What it means
مرجع (marja’) comes from the Arabic root r-j-‘, meaning “return” or “source of return.” In Shia Islam, a marja’ is a supreme religious authority, specifically a Grand Ayatollah whom laypeople follow in matters of Islamic law. The full title is مرجع تقلید (marja’-e taqlid), meaning the “source of emulation.” A close related term is آیتالله العظمی (ayatollah-ol-ozma), the formal rank that qualifies a cleric to become a marja’. The word contrasts with مقلِّد (moqalled), the follower who accepts the marja’s rulings.
How to use it
- مرجع تقلیدم آیتالله سیستانی هستند. (Marja’-e taqlid-am Ayatollah Sistani hastand.) “My source of emulation is Ayatollah Sistani.”
- هر مسلمان شیعه باید یه مرجع داشته باشه. (Har mosalman-e shi’e bayad ye marja’ dashte bashe.) “Every Shia Muslim should have a marja’.”
- این مسئله رو از مرجعت بپرس. (In mas’ale ro az marja’-at bepors.) “Ask your marja’ about this issue.”
- رسالهی مرجع رو خوندی؟ (Resale-ye marja’ ro khundi?) “Have you read your marja’s jurisprudence guide?”
Cultural note
The institution of the marja’iyya is central to Twelver Shia practice. Unlike Sunni Islam, which has no equivalent clerical hierarchy, Shia doctrine of taqlid requires lay believers to select a qualified living scholar and follow his legal opinions. At any given time, a small number of Grand Ayatollahs in Najaf and Qom hold this status. The most followed marja’ commands influence over millions of believers across Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and the wider Shia world, giving the position significant social and political weight.