Marja'iyya

Marja'iyya is the Twelver Shia system of religious authority in which believers follow qualified senior jurists, called marjas, in matters of religious practice.

Marja': A qualified Twelver Shia jurist whom followers consult and emulate in religious practice. The individual jurist is the central source of authority within marja'iyya.
Hawza: A traditional Shia seminary for advanced religious study and juristic training. Hawzas train scholars who may eventually attain the standing of a marja.
Akhbari-Usuli controversy: A debate over whether Shia law should rely chiefly on transmitted reports or juristic reasoning. The Usuli victory helped establish the legal basis for following qualified jurists.
Velayat-e faqih: The doctrine that a qualified Islamic jurist may exercise guardianship over political affairs. It extends juristic authority into governance, unlike marja'iyya as a system of religious emulation.
Tobacco Protest: An Iranian protest movement in 1891–1892 against a tobacco concession granted to a British company. The movement showed the reach of a marja's ruling in Iranian public life.
Taqlid: Following a qualified Islamic jurist's rulings in practical religious matters. Taqlid is the follower's act of relying on a marja's legal judgment.
Usuli school: The Twelver Shia legal tradition that recognizes qualified jurists' use of legal reasoning. Its legal framework underpins the modern practice of emulating living jurists.
Muhammad Baqir al-Bihbahani: An eighteenth-century Shia scholar associated with the revival and advancement of Usuli jurisprudence. His influence strengthened the scholarly tradition from which marja'iyya developed.
Wilayat al-Ummah: A political theory that locates authority in the Muslim community and its institutions. It offers a different account of political authority than rule by a jurist.
Iranian Constitutional Revolution: Iran's 1905–1911 revolution that established a constitution and parliament. Shia jurists and their followers shaped competing religious arguments during the revolution.

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