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==Biography==
==Biography==
===Early life===
===Early life===
The Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was born [[August 4]], [[1930]] in [[Mashhad]], [[Iran]] to a family of religious scholars. His grandfather, for whom he was named, was a famous scholar who had studied in [[Najaf]]. Sistani's family originally comes from [[Isfahan]]. During the [[Safavid]] period, his forefather Sayyid Mohammad, was appointed as "Shaikhul Islam" (Leading Authority of Islam) by [[Husayn (Safavid)|King Hussain]] in the Sistan province. He traveled to Sistan where he and his children settled the area of Iran known as [[Sistan and Baluchistan Province|Sistan]], which accounts for the title "al-Sistani" in his great grandson's name today. Ali Sistani began his religious education as a child, beginning in Mashhad, and moving on to study at the Shi'a holy city of [[Qom]] in central Iran in 1949. After spending a few years there, in 1951 he went to [[Iraq]] to study in Najaf under the late [[Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei]]. Sistani rose in religious rank to be named a [[Marja]] in 1960 under the military dictatorship of Iraqi president [[Abd al-Karim Qasim]].<ref name="atimes">{{cite web |date= [[February 10]], [[2005]]|url = http://atimes01.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GB10Ak02.html|title = Coming to terms with Sistani|format = HTML |publisher = [http://atimes01.atimes.com Asia Times Online]| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last=Sami Moubayed }}</ref> At the unusually young age of 31 (1961) Ayatullah Sistani reached the senior level of accomplishment called [[Ijtehad]], which entitled him to pass his own judgments on religious questions.<ref name="khoei">{{cite web |date=Sat, 30 Apr 2005 15:30:08|url = http://al-huda.al-khoei.org/news/124/ARTICLE/1075/2005-04-30.html|title = When Ayatullah Sistani Speaks, Millions Obey: Says Time|format = HTML |publisher = [http://al-huda.al-khoei.org al-khoei.org]| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last= |quote=}}</ref>
The Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was born [[August 4]], [[1930]] in [[Mashhad]], [[Iran]] to a family of religious scholars. His father from Al-Qur'ah [[القرعة]] (by [[selection]]), is Al-Sayid Mohammed Baqir and his mother is the daughter of Al-Sayid Ridha Al-Mihrabani Al-Sarabi. His mother used to marry for [[pleasure]] by engaging in [[temporary marriage]] with pilgrims and religious scholars for the sake of God. She was married by [[temporary marriage]] to Al-Sayid Mohammed Al-Kohakmari, After a period she was married by [[temporary marriage]] to Ayatollah Mirza Mohammed Mehdi Al-Asfahani, And after a period she was married by [[temporary marriage]] to Al-Sayid Mohammed Baqir. After this repeated marriage she became pregnant and gave birth to Al-Sayid Al-Sistani. But she was unable to know who is the real father of Al-Sayid Al-Sistani. Therefore she went to the Scientific Hawzah in Qom, where Al-Sayid Hussein Tabatabayi Al-Brujardi gave her a fatwa to choose the father of Al-Sayid Al-Sistani by selection [[القرعة]] Al-Qur'ah. He said Al-Sayid Al-Sistani does not belong to the first [[temporary marriage]] because it was an old relationship. For the other two temporary marriages, He said because she had them in a short period of time, Then both of the contracts are considered invalid, Therefore (by [[selection]]) Al-Qur'ah [[القرعة]] they chose Al-Sayid Mohammed Baqir as the father of al-Sayid Al-Sistani. His grandfather, for whom he was named, was a famous scholar who had studied in [[Najaf]]. Sistani's family originally comes from [[Isfahan]]. During the [[Safavid]] period, his forefather Sayyid Mohammad, was appointed as "Shaikhul Islam" (Leading Authority of Islam) by [[Husayn (Safavid)|King Hussain]] in the Sistan province. He traveled to Sistan where he and his children settled the area of Iran known as [[Sistan and Baluchistan Province|Sistan]], which accounts for the title "al-Sistani" in his great grandson's name today. Ali Sistani began his religious education as a child, beginning in Mashhad, and moving on to study at the Shi'a holy city of [[Qom]] in central Iran in 1949. After spending a few years there, in 1951 he went to [[Iraq]] to study in Najaf under the late [[Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei]]. Sistani rose in religious rank to be named a [[Marja]] in 1960 under the military dictatorship of Iraqi president [[Abd al-Karim Qasim]].<ref name="atimes">{{cite web |date= [[February 10]], [[2005]]|url = http://atimes01.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GB10Ak02.html|title = Coming to terms with Sistani|format = HTML |publisher = [http://atimes01.atimes.com Asia Times Online]| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last=Sami Moubayed }}</ref> At the unusually young age of 31 (1961) Ayatullah Sistani reached the senior level of accomplishment called [[Ijtehad]], which entitled him to pass his own judgments on religious questions.<ref name="khoei">{{cite web |date=Sat, 30 Apr 2005 15:30:08|url = http://al-huda.al-khoei.org/news/124/ARTICLE/1075/2005-04-30.html|title = When Ayatullah Sistani Speaks, Millions Obey: Says Time|format = HTML |publisher = [http://al-huda.al-khoei.org al-khoei.org]| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last= |quote=}}</ref>


===Grand Ayatollah===
===Grand Ayatollah===
Line 49: Line 49:


=== Al-Jazeera's insults against Sistani ===
=== Al-Jazeera's insults against Sistani ===

[[Image:Sistani protest.jpg|thumb|right]]


In May 2007, hundreds of angry Shias demonstrated in [[Basra]] and [[Najaf]] against what they considered to be insults against Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani by TV presenter Ahmed Mansour and [[Qatar]]i [[Al-Jazeera]] television. In the TV show, "Without Borders," Mansour had sounded skeptical of al-Sistani's leadership credentials, and adopted a dismissive tone while directing questions about the Iranian-born cleric to his guest, Shiite cleric Jawad al-Khalsi.
In May 2007, hundreds of angry Shias demonstrated in [[Basra]] and [[Najaf]] against what they considered to be insults against Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani by TV presenter Ahmed Mansour and [[Qatar]]i [[Al-Jazeera]] television. In the TV show, "Without Borders," Mansour had sounded skeptical of al-Sistani's leadership credentials, and adopted a dismissive tone while directing questions about the Iranian-born cleric to his guest, Shiite cleric Jawad al-Khalsi.


Ahmed Mansour contended that al-Sistani, who is in his late 70s, was not aware of what's happening in Iraq and that his edicts were written and released by his aides. At another point, he asked whether the United States was using Iraqi politicians as well as al-Sistani to promote its own interests in Iraq.<ref name="IHT">{{cite web |date=Published: May 4, 2007|url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/04/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Al-Jazeera.php|title = Iraqi Shiites protest against Al-Jazeera's "insults" against top cleric|format = HTML |publisher = [[International Herald Tribune]]| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last= [[Associated Press|AP]]}}</ref>
Ahmed Mansour contended that al-Sistani, who is in his late 70s, was not aware of what's happening in Iraq and that his edicts were written and released by his aides. At another point, he asked whether the United States was using Iraqi politicians as well as al-Sistani to promote its own interests in Iraq.<ref name="IHT">{{cite web |date=Published: May 4, 2007|url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/04/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Al-Jazeera.php|title = Iraqi Shiites protest against Al-Jazeera's "insults" against top cleric|format = HTML |publisher = [[International Herald Tribune]]| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last= [[Associated Press|AP]]}}</ref>

===Opposition to US-Iraqi Security Accord===
In May [[2008]], Sistani's objections to the US-Iraqi security accord were made known.<ref>[http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/sistani-vs-mcca.html The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, one of Sistani's aide indicates that "Nothing like <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[fatwas]] calling for armed resistance against the U.S. forces] that came from the office of the ayatollah."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1809378,00.html The Return of Iraq's Ayatollah - TIME<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> There were rumors that Sistani had been quieting indicating that it was Islamically permissible to attack American troops.<ref>[http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/25/18502080.php Sistani Forbids Feeding Americans; Warns against Security Agreement; Hundreds of Sadrists Arrested : Indybay<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


==Views==
==Views==

Revision as of 12:33, 2 September 2008

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
File:السيستاني.jpg
Sistani (seen in poster) is the highest religious authority and leader of the Hawza (Najaf)
Personal
ReligionShi'a Islam
Other namesArabic: السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني
Persian: سید علی حسینی سیستانی;
Senior posting
Based inIraq - Najaf, Iraq
Period in office1992 - Present
PostGrand Ayatollah
Websitewww.sistani.org

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Husaini al-Sistani Arabic: السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني, Persian: سید علی حسینی سیستانی;. Born approximately August 4, 1930) is an Iranian born Grand Ayatollah, and Shi'a marja residing in Iraq. He is currently the preeminent Shi'a cleric in Iraq[1] as well as an important political figure in Post-invasion Iraq.

Biography

Early life

The Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was born August 4, 1930 in Mashhad, Iran to a family of religious scholars. His father from Al-Qur'ah القرعة (by selection), is Al-Sayid Mohammed Baqir and his mother is the daughter of Al-Sayid Ridha Al-Mihrabani Al-Sarabi. His mother used to marry for pleasure by engaging in temporary marriage with pilgrims and religious scholars for the sake of God. She was married by temporary marriage to Al-Sayid Mohammed Al-Kohakmari, After a period she was married by temporary marriage to Ayatollah Mirza Mohammed Mehdi Al-Asfahani, And after a period she was married by temporary marriage to Al-Sayid Mohammed Baqir. After this repeated marriage she became pregnant and gave birth to Al-Sayid Al-Sistani. But she was unable to know who is the real father of Al-Sayid Al-Sistani. Therefore she went to the Scientific Hawzah in Qom, where Al-Sayid Hussein Tabatabayi Al-Brujardi gave her a fatwa to choose the father of Al-Sayid Al-Sistani by selection القرعة Al-Qur'ah. He said Al-Sayid Al-Sistani does not belong to the first temporary marriage because it was an old relationship. For the other two temporary marriages, He said because she had them in a short period of time, Then both of the contracts are considered invalid, Therefore (by selection) Al-Qur'ah القرعة they chose Al-Sayid Mohammed Baqir as the father of al-Sayid Al-Sistani. His grandfather, for whom he was named, was a famous scholar who had studied in Najaf. Sistani's family originally comes from Isfahan. During the Safavid period, his forefather Sayyid Mohammad, was appointed as "Shaikhul Islam" (Leading Authority of Islam) by King Hussain in the Sistan province. He traveled to Sistan where he and his children settled the area of Iran known as Sistan, which accounts for the title "al-Sistani" in his great grandson's name today. Ali Sistani began his religious education as a child, beginning in Mashhad, and moving on to study at the Shi'a holy city of Qom in central Iran in 1949. After spending a few years there, in 1951 he went to Iraq to study in Najaf under the late Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei. Sistani rose in religious rank to be named a Marja in 1960 under the military dictatorship of Iraqi president Abd al-Karim Qasim.[2] At the unusually young age of 31 (1961) Ayatullah Sistani reached the senior level of accomplishment called Ijtehad, which entitled him to pass his own judgments on religious questions.[3]

Grand Ayatollah

When Ayatollah Khoei died in 1992, Sistani ascended to the rank of Grand Ayatollah by the traditional method - through peer recognition of his scholarship. His role as successor to Khoei was symbolically cemented when he lead the funeral prayers of his widely esteemed teacher and he would go on to inherit Khoei's network and following. With the death of other leading ayatollahs in Iraq including Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, Sistani emerged as the preeminent Shi'a cleric in Iraq. As the leading Ayatollah in Najaf, Sistani oversees sums amounting to millions of dollars. Sistani's followers offer him a fixed part of their earnings, which he spends for educational and charitable purposes. Sistani's office reports that he supports 35,000 students in Qom, 10,000 in Mashhad, and 4,000 in Isfahan.[4] He also oversees a network of representatives (wakil) "who promote his view in large and small ways in neighborhoods, mosques, bazaars, and seminaries from Kirkuk" to Basra.[5]

He is also said to have a substantial following in Iran as a result of the post-invasion opening of the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala to Iranians, including "great popularity and influence among" the bazaari of the city of Qom. Many Iranians are said to return from pilgrimage in Iraq followers of Sistani.[6]

Baath Party

While Sistani had survived the persecution that killed many other Shia clerics, his mosque was shut down in 1994, and did not reopen until after the American invasion which toppled the Baath regime. Since that time, he has usually kept to himself in his house in Najaf. His behavior is seen by many as a protest against persecution, but others consider it to originate from the house-arrest orders issued by the Baath Party. [citation needed] Despite his seclusion and inaccessibility, Sistani has extensive influence throughout the Shi'a population of Iraq through a network of junior clerics who convey his teachings. Due to his influence, he has played a quiet but important role in the current politics of Iraq. He is particularly known for forcing the Coalition Provisional Authority into a compromise on the constitutional process, for issuing a fatwa calling on all Shi'a especially women to vote, and for calling on Shi'a communities not to retaliate to Sunni sectarian violence. He is also the one who called for a truce at the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf where Muqtada Sadr and his Mahdi Army were cornered in a gun battle siege in August 2004.

In early August 2004, Sistani, who has long been suffering from a heart condition, reportedly suffered serious health problems and he travelled to London to receive medical treatment. It was the first time in many years that Sistani had left his home in Najaf, which seems to indicate that his medical condition was serious enough for caution.

Role in contemporary Iraq

File:Sistani's Police Escort into Najaf.jpg
Sistani's motorcade enters the city of Najaf.

Since the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, Sistani has played an increasingly wider political role in Iraq, and the Western mainstream media has called him the "most influential" figure in post-invasion Iraq.[7][8]

Muqtada al-Sadr, who is 43 years Sistani's junior and the head of an independent militia known as the Mahdi army, has risen to prominence in the course of 2004 and his military activities have undermined Sistani's influence. Muqtada al-Sadr launched an attempt to fight what he perceives as the "oppressive foreign forces" in the holy city of Najaf while Sistani was out of the country.

Shortly after the American invasion began, Sistani issued fatwas calling on Shia clergy to get involved in politics to guide masses towards what he sees as "the clearer decisions", and to fight what he sees as "media propaganda". However, as the summer of 2003 approached, Sistani became more involved, though always through representatives, never directly. He began to call for the formation of a constitutional convention, and later demanded a direct vote for the purpose of forming a transitional government, seeing this as a sure path to Shia dominance over Iraq's government, since most observers say that Shia make up about 60% of Iraq's population. Subsequently, Sistani has criticized American plans for an Iraqi government as not being democratic enough.

Sistani's edicts and rulings have provided many Iraqi Shia religious backing for participating in the January 2005 elections -- he urged, in a statement on October 1, 2004, that the people should realize that this was an "important matter" and he also hoped that the elections would be "free and fair . . . with the participation of all Iraqis". He issued fatwa telling women they were religiously obligated to vote, even if their husbands had forbidden them to do so.[9] "Truly, women who go forth to the polling centers on election day are like Zaynab, who went forth to Karbala."[10]

He has consistently urged the Iraqi Shia not to respond in kind to attacks from Sunni Salafists, which have become common in Sunni-dominated regions of Iraq like the area known as the "Triangle of Death", south of Baghdad. Even after the destruction of the Shia Askariya shrine in Samarra in February 2006, his network of clerics and preachers continued to urge calm and told their followers that "it was not their Sunni neighbors who were killing them but foreign `Wahhabis.`" [11]

An alleged plot to assassinate Sistani was foiled on January 29, 2007 when three Jund al-Samaa gunmen were captured at a hotel near his office. It is believed to have been part of a larger attack against a number of targets in Najaf.[12]

Al-Jazeera's insults against Sistani

In May 2007, hundreds of angry Shias demonstrated in Basra and Najaf against what they considered to be insults against Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani by TV presenter Ahmed Mansour and Qatari Al-Jazeera television. In the TV show, "Without Borders," Mansour had sounded skeptical of al-Sistani's leadership credentials, and adopted a dismissive tone while directing questions about the Iranian-born cleric to his guest, Shiite cleric Jawad al-Khalsi.

Ahmed Mansour contended that al-Sistani, who is in his late 70s, was not aware of what's happening in Iraq and that his edicts were written and released by his aides. At another point, he asked whether the United States was using Iraqi politicians as well as al-Sistani to promote its own interests in Iraq.[13]

Opposition to US-Iraqi Security Accord

In May 2008, Sistani's objections to the US-Iraqi security accord were made known.[14] However, one of Sistani's aide indicates that "Nothing like [fatwas calling for armed resistance against the U.S. forces] that came from the office of the ayatollah."[15] There were rumors that Sistani had been quieting indicating that it was Islamically permissible to attack American troops.[16]

Views

Wilayat al-faqih

Like his predecessor Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qasim al-Khoei, Al-Sistani does not share the definition of the doctrine of wilayat al-faqih (the authority of jurists) supported by Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran's current supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Sistani's web site says,

Question : What is Grand Ayatollah Sistani's opinion about Wilayat-e Faqih (governance of jurist)?
Answer : Every jurisprudent (Faqih) has wilayah (guardianship) over non-litigious affairs. Non-litigious affairs are technically called al-omour al-hesbiah. As for general affairs with which social order is linked, wilayah of a Faqih and enforcement of wilayah depend on certain conditions one of which is popularity of acceptability of Faqih among majority of momeneen.[17]

Instead of rule by Islamic clerics or `The Quran as constitution`, Sistani is said to favor the providing of values and guidelines for social order (nizam al-mujama) as the role of Islam..[18]

A reflection of his reluctance to become involved in politics is that despite his disagreements with Iran's ruling clerics, Sistani has reportedly "never tried to promote a rivalry" between his religious center of Najaf and the Iranian center in Qom. Never made any comments about the confrontations between reformists and conservatives in Qom or between clerics in Lebanon.[19]

Works

Books

  • Current Legal Issues
  • A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West
  • Hajj Rituals
  • Islamic Laws
  • Jurisprudence Made Easy
  • Contemporary Legal Rulings in Shi'i Law
  • 32 other books are not yet translated to English.[20]

Internet

With the establishment of The Aalulbayt (a.s.) Global Information Center, he has become "the electronic grand ayatollah par excellence". [21]

References

  1. ^ Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, (2006), p.171
  2. ^ Sami Moubayed (February 10, 2005). "Coming to terms with Sistani" (HTML). Asia Times Online. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "When Ayatullah Sistani Speaks, Millions Obey: Says Time" (HTML). al-khoei.org. Sat, 30 Apr 2005 15:30:08. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Martin Kramer (Friday, April 4, 2003.). "The Ayatollah Who Spared Najaf" (HTML). Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, (2006), p.177
  6. ^ Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, (2006), p.221
  7. ^ Gethin Chamberlain and Aqeel Hussein (Last Updated: 1:13am BST 04/09/2006). "I no longer have power to save Iraq from civil war, warns Shia leader" (HTML). The Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Shiite Cleric Seen as Iraq's Most Influential Leader" (HTML). pub. Thursday, November 27, 2003. Retrieved 2007-08-21. a frail, 70-something Shiite Muslim (search) cleric with a heart condition — has emerged in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq as the land's most influential figure, something U.S. planners may not have counted on. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Rod Nordland, "The Cities Were Not Bathed in Blood", Newsweek, February 9, 2005, www.msnbc.com/id/6887461/site/newsweek.
  10. ^ Ahmed H. al-Rahim, "The Sistani Factor", Journal of Democracy, 16, 3 (July 2005), p.51
  11. ^ Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, (2006), p.178
  12. ^ ZEYAD KASIM (06/03/2007 2:17 PM ET). "Messianic Shia Cult Emerges in Southern Iraq" (HTML). www.iraqslogger.com. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ AP (Published: May 4, 2007). "Iraqi Shiites protest against Al-Jazeera's "insults" against top cleric" (HTML). International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
  15. ^ The Return of Iraq's Ayatollah - TIME
  16. ^ Sistani Forbids Feeding Americans; Warns against Security Agreement; Hundreds of Sadrists Arrested : Indybay
  17. ^ Ali al-Sistani's Web page on fiqh and beliefs
  18. ^ Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, 2006, p.173
  19. ^ Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, 2006, p.172
  20. ^ Works of Sayyid Al al-Sistani
  21. ^ Pepe Escobar (August 31, 2005). "Sistani.Qom: In the wired heart of Shi'ism" (HTML). Asian Times Online. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)

See also

External links

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