ayatollah
American Heritage Dictionary:
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a·ya·tol·lah
(ī'yə-tō'lə, -tō-lä') 
n. Islam
n. Islam
- A high-ranking Shiite religious authority regarded as worthy of imitation in matters of religious law and interpretation.
- Used as a title for such a leader.
[Persian āyatollāh, from Arabic 'āyatu llāh, sign of God : 'āyatu, bound form of 'āya, sign, Koranic verse + allāh, Allah; see Allah.]
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
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ayatollah
In the Shiite branch of Islam, a high-ranking religious authority regarded by his followers as the most learned person of his age. The ayatollah's authority rests on the infallible imam. His legal decisions are accepted as binding by his personal followers and (in the present day) by the wider community.
For more information on ayatollah, visit Britannica.com.
Oxford Dictionary of Politics:
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Ayatollah
Ayat Allah, ‘a miraculous sign, a mark, an exemplar of God’. This is a designation which came into use in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries among the Imamis, or Twelvers, the majority tradition in Shi'i Islam. Ayatollahs are found in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. ‘Ayatollah’ denotes a religious scholar of outstanding quality and reputation. He is a mujtahid, a specialist in law who is capable of formulating through independent reasoning interpretations (ijtihad) in legal and theological matters based on the Jafari school of jurisprudence. Mujtahids are ulama (recognized religious scholars). Among the Imamis, by the end of the seventeenth and into the eighteenth centuries, mujtahids came to perform a more enhanced role within the Shi'i ulama.
During the fourteenth century, a practice had emerged that all Shi'i throughout their lifetime should follow the religious guidance of a mujtahid and, should the mujtahid die, choose a successor. The individual Shi'i decides which mujtahid he or she will follow. A mujtahid of the Imamis came to be regarded as representing the will of the Hidden Imam (the twelfth Imam), as His deputy until His return. By the early nineteenth century, a further development in the differentiation of the Shi'i ulama led to the recognition of the marja i taqlid (source of imitation), that is, the most pre-eminent of the mujtahids. As the number of marja i taqlid grew, the designation ‘Ayatollah’ began to be used in the twentieth century to refer to the outstanding marja. Thus, a hierarchy came to exist among the Shi'i ulama unlike the Sunni ulama. Those that become pre-eminent among the mujtahids evidenced by the number of followers that he can attract emerge as Ayatollahs. Among the Ayatollahs a few will become known as Grand Ayatollahs (Ayat Allah al-uzma). It is from these that the one that is able to attract an exceptional following will emerge as the marja—the apex of the Shi'i hierarchy. This particular evolution of an informal hierarchy arrived at via consensus within the Shi'i ulama had the effect, amongst other things, of facilitating the accommodation of the religion to the changing times.
Ayatollahs also act as administrators: as collectors of religious taxes, managing pious gifts and property, dispenser of grants and alms, responsible for schools, orphanages, publishing houses, libraries and other social services institutions. Ayatollahs can at time attract considerable following abroad as evidenced by the popularity of the now deceased Ayatollah al-Khu'i, well known for his erudition in Shi'i jurisprudence and pious works in many countries.
— Barbara Allen Roberson
Islamic Dictionary:
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ayatollah
"Sign of God." A title used in Iranian Islamic Shiism for the most highly honored members of the ulama.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'ayatollah'
- Titles of Rank - ayatollah: religious leader among Shiite Muslims, esp. one who is not an imam
- Islam - ayatollah: teacher, judge, and leader of Shi’ite sect
- Individuals and Titles - ayatollah: teacher, judge, or leader of Shi’ite sect, with superior training in theology and law (Islam)
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Ayatollah
For other uses, see Ayatollah (disambiguation).
Ayatollah (UK /aɪəˈtɒlə/ or US /aɪətoʊlə/; Persian: آيتالله āyatollāh from Arabic: آية الله, āyatu l-Lāh "Sign of God") is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries.[citation needed] The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin. Ayatollah is similar in rank to a Bishop in Christianity.[citation needed]
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History
The name "ayatollah" originates from the Quran where the Shi'a, unlike the Sunni, interpret that human beings can also be regarded as signs of God, the literal translation of the title. 51:20–21 of the Quran states:
On the earth are signs (Ayat) for those of assured Faith,
As also in your own selves: Will ye not then see?
Rank
The title is currently granted to top Shia mujtahid, after completing sat'h and kharij studies in the hawza. By then the mujtahid would be able to issue his own edicts from the sources of Islamic religious laws: the Qur'an, the Sunnah, ijmāʻ, and 'aql ("intellect", rather than the Sunnī principle of qiyas). Most of the time this is attested by an issued certificate from his teachers. The ayatollah can then teach in hawzas according to his speciality, can act as a reference for their religious questions, and act as a judge. There is an important difference from Shi'a ayatollahs and "saints" in other religions and Sunni Islam: ayatollahs are not regarded as enlightened by God Himself, but by the Word of God.
Female Ayatollahs
There are a few women who are equal in ranking to the ayatollahs, and are known as Lady Mujtahideh. The most outstanding in recent history was Nosrat Amin, also known as Banu Isfahani, the Lady from Isfahan. [1] A current example of a Lady Mujtahideh is Zohreh Sefati.[2] Historically, there have been several Mujtahidehs in Shi'ism, most famously the women in the family of Allama Hilli, as well as the Baraghani family of 19th century Qazvin.
Grand Ayatollah
Main article: Marja' (Islamic law)
Only a few of the most important ayatollah are accorded the rank of Grand Ayatollah (Ayatollah Uzma, "Great Sign of God"). This usually happens when the followers of one of the ayatollahs refer to him in many situations and ask him to publish his Juristic book in which he answers the vast majority of daily Muslim affairs. The book is called Resalah, which is usually a reinvention of the book Al-Urwatu l-Wuthqah, according to their knowledge of the most authentic Islamic sources and their application to current life.
There are around 70 living worldwide,[citation needed] including Ali Khamenei, Ali Sistani, Mohammad Yaqoobi, Hossein Vahid Khorasani, Makarem Shirazi, Yousef Sane'i, Malakouti, Haeri, and Sadiq Shirazi. Currently there are five grand ayatollahs in Najaf, Iraq, center of the Iraqi Shi'i seminaries or Hawzas; the most senior is Ali al-Sistani. Other grand ayatollahs include Mohammad Yaqoobi, Basir Najafi, Mohammad Saeed Al-Hakim and Mohammad Ishaq Al-Fayyad.
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ See Mirjam Künkler and Roja Fazaeli, “The life of two mujtahidas: Female religious authority in 20th century Iran,” in Masooda Bano and Hilary Kalmbach (eds.) Women, Leadership and Mosques: Changes in Contemporary Islamic Authority, Brill Publishers, 2011, 127-160.
- ^ Official website at sefaty.net
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External links
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Translations:
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Ayatollah
Nederlands (Dutch)
sjiitisch religieuze leider (Iran)
Français (French)
n. - ayatollah
Deutsch (German)
n. - Ajatollah, Ayatollah, (Schiitischer religiöser Führer im Iran)
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αγιατολάχ
Português (Portuguese)
n. - aiatolá (m) (Rel.)
Русский (Russian)
аятолла, мусульманский религиозный лидер
Español (Spanish)
n. - ayatollah
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ayatollah
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
依朗回教什叶特派的宗教领袖
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 依朗回教什葉特派的宗教領袖
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 어야톨라(이란 회교 시아파 지도자의 칭호)
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) لقب للزعيم المسلم في ايران
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - איתוללה ("אות אלוהים") - מנהיג דתי שיעי באירן
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The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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