Ayatollah

Ayatollah (UK /aɪəˈtɒlə/ or US /aɪəˈtoʊlə/; Persian: آيت‌الله‎, translit. āyatollāh‎ from Arabic: آية الله‎, translit. ʾāyatu ʾAllāh‎ "Sign of Allah") is a high-ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, quran reading, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hujjat al-Islam.

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Wikipedia