Ayatollah

Ayatollah (UK: /ˌaɪəˈtɒlə/ or US: /ˌaɪəˈtoʊlə/; Persian: آیت‌الله, romanized: âyatollâh, Persian pronunciation: [ɒːjjætˌolˈlɒːh]) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.

This article is about the Shia Islamic title. For other uses, see Ayatollah (disambiguation).
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Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most distinguished marja' at-taqlid mujtahid, it suffered from "inflation" following the 1979 Iranian Revolution when it came to be used for "any established mujtahid". By 2015 it was further expanded to include any student who had passed their Mujtahid final exam, leading to "thousands" of Ayatollahs.

The title is not used by the Sunni community of Iran, nor by Shias in Lebanon, Pakistan, or India. In Iraq, the title is not unknown, but is only used for clerics of Iranian origin.

In the Western world – especially in decade after the Iranian Revolution – it was associated with Ruhollah Khomeini, who was so well known as to often be referred to as "The Ayatollah".

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