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]

Background

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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]

List

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Grand Ayatollah Date of birth Place of birth
(The names are arranged in alphabetical order)
  Ali al-Sistani (1930-08-04) 4 August 1930 (age 94) 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

References

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  1. ^ Escobar, Pepe (3 February 2007). "A massacre and a new civil war". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ Mouzahem, Haytham (7 March 2014). "Iraqi Shiite clerics maintain humility, influence". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Sources close to the reference: the next prime minister will be a surprise to all". iraqidinarchat.net. 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  4. ^ Finn, Ed (4 February 2004). "Why we'd better listen to Iraq's influential cleric". Slate. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2014.