This is a partial list of hujjatul Islams, a title given to mid ranked Twelver Usuli Shi'a Muslim clerics. [1]
The next higher clerical rank is ayatollah, followed by grand ayatollah. This list contains only the names of those who have attained the rank hojjatol Eslam/ hojjatol Eslam wa Muslimeen. To see the list of ayatollahs or grand ayatollahs, [2] see the following articles: List of ayatollahs; List of current maraji; List of deceased maraji.
Hierarchy of titles for Shia Muslim clerics: [3]
This is a list of hujjatul Islams who are alive. The list is arranged in descending order of age, (oldest to youngest).
No | Image | Name | Birth date CE | Birth place | Residence | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mehdi Karroubi مهدی کروبی | 26 September 1937 | Aligudarz, Iran | Iran | Currently under house arrest [4] | |
2 | Ghodratollah Alikhani قدرتالله علیخانی | 1939 (age 84–85) | Takestan County, Iran | Iran | - | |
3 | al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Tijani al-Samawi السيد محمد التيجاني السماوي | 2 February 1943 | Gafsa, Tunisia | Tunisia | Ex-Sunni preacher [5] | |
4 | Seyed Mohammad Khatami سید محمد خاتمی | 14 October 1943 | Ardakan, Iran | Iran | 5th President of Iran | |
5 | Gholamhossein Mohammadi Golpayegani غلامحسین محمدی گلپایگانی | 1943 (age 80–81) | Golpayegan, Iran | Iran | - | |
6 | Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri علیاکبر ناطقنوری | 6 October 1944 | Nur, Iran | Iran | - | |
7 | Seyyed Mohammad Javad Pishvai سید محمد جواد پیشوایی | 1944 (age 79–80) | Bandar-e Anzali, Iran | Iran | - | |
8 | Mohsin Qara'ati محسن قرائتی | 1945 (age 78–79) | Kashan, Iran | Iran | - | |
9 | Abdul Hussein Mo'ezzi عبدالحسين معزی | 1945 (age 78–79) | Tehran, Iran | London, United Kingdom | Representative of Ali Khamenei in England [6] | |
10 | Ahmad Salek احمد سالک | 1946 (age 77–78) | Isfahan, Iran | Iran | - | |
11 | Seyed Hadi Khamenei سید هادی خامنهای | 1947 (age 76–77) | Mashhad, Iran | Iran | Younger brother of current Supreme Leader of Iran [7] | |
12 | Mohammad-Taghi Khalaji محمد تقی خلجی | 31 March 1948 | Isfahan, Iran | Iran | Arrested in 2010 [8] | |
13 | Rasoul Montajabnia رسول منتجبنیا | 13 July 1948 | Shiraz, Iran | Iran | Official Website | |
14 | Hassan Rouhani حسن روحانی | 12 November 1948 | Sorkheh, Iran | Iran | 7th President of Iran | |
15 | Subhi al-Tufayli صبحي الطفيلي | 1948 (age 75–76) | Brital, Lebanon | Lebanon | Former leader of Hezbollah | |
16 | Mohammad Hassan Rahimian محمد حسن رحیمیان | 1948 (age 75–76) | Isfahan, Iran | Iran | - | |
17 | Abdolmoghim Nasehi عبدالمقیم ناصحی | March 11, 1949 | Tehran, Iran | Iran | - | |
18 | Allahshukur Hummet Pashazadeh Allahşükür Hümmət Paşazadə الله شكورحمت باشازاده | 26 August 1949 | Cil, Azerbaijan SSR | Azerbaijan | Current Sheikh-ul-Islam and Grand Mufti of the Caucasus [9] | |
19 | Ali Fallahian علی فلاحیان | 23 October 1949 | Najafabad, Iran | Iran | Second Minister of Intelligence of Iran | |
20 | Mohammad Jafar Montazeri محمدجعفر منتظری | 1949 (age 74–75) | Qom, Iran | Iran | Current Attorney General of Iran | |
21 | Hadi Ghaffari هادی غفاری | 25 June 1950 | Azarshahr, Iran | Iran | Alleged killer of Amir-Abbas Hoveyda [10] | |
22 | Abdollah Noori عبدالله نوری | 1950 (age 73–74) | Isfahan, Iran | Iran | - | |
23 | Mohammad Yazbek محمد يزبك | 1950 (age 73–74) | Bodai, Lebanon | Lebanon | One of the founders of Hezbollah [11] | |
24 | Kazem Seddiqi کاظم صدیقی | 4 March 1951 | Abhar, Iran | Iran | Current temporary Friday prayer leader in Tehran | |
25 | Syed Jawad Naqvi سید جواد نقوی | 5 March 1952 | Haripur, Pakistan | Pakistan | Official Website | |
26 | Seyed Mohammad Ali Mosavi سیدمحمدعلی موسوی | 1952 (age 71–72) | Qom, Iran | Iran | - | |
27 | Seyed Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi Fard سید محمدحسن ابوترابیفرد | 30 January 1953 | Qom, Iran | Iran | - | |
28 | Mahmoud Salavati محمود صلواتی | 21 March 1953 | Khomeyni Shahr, Iran | Iran | - | |
29 | Mohammad Ali Rahmani محمدعلی رحمانی | 25 March 1953 | Quchan, Iran | Iran | - | |
30 | Mohsen Rohami محسن رهامی | 24 May 1953 | Khodabandeh, Iran | Iran | - | |
31 | Naim Qassem نعيم قاسم | 1953 (age 70–71) | Kfar Fila, Lebanon | Lebanon | Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah | |
32 | Majid Ansari مجید انصاری | 30 March 1954 | Khanuk, Iran | Iran | - | |
33 | Ali Qazi Askar علی قاضی عسکر | 26 May 1954 | Isfahan, Iran | Iran | - | |
34 | Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari عبدالواحد موسوی لاری | 1954 (age 69–70) | Mohr, Iran | Iran | - | |
35 | Hadi Ghabel هادی قابل | 27 June 1955 | Torbat-e Jam, Iran | Iran | - | |
36 | Ali Younesi علی یونسی | 26 August 1955 | Nahavand, Iran | Iran | Fourth Minister of Intelligence in Iran | |
37 | Abdul Mahdi al-Salami عبد المهدي السلامي | 1955 (age 68–69) | Karbala, Iraq | Karbala, Iraq | Representative of Ali al-Sistani in Iraq [12] | |
38 | Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i غلامحسین محسنی اژهای | 29 September 1956 | Isfahan, Iran | Iran | Fifth Minister of Intelligence in Iran | |
39 | Seyyed Abdul-Nabi Mousavi Fard سید عبدالنبی موسوی فرد | 1956 (age 67–68) | Jahrom, Iran | Iran | Current Representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran in Khuzestan & Friday prayer leader in Ahvaz | |
40 | Jalal al-Din Ali al-Saghir جلال الدين علي الصغير | 14 September 1957 | Najaf, Iraq | Iraq | - | |
41 | Heydar Moslehi حیدر مصلحی | 1957 (age 66–67) | Shahreza, Iran | Iran | Sixth Minister of Intelligence in Iran | |
42 | Abdul Fattah Nawab سید عبدالفتاح نواب | 1957 (age 66–67) | Shahreza, Iran | Iran | - | |
43 | Abbas Amirifar عباس امیریفر | 1957 (age 66–67) | Iran | Iran | - | |
44 | Mohammad-Ali Abtahi محمدعلی ابطحی | 29 September 1958 | Mashhad, Iran | Iran | - | |
45 | Morteza Aghatehrani مرتضی آقاتهرانی | 1958 (age 65–66) | Isfahan, Iran | Iran | - | |
46 | Ahmad Marvi احمد مروی | 1958 (age 65–66) | Mashhad, Iran | Iran | - | |
47 | Mohammad Nasser Saghaye-Biria محمدناصر سقای بیریا | 1958 (age 65–66) | Kermanshah, Iran | Iran | - | |
48 | Abdol Hassan Navab سید ابوالحسن نواب | 1958 (age 65–66) | Shahreza, Iran | Iran | - | |
49 | Qasem Ravanbakhsh قاسم روانبخش | 1958 (age 65–66) | Meybod, Iran | Iran | - | |
50 | Mohsen Kadivar محسن کدیور | 8 June 1959 | Fasa, Iran | Iran | Research professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University [13] | |
51 | Asgar Dirbaz عسگر دیرباز | 1959 (age 64–65) | Mianeh, Iran | Iran | - | |
52 | Mohammad Sadegh Salehimanesh محمدصادق صالحیمنش | 1959 (age 64–65) | Yazd, Iran | Iran | - | |
53 | Ali Banaei علی بنایی | 1959 (age 64–65) | Qom, Iran | Iran | - | |
54 | Mostafa Pourmohammadi مصطفی پورمحمدی | 9 March 1960 | Qom, Iran | Iran | Official Website | |
55 | Seyed Hassan Eslami Ardakani سید حسن اسلامی اردکانی | 23 December 1960 | Karbala, Iraq | Iran | - | |
56 | Seyed Mohammad Reza Mirtajodini سید محمدرضا میرتاجالدینی | 30 December 1960 | Tabriz, Iran | Iran | - | |
57 | Mohsen Qomi محسن قمی | 1960 (age 63–64) | Pakdasht, Iran | Iran | Current member of the Assembly of Experts | |
58 | Habib Boromand Dashghapu حبیب برومند داشقاپو | 21 March 1961 | Germi, Iran | Iran | - | |
59 | Seyed Mohammad Bagher Kharazi سید محمدباقر خرازی | 26 June 1961 | Qom, Iran | Iran | - | |
60 | Ahmad Mazani احمد مازنی | 1961 (age 62–63) | Bandar-e Gaz, Iran | Iran | - | |
61 | Seyed Mir Ghesmat Mosavi Asl سید میرقسمت موسویاصل | 1961 (age 62–63) | Germi, Iran | Iran | - | |
62 | al-Sayyid Mustafa al-Musawi al-Qazwini السيد مصطفى الموسوي القزويني | 1961 (age 62–63) | Karbala, Iraq | Orange County,United States of America | - | |
63 | Syed Fida Hussain Bukhari سید فدا حسین بخاری | 1961 (age 62–63) | Punjab, Pakistan | United Kingdom | - | |
64 | Seyed Esmaeil Khatib سید اسماعیل خطیب | 1961 (age 62–63) | Qaen, Iran | Iran | Current Minister of Intelligence in Iran | |
65 | Mansour Leghaei منصور لقائى | 14 May 1962 | Abadan, Iran | Sydney, Australia | Official Website | |
66 | Seyed Mehdi Ghoreishi سید مهدی قریشی | 1963 (age 60–61) | Urmia, Iran | Iran | Current Representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran in West Azerbaijan and Friday Prayer leader in Urmia | |
67 | Ahmad Vaezi احمد واعظی | 1963 (age 60–61) | Rey, Iran | Iran | - | |
68 | Hossein Taeb حسین تائب | 1963 (age 60–61) | Tehran, Iran | Iran | Current head of the IRGC's Intelligence Organisation [14] | |
69 | Mojtaba Zonnour مجتبی ذوالنور | 1963 (age 60–61) | Malayer, Iran | Iran | - | |
70 | Hamid Hawali Shahriari حمید حوالی شهریاری | 1963 (age 60–61) | Tehran, Iran | Iran | - | |
71 | Rasul Jafarian رسول جعفریان | 30 June 1964 | Khvorasgan, Iran | Iran | Official Website | |
72 | al-Sayyid Hassan al-Musawi al-Qazwini السيد حسن الموسوي القزويني | 16 October 1964 | Karbala, Iraq | Dearborn Heights, United States of America | Official Website | |
73 | Alireza Qaeminia علیرضا قائمینیا | 1964 (age 59–60) | Urmia, Iran | Iran | - | |
74 | Alireza Salimi علیرضا سلیمی | 1964 (age 59–60) | Mahallat County, Iran | Iran | - | |
75 | Sayyid Hashem Safieddine سید هاشم صفي الدين | 1964 (age 59–60) | Deir Qanoun En Nahr, Lebanon | Lebanon | - | |
76 | Nasrollah Pejmanfar نصرالله پژمانفر | 1964 (age 59–60) | Tehran, Iran | Iran | - | |
77 | Seyed Mohammad Vaez Mousavi سید محمد واعظ موسوی | 1964 (age 59–60) | Shabestar, Iran | Iran | Official Website | |
78 | Alireza Panahian علیرضا پناهیان | 17 April 1965 | Tehran, Iran | Iran | Official Website | |
79 | Ali Salman Ahmed Salman علي سلمان أحمد سلمان | 30 October 1965 | Bilad Al Qadeem, Bahrain | Bahrain | Currently facing life in prison [15] | |
80 | Mohammad Ali Shomali محمدعلى شمالى | 22 December 1965 | Tehran, Iran | Iran | - | |
81 | Muhammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari محمدجواد حاجعلیاکبری | 1965 (age 58–59) | Damavand, Iran | Iran | One of the Temporary Friday Prayer leaders in Tehran | |
82 | Seyyed Mostafa Hosseini Khamenei سید مصطفی حسینی خامنهای | 1965 (age 58–59) | Mashhad, Iran | Iran | Eldest son of the Current Supreme Leader in Iran (Ali Khamenei) [16] | |
83 | Mohammad Hassan Ghadrdan Gharamaleki محمد حسن قدردان قراملکی | 1965 (age 58–59) | Tabriz, Iran | Iran | - | |
84 | Seyed Ahmad Reza Shahrokhi سید احمدرضا شاهرخی | 1966 (age 57–58) | Khorramabad, Iran | Iran | Current Representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran in Lorestan & Friday Prayer leader in Khorramabad | |
85 | Syed Kalbe Jawad Naqvi سید کلب جواد نقوی | 1966 (age 57–58) | Lucknow, India | India | - | |
86 | Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh محمدهادى مفتح | 9 April 1967 | Hamburg, Germany | Hamburg, Germany | Head of Islamic Centre Hamburg | |
87 | Mir Ahmad Reza Hajati میراحمدرضا حاجتی | 1967 (age 56–57) | Masjed Soleyman, Iran | Iran | - | |
88 | Ali Shirazi علی شیرازی | 22 November 1969 | Rafsanjan, Iran | Iran | - | |
89 | Seyed Sajjad Izdehi سید سجاد ایزدهی | 1970 (age 53–54) | Mazandaran, Iran | Iran | - | |
90 | Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim سید عمار الحكيم | 1971 (age 52–53) | Najaf, Iraq | Iraq | Official Website | |
91 | Mohammad Bagheri محمد باقری | 1971 (age 52–53) | Najaf, Iraq | Iran | - | |
92 | Seyed Kazem Seyed Bagheri سید کاظم سیدباقری | 1971 (age 52–53) | Kerman, Iran | Iran | - | |
93 | Sayyed Hassan Khomeini سيد حسن خمينی | 23 July 1972 | Qom, Iran | Iran | Grandson of the First Supreme Leader of Iran (Ruhollah Khomeini) | |
94 | Reza Nouri رضا نوری | 1972 (age 51–52) | Bojnord, Iran | Iran | - | |
95 | Ruhollah Beigi Eilanlu روحالله بیگی ئیلانلو | 1973 (age 50–51) | Miandoab, Iran | Iran | - | |
96 | Qais Hadi Sayyid Hassan al-Khazali قيس هادي سيد حسن الخزعلي | 20 June 1974 | Sadr City, Iraq | Iraq | - | |
97 | al-Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr السید مقتدى الصدر | 4 August 1974 | Najaf, Iraq | Iraq | Leader of the Sadrist Movement [17] | |
98 | Seyed Masoud Hosseini Khamenei سید مسعود حسینی خامنهای | 1974 (age 49–50) | Mashhad, Iran | Iran | Son of current Supreme Leader of Iran (Ali Khamenei) [18] | |
99 | Hassan Namazi حسن نمازی | 1975 (age 48–49) | Qom, Iran | Iran | - | |
100 | Syed Ali Raza Rizvi سيد على رضا رضوى | 1976 (age 47–48) | Lahore, Pakistan | London, United Kingdom | - | |
101 | Seyed Abbas Mousavi Motlagh سید عباس موسوی مطلق | 20 January 1977 | Dorud, Iran | Iran | Official Website | |
102 | al-Sayyid Mohammad al-Mahdi al-Husseini al-Modaressi السید محمد المهدي الحسيني المدرسي | 1977 (age 46–47) | Kuwait | United States of America | Official Website | |
103 | Mohammad Qomi محمد قمی | 1980 (age 43–44) | Qom, Iran | Iran | - | |
104 | Syed Ali Nasir Saeed Abaqati سید علی ناصر سعيد عبقاتی | Unknown? | Lucknow, India | India | - | |
105 | Syed Hamid al-Hassan سید حمید الحسن | Unknown? | Lucknow, India | Lucknow, India | - | |
This is a list of hujjatul Islams that have died. The list is arranged in descending order of their date of passing.
No | Image | Name | Year of birth CE | Year of death CE | Place of birth | Place of death | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Syed Ahmad Musavi Hindi سيد احمد موسوى هندى | 1800 | 1869 (aged 68–69) | Kintoor, India | Khomeyn, Iran | Paternal Grandfather of Ruhollah Khomeini | |
2 | Mirza Hasan Tahirzadeh میرزا حسن طاهرزاده | 30 May 1837 | 21 June 1893 (aged 56) | Shusha, Russian Empire | Tbilisi, Russian Empire | Fourth Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus | |
3 | Mirza Reza Kermani میرزا رضا کرمانی | 1854 | 10 August 1896 (aged 41–42) | Kerman, Iran | Tehran, Iran | Assassinated Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar [19] | |
4 | Akhundzadeh Abd al-Salam آخونــدزاده عبدالســلام | 13 January 1843 | 18 November 1907 (aged 64) | Salyan, Russian Empire | Tbilisi, Russian Empire | Fifth Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus | |
5 | Seyed Jamalodin Vaeiz Esfahani سید جمالالدین واعظ اصفهانی | 1862 | 4 June 1908 (aged 45–46) | Hamadan, Iran | Tehran, Iran | Killed by a hitman ordered by Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar | |
6 | Mirza Ali Aqa Tabrizi میرزا علیآقا تبریزی | 19 January 1861 | 31 December 1911 (aged 50) | Tabriz, Iran | Tabriz, Iran | - | |
7 | Sheikh Mohammad Khiabani شیخ محمد خیابانی | 1879 | 1920 (aged 40–41) | Khameneh, Iran | Tabriz, Iran | - | |
8 | Mohammad Pishnamaz Zadeh محمد پیشنماززاده | 15 May 1853 | 1937 (aged 83–84) | Ganja, Russian Empire | Ganja, Soviet Union | Seventh Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus | |
9 | Bachir Moustafa Hammoud بشیر مصطفی حمود | 1906 | 1945 (aged 38–39) | Choukine, Lebanon | Choukine, Lebanon | - | |
10 | Ahmad Rida أحمد رضا | 1872 | 1953 (aged 80–81) | Nabatieh, Ottoman Syria | Nabatieh, Lebanon | - | |
11 | Seyed Mojtaba Mir-Lohi سيد مجتبی میرلوحی | 1924 | 18 January 1956 (aged 31–32) | Tehran, Iran | Tehran, Iran | Founder of Fada'iyan-e Islam [20] Was executed by firing squad [21] | |
12 | Ahmed Aref El-Zein أحمد عارف الزين | 10 July 1884 | 13 October 1960 (aged 76) | Shhur, Lebanon | Khorasan, Iran | - | |
13 | Seyed Esmail Balhki سید اسماعیل بلخی | 1918 | 14 July 1968 (aged 49–50) | Balkhab, Afghanistan | Kabul, Afghanistan | - | |
14 | Seyed Mostafa Khomeini سید مصطفی خمینی | 12 December 1930 | 23 October 1977 (aged 46) | Qom, Iran | Najaf, Iraq | Son of first Supreme Leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini. | |
15 | Muhammad Latif Ansari محمد لطیف انصاری | 30 September 1887 | 1979 (aged 91–92) | British India | Kenya | - | |
16 | Abbas Mohammad Montazeri عباس محمد منتظری | 21 March 1944 | 28 June 1981 (aged 37) | Najafabad, Iran | Tehran, Iran | Assassinated by Mujahideen-e Khalq, alongside Mohammad Beheshti and 31 others [22] | |
17 | Mohammad-Javad Bahonar محمدجواد باهنر | 5 September 1933 | 30 August 1981 (aged 47) | Kerman, Iran | Tehran, Iran | Assassinated by Mujahideen-e Khalq [23] | |
18 | Habibollah Ashouri حبیبالله آشوری | 1936 | 18 September 1981 (aged 44–45) | Gonabad, Iran | Tehran, Iran | Executed by firing squad | |
19 | Seyed Abdolkarim Hasheminejad سید عبدالکریم هاشمینژاد | 1932 | 30 September 1981 (aged 48–49) | Behshahr, Iran | Mashhad, Iran | Assassinated by Mujahideen-e Khalq | |
20 | Seyed Hassan Emami سید حسن امامی | 1903 | 1981 (aged 77–78) | Tehran, Iran | Lausanne, Switzerland | Fled Iran after the Iranian Revolution, was connected with the Shah | |
21 | Syed Arif Hussain al-Hussaini سید عارف حسين الحسينى | 25 November 1946 | 5 August 1988 (aged 41) | Parachinar, India | Peshawar, Pakistan | - | |
22 | Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi سید عباس الموسوي | 26 October 1952 | 16 February 1992 (aged 39) | Al-Nabi Shayth, Lebanon | Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon | Co-founder of Hezbollah. Assassinated by Israel | |
23 | Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini سید احمد خمینی | 14 March 1946 | 17 March 1995 (aged 49) | Qom, Iran | Tehran, Iran | Son of first Supreme Leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini | |
24 | Syed Hassan Naqvi سید حسن نقوى | 1935 | 18 October 1996 (aged 60–61) | Lucknow, India | Lucknow, India | - | |
25 | Syed Ali Akhtar Rizvi سید علی اختر رضوی | 19 September 1948 | 10 February 2002 (aged 53) | Bihar, India | Bihar, India | - | |
26 | Syed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi سيد سعيد اختر رضوي | 5 January 1927 | 20 June 2002 (aged 75) | Bihar, India | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | - | |
27 | al-Sayyid Abd al-Majid al-Musawi al-Khoei السید عبد المجيد الموسوي الخوئي | 16 August 1962 | 10 April 2003 (aged 40) | Najaf, Iraq | Najaf, Iraq | - | |
28 | Ahmed al-Waeli al-Laithi al-Kinani أحمد الوائلي الليثي الكناني | 1928 | 14 July 2003 (aged 74–75) | Najaf, Iraq | Kadhimiya, Iraq | Known for his presentation style in Iraq | |
29 | Allama Hassan Turabi علامہ حسن ترابی | 1953 | 14 July 2006 (aged 52–53) | Shigar, Pakistan | Karachi, Pakistan | - | |
30 | Abdul Amir al-Jamri عبدالأمير الجمري | 1 March 1938 | 18 December 2006 (aged 68) | Bani Jamra, Bahrain | Manama, Bahrain | - | |
31 | Ali Davani علی دوانی | 27 September 1929 | 8 January 2007 (aged 77) | Davan, Iran | Tehran, Iran | - | |
32 | Sayyid Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim سید عبد العزيز الحكيم | 1952 | 26 August 2009 (aged 56–57) | Najaf, Iraq | Tehran, Iran | 66th Prime Minister of Iraq | |
33 | Ali Golzadeh Ghafouri علی گلزاده غفوری | 14 May 1923 | 1 January 2010 (aged 86) | Qazvin, Iran | Tehran, Iran | - | |
34 | Abdullah al-Dahdouh عبد الله الدهدوه | 1966 | 12 March 2012 (aged 45–46) | Tangier, Morocco | Brussels, Belgium | An ex-Sunni convert to Shia Islam, was murdered by Moroccan Sunnis in Belgium. | |
35 | Ahmad Ghabel احمد قابل | 1954 | October 22, 2012 (aged 57–58) | Torbat-e Jam, Iran | Mashhad, Iran | Sentenced to prison, died while under hospital arrest | |
36 | Hassan bin Mohammad bin Shehata bin Musa al-Anani حسن بن محمد بن شحاتة بن موسى العناني | 10 November 1946 | 23 June 2013 (aged 66) | Sharqia Governorate, Egypt | Giza Governorate, Egypt | An ex-Sunni scholar who converted to Shia Islam, was murdered by an angry mob of Sunnis in front of his home in Egypt alongside 4 others. | |
37 | Muhammad Musa Shariefi محمد موسی شریفی | 1942 | 11 December 2013 (aged 70–71) | Kargil, India | Kargil, India | - | |
38 | Mirza Mohammed Athar میرزا محمد اظر | 1 January 1937 | 26 February 2016 (aged 79) | Lucknow, India | New Delhi, India | - | |
39 | Jafar Shojouni جعفر شجونی | 1932 | 6 November 2016 (aged 83–84) | Fuman, Iran | Tehran, Iran | [24] | |
40 | Qasim Umar Sokoto قاسم عمر سوکوتو | Unknown? | 5 February 2018 | Sokoto, Nigeria | Sokoto, Nigeria | - | |
41 | Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabaei Shirazi سید مهدی طباطبایی شیرازی | 21 March 1936 | 17 May 2018 (aged 82) | Rafsanjan, Iran | Tehran, Iran | [25] | |
42 | Ahmad Ahmadi احمد احمدی | 6 September 1933 | 8 June 2018 (aged 84) | Malayer, Iran | Tehran,Iran | - | |
43 | Seyed Ali Akbar Mousavi Hosseini سید علیاکبر موسوی حسینی | 1939 | 21 June 2018 (aged 78–79) | Tehran, Iran | Tehran, Iran | - | |
44 | Hussayn bin al-Haj Muhammad Qasim al-Kurani al-Yateri al-Ameli حسين بن الحاج محمد قاسم الكوراني الياطري العاملي | 1955 | 12 September 2019 (aged 63–64) | Yater, Lebanon | Beirut, Lebanon | - | |
45 | Talib Jauhari طالب جوہری | 27 August 1929 | 21 June 2020 (aged 90) | Patna, India | Karachi, Pakistan | - | |
46 | Ruhollah Hosseinian روح الله حسینیان | 5 March 1956 | 25 August 2020 (aged 64) | Shiraz, Iran | Tehran,Iran | - | |
47 | Syed Kalbe Sadiq Naqvi سید کلب صادق نقوی | 22 June 1939 | 24 November 2020 (aged 81) | Lucknow, India | Lucknow, India | - | |
48 | Seyed Mohammad Ali Shahidi Mahallati سید محمد علی شهیدی محلاتی | 9 July 1949 | 28 November 2020 (aged 71) | Mahallat, Iran | Tehran,Iran | - | |
49 | Seyyed Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur سید علیاکبر محتشمیپور | August 30, 1947 | 7 June 2021 (aged 73) | Tehran, Iran | Tehran,Iran | [26] | |
50 | Abdillahi Nassir عبداللهی ناصر | 1 June 1932 | 11 January 2022 (aged 89) | Mombasa, Kenya | Mombasa, Kenya | - | |
51 | Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi آغا سید حامد علی شاہ موسوی | 12 May 1930 | 25 July 2022 (aged 92) | Tharparkar, British India | Islamabad, Pakistan | - | |
52 | Mohammad Reza Ashtiani Araghi محمد رضا آشتیانی عراقی | 1940 | 23 June 2023 (aged 82–83) | Qom, Iran | Iran | - | |
53 | Hassan Sane'i حسن صانعی | 1934 | 21 July 2023 (aged 88–89) | Nikabad, Iran | Iran | - | |
54 | Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah سید حسن نصرالله | 31 August 1960 | September 27, 2024 (aged 64) | Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon | Beirut, Lebanon | Former Leader of Hezbollah until 2024, after being assassinated by Israel. | |
55 | Nabil Qaouk نبيل قاووق | 20 May 1964 | 28 September 2024 (aged 60) | Ebba, Lebanon | Dahieh, Lebanon | Former deputy head of Hezbollah's executive council. Assassinated by Israel. |
Ayatollah is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. In Iran it came into widespread usage in the 20th century.
Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani was an Iranian Shia cleric, writer and conservative and principlist politician who was Prime Minister of Iran from 2 September until 29 October 1981. Before that, he was Minister of Interior in the cabinets of Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. He was the leader of Combatant Clergy Association and Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and also founder and president of Imam Sadiq University.
Abdolhossein Hazhir was an Iranian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Iran under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1948, having been a minister 10 times. One of his posts was the minister of finance.
Sayyid Mojtaba Mir-Lohi, more commonly known as Navvab Safavi, was an Iranian Shia cleric and founder of the Fada'iyan-e Islam group. He played a role in assassinations of Abdolhossein Hazhir, Haj Ali Razmara and Ahmad Kasravi. On 22 November 1955, after an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hosein Ala', Navvab Safavi and some of his followers were arrested. In January 1956, Safavi and three other members of Fada'iyan-e Islam were sentenced to death and executed.
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi is an Iranian Shia marja' and religious leader.
Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani was an Iranian Grand Ayatollah. He was at one point the most senior Twelver Shia scholar (Marja') in Iran until his death. He resided in Qom and taught Islam in the Qom Seminary.
Sadeq Ardeshir Larijani, better known as Amoli Larijani, is an Iranian scholar, conservative politician, and current chairman of Expediency Discernment Council. He is the former and fifth Chief Justice of the judicial system of Iran after the 1979 revolution.
The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom is an Iranian group founded in 1961/3 by the leading Muslim clerics of Qom. Established by the students of Ayatollah Khomeini after his exile to Iraq, it was formed in order to organize political activities of Khomeini's followers and promote his revolutionary interpretation of Islam, such as the idea of Islamic government. Since the 1979 revolution, it has largely become the body to keep the regime's registrar of who counts as a grand ayatollah, an ayatollah and a hojjat ul Islam. It has a head who is appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. It currently heads the Supreme Council of Qom Hawzas, and proposes judges to the judiciary system. The body gained international prominence when it announced in 1981 that Ayatollah Shariatmadari was no longer a source of emulation (marja'). It has demoted a number of clerics over the last three decades. A recent case was that of Ayatollah Yousef Saanei, who for his solidarity with the green movement was demoted from marja' to hojatoleslam. The society also includes Ayatollah Sistani on its list.
The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the Supreme Leadership Authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The armed forces, judiciary, state radio and television, and other key government organizations such as the Guardian Council and Expediency Discernment Council are subject to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution, the Supreme Leader delineates the general policies of the Islamic Republic, supervising the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive branches. The current lifetime officeholder, Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khameneh known as Ali Khamenei, has issued decrees and made the final decisions on the economy, the environment, foreign policy, education, national planning, and other aspects of governance in Iran. Khamenei also makes the final decisions on the amount of transparency in elections, and has dismissed and reinstated presidential cabinet appointees.
SayyidEbrahim Raisolsadati, better known as Ebrahim Raisi, was an Iranian politician who served as the eighth president of Iran from 2021 until his death in a helicopter crash in 2024. He was a Muslim jurist and part of the Principlist group.
Seyed Kazem Noor Mofidi is a Supreme Leader's representative in Golestan Province, the leader of congregational Friday prayers of Gorgan, and a former member of the Assembly of Experts in Iran. He is considered the oldest Friday prayer leader in the country and the only representative of the reformist Supreme Leader in Iran.
Ayatollah Sayyid Hussein al-Husayni al-Shirazi is an Iraqi-Iranian Twelver Shia cleric. He is a son of Grand Ayatollah Sadiq al-Shirazi. He is currently the head of his father's office and is residing in Qom, Iran.
Seyed Reza Bahaadini was an Iranian Shia jurist, teacher of ethics and practical mysticism. He was one of the disciples of Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi, Seyyed Mohammad Hojjat Kooh Kamari, Seyyed Mohammad Taghi Khansari and Hossein Borujerdi. His greatest occupation and fame was his public or private debates on Islamic ethics courses, which lasted until the last days of his life.
Seyed Ayatollah Karamatollah Malek-Hosseini was an Iranian Ayatollah and member of the Second, Third and Fourth terms of the Assembly of Experts.
Seyed Abdol Javad Alamolhoda was an Iranian ayatollah. He was the older brother of Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader in Mashhad. He was also the founder of Al-Qaim Seminary in Tehran.
Sheikh Nasrallah Shah-Abadi Persian: شیخ نصرالله شاه آبادی, was an Iranian Ayatollah. He represented the people of Tehran Province in the Fifth term of the Assembly of Experts.
Molla Ahmad Naraqi also known as known as “Fauzel Narauqee”, was a Shi'i cleric ("mullah"), who has been called "the first Shi‘i jurisprudent to argue for wilayat al-faqıh al-siyasıyah, or "the divine mandate of the jurisprudent to rule" during the occultation of the Imam. The concept of wilayat al-faqıh or Velayat-e Faqıh came to the attention of the world when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led the Islamic Iranian Revolution in 1978-9 and established the Islamic Republic of Iran using wilayat al-faqıh as its governing principal. Naraqi's work called for the system in his technical fiqh work entitled Awa’id al-ayyam predating the call by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for this system in his lectures and book Islamic Government by more than a century.
Islamic Philosophy from its Origin to the Present: Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy is a book by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Iranian philosopher and University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University. The book is a history and overview of Islamic philosophy covering its origins in the 9th century to the modern era.
Hamid Ghareh-Hassanlou was arrested in nationwide protests in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini. He is a Gonabadi dervish and a medical doctor who specializes in medical imaging. He was charged with killing a Basiji member during the funerals of Hadis Najafi by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Karaj. His wife, Farzaneh Ghareh-Hassanlou was arrested the same day. They were reportedly beaten during the arrest, and Hamid's ribs were later reported broken.