Marja'

In Shia Islam, marjaʿ (Arabic: مرجع‎; plural: marājiʿ), also known as a marjaʿ taqlīd or marjaʿ dīnī (Arabic: مرجع تقليد / مرجع ديني‎), literally meaning "source to imitate/follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and less-credentialed clerics. After the Qur'an and the prophets and imams, marājiʿ are the highest authority on religious laws in Usuli Shia Islam.

155223

Marja' . Taqlid . Hadith

Is it necessary to blindly follow a Marja in Taqleed? Is there any proof from Ahadith about this matter?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 years ago

In every field of knowledge, reasonable persons follow the highly knowledgeable experts in that field. It is the logic of life that the less knowing must refer to the most knowing. It is in medicine, engineering, law, etc and no one objects on it at all. Why some people doubt it when it comes to religious knowledge? This doubt is illogical. Allah is Quran ordered to refer to those who are more knowledgeable.(Sura Al-Nahl, verse 43 and Sura Al-Angiaa', verse 7 and Sura Faaturm verse 14).

Following the verdict of the Marje' is the way for people to follow the authentic evidence derived by the highly learned experts in Islamic knowledge. Those who doubt Taqleed do not have any other way to know the evidence because they themselves are not experts in Islamic knowledge. Some of them follow less knowledgeable persons instead of following more knowledgeable which is type of injustice.

Wassalam.

152484

Marja' . Najasa (Impurity) . Scholars . Naser Makarem Shirazi

If my Marja's view is that non-Muslims are impure based on obligatory precaution, but another scholar such as Ayatullah Makarem Shirazi holds the opinion that they are pure, can I follow his view on this matter?

You need to request your Marje’ to guide you to the second most learned after him so that you can refer to in the matters which your Marje’ does not have a verdict on.

Wassalam.

145229

Khums . Travel . Marja' . Sadaqa (Charity)

Is it considered allowed to set aside the full amount of Khums on the anniversary day but delay the actual payment until one is able to travel and physically deliver the Khums to the Marja's office rather than pay through a local charity?

It is obligatory to pay the Khums as soon as possible with out any delay. If you are in a place where you can not deliver the Khums to the Marje' of Taqleed or any trusted person who is authorised by the Marje' to receive, means that you no way to deliver the Khums, then you can wait but try your best to find a safe way to deliver as soon as you can. Delaying or postponing Khums delivery with out serious reason is not allowed.

Wassalam.

141305

Cryptocurrency . Marja'

Which Maraaji' say that it is allowed to deal with cryptocurrency and where can I find their rulings and explanation?

Ayatullah Sayyed Musa Shubairi Al-Zanjani, detailed his verdict on this issue by saying: If dealing with this type of currency has economic corruption or is contrary to the law, then dealing with it, selling and buying it is problematic. And exchanges with it, and it is not permissible to refer it to another mujtahid. While a number of our scholars went for the permissibility of dealing with it and considering the transaction valid, including Ayatullah Muhammad Saeed Al-Hakim, who said: The crypto currency transaction is permissible, but it may expose the believers’ money to danger, so caution is necessary.. Ayatullah Sayyed Muhammad Sadiq Al-Rouhani said: It is permissible to deal with it through the direct purchase of things through it, or in exchange for its exchanged value against other currencies, whether electronic or paper, and there is no problem with that from this point of view.Among them is Ayatullah Sheikh Muhammad. Ishaq Al-Fayyad who said: It is permissible if it has value and the transactions in it are not approved as a waste of money dealing with usurious transactions.

There are many other leading scholars in the Hawza of Najaf Ashraf and Qum who also say that dealing with cryptocurrencies is permissible.

Wassalam.

131477

Taqlid . Marja'

When in Taqlid of a living Marja, can one do Ruju', in certain aspects, towards the ruling of a deceased Marja?

No, unless you were following that deceased Marje' before his passing away and the living Marje' allows you to refer to the late Marje' whom you have followed before.

Wassalam.

136513

Time . Marja'

If we have followed two Marjas at the same time, taking some rulings from one and some from the other, and later realized one could not follow two Marjas, are the previous actions considered valid?

Previous actions are valid if the real Marje' who is the highest in Islamic knowledge approves it.

Wassalam.

134174

Duties . Scholars . Taqlid . Marja'

What are my duties towards the A'lam, most learned, scholar if I am not his Muqallid?

We should respect all the truthful Ulama who are guiding people to the Way of Ahlul Bayt (AS) being the real way of the Prophet (SAWA) which is the Way of Allah (SWT). Even if you don't follow his verdicts and follow the verdicts of other Marje' of Taqleed, must keep respecting the A'lam. If the A'lam issues an order (Hokm), you must implement his order in any case. Verdict is binding all who do his Taqleed, butHokm (order) I binging every one including those who do Taqleed of other Maraaje's.
Wassalam.

133754

Marja'

Who among the current Ayatollahs is considered A'lam, the most learned, and how is it determined?

The A'lam is the most learned A'alim among the Ulama. He is determined by the high caliber scholars أهل الخبرة who are able to determine the most learned after going through the scientific works of leading Ulama. Those high caliber Ulama are the high rank scholars in the Hawza in Najaf and Qum and other places.
Most of the high caliber Ulama in Hawza now a days say that the most learned is the grand Ayatullah Sistani may Allah grant him long life.

Wassalam.

119542

Women . Islam . Marja'

Is it true that women are not allowed to become Marjas? If so, how can one argue against a person who claims that Islam is a male dominated religion?

Women are not only allowed but also encouraged to seek knowledge with out any limitation. Women can reach to highest degrees of knowledge which is known as Ejtihad إجتهاد.We have in our Shia history many women reached to the high degree of Ejtihad. When the women becomes highly learned in Islamic sciences up to Ejtihad, she will not be dozing Taqleed for other Mujtahids but she as a Mujtahidah has to act upon her own verdicts.

The post of Marja' of Taqleed has big burden which is not for any woman to bear with her delicate nature as a female and her physical abilities and circumstances e.g. menstruation cycle, pregnancy, breast feeding etc.

Woman can reach to the highest degrees of Islamic knowledge with out making her facing challenges which are beyond her abilities and comfort.

Islam is not a male dominated religion, as Islam teaches that the human beings are created in male and female (Sura 49, Verse 13). Islam granted the woman since more than 1400 years full rights which were never given to her by any other religion or ideology. Europe till recently, treated with women as incomplete human beings and used to give her less than the salary of similar job man. Women were not allowed to study nor to do business or even own.
Islam put pious women in the highest rank above millions of men. Lady Fatimah (AS) is the best human being after her father Muhammad (SAWA) and her husband Ali (AS).

Wassalam.

119558

Women . Respect . Marja'

Is it allowed for women to kiss the hands of any Marja out of respect?

No Marja and no pious scholar will allow any non Mahram female to kiss or touch his hand directly. It is not allowed and the Marja will never allow it.

Wassalam.

114699

Marja' . Girl

Are there any Maraje who say that the age of Bulugh for girls is around 12 or 13 years?

Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb, Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb has a BA in Law from Guilan University, Iran and has also undertaken Hawzah studies in Qom. He used to be a Cultural Affairs director of Ethics Group of Al-Mustafa... Answer updated 4 years ago

Salaam
Late Sheikh Yusuf Sane'ee and Sheikh Muhammad Is'haaq Fayyaz believe in 13 unless other signs of puberty appear before that, and also Sheikh Ibrahim Jannaati believes in the start of her menses as the sign of her puberty.

108987

Illegitimacy . Salah (Prayers) . Marja'

What are the Islamic references that show that a person born from illegitimate union cannot lead prayers or become a Marja?

Salaam
There are narrations from Ahlul Bait in this regard like:

عن امیرالمؤمنین (ع) لایصلین احدکم خلف المجنون و ولدا الزنا وسائل الشیعة
مَعْرُوفٍ عَنْ أَبِی جَمِیلَةَ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ طَرِیفٍ عَنِ الْأَصْبَغِ بْنِ نُبَاتَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَمِیرَ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ ع یَقُولُ سِتَّةٌ لَا یَنْبَغِی أَنْ یَؤُمُّوا النَّاسَ وَلَدُ الزِّنَا وَ الْمُرْتَدُّ وَ الْأَعْرَابِیُّ بَعْدَ الْهِجْرَةِ وَ شَارِبُ الْخَمْرِ وَ الْمَحْدُودُ وَ الْأَغْلَفُ
and a narration from Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqer in which he says don't pray behind 5 types of people one of which is a child out of wedlock.
Plus that is the consensus of Shia scholars on this ruling.

The word Imam means Muqtada, a leader and someone whom others follow and set an example in their works. And the Imam of the congregation is the one whom the group and the congregation set as their role model. Therefore, there should not be a defect in the position of the incumbent, although he himself has not interfered in achieving this defect. To explain that, the fact that an illegitimate child is deprived of some social and spiritual positions such as Imamate of the congregation and the authority of Taqlid, etc., which are the contents of some above mentioned narrations, is because of the nature of these positions and it does not mean deprivation of salvation on the Day of Judgment, for example, a blind person can not be in charge of some positions or a person who is very forgetful can not be a judge even if he has not committed the slightest sin in his life, having a good memory is one of the conditions of a judge. But these deprivations have nothing to do with one's felicity or unhappiness(i.e. bad end), and so is that with the illegitimate child, and our proof is that in the same narrations, the illegitimate child is placed next to the insane and the leper, etc., even though someone is not crazy or is not leper by their own will.

From a social point of view, being an illegitimate is also a kind of defect and does not lead to reputation, because on the one hand, illegitimacy is the product of a shameful act, and on the other hand, most of the illegitimate children have not shown an acceptable record throughout history, and this is certain that in holding some positions, a person should be away from the characteristics and traits that cause hatred and distance from people, even if those characteristics have been imposed on him without authority.