Marja'

Marja -e taqlid (Persian مرجع تقليد ) means absolute source / instance of imitation and is the highest denomination of Shia religious scholars for the post of highest Imami jurists.

Formation

With training of the religious hierarchy in the 19th century occurred in Iran, next to the gradation within the religious title (see Mullah ) for the first time an absolute and unique authority forth, the Marja, which the believer decision blindly, as Heinz Halm writes follows (see taqlid ).

Marja or Grand Ayatollah

There is no formal process to give taqlid an important religious scholars the title of Marja or Marja -e. Consensus, however, is that the Marja must have written an important legal treatise on the Sharia. Even highly respected theologian, Qur'anic commentators or Islamic philosophers are not careful with this title. In the Shiite history parent ayatollahs were called Marja from the 19th century, from the 1920s established for Marja, the term Grand Ayatollah. In recent history, some ayatollahs were, however, referred to only by their followers, as Marja -e taqlid, such as Ruhollah Khomeini ( Iran), Abu al -Qasim al - Khoei (Iraq) or Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah (Lebanon).

Marja -e taqlid

The religious title Marja -e taqlid, it may, comparable to the Pope, give only once. So far, have been recognized as Marja -e taqlid of all Shiites:

• Mortaza Ansari (1799-1864), Marja -e taqlid from 1850-1864
• Mohammad Hasan Shirazi (1815-1895), Marja -e taqlid from 1864-1895
• Hossein Ali Boroujerdi (1875-1961), Marja -e taqlid from 1946-1961