The recent events in Iran have severely shaken the geopolitical balance in the Middle East. It has been reported that a number of military and strategic targets in the country were hit as a result of large-scale air strikes carried out by the US and Israel on Iranian territory. One of the main objectives of the attacks was the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to reports, Khamenei had previously designated a successor, taking into account potential political and security risks. Currently, Alireza Arafi has temporarily assumed the post of supreme leadership. Based on claims by foreign media, information has been disseminated that the US and Israel might target not only Khamenei but also other high-ranking clerics who have succeeded him or are likely to succeed him.
In such a complex and sensitive geopolitical context, Iran's supreme religious hierarchy, particularly the Ayatollah rank, has once again come into focus. It is important to note that there is no complete and officially confirmed unified list of individuals holding the Ayatollah religious rank in the world. Partial lists have been compiled by various religious centers, academic seminaries, and research institutes, but these are not considered a single and universal source. Some sources state their number to be over 500, while others suggest it is around 100.
The Ayatollah title is a religious degree conferred upon high-ranking Shi'a clerics belonging to the Twelver Usuli school. The term literally means “Sign of God” and this title is granted only to scholars who possess a high academic level in the fields of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), usul (principles of jurisprudence), and religious sciences, as well as the capacity for ijtihad (independent reasoning in Islamic law). Attaining the Ayatollah rank requires many years of religious education, participation in scholarly discussions, and the authority to issue independent legal-religious opinions.
This rank is hierarchically higher than the degree of Hujjat al-Islam. The subsequent and highest clerical rank is the title of Grand Ayatollah, also known as Marja (Marja' al-taqlid). Grand Ayatollahs are distinguished not only by their scholarly prestige but also by the fact that millions of believers emulate them in religious matters.
Modern.az reports that, according to many sources, there are currently 82 living religious figures holding the Ayatollah religious rank, 67 of whom reside in Iran.
The most prominent religious figure holding the Ayatollah rank residing in Iran is Alireza Arafi, who is currently temporarily performing the duties of Ali Khamenei. He was born in Maybod, Yazd province; his father, Mohammad Ibrahim Arafi, is noted as one of the religious figures and a close friend of Seyyed Ruhollah Khomeini, while his mother was among the children of Kazem Malek Afzali Ardakani. Years before the Iranian Revolution, Alireza Arafi led Friday prayers in Iran and delivered sermons with a weapon. He is 67 years old.
The 100-year-old Ayatollah Mohammad Bagheri was born in 1926 in the Kan region of Tehran. He is Ali Bagheri's father and Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani's elder brother.
During his education at the Qom Seminary of Religious Sciences, he received lessons in Islamic law (fiqh) and Quranic exegesis from influential scholars such as Ruhollah Khomeini, Hossein Borujerdi, Mohammad Hossein Tabatabai, and Mohammad Reza Golpaygani.
He also served as the head of Imam Sadiq University from December 2014 to September 2015.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati was born in Iran in 1927. He has served as the Secretary of the Guardian Council since 1992. Previously, he was the fifth chairman of the Assembly of Experts from 2016 to 2024. Belonging to the Principlist camp, Jannati is known for his staunch conservative stance; he is distinguished by his opposition to secularism and his rhetoric against the LGBT community. Jannati has been a member of the Guardian Council since 1980 and has led the institution since 1992. In 2016, he was elected chairman of the Assembly of Experts, which has the authority to elect the country's supreme religious leader. He was reappointed to his previous position in 2022 and reconfirmed as chairman of the Guardian Council in 2023.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Akbar Qoreishi was born in 1928 in Bonab, East Azerbaijan province. He is an Iranian Shi'a cleric, author, and politician. Qoreishi has been a member of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th terms of the Assembly of Experts from the West Azerbaijan electoral district. He won a mandate in the elections by garnering 549,011 votes.
He was awarded the “Research Emblem” by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
His son, Mehdi Qoreishi, is the Supreme Leader's representative in West Azerbaijan and the Friday prayer imam of Urmia.
Seyyed Ahmad Alamolhoda is an Iranian Shi'a Islamic cleric born in Mashhad in 1944. He has been characterized in various sources as “high-ranking,” “ultra-conservative,” and a “hardliner.” His religious rank is indicated as Hujjat al-Islam in some sources and Ayatollah in others.
Alamolhoda is the Friday prayer imam of Mashhad, Iran, and simultaneously represents that city in the Iranian Assembly of Experts. He is a member of the Combatant Clergy Association.
Alamolhoda's name appeared in international media on December 30, 2009, during his speech at a rally held to support the Islamic regime. In his speech, broadcast via Iranian state television, he criticized those who opposed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stating:
“According to the Quran, the enemies of the leader are the followers of Satan... Our war in the world is a war against those who oppose the authority of the supreme leadership.”
Seyyed Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi was born in Tabriz in 1947. He is an Iranian Shi'a mujtahid, writer, researcher, judge, and politician. He serves as a professor teaching at an advanced level at the Qom Seminary of Religious Sciences.
Mousavi Tabrizi's main political positions include Secretary of the Assembly of Scholars and Researchers of the Qom Seminary of Religious Sciences, Head of the House of Iranian Political Parties, and Deputy Chairman of the General Coalition of Reformists.
He is particularly known for signing the death sentences issued against members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Tehran in 1981. These individuals were abducted, tortured, and executed due to their religious affiliation.
In 2004, he was elected as the second Secretary-General of the Assembly of Scholars and Researchers of the Qom Seminary of Religious Sciences, a reformist political party.
Of Azerbaijani origin, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Pourmohammadi was born in 1956 in Marand, East Azerbaijan province, Iran. He is an Iranian Shi'a Muslim cleric and politician. Pourmohammadi is an elected member of the 4th, 5th, and 6th terms of the Assembly of Experts from the East Azerbaijan electoral district, which has the authority to elect, supervise, and potentially dismiss Iran's supreme religious leader. He won a mandate in the 4th term by garnering 359,839 votes. This was one of the highest votes collected.
It should be noted that 16 of the Ayatollahs on the list were born in Iraq, one in Great Britain, 6 in Iran, and one lives in Lebanon.
In total, 2 Ayatollahs live in Pakistan, 2 in Great Britain, and 1 each in the USA and Nigeria. Additionally, 3 individuals who received this supreme title were born in India.
