi ( fa, کاظم صدیقی, born 4 March 1951, sometimes with the honorific Ayatollah, and surname anglicised as Sedighi) is an Iranian Shia scholar and Mujtahid currently serving as Tehran's Friday Prayer Temporary Imam. A ri ...

* Seyed Kazem Seyed Bagheri *

Lotfollah Dezhkam Lotfollah Dezhkam ( Persian: ) is the Representative of the Supreme Leader in Fars province, Imam of Friday Prayer of Shiraz and the Representative of Fars in Assembly of Experts. In a speech he has stated, “The global arrogance led by Ame ...

* Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani *

Mahmoud Taleghani Sayyid Mahmoud Alaee Taleghani ( fa, محمود طالقانی, , also Romanized as Seyed Mahmūd Tāleqānī; 5 March 1911 – 9 September 1979) was an Iranian theologian, Muslim reformer, democracy advocate and a senior Shi'a Islamic Scholar a ...

Mahmoud Alavi Al-Zobb Mahmoud Alavi ( fa, محمود علوی; born 4 May 1954) is an Iranian conservative politician, and formerly minister of intelligence in Hassan Rouhani's government. Early life Alavi was born in Lamerd, Fars province, in 1954. He ho ...

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Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Sayyid Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi ( fa, سید محمود هاشمی شاهرودی, 15 August 1948 – 24 December 2018) was an Iranian Twelver Shia cleric and conservative politician who was the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council fr ...

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Mahmoud Mar'ashi Najafi Mahmoud Mar'ashi Najafi or Seyyed Mahmoud Mar'ashi Najafi (born 1941) is an Iranian librarian, Bibliographer and manuscript expert. He is the director of Mar'ashi Najafi Library, which he says is one of the largest libraries in Iran and the wo ...

* * Mahmoud Nabavian * *

Mahmoud Salavati Mahmoud Salavati ( fa, محمود صلواتی; born 21 March 1953 in Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan Province) is a jurist, author, commentator and translator of the Quran and Nahj, religious scholar and member of the Assembly of Qom Seminary Schola ...

* Mahdi al-Modarresi * *

Mahdi Hosseini Rohani Seyed Mahdi Hosseini Rohani (15 July 1925 - 23 November 2000) was an Iranian Ayatollah born in Qom. He served in the First, Second, and Third terms of the Assembly of Experts. Family Background Mahdi Rohani was born into a very religio ...

Mehdi Karroubi Mehdi Karroubi ( fa, مهدی کروبی, Mehdi Karrubi, born 26 September 1937) is an Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician leading the National Trust Party. Following 2009–2010 Iranian election protests, Karroubi was put under house a ...

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Seyed Mehdi Ghoreishi Hujjat al-Islam Seyed Mehdi Ghoreishi ( fa, سید مهدی قریشی, is an Iranian Shiite cleric, Representative of the Supreme Leader in West Azerbaijan and Imam Jumu'ah prayer of Urmia. He is son of the Ali Akbar Ghoreishi member of Assem ...

* Mehdi Shabzendedar Jahromi * Mehdi Tabatabaei * * *

Majid Ansari Majid Ansari ( fa, مجید انصاری; born in 1954 in Khanuk, Kerman Province) is an Iranian politician and cleric. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council. He was formerly Vice President for Legal Affairs from July 12, ...

* * * Mansour Leghaei * Masoud Khamenei * *

Mohammad-Ali Abtahi Mohammad-Ali Abtahi ( fa, محمدعلی ابطحی; born January 27, 1958) is an Iranian theologian, scholar, pro-democracy activist and chairman of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue. He is a former Vice President of Iran and a close as ...

Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem Seyyed Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem ( Persian: سید محمدعلی آل‌هاشم), also known as "Ayatollah Ale-Hashem" (born: 1962, in Tabriz), is the representative of Vali-e-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) in the province of East A ...

Mohammad-Ali Angaji Mohammad-Ali Angaji ( fa, محمدعلی انگجی) was an Iranian Shia cleric and politician. A loyal National Front member, he served as a member of parliament during the 17th term and ran for the 1954 election in Tehran. He was elected to t ...

Mohammad Ali Araki , location = , Title = Grand Ayatollah , Period = , Predecessor = , Successor = , ordination = , post = , birth_date = , birth_place = Arak, Iran , death_date = , death_place = Qom, Iran ...

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Mohammad Ali Gerami Qomi Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Gerami Qomi (Persian: محمدعلى گرامى قمي; born 1938) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He has studied in seminaries of Qum, Iran under Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri, Ali Meshkini, Seyyed Hosse ...

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Mohammad Alavi Gorgani Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Ali Hosseini Alavi Gorgani ( fa, سيد محمد على حسينى علوى گرگانى; March 1940 – 15 March 2022) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a marja. He was born in a religious family in Najaf, Iraq. H ...

Mohammad Ali Esmaeelpoor Ghomsheie Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Esmaeelpoor Ghomsheiy (Persian: محمد علي اسماعيلپور قمشهاي) (born 1940) was an Iranian peoples, Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja', Marja. He has studied in seminaries of Qum, Iran under Grand Ayat ...

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Mohammad Ali Mousavi Jazayeri Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad-Ali Mousavi Jazayeri ( fa, محمدعلی موسوی جزایری) (born 1941) is an Iranian Twelver Shia cleric, who has been appointed as the representative of Vali-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) in Khuzest ...

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Ali Movahedi-Kermani Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi-Kermani ( fa, محمدعلی موحدی کرمانی) is Tehran's Friday Prayer Ephemeral Imam and the former secretary-general of Combatant Clergy Association. He is also a member of the Assembly of Experts. He i ...

* Mohammad Ali Qazi Tabatabaei * Mohammad-Ali Rahmani * * *

Mohammad-Ali Shahidi Hojjatoleslam Sayyid Mohammad Ali Shahidi Mahallati ( fa, سید محمد علی شهیدی محلاتی) was an Iranian cleric and politician who served as Director of Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs from 2013 to 2020. In 2009, form ...

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Mohammad Ali Shomali Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali ( fa, ; born 22 December 1965) is a Muslim scholar, academic, philosopher and theologian. His religious rank is Hujjat al-Islam. Early life and education Shomali was born 1965 in Tehran, Iran. He studied in t ...

Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri (19 October 1944 – 18 August 2020) was an Iranian cleric and diplomat. During the 1980s, Taskhiri served as the Iranian representative to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and was involved in promoting Iranian int ...

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Mohammad-Bagher Bagheri Mohammad-Bagher Bagheri Kani ( fa, محمدباقر باقری کنی) born in 1926, is an Iranian Shia Mujtahid. He was one of 82-86 Mujtahids to be elected in the First, Second, and Fourth terms in the Assembly of Experts. Life and Educat ...

* * Mohammad Bagher Kharazi * * Mohammed Emami-Kashani * *

Mohammad Fazel Lankarani Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Lankarani (1931 – June 16, 2007) was an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja'. He was student of Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi. He was a child of a Persian mother and an Azerbaijani father. Biography and clerical activities ...

Mohammad Feyz Sarabi Ayatollah Mohammad Feyz Sarabi ( fa, محمد فیض سرابی; 23 August 1928 – 11 April 2022) was an Iranian Shiite cleric and politician. He was a member of the 4th and 5thAssembly of Experts from the East Azerbaijan electorate. Feyzi won ...

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Mohammad Hadi Ghazanfari Khansari Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Hadi Ghazanfari Khansari (Persian: السيد محمد هادي غضنفري خوانساري) (born 1957) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja'. He has studied in seminaries of Qom, Iran under Grand Ayatollah Moham ...

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Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard Hojatoleslam Seyyed Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard ( fa, محمدحسن ابوترابی‌فرد; born January 30, 1953) is an Iranian conservative politician and the former first deputy speaker of the Parliament of Iran. He was representative ...

Mohammad Hassan Ahmadi Faqih Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Hassan Ahmadi Faghih (Persian: ميرزا محمد حسن احمدى فقيه) (born 1951 - died August 28, 2010 ) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He studied in seminaries of Qum, Iran under Grand Ayatollah Mohammad- ...

* * * Mohammad Hassan Ghadrdan Gharamaleki * Mohammad Hassan Rahimian * * *

Mohammad Beheshti Mohammad Hosseini Beheshti ( fa, سیّد محمد حسینی بهشتی; 24 October 1928 – 28 June 1981) was an Iranian jurist, philosopher, cleric and politician who was known as the second person in the political hierarchy of Iran after t ...

* * * Mohammad Hussaini Shahroudi * * Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini Zanjani *

Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i or Sayyid Mohammad Hossein Tabataba'i (16 March 1903 – 15 November 1981) was an Iranian scholar, theorist, philosopher and one of the most prominent thinkers of modern Shia Islam. He is perhaps best known for his '' ...

* * * Mohammad Ebrahim Jannaati * * Mohammad Ezodin Hosseini Zanjani * *

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri Mohammad Jafar Montazeri ( fa, محمدجعفر منتظری; born 1949 in Qom) is an Iranian cleric and judge and the current attorney-general of Iran since 1 April 2016. He was previously head of Iran's Administrative Justice Court and Speci ...

Muhammad Jafar Moravej Seyyed Mohammad Jafar Moravej (Persian: سید محمد جعفر مروج) whose complete name/fame is "Seyyed Muhammad Jafar Jazaeri Moravej al-Shariah" (Persian: سید محمد جعفر جزائری مروج الشریعه), was an Iranian Shia ...

* Muhammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari *

Mohammad-Javad Bahonar Mohammad-Javad Bahonar ( fa, محمدجواد باهنر, 5 September 1933 – 30 August 1981) was a Shia Iranian theologian and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Iran for less than one month in August 1981. Bahonar and other member ...

* Mohammad Javad Pishvai * *

Mohammed Kadhim al-Modarresi Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Kadhim al-Husayni al-Modarresi (; ; 1911–April 5, 1994) was an Iranian- Iraqi Shia scholar and mystic. He was a prominent teacher at the seminaries of Mashhad and Karbala, teaching Islamic philosophy. He held the Quran ...

Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari Sayyid Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari ( fa, محمد کاظم شریعتمداری), also spelled Shariat-Madari (5 January 1906 – 3 April 1986), was an Iranian Grand Ayatollah. He favoured the traditional Shiite practice of keeping clerics awa ...

* Mohammad Khamenei *

Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 t ...

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Mohammad Mofatteh Ayatollah Mohammad Mofatteh ( fa, محمد مفتح‎; 1928–1979) was an Iranian philosopher, theologian, and political activist, born in Famenin, Hamadan, Iran. After he finished his primary education in Hamadan, he left for the Islamic Semi ...

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Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani ( fa, محمد محمدی گیلانی) (31 August 1928 – 9 July 2014) was a member of the Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was the chief justice of the supreme court of Iran, a po ...

Mohammad Momen Ayatollah Mohammad Momen (13 January 1938 – 21 February 2019) was a Faqih (a cleric qualified to judge based on Islamic law) and a very influential member of the Guardian Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Influence in government He simu ...

Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha Sayyid Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha (born 1945) is an Iranian cleric and secretary general of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics. He was the founder of the now defunct '' Salam'' and was a member of the Expediency Discernment Council. ...

Mohammad Mofti al-shia Mousavi Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Mofti al-Shi'a Mousavi (Persian: السيد محمد مفتي الشيعة موسوي) (born 1928- died 19 May 2010) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He has studied in seminaries of Qum, Iran under Grand ...

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Nasser Biria Mohammad Nasser Saghaye-Biria ( fa, محمدناصر سقای بی‌ریا) is an Iranian Shi'a cleric, conservative politician and head of psychology department at Imam Khomeini Educational Research Institute. He is a senior member of Front of I ...

Mohammad Qomi Mohammad Qomi (Persian: محمد قمی), also known as "Hujjat al-Islam (Mohammad) Qomi" (born in 1980), is an Iranian Shia cleric and the head of Islamic development organization who has been recently appointed --at the age of 38-- instead of " ...

* Mohammad Rahmati Sirjani * *

Mohammad Reyshahri Mohammad Reyshahri ( fa, محمد ری‌‌شهری), also known as Mohammad Mohammadi-Nik (29 October 1946 – 21 March 2022), was an Iranian politician and cleric who was the first Minister of Intelligence, serving from 1984 to 1989 in the c ...

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Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani Araghi Mohammad Reza Ashtiani Araghi ( fa, رضا آشتیانی عراقی) is an Iranian Shia cleric and conservative politician who represented Qom in the Iranian Parliament from 2004 to 2016. He is among the authors of ''Tafsir Nemooneh Tafs ...

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Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani Grand Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani (March 20, 1899 – December 9, 1993) was an Iranian Shia Muslim and '' marja scholar and was born in 1899 in Gogad village near the city of Golpaygan, Iran. He was taught preliminary studies by his ...

Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani ( fa, محمدرضا مهدوی کنی, 6 August 1931 – 21 October 2014) was an Iranian Shia cleric, writer and conservative and principlist politician who was Acting Prime Minister of Iran from 2 Septembe ...

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Mohammad Reza Mirtajodini Sayyid Mohammad-Reza Mirtajodini ( fa, سید محمدرضا میرتاج‌الدینی, born on 30 December 1960) is an Iranian cleric and conservative politician. He was Vice President for parliamentary affairs from 2009 to 2013 and a member ...

* Mohammad-Reza Modarresi Yazdi * Mohammad Reza Naseri Yazdi *

Mohammad Reza Nekoonam Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekoonam (Persian: آیت الله محمد رضا نکونام) Iranian Twelver Shi'a Clergy. Life Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekoonam (Persian: آیت الله محمد رضا نکونام) Iranian Twelver Shi'a Clerg ...

* Mohammed Ridha al-Sistani * Mohammad-Reza Tavassoli * *

Sadegh Khalkhali Mohammed Sadeq Givi Khalkhali (27 July 1926 – 26 November 2003) ( fa, صادق خلخالی) was an Iranian Shia cleric who is said to have "brought to his job as Chief Justice of the revolutionary courts a relish for summary execution" that ...

* Mohammad Sadeq Rouhani *

Mohammad-Sadegh Salehimanesh Mohammad-Sadegh Salehimanesh ( fa, محمدصادق صالحی‌منش) is an Iranian cleric and politician. He was founder and commander of the Vali Amr Corps, responsible for the security of the Supreme Leader of Iran, from 1986 to 1993 and s ...

Mohammad Sadeqi Tehrani Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeqi Tehrani (Persian: محمد صادقی تهراني) (born 1926 - died March 21, 2011) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He has studied in seminaries of Qum, Iran under Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Muha ...

Mohammad Sadoughi Mohammad Sadoughi ( fa, محمد صدوقی; 1909–1982) known as "Sevomin-Shahide-Mehrab" (the 3rd martyr of Mihrab) is an Iranian Twelver Shia Ayatollah who was born in Yazd. He was a/the representative of Yazd people in the assembly of experts ...

* Seyyed Mohammad Saeedi * * Mohammad Shahcheraghi *

Mohammad-Taher Shubayr al-Khaqani Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Taher bin Abdul-hameed bin Isa bin Hasan bin Shubayr bin Thiab bin Mohammed bin Harb al-Khaqani (30 November 1911 - 28 January 1986) ( Arabic:اية الله العظمى الشيخ محمد طاهر بن عبدالحم� ...

Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Taqi al-Husayni al-Modarresi ( ar, محمد تقي الحسيني المدرسي; fa, ; b. 1945) is an Iraqi-Iranian Shia marja' and political theorist. al-Modarresi is the author of over 400 books on matters ...

Mohammad Taqi al-Khoei Sayyid Mohammed Taqi al-Khoei was a brother of Abdul Majid al-Khoei and son of Ayatollah Al-Udhma Sayyid Abul Qasim al-Khoei. Death According to the UN Special Rapporteur for Iraq: Following two years of relentless intimidation and harassment ...

Mohammad-Taqi Bahjat Foumani Grand Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Bahjat Foumani ( fa, محمدتقی بهجت فومنی) (24 August 1916 – 17 May 2009) was an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja'. Biography Mohammad-Taqi was born on 24 August 1916 in the Fouman, Gilan province in t ...

Mohammad Taghi Falsafi Mohammad Taghi Falsafi ( fa, محمدتقی فلسفی) was an Iranian Ayatollah and preacher. He was a campaigner against the regime of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Many of his lectures was about psychology, ethics and mental development. Dur ...

Mohammad-Taqi Ja'fari , location = , Title = Allameh , Period = , Predecessor = , Successor = , ordination = , post = , birth_date = , birth_place = Tabriz, Iran (formerly Varzeqan) , death_date = , death_place ...

* Mohammad-Taghi Khalaji *

Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi Ayatollah Taqi Mesbah ( fa, تقی مصباح‌; born Taqi Givechi, fa, تقی گیوه‌چی), commonly known as Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi ( fa, محمدتقی مصباح‌ یزدی, 31 January 1935 – 1 January 2021) was an Iranian Shi' ...

* * Mohammed Taqi Morvarid * *

Mohammad Taghi Pourmohammadi Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Pourmohammadi ( fa, محمدتقی پورمحمدی, was born 1956 in Marand, East Azerbaijan) is an Iranian Shiite Muslim cleric and politician. He is a member of the 4th and 5th Assembly of Experts from electorate East A ...

* * Mohammad-Taqi Shoushtari * Mohammad Taghi Vaezi * * Mohammad Vaez Mousavi * *

Mohammad Yazdi Mohammad Yazdi ( fa, محمد یزدی, 2 July 1931 – 9 December 2020) was an Iranian conservative and principlist cleric who served as the head of Judiciary System of Iran between 1989 and 1999. In 2015, he was elected to lead Iran's Assemb ...

* Seyyed Mohammad Ziaabadi * * *

Mohsen Araki Mohsen Araki ( fa, محسن اراکی; ar, محسن الأراكي) is an Iranian scholar, cleric, university lecturer and politician. He is currently a member of the Assembly of Experts and also a member of the Expediency Discernment Council. ...

* Mohsen Faqihi *

Mohsen Heidari Alekasir Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari AleKasir ( Persian:محسن حیدری آل کثیر) is an Iranian Shia Islamic cleric who was born in 1957 in a middle class rural family in the village of Hor Riyahi Abadi where is located near to Shush in Khuzestan p ...

* * Mohsen Kharazi *

Mohsen Koochebaghi Tabrizi Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohsen Koochebaghi Tabrizi (9 January 1924 – 3 August 2011) was an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja. Early life Tabrizi was born on 9 January 1924 in Tabriz, Iran. His father, Ayatollah Mirza Abbas Kochebaghi, was also a Grand ...

Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari ( fa, محسن مجتهد شبستری; 1937 – 17 November 2021) was an Iranian Shiite cleric and politician. He was a member of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Assembly of Experts from the East Azerbaijan ...

Mohsin Qara'ati Mohsen Qara'ati ( fa, محسن قرائتی) is an Iranian Shia cleric who was born in 1945 in the city of Kashan, and his father was Ali Naqi (Qara'ati). Mohsen Qara'ati who is commonly known as "Ayatollah Qara'ati" or "Hujjat al-islam Qara'ati," ...

Mohsen Qomi Mohsen Qomi ( fa, محسن قمی) is an Iranian cleric, conservative politician and a member of the Assembly of Experts. Career Qomi is a cleric and has the title of Hojjatal Islam. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Islamic Coa ...

Mohsen Rohami Mohsen Rohami ( fa, محسن رهامی, also spelt Rahami) is an Iranian lawyer, Shia cleric and reformist politician. He is an associate professor at University of Tehran's department of criminal crime. He enrolled as a candidate in the 201 ...

* * Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini * Mujtaba Musavi Lari * Mojtaba Tehrani *

Mojtaba Zonnour Mojtaba Zonnour ( fa, مجتبی ذوالنور; also spelled Zolnour) is an Iranian Shi'a cleric and conservative politician who, , represents Qom in the Iranian Parliament. He declared that he was SARS-CoV-2-positive on 27 February 2020. Poli ...

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Morteza Aghatehrani Morteza Aghatehrani ( fa, مرتضی آقاتهرانی) is an Iranian Shia cleric and conservative politician. He was former secretary-general of the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability, and represented Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr ...

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Morteza Moghtadai Ayatollah Morteza Moghtadai (مرتضی مقتدایی) (born 12 October 1935 in Isfahan, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Ir ...

Morteza Motahhari Morteza Motahhari ( fa, مرتضی مطهری, also Romanized as "Mortezā Motahharī"; 31 January 1919 – 1 May 1979) was an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, philosopher, lecturer. Motahhari is considered to have an important influence on ...

* * * Morteza Sadouqi Mazandarani * * * * * Mousa Shubairi Zanjani * Mostafa Boroujerdi * *

Mostafa Khamenei Seyyed Mostafa Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید مصطفی حسینی خامنه‌ای; born c. 1965) is an Iranian Twelver Shia cleric and the oldest son of Iran's Supreme Leader of Iran, supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. This Iranian cleric, who is ...

Mostafa Khomeini Mostafa Khomeini ( fa, مصطفی خمینی ; 12 December 1930 – 23 October 1977) was an Iranian cleric and the eldest son of Ayatollah Khomeini. He died before the Iranian Revolution. Early life and education Khomeini was born in Qom on ...

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Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad , location = , Title = Allameh , Period = , Predecessor = , Successor = , ordination = , post = , birth_date = , birth_place = Qom, Iran , de ...

Mostafa Mousavi Faraz Ayatollah Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Faraz ( fa, سید مصطفی موسوی فراز) (also known as "Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Esfahani"), is an Iranian Twelver Shia ayatollah who was born in 1944 in Isfahan among a religious family. This Shia cleric ...

Mostafa Pourmohammadi Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi ( fa, مصطفی پورمحمدی; born 9 March 1960, Qom) is an Iranian politician and prosecutor, who has served at different positions and cabinet posts. He was minister of interior from 2005 to 2008 and minister of just ...

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Moslem Malakouti Grand Ayatollah Moslem Malakouti ( fa, مسلم ملکوتی, 5 June 1924 in Sarab, East Azerbaijan – 24 April 2014 in Tehran) was an Iranian Shiite cleric, Marja and third imam Jumu'ah for Tabriz. His son Ali Malakouti is member of the Assembl ...

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Nasir Hosseini Seyyed Nasir Hosseini (Persian: سید نصیر حسینی) (born: 1967, Yasuj) is an Iranian Twelver Shia cleric who is the representative of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province and likewise the Imam of ...

Nasrollah Pejmanfar Nasrollah Pejmanfar ( fa, نصرالله پژمان‌فر) is an Iranian Shi'a Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic pro ...

Nasrallah Shah-Abadi Sheikh Nasrallah Shah-Abadi , (24 September 1930 – 12 March 2018) was an Iranian Ayatollah. He represented the people of Tehran Province in the Fifth term of the Assembly of Experts. Early life and education Nasrallah was born on 24 Septe ...

Naser Makarem Shirazi Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi (, born 25 February 1927 in Shiraz, Iran) is an Iranian Shia ''marja and religious leader. Biography He was born in the city of Shiraz, Iran. According to his website, his father was Ali Mohammad, his gr ...

Seyed Naser Mousavi Largani Seyed Naser Mousavi Largani is Falavarjan's representative in Islamic Consultative Assembly The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Irani ...

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Nematollah Salehi Najafabadi Ayatollah Nematollah Salehi Najafabadi (1923/24 in Najafabad, Isfahan province – 2006 in Tehran) was an Iranian cleric, scholar and proponent of Islamic Unity, who spent most years after the Iranian revolution of 1979 under house arrest. ...

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Qasem Ravanbakhsh Qasem Ravanbakhsh ( fa, قاسم روانبخش) is an Iranian Shia cleric, conservative politician and journalist. He is editor-in-chief of ''Partow-e Sokhan'' and a leading member of Front of Islamic Revolution Stability Front of Islamic Revol ...

* * Ghodratollah Alikhani * * *

Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi ( fa, قربانعلی دری نجف‌آبادی; born 3 December 1950) is an Iranian politician and cleric. He is currently a member of the Assembly of Experts and also a member of the Expediency Discernment Council ...

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Rasul Jafarian Rasul Jafarian ( fa, رسول جعفریان; born June 30, 1964) is an Iranian clergyman and researcher in field of Iranian history. He is currently the Professor of the Department of History at the University of Tehran, the Director of The sp ...

* Rasoul Montajabnia * * Reza Hosseini Nassab * Reza Mohammadi Langroudi *

Reza Nouri Reza Nouri ( fa, رضا نوری; born 1973, in Bojnourd) is the newly appointed representative of Vali-e-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) in North-Khorasan Province and is also the Friday prayer leader ( Imam-Jom'eh) of Bojnourd. Th ...

Reza Ostadi Reza Ostadi Moghaddam ( fa, رضا استادی مقدم) (born 1937 in Tehran) is a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and the Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Previously, during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, ...

Reza Ramezani Gilani Reza Ramezani ( fa, رضا رمضانی گیلانی) (* 1963 in Rasht, Northern Iran) is a Twelver Shia Muslim cleric with the religious Rank Ayatollah. He has been a member of the Expert Council (Assembly of Experts) in the Islamic Republic of ...

* * Ruhollah Beigi * Ruhollah Hosseinian *

Ruhollah Khatami :''(Not to be confused with Ruhollah Khomeini who was the leader of the 1979 Iranian revolution)'' Ruhollah Khatami (28 October 1906 – 27 October 1988) was a senior Iranian cleric in the city of Yazd. In July 1982, he was appointed as prayer ...

* Ruhollah Khomeini * * *

Sadeq Larijani Sadeq Ardeshir Larijani ( fa, صادق اردشیر لاریجانی; born 12 March 1961), better known as Amoli Larijani ( fa, آملی لاریجانی), is an Iranian scholar, conservative politician, and current chairman of Expediency Discern ...

* Saied Reza Ameli *

Seyed Sajjad Izdehi Hojjatoleslam Seyed Sajjad Izdehi is an Iranian political scientist and associate professor of politics at the Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. His book titled ''Supervision on the power in the political jurisprudence'' won th ...

* * * Shahab ud-Din Mar'ashi Najafi * * * *

Taqi Tabatabaei Qomi Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Taqi Tabatabaei Qomi ( ar, تقي الطباطبايي القمي fa, , February 21, 1923–October 26, 2016) was an Iranian Shia marja'. He, along with Ali al-Sistani, and Ali Falsafi, were among the only three people t ...

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Yadollah Duzduzani This article provides the list of marjas, ''Maraji'' (plural of ''Marja'', the supreme legal authority or the source of emulation), followed by Twelver (also known as ''Imamiyyah'') Shia Muslims around the world. The concept of a ''Marja-i Taqlid'' ...

* * Yahya Nouri * Yasubedin Rastegar Jooybari *

Yousef Madani Tabrizi Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Yousef Madani Tabrizi (1928-16 June 2013) (in Persian السيد يوسف مدنی تبریزی ) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He studied in seminaries of Qum, Iran under Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi and ...

Yousef Saanei Grand Ayatollah Yousef Saanei ( fa, يوسف صانعى; 16 October 1937 – 12 September 2020) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja' and politician, a member of the Islamic Republic of Iran's powerful Guardian Council from 1980 to 1983 and al ...

* Yousef Tabatabai Nejad * *

Zaynolabideen Ghorbani Sheikh Zaynolabideen Ghorbani , (born 1933) is an Iranian Ayatollah. He represented the Supreme Leader of Iran for Gilan Province, as well as leading prayers in Lahijan and Rasht. He represented the people in Gilan for both the Assembly of Expe ...

Iraq

* Abbas Modaresi Yazdi *

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim Ayatollah Abdul Aziz al-Hakim ( ; ar, سید عبد العزيز الحكيم; 1952 – 26 August 2009) was an Iraqi theologian and politician and the leader of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a party that has approximately 5% support in the I ...

* Abd al-Hadi al-Fadli *

Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Salami ( ar, عبد المهدي السلامي; born 1955), commonly known as Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, is a Shia Muslim scholar, best known for being the official representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayed Ali Al-Sistani in Iraq ...

* *Ahmed Al-Waeli *Ahmad Hassani Baghdadi *Akram al-Kaabi *Al-Sayyed Riyadh Al-Hakeem *Ali al-Hakim *Ali al-Milani *Ali Hassani Baghdadi *Allaedin Ghoraifi *Ammar al-Hakim *Baqir al-Irawani * *Fadhil al-Milani *Fazel Maleki * *Hassan al-Qazwini *Hassan al-Shirazi *Husham Al-Husainy *Hussein Al-Sadr *Hussein al-Shirazi *Iyad Jamal Al-Din *Jafar al-Hakim *Jalal al-Din Ali al-Saghir * *Kamal al-Haydari *Kazem al-Haeri *Mohammad al-Sadr *Muhammad Ali al-Hakim *Mohammad Ali Shirazi *Mohammad Ali Tabatabaei Hassani *Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim *Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr *Mohammad Hadi al-Milani *Mohammad Ebrahim Ansari *Mohammed Kadhim al-Qazwini *Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim *Mohammad al-Shirazi *Mohammad Taher Khaqani * *Mohammad Yaqoobi *Muhsin al-Hakim *Mujtaba al-Shirazi *Murtadha al-Qazwini *Murtadha al-Shirazi *Moustafa Al-Qazwini *Qais Khazali *Qasem Taei *Sadiq al-Shirazi *Saleh Taei *Shamsodin Vaezi

Kuwait

*Muhammad Baqir al-Muhri

Lebanon

*Abbas al-Musawi *Abdel Karim Obeid *Ali Al-Kourani *Hashim Safi Al Din *Hassan Nasrallah *Hossein Korani Ameli *Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah *Mohammad Mehdi Shamseddine *Mohammad Yazbek *Musa al-Sadr *Naim Qassem *Ragheb Harb *Subhi al-Tufayli

Nigeria

*Ibrahim Zakzaky *Qasim Umar Sokoto

Pakistan

*Syed Ali Raza Rizvi *Syed Ali Naqi Naqvi Qumi *Arif Hussain Hussaini *Bashir Hussain Najafi *Fida Hussain Bukhari *Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi *Hafiz Riaz Hussain Najafi *Hassan Raza Ghadeeri *Allama Hassan Turabi *Jawad Naqvi *Muhammad Hussain Najafi *Muhammad Latif Ansari *Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai *Syed Safdar Hussain Najafi *Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi *Talib Jauhari * Zeeshan Haider Jawadi

Saudi Arabia

*Nimr al-Nimr

Historical Scholars

Notes

References

*''Religion and Politics in Iraq. Shiite Clerics between Quietism and Resistance'', M. Ismail Marcinkowski (). {{DEFAULTSORT:Shi'a Clergy Shia Islam Shia clerics,