Choosing A Marja

[rachel]

Salaams, everyone.

The passing of Ayatollah Fadlallah (may Allah have mercy upon him) has me thinking back several years to when I took shehadah and chose a marja. Although i'm not displeased with my choice, I've never been very proud of the process-- it seemed to come down more than anything else to convenience (whose opinions were most readily available in English, who was widely followed in the community I was living in at the time... stuff that really shouldn't be revelant, or at least shouldn't outweigh a lot of other factors). But then again, it seems almost crazy to think that a recent revert could do the research and come up with a truly meaningful decision. So I'm curious to hear: how did you choose your marja? if some time has passed since then, how do you feel about your choice today and the process you went through in choosing?

[Abu Hadi]

For a new revert, I think the best policy is to find the people around you who believe to be the most knowledgeable and ask their opinion. You are right that it is basically impossible for a new revert (less than 2 years of study) to have the required knowledge to choose a marjaa. I think the best way is to take recommendations, as i said above or to go with one of the top three or four universally recognized and respected marjaa.

I chose my marjaa by asking the advice and opinions of those brothers who i was around whom I respected and considered the most knowledgeable. Then, I think the next step is to do your own independent research, as much as you can, and try to decide based on your own research which one you think is the most knowledgeable. It is true what you said that your decision shouldn't be based on convenience or relationship. If you are sincere in your intention and choose based on the correct criteria, Allah(s.w.a) will guide you.

[Rich in STL]

I think this is an outstanding question! If people are willing, please share which marja you follow, so us reverts can get a feel for things on the forum. I don't know any brothers living near me as of yet, so the online community is all I have going at the moment. I'm working on establishing contact with a Shia Islamic information center and masjid in my area.

[Abu Hadi]

I am a mukhalid of Sayyid Fadlallah(ra), who recently passed away. Although he has died, I can still follow his fatwa, but I need to choose a marjaa for current issues. I am leaning toward Sayyid Sistani, but I haven't fully decided yet between Sayyid Sistani and Imam Khameni.

I chose Sayyid Fadlallah because I feel that in addition to his comprehensive knowledge of the basis of fiqh (jurisprudence), he possessed lots of knowledge of the circumstances of muslims who live outside of muslim countries and is in touch with their issues and situations. He didn't only follow traditions, but looked deeply into issues to determine the full scope of them. He was also in constant consultation with experts in many different fields and had open discussions with them. Of course, if you didn't follow him before his death (Sunday, July 4), you can't follow him now. Also, Sayyid Sistani is equal or more of Sayyid Fadlallah in issues of fiqh, but he lives very isolated and must depend on many people to bring him knoweldge of issues that are taking place outside of Najaf. Now, I think I am probably leaning more toward Imam Khameni because he is an independent leader with the full rights to speak and express his opinion. I will make a decision today, InshahAllah. It's not an easy decision and many factors must be considered.

[Rich in STL]

Some of the Shia scholars are from countries that are not generally smiled upon by western powers; has this affected anyone living in the west? I live in the USA, so I have to wonder if my choice of marja is going to get me put on some crazy list. The west is ignorant of true Islamic teachings, so Islamophobia is rampant. Even before I accepted Islam I found myself defending Islam and Muslims from my fellow Americans and Christians.

[Your-Best-Friend]

Some of the Shia scholars are from countries that are not generally smiled upon by western powers; has this affected anyone living in the west? I live in the USA, so I have to wonder if my choice of marja is going to get me put on some crazy list. The west is ignorant of true Islamic teachings, so Islamophobia is rampant. Even before I accepted Islam I found myself defending Islam and Muslims from my fellow Americans and Christians.

NO ISSUE IF YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR MARJAA FROM OUTSIDE YOUR COUNTRIES, LIKE IRAN, IRAQ, ETC., NO MATTER HOW WESTERN COUNTRIES SEE THEM.

[14infallibles]

Some of the Shia scholars are from countries that are not generally smiled upon by western powers; has this affected anyone living in the west? I live in the USA, so I have to wonder if my choice of marja is going to get me put on some crazy list. The west is ignorant of true Islamic teachings, so Islamophobia is rampant. Even before I accepted Islam I found myself defending Islam and Muslims from my fellow Americans and Christians.

(salam)

Don't worry about this.

[Rich in STL]

(salam)

Don't worry about this.

So this is a non-issue? I'm glad to hear that; thanks!

[rachel]

While I agree that it *shouldn't *matter, it seems a bit naive to call it "a non-issue" when you're supposed to be giving money to these people. The US government may not care too much whose religious teachings I follow, but they sure as heck notice which charities I support!

Edited July 9, 2010 by rachel

[Rich in STL]

While I agree that it *shouldn't *matter, it seems a bit naive to call it "a non-issue" when you're supposed to be giving money to these people. The US government may not care too much whose religious teachings I follow, but they sure as heck notice which charities I support!

That's a good point! The US government would take issue with monetary donations to people in certain counties; Iran comes to mind at the moment. Who knew I would need to consult a diplomat, politician or lawyer to figure out which marja I can follow?

[jafari]

That's a good point! The US government would take issue with monetary donations to people in certain counties; Iran comes to mind at the moment. Who knew I would need to consult a diplomat, politician or lawyer to figure out which marja I can follow?

if it is a concern that the bank accounts of certain marja are monitored maybe cash can be paid into their bank accounts if not large amounts. this shouldn't disclose the donor unlike a transfer from a bank account.

or if its just a case of the money being transferred to another country being a problem. maybe permission can be gained from the marja to give the money to a worthy cause in your country or another country thats acceptable. don't some the khoja community or others have permission from sistani to spend khums directly on certain projects. speaking to the representive of the marja you chose should be able to help.

although i doubt it will should be a problem with all the large number of followers the main marjas have, governments surely know the money is donated by shia for purely innocent purposes. if there is a problem with money going to iran, by now the marja representives must have come across any problems and come up with solutions

Edited July 10, 2010 by jafari

[YaHu]

I use to be a Usooli myself whereby I did taqleed to Sistani and Khamenai. Whenever there was an issue that the two disagreed on, I would fallow the harder one. I thought I was doing the right thing and that I would be rewarded in the afterlife. However, once I realized that the Mujtaheds have stolen all the titles and attributes of our Masoomeen and given it to themselves, I woke up to the truth. I really feel sorry for the Mujtaheds in judgement Day. I don't think all the power in the world (donya) is worth what is waiting for them (hellfire). How there anyone take the title of Imam (like Khomeini) other than our Holy Twelve and how there anyone give themselves the status of Wilayat (like Khamenai) other than our Holy Twelve. Moreover, only our Masoomeen are considered Ayatullah and Hujjatul Islam.

[Ya Baqiyatullah (aj)]

I use to be a Usooli myself whereby I did taqleed to Sistani and Khamenai. Whenever there was an issue that the two disagreed on, I would fallow the harder one. I thought I was doing the right thing and that I would be rewarded in the afterlife. However, once I realized that the Mujtaheds have stolen all the titles and attributes of our Masoomeen and given it to themselves, I woke up to the truth. I really feel sorry for the Mujtaheds in judgement Day. I don't think all the power in the world (donya) is worth what is waiting for them (hellfire). How there anyone take the title of Imam (like Khomeini) other than our Holy Twelve and how there anyone give themselves the status of Wilayat (like Khamenai) other than our Holy Twelve. Moreover, only our Masoomeen are considered Ayatullah and Hujjatul Islam.

(salam)

You can make the decision for you as hard as you like. The way I look at taqlid is that it is a source of knowledge, I am not qualified enough to make decisions on religion, so I naturally go to someone who is. I pick the person my heart and mind and soul says yes to, I dont care what his title (Ayatollah) or name (Khamenei, Sistani etc) is. Authority only lies in the hand of the hujjah, Imam Mehdi (as) and there is no doubt in it. I am blessed to have the internet today to make this possible, I am blessed to have the resources to check their fatwas against hadith of the Masoomeen. I know that they are human at the end of the day, but I know they try their best to give the right verdict. Our Imam is in ghaybah, no one can replace him, but to reject scholars altogether is ignorance.

Imam Ali (as) said, ‘The ignorant is one who considers himself knowledgeable about what he is [in actual fact] ignorant of, and he is content with his own opinion. His attachment to scholars only increases his estrangement [from knowledge] since he is constantly finding fault with them. He deems invalid the views of those who oppose him, and that which he does not understand he sees as fallacious. If he comes across something that he does not know, he denies it and falsifies it saying, ‘I have never heard of this!’ or ‘I do not see it as possible! or ‘How can it be!’ or ‘Where is this from?’ This is due to his confidence in his own opinion and the paucity of his awareness of his own ignorance. For this reason he is attached to what he sees as beneficial from his own mistaken opinion, and as a consequence, denies the truth, remains confused in his own ignorance and too proud to seek knowledge.’[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 73]

Imam al-Sadiq (as) said, ‘Verily the scholars are the heirs of the prophets.’[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 32, no. 2]

The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘He who goes forth to meet the scholars has indeed come forth to meet me, and he who visits the scholars has indeed visited me, and he who sits in the company of the scholars has indeed sat in my company, and whoever sits in my company is as if he has sat in the company of my Lord.’[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 28883]

At the end of the day, the scholars do their best to re-iterate what the aimma preach and scholars existed in the time prior ghaybah and they were respected by the Ahlul Bayt.

[rachel]

I appreciate your comment, Ya Baqiyatullah, particularly the quote from Imam Ali, but one phrase of yours raises questions for me:

" I am blessed to have the internet today to make this possible, I am blessed to have the resources to check their fatwas against hadith of the Masoomeen."

Now, I was under the impression that in choosing a marja, one should not be concerned with the factual content of their rulings, per se... because if I were really able to assess the quality of their work, tracing the steps of how they evaluate sources, how they relate a general concept to a specific case, etc., etc.... then I wouldn't *need* a marja.

[Ya Baqiyatullah (aj)]

I appreciate your comment, Ya Baqiyatullah, particularly the quote from Imam Ali, but one phrase of yours raises questions for me:

" I am blessed to have the internet today to make this possible, I am blessed to have the resources to check their fatwas against hadith of the Masoomeen."

Now, I was under the impression that in choosing a marja, one should not be concerned with the factual content of their rulings, per se... because if I were really able to assess the quality of their work, tracing the steps of how they evaluate sources, how they relate a general concept to a specific case, etc., etc.... then I wouldn't *need* a marja.

(salam)

I can see that can be misleading, what I meant was, through the internet, I have the option to check upon hadiths if I wished to do so and being on this forum has shown me how Ayatollah's fatwas are always, always backed up by hadith. Furthermore, I get to see other Ayatollah's opinion on it - it just widens my knowledge. However, I do not pick and choose, I stick to one marja and obey him even if his ruling maybe the one that most others don't agree on. So, as an example, cat hair is seen as najis by most Ayatollahs and thus one cannot pray with cat hair on the clothes according to a hadith that says if the animal's meat is haram, so the hair of that animal is najis. However, regarding the cat we have hadith that say that you can make ablution of the water the cat has drunk from. How would I know what to follow by just these ahadith? As I follow Ayatollah Sistani and his verdict is that cat hair isn't najis, so I follow that one, since he is my marja, even if the ruling contradicts other Ayatollahs.

[guest 34193]

(salam)

I can see that can be misleading, what I meant was, through the internet, I have the option to check upon hadiths if I wished to do so and being on this forum has shown me how Ayatollah's fatwas are always, always backed up by hadith. Furthermore, I get to see other Ayatollah's opinion on it - it just widens my knowledge. However, I do not pick and choose, I stick to one marja and obey him even if his ruling maybe the one that most others don't agree on. So, as an example, cat hair is seen as najis by most Ayatollahs and thus one cannot pray with cat hair on the clothes according to a hadith that says if the animal's meat is haram, so the hair of that animal is najis. However, regarding the cat we have hadith that say that you can make ablution of the water the cat has drunk from. How would I know what to follow by just these ahadith? As I follow Ayatollah Sistani and his verdict is that cat hair isn't najis, so I follow that one, since he is my marja, even if the ruling contradicts other Ayatollahs.

(wasalam)

Just a correction, but no marja` says cats hair is najis. This is a misconception though that many of their followers seem to have.

[Ya Baqiyatullah (aj)]

(salam)

Sorry, I meant you can't pray with cat hair according to all marjas except Ayatollah Sistani (ra).

Edited July 12, 2010 by Ya Baqiyatullah (aj)

[Gypsy]

(salam)

This old topic may be helpful

[alimohamad40]

salam alaikum

first you need to distinguish your own ideology in Usool aldeen (the fundamentals of religion)

you are not allowed to imitate in that.

that includes the unity of god, his justice, prophet hood, and so on

they are the logical derivations which do not need text or imitation

once you do that you compare yours versus the marja and you select accordingly

one of the very important points

what would you say about people who separate the church from the state?

i say they doubt the justice of god because if god is fair and all knowing and merciful he will give us instructions for all departments of life and that si caleld religion

so for some one to say religion doesnt include politics is a big flaw in their bases.

Also there are marja who takes khums yet he says I don't interfere in politics

khums is exclusively for politics and is the equivalent of the tax system (20%) which is the revenue for the whole state.

also some marja do not talk

talking and communication skills are the most fundamental prerequisite of any managerial position let alone the marja which is the highest management position in the world i.e. the attorney of the imam

look at their political stances and their actions on the ground because knowledge is not enough indication but action has to follow the knowledge , if you are intrested i can inform you about the main differences and wylayah takwynyah and other controversial issues just pm because shiachat has blocked me and sometimes what i write doesn't appear for very long time

salaam