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If you click on any of the five choices, you are pretty unique! Congratulations! PLEASE NOTE: "Unique" has NO basis in fiqh. It is NOT a valid way of making taqlid. I am simply curious. I am weird, and this type of stuff interests me.

Imam Khamenei issued message of condolence on passing of Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi December 25, 2018 - 4:20 PM News Code : 922083 Source : Khamenei.irLink: The Supreme Leader of the Islamic revolution—Imam Khamenei— issued a message, expressing condolences for the passing of the great faqih, the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroudi. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi-- passed away on Monday, December 24, 2018. AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Supreme Leader of the Islamic revolution—Imam Khamenei— issued a message, expressing condolences for the passing of the great faqih, the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroudi. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi-- passed away on Monday, December 24, 2018. The following is the full text of the message: In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return" {Quran; 2:156} I received, with sorrow and grief, the news of the passing away of the great faqih, the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi (May God grant him paradise). This heartbreaking loss, after about a year of fighting with a hard and painful disease, distressed all those who understand his status in wisdom and knowledge, and his valuable services to the Islamic establishment and to the seminaries’ fiqh, principle, and law bodies. He was a great scholar in the seminary of Qom and a loyal official with the most important organizations of the Islamic Republic, an influential member of the Guardian Council, and a successful leader in the Expediency Discernment Council, and he left important scholarly works and blessings. Additionally, he was the brother of three martyrs, as well as a great friend, disciple and companion of the prominent and imminent martyr, Sayyed Mohammad Baqer Al-Sadr. On the passing of this prominent scholar, I would like to express condolences to his honored family, his respectable wife and children and his relatives, as well as the Qom Seminary and his pupils, colleagues and enthusiasts. I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow divine forgiveness and blessings on him and elevate his ranks [in the Heavens] to the highest. Sayyid Ali Khamenei December 25, 2018 http://en.abna24.com/news//imam-khamenei-issued-message-of-condolence-on-passing-of-ayatollah-hashemi-shahroudi_922083.html Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council passes away December 25, 2018 - 4:15 PM News Code : 922082 Source : FNALink: Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council (EC) Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi passed away at the age of 70. The prominent religious and political figure had suffered acute ill health for months and succumbed to renal and intestinal malfunctions at Khatam ol-Anbiya Hospital in Tehran on Monday. He was born in 1948 in the Iraqi city of Najaf, which has hosted many Muslim scholars. In Iraq, Ayatollah Shahroudi attended classes held by the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini. He fought against the dictatorial rule of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and was jailed and tortured by his forces. He was also one of the founders of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and was its chairman and spokesman for a while before late Seyed Baqer Hakim. Ayatollah Shahroudi traveled to Iran after the victory of the Islamic Revolution to serve as an intermediary between Imam Khomeini and Iraqi scholars and leaders. During his lifetime, Ayatollah Shahroudi served in many other crucial positions in the Islamic Republic. He took the helm of the Expediency Council in 2017 to succeed late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The Expediency Council is mainly responsible for arbitrating between the Iranian Parliament and the Guardian Council, which itself supervises the Parliament. Ayatollah Shahroudi also served as the head of Iran’s Judiciary for 10 years. His efforts to speed up due processes and establish close contact with the ordinary people were among the achievements the late cleric was credited for. Ayatollah Shahroudi also was a member and vice president of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which elects and oversees the performance of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. He had been a member of the Guardian Council for years as well. Ayatollah Shahroudi published numerous books and articles in various fields, including Islamic Jurisprudence and law. As a religious scholar and teacher, he was well-known for his precise reasoning and robust approaches. http://en.abna24.com/news//chairman-of-irans-expediency-council-passes-away_922082.html Photos: Presence of people, scholars at office of Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi in Qom http://en.abna24.com/news//photos-presence-of-people-scholars-at-office-of-ayatollah-hashemi-shahroudi-in-qom_922095.html December 25, 2018 - 5:58 PM News Code : 922095 Source : ABNA24Link: AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The scholrs and the people came to Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi's office in Qom to condolences his demise. Iran's government declares Wednesday public mourning http://en.abna24.com/news//irans-government-declares-wednesday-public-mourning_922126.html December 25, 2018 - 8:10 PM News Code : 922126 Source : IRNALink: Iranian government, in a message condoling the demise of late Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Shahrudi declared Wednesday, December 26th, as public mourning throughout the country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Hashemi_Shahroudi http://www.hashemishahroudi.org/en

I know Redha Shirazi (RH) almost became a marja, but was killed. So, who is the next marja (of family Shirazi)?

Salam, Sistani (may Allah bless him) is a true representation of how a true and pious muslim should act. Sistani's love for ahlulbayt (as) reflects through his personality and words. I have been following him and he seems like a very peaceful and a very wise man. I just went through his statement on Shia Sunni unity and it is truly amazing knowing how loving he is towards our Sunni brothers/sisters. I wish more Sunni scholars had let go of their egos and put aside the differences and consider us shias as muslims (not these kafir labels). Sistani is a huge Shia figure and for him to say the following words, shows how less of an ego he has. Most scholars today unfortunately love to attack other sects and label them "kafir". This is nothing but ignorance by imposing your own views. I have realised that this is why Shia Sunni unity can't happen because many sunni scholars aren't willing to associate with us Shias. Name me a Sunni scholar(a very big figure) who would be so open-minded for a Sunni to pray in a Shia mosque. The following are some of his statements: - "There is no real difference between Shiite and Sunni beliefs, and I am the servant of all Iraqis [either Sunni or Shiite],” he emphasizes. “I love everyone, and this religion [Islam] is the religion of love,”. - "We should attend Sunnis’ Friday prayers more than Shiite’s. We do not discriminate between Arabs and Kurds, and Islam has collected all of us" - "This kind of conferences are highly important, since they help Shiites and Sunnis find out that there is no real difference between their beliefs, and the difference simply is on legal (Fiqh) issues" I don't mean to attack my Sunni brothers and sisters but It hurts me when we are labelled 'Kafir' by Sunnis. Why can't we all put our fiqh issues aside and be one unit. Going to a sunni mosque in my university and praying in our Shia way leaves such a "frightened look" in so many sunnis faces.

Salam Alaykom brothers and sisters! Can somebody please help me? I´ve heard that you have to be chosen a marja, if not, all of your dids will be void? And how do I choose? What is the difference between them and what if someone is wrong about something? Do I have to be careful with who I´m choosing? Many questions, sorry about that. But I want to make it right, because you can´t change your marja once you´ve chosen one? Wassalam!

Is it allowed to blindly follow Ayatullah or Marja or jurists, Scholars? التقليد: هو العمل مطابقاً لفتوى الفقيه الجامع للشرائط وإن لم تستند اليها حين العمل، فتفعل ما انتهى رأيه الى فعله، وتترك ما انتهى رأيه الى تركه، من دون تمحيص منك، فكأنك وضعت عملك في رقبته كالقلادة، محمّلاً إياه مسؤولية عملك أمام الله. ويشترط في الفقيه المقلّد فيما يشترط فيه، أن يكون أعلم أهل زمانه، وأقدرهم على استخراج الحكم الشرعي من مصادره المقررة Taqleed is to mimic the opinions (fatwas) of the qualified Faqih, you do what he thinks should be done and you leave what he thinks should be avoided, you do not research or verify anything, it is as if you place your deeds in the neck of the Faqih like a necklace, you make him take responsibility for your actions in front of Allah. The Faqih must be the most knowledgeable of his time and most capable of extracting rulings from the designated sources. http://www.sistani.org/arabic/book/17/952/

Has any Marja ever replied to a question on islamic fiqh presented to him with the answer "I don't know"? If so could you please provide me with the question and the name of the Marja.

Salam, There is this Marja that I would like to follow but he has passed away. Can I Do Taqlid to a Marja that is dead? **I'm planning to follow Ayatollah Sistani on new issues**

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu I used to follow Sistani, then Sadiq Shirazi. My question is, who is the strictest majra? Ya Ali Madad Haqq

Salam, I am curious if there is any Marja that permits the eating of Lobster and Crab. Maraja that classify Lobster and Crab as Makhrooh are mentionable as well. I know Ayatollah Sistani and Khamenai say Lobster and Crab is haram. I am looking for Maraja that say otherwise.

Following (Taqlid) the Religious Maraja (Mujtahid) Question: There are among us such people also who do not think that doing Taqlid in Islamic law is obligatory. They argue that it is incumbent on all to derive the laws of the Shariah from the Holy Quran and other sources. Because: 1. The Holy Quran is opposed to any kind of following (Taqlid) and it is absolutely against blindly following anyone. 2. Taqlid is to follow without question, and reason and wisdom do not like this type of following. 3. Taqlid is the cause of disunity among the Muslims because there are usually more than one Maraja and their legal rulings are not the same. Answer: We think that the source of all these objections is one. It is that there are two meanings of the word ‘Taqlid’. One of them is a general meaning which is the usual connotation. It has another literary meaning with which discussions are initiated in the books of Jurisprudence and principles. The previous and the present objections are regarding the first meaning while there is no connection between the first meaning and the second meaning. The explanation of this is usually Taqlid is used for improper actions in everyday life which people usually do by initiation without any proper thought or justification. To imitate foolish people is certainly a greater foolishness. It is neither sanctioned by reason nor by Islamic law. And no sane person is ready to follow any other person blindly. It is the same Taqlid with which the idolaters used to justify their idolatry. They used to say that their ancestors used to follow that custom and they were not prepared to forgo the customs of their ancestors. The Holy Quran has mentioned their argument in the following verses: Surely we found our fathers on a course, and surely we are followers of their footsteps.[113] They used to justify their foolish custom (of worshipping wooden and stone idols) by saying that their ancestors also did that. They used to blindly follow their customs. It is that same type of Taqlid that is responsible for the spread of social evils like racing, fashion and sexual perversion. Maulana Rumi has indicated this same type of Taqlid: “Their foolish Taqlid has destroyed the people”. As mentioned above most of the objection with regard to Taqlid are there due considering the first meaning of Taqlid which is used in general sense. However, the second meaning of Taqlid, used in religious terminology is completely different. It can be expressed in one sentence: “Following the specialists by non-specialists people in some matters.” That is, those who are not having the knowledge of religious problems, which require specialization and years of study they have to compulsorily follow the religious Mujtahid and act upon their rulings. In this sense is the meaning applicable for Taqlid—that is the following of a learned person by a less learned person. It is the basis of human life in all the fields, be they agriculture, manufacturing or medicine. If at any time this is taken out from human life, that is a patient does not visit a doctor, or people do not consult lawyers for legal advice, one does not consult the engineers and architects, one does not use the services of artisans, mechanics and experts of other fields, the social structure of the world would be endangered and every field will become extinct. The religious problems are not exempted from this system. Without any doubts, in the principles of faith like Tauheed, Adl, Nubuwwat, Imamat and Qiyamat, everyone has to do proper research themselves and their justification is nothing difficult and complicated also. Every person can do this according to his or her understanding capacity. However, for the Islamic practical laws: Worship acts, business transactions and politics like Prayer, fasting, holy war, penalties and punishments, relations and blood money marriage and divorce and thousands of other day-to-day matters. Everyone cannot obtain the knowledge of all these laws individually. Neither can they derive any benefit from the sources of Islamic law, like the Holy Quran, traditions, Reason and Consensus. Therefore people have no option but to follow the religious scholar for these problems. The scholars who have put in years of study and have gained deep knowledge of the book of Allah, the practice of the Prophet, and the sayings and writings of the Imams of Ahle Bayt (‘a). From this discussion we conclude that following a Mujtahid is not blind following without justification. This Taqlid has the logical and reasonable proof as follows: The view of a scholar, a wise man and specialist and that also that it is harmless; it is usually nearest to the truth and generally it is not away from the truth. And even if there is a mistake in it the error is limited while a non-learned person tries to act on his own he will do most of things in a wrong way. For example when a sick person goes to a doctor he usually takes a prescription and it is possible that the doctor might commit an error in it. However, his error will not have very serious repercussions in the prescription. (Here doctor denotes a knowledge and learned person). However, if man stops following the advice of doctors and whenever he is sick he takes whichever medicine he likes, then indeed he would be performing a risky thing. He has put his life into danger. The result of this discussion is that the layman following a specialist is logical and reasonable proposition. This is also established that this type of following and seeking benefits is not a sign of helplessness of man, it is rather a proof of his capability. Because we know that the sphere of knowledge is so vast that every field has hundreds of specialized branches and even if a person has the age of Nuh (‘a) and the brain of Avicenna he cannot even specialize in 1/100 of the sciences. Thus there is no other option but that he follows the specialists in the fields in which he himself is not an expert. For example if an engineer falls sick, he goes to a doctor and when a doctor wants to construct a house he goes to his favorite architect so that he may construct a plan for him. And when these two have some problem with their cars they go to an automobile mechanic. Also, those who are not specialists in Islamic law they follow the Mujtahids. Now the point remains that when people refer to the religious scholars and one dispensed appropriate advice why are they not allowed to ask questions? It is like saying that: What is the problem in the patient asking for explanation and justification of all the medicines that the doctor has prescribed for him. Is it possible for the doctor to explain all the prescriptions to his patients? Even if we presume that the doctor agrees to do so, but what use would it be for a person who is neither an expert in biology nor pharmacology and how would he accept all this to be true? Those who utter such things are indeed ignorant of the vastness of Islamic sciences. They don’t know that to understand the Holy Quran and hundreds of thousands of traditional writings is not a job of a layman. Years of study is required to understand the verses of Holy Quran, the traditions, the narrators of traditions and the system of knowing whether a particular tradition is correct or not; the interpretation of the sayings of the Prophets. All this requires specialization. Sometimes it also happens that to find the solution to a problem related to marriage, divorce or rearing of children one has to see many verses of Quran and refer to tens of traditions. Then one has to closely study the accounts of tens of narrators of traditions in the books of Ilme Rijal. Can everyone really have this much expertise? Does it not mean that everybody should leave their work and get busy in studying religious law? While we do not even know if all the people have the ability to reach to the level of Ijtehad or not. Whether they have the capacity to derive the laws of the Shariah or not. It is possible that in most of the people have different abilities. And to say that following different Mujtahids causes disunity, is indeed a strange allegation! 1. In every period there is only one or a few Maraja who are well known to all. But if all the Muslims express their views regarding the Islamic law there would be chaos in the community. 2. There is difference of opinion among the scholars in only the third or fourth level problems. There is no controversy regarding the basic laws and principles. That is why you see people who follow different Mujtahids standing together in the same row during congregational prayers. The partial difference in laws does not prevent their coming together of Jamat Prayers. All of them go for Hajj in the same days and perform the Hajj rituals and the difference in religious decree (Fatwa) does not inconvenience a single man of the caravan. All these things indicate that the differences in religious decree are only in the matters that do not affect Communal unity. Notes: [113] Surah Zukhruf 43:23 http://www.al-islam.org/falsafa/103.htm

Assalam u Alaikum to all brothers and sisters. So I have a question which i consider is very serious. As we all know that Muttah marriage is declared permitted by all of our Ayatollahs and scholar. None of them i guess consider muttah haram. But how can they declare muttah permissible when it was declared haram by our Imams. There are just few narrations in which muttah is considered permissible, and it is not stated clearly from those narrations that it is really permissible. Here is the link where you can find dozens of narrations proving muttah haram(forbidden) : http://mullaandmutah.weebly.com/wikipedia.html Here are some most clear narrations declaring muttah forbidden: 1)Another hadith narrated from Imam Jafar Ul Sadaq[A.S] Narrated by A'maar: Abu Abdullah[Imam Jafar Sadaq]said to me and to Suliman Bin Khaled: "I made Mut'ah Haram on you".AL Kafi Pp 467.V5.Wiasal Shia Pp22.V21. Shiekh Saduq classified it as Saheeh[AUTHENTIC] in his Minhaj Saduq Pp304.V7. Sheikh Sadra Hassan[With Good Chain of Narration] in his Commentry on AL Kafi.Pp461.V4. 2) Narrator says that he heard ibn Abi Umair who narrated from Ali bin Yaqtin saying: 'I asked Aba al-Hassan (a.s) about the Mutah and He (a.s) replied: 'What do you have to do with this, when Allah has made this unnecessary for you.' I said: 'I just wanted to know about it'. He (a.s) replied: 'It is Prohibated. Al- Kafi, Volume 5 page 442. Al Astibasar Pp459,V12. Shiekh Amali and Shiekh Abu Hassan decleared it Saheeh in their Commentries on AL Kafi[pp35,V4 and Pp109.V10] and Hasan by AL Majlisi in his Maratul Uqool Pp59.V34. NOW HOW CAN ALL OF OUR MARJAS, AND SCHOLARS DECLARE IT PERMISSIBLE WHEN IT IS PROVED THAT IT IS PROHIBITED ACCORDING TO OUR IMAMS ??

Have you guys seen this documentary? I am currently watching it, will leave my opinions afterwards. I didn't know that Sayed Sistani was higher than Sayed Khamanaei, I thought they were both equally Marja'a. I checked it out on Google though, and apparently Sayed Sistani is higher thank Sayed Khamanaei.

Hi everyone, My name is Hassan and i'm a 19 year old entrepreneur. I need your guys help on finding me a Marja to follow. I want to get your opinion on which one to follow. I'll also write a list of the core values and beliefs which I believe in. And thank you in advance. 1.) Strong passion for business and success 2.) Believer in self-development (I'm a big fan of Tony Robbins, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Richard Branson) 3.) I'm a strong believer in keeping an open and diverse mindset. 4.) I don't just hang around with people JUST from religious background. (Shia and Sunni Muslims, Druze, Christians, Jews.) Preferably I want somebody that has equal views to all religious groups in the world. 5.) Doesn't have such a strong opinion around what women should or should not do.

Asalamalekum, We hear that if a marja is expert in a particular field, one must follow them and that issue. But i have never heard of any such mujtahid. I think they all have to take same courses, in able to become a marja. Therefore, there is always a confusion on who is the most learned, because non of them are studying one field.

I hope you are all in the best of health and in the best of Imaan. Also, Ramadhan Mubarak to you all. So, I'm interested in understanding the extent of the political authority of a marja. We all know that according to usooli belief it is incumbent upon an individual to do the taqleed of a marja and waajib upon him to abide by the laws of fiqh as set down by the marja. We also have a famous saying that taqleed is in fiqh, not aqaid (beliefs). So, those limits are pretty clear but what is often not clear is the political authority a marja commands. Now, part of answering this question goes back to the raging debates we've had over the years on Wilayatul Faqih and Iran and, if possible, I'd like to avoid those. Instead, I'd like you to answer three simple questions:1. Can a marja ask me to kill someone? Is it incumbent upon me to obey him - even if I don't necessarily agree with him on the reasoning or if he actually doesn't even give one? We have the opinion by many scholars that the hudud cannot be implemented or an offensive war cannot be initiated except in the presence of a ma'soom. Will the murder of a single individual, then, follow in the same vein (as a war is basically killing people in the plural and in this case you're killing just one person?) Also, I know that someone do hold the belief that this is not necessary so I'm only interested in the opinion of those scholars who do deem the presence of ma'soom necessary in the above two situations. 2. If a marja endorses someone in an election, for example, is it wajib for me to vote for them?3. How much political authority do they command in general? In particular, I'm interested in the famous tobacco fatwa of Iran, where a marja banned tobacco for what seemed to be purely political reasons. Was he allowed to do that? Is there a difference of opinion on this? Also, let's assume that the above hypotheticals involve a marja who is not the head of a Islamic government under which you live (so, someone like Ayatollah Seestani and not Ayatollah Khamenaei as the existence of an Islamic government and the stature of the individual ruling as the haakim would muddle the discussion. Now, I also know that some believe that the authority of an Islamic government, like the one established in Iran, is not restricted to those living within the physical borders of the country - and thus any command from Ayatollah Khamenaei, for example, is incumbent upon all Shi'as, and not just those who do his taqlid or those living in Iran and, again, this is a whole topic on its own so I'd like to assume, for the purpose of this discussion, that that is not the case. PS: Once again, I'd like to remind you that while it's obvious that discussion of the theory of wilayatul faqih will inevitably be required in answering my question, I would prefer it if we didn't make this thread just about the theory, or about Iran and its implementation of the idea. Also, while I have singled out Ayatollah Seestani as I am his muqallid and wants to know what he believes is obligatory for me, I do want to know the variety of opinions that are out there, including those of Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenaei (just with the assumptions I have put forth - so, in a hypothetical world where they were not the heads of states of an Islamic government in Iran).

مراجع تقلید-Maraj'i First and foremost I would like to introduce myself. I am Althaqalayn12 a Jaffary twelver shia muslim who is a researcher and inshallah will join a hawza soon. Also I would like to inform you that on top of having enemies from outside the followers of Ahlul Bayt a.s. like the wahabis who spread lies and fitna, we have enemies from the inside who are creating fitna. Second of all, our enemies found a way to try to penetrate us from the inside by criticizing our maraj'i which unfortunately is happening and we must be aware of it. Among the Shia there are those who are misguided, who listen to the lies of our enemies and follow blindly and criticize our maraj'i which is funny, because those who criticize our maraji, have not an ATOM of knowledge from the knowledge that our fuqaha know. Also, those who criticize our Maraj'i can not even READ the Quran correctly which is the simplest thing you can do, not understand, but not even READ. Third of all, a marja (مرجع) is a faqeeh (scholar) who spends 15+ years of his life studying in a hawza (Shiite religious school) and learn the sharia and know what's HALAL and HARAM after reading 30+ books. Also our beloved infallible imams a.s. used to have students who wrote down their teachings which not many of us have read. In return, when we have problems that we want figured out and know about haram and halal such as asking HOW TO DO MUTA or ask questions about Tattoos etc. It's like going to a doctor, but Fuqahaa and maraj'i are the doctors of religion. Also Allah told us about fuqahaa in the Quran =========================================================================================================================================== بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَّةً فَلَوْلا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ صدق الله العلي العظيم -->Why, then, does not a single person from every group from them (mumineen) make a group that become fuqaha in the deen and inform their followers? <-- ATTAWBA 122 ===========================================================================================================================================Clearly talks about how one person from each group of deen should become a faqeeh who tells us how the deen works.

Hello. Can someone list the marjas who forbids tatbir by meaning it is haram to do? Thank you

This is a good video in urdu. Its contains almost all concept to know What is Wilayat e Faqeeh, What is Faqeeh and how there Fatwa/hukum works. Speaker : Maulana Ali Abbas Khan (Al-Mustafa University, Qom, Iran)

Salamun alaykum. A question from Shi'a only: Who is your Marja' Taqlid (religious authority)? It is specially useful for those who want to answer to religious questions. Also I'll appreciate if you tell me that who is the most-followed Marja' Taqlid by Shi'a community in your region (mention your region if you like). Thanks in advance.

What details go into it ?

The Quranic meaning of ‘fiqh’ The Shia School prides itself in opening the door for ijtihad from the first days of Islam, but I will not dwell on its importance here and the evidence for its need to keep up with the changing times, since there is no disagreement on this aspect (although there are different views in defining ijtihad [1]). Shaheed Al Sadr says: ‘Ijtihad allows the muslims to apply islamic theory to daily life, since pracitcal application cannot happen until ijtihad defines the theory and its details.’ [2] The differences in opinion arose with differing views on the role of the mujtahid and the extent of his responsibilities (although the responsibilites are clearly stated in the Quran and narrations as we’ll see below..). Imam Khomeini’s view on Ijtihad: ‘We have limited ourselves to a small part of juristic laws, and left many aspects untouched and therefore many aspects of ijtihad remain strange to us.’ [3] He saw that the ijtihad being performed at the religious seminaries was not enough to tackle all the issues faced by the muslim nations, due to the wrong understanding of ijtihad and intellectual standstill due to the focus on the individual and not the society as a whole. The solution he proposed was: ‘Islam deals with all aspects of life, and gave corresponding laws for each (aspect).’ This is where the correct understanding of fiqh becomes critical in understanding the correct purpose of ijtihad and the correct role of the mujtahid. And, as always, to establish the correct meaning of any religious concept, we must go to the Quran: وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُ‌وا كَافَّةً ۚ فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ‌ مِن كُلِّ فِرْ‌قَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُ‌وا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَ‌جَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُ‌ونَ ‘And it does not beseem the believers that they should go forth all together; why should not then a company from every party from among them go forth that they may apply themselves to obtain understanding in religion, and that they may warn their people when they come back to them that they may be cautious?’ [4] Before talking about the meaning of the word ‘fiqh’ or ‘tafaquh’ in this verse, another important phrase is ‘why should not’ (فَلَوْلَا), which is used as an exhortation to do a certain thing, in this case: ‘to obtain understanding in religion’, i.e. it is obligatory (for all or some) to obtain religious knowledge. The verse then defines the role of those who obtained religious knowledge to be ‘that they may warn their people when they come back to them’, correlating understanding in religion with warning, deeming knowledge on its own to be insufficient without spreading it to those who lack it. But what does ‘when they come back to them’ mean? They must have gone somewhere to return to their people. It is evident, then, that migration of those tasked with obtaining knowledge and then returning to their people, having gathered all necessary information and experience, is fundamental to ‘warning’ them and providing themselves and others with the tools to counter any (intellectual) threat they might face. Allamah al-Tabatabai’s view on the verse: ‘Hence it is clear that the intended meaning of ‘becoming learned’ (tafaquh) is to gain an understanding of all religious sciences, whether the roots of the religion or its branches, and not just the practical laws, which is the formal meaning of fiqh amongst religious people. The proof for this is first, ‘to become learned in religion’ and second, ‘and to warn their people…’ because they can only warn their people if they have an understanding of all aspects of the religion, including that which will occasion divine reward or punishment in the Hereafter.’ [5] Knowledge in religion (tafaquh) in narrations The narrations dealing with the importance of knowledge and the obligation of its acquisition are numerous, I will mention just one relevant to our discussion above: Imam al-Sadiq (as) said: ‘Become learned in religion, for those who do not are desert dwellers (i.e. ignorant and lacking knowledge)’ [6] The term ‘desert dwellers’ should not be taken as an insult, as the Quran has given a clear definition for this group in society: قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَ‌ابُ آمَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَـٰكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ ‘The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe but say, We submit; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts..’ [7] The desert dwellers are far removed from the centres of knowledge and culture, which will have an effect on their spiritual and behavioural conduct. ——————————————————————————————- [1] See: ‘Ijtihad: its meaning, sources, beginning and practice of ra’y’ [2] Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr: ‘Future directions of the Ijtihad movement’, Al Ghadeer magazine, Dec 1980. [3] Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, ‘Islamic Government’, pg65. [4] Al Tawbah:122 [5] Allamah Tabataba’i, Tafsir Al Mizan, Vol9, pg337. [6] Usul al Kafi, Vol1, pg31, H6. [7] Al Hujurat:14

(bismillah) (salam) In the name of Allah, The most beneficent the most merciful, Assalamu aleykum. I would like to ask the people of this forum if they could please help me out, By giving me a list of marajas from their knowledge that do not allow tatbir. Jazakallah. (P.S. I know Sayed Fudlullah is against Tatbir [May Allah increase his blessings])

Assalamu Aleykum, I am thinking of changing my marja and i came across Ayatullah Saanei so if anyone would like to share thoughts or knowledge on him that would be great :rolleyes:

(salam) I was first in taqlid of Ayatollah Khamenei but later I replaced him with Ayatollah Sistani. I think I am in his taqlid now. Reasons: 1) Ayatollah Sistani is more knowledgeable than Ayatollah Khamenei. I came to this conclusion after visiting their websites. Ayatollah Sistani has solved more modern problems as compared to those solved by Ayatollah Khamenei. There are many examples: A. Adoption B. Gelatin C. Purity of People of the Book D. Brain death E. Contraception 2) Ayatollah Khamenei is unaware of some religious affairs like he believes its halal to play chess. I myself asked him whether I can play chess or not and I was replied: However, Ayatollah Sistani deems it haram to play chess. These points made me convert from Khamenei-ism to Sistani-ism. What do you all say?