Part of a series on |
Islam |
---|
The Big Four refers to the four contemporary leading Grand Ayatollahs of Twelver Shia Islam based in the holy city of Najaf in Iraq.[1][2][3]
All orthodox Twelver Shia Muslims follow the Islamic rulings of a Grand Ayatollah. Under Saddam Hussein, the clerics were oppressed. At present, the most prominent among them is Ali al-Sistani; who also serves as the head of the Najaf Seminary.[4]
Grand Ayatollah | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
---|---|---|---|
(The names are arranged in alphabetical order)
| |||
Ali al-Sistani | 4 August 1930 | Mashhad, Iran | |
Bashir al-Najafi | 1942 (age 81–82) | Jalandhar, British India | |
Muhammad al-Fayadh | 1930 (age 93–94) | Ghazni, Afghanistan | |
Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim | (1934-2021) | Najaf, Iraq |
((cite news))
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)