Everything about Marja totally explained
Marja (
Arabic/
Persian: مرجع), also appearing as
Marja Taqlid or
Marja Dini (
Arabic/
Persian: مرجع تقليد / مرجع ديني), literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference". It is the label provided to
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,
marjas are the highest authority on religious laws in
Usuli Twelver Shia Islam.
Title
Currently,
marjas are accorded the title
Grand Ayatollah (
Arabic/
Persian: آية الله العظمی
Ayatollah al-Uzma), however when referring to one, the use of
Ayatollah is acceptable. Previously, the titles of
Allamah and
Imam have also been used.
Authority of marjas
This
marja'yiat of an
Ayatollah transpires when he becomes a celebrated figure in the
hawzas and his students and followers trust him in answering their questions, and ask him to publish his juristic book - in which he answers the vast majority of daily Muslim affairs. This book is called
Resalah and contains his
fatwas on different topics, according to his knowledge of the most authentic Islamic sources and their application to current life. Traditionally only the most renowned Ayatollahs of the given time published
Resalah, while today many Ayatollahs of various illustriousness have published this book, but some of the renowned ones have refused to do so.
Where a difference in opinion exists between the
marjas, each of them provide their own opinion and the
Muqallid will follow his/her own
marja's opinion on that subject.
Several senior Grand Ayatollahs constitute the
hawza, a religious institution. The
hawzas of
Qom and
Najaf are preeminent seminary centers for the training of Shia
clergymen. However, there are other smaller
hawzas in other cities around the world, such as
Karbala in
Iraq and
Mashhad, and
Isfahan in
Iran.
Difference of Opinion between Marjas
Some say that having different
marjas may cause certain problems in Shia Islam. They argue
some marjas might have a liberal view on a subject such as music, while
others may be restrictive and have conservative
fatwas on music. This situation has raised certain difficulties in running a
velayat-faqih system in
Iran, where the
fatwas of the
Supreme Leader is usually given precedence to others.
(See: The situation in Iran)
However others argue that although it might seem that difference of opinion among
marjas would be a source of contention, almost all
marjas agree on vast majority of the rulings. There are very few rulings on which marjas differ, and even then they're quite similar to each other. For example, one
marja might declare something to be
wajib (obligatory), whereas another might consider it
mustahab (recommended). However, it's never the case when one marja considers something
wajib, whereas another considers it
haram.
Most critics agree that a marja is essential in preventing sectarianism and other differences in belief from creating conflict. Whereas differences in the beliefs of various mollanahs have historically created conflict; the marja system aids in maintaining unity in a land and preventing individuals from dividing the
ummah.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Marja'.
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