Here’s a look at the life of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric.
Personal:
Birth date: August 4, 1930
Birth place: Mashhad, Iran
Birth name: Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani
Father: Sayyid Mohammad Baqir, a religious scholar
Mother: Name unavailable publicly
Marriage: Information unavailable publicly
Children: Muhammad Rida al-Sistani – eldest son. Total number of children unavailable publicly.
Religion: Shiite Muslim
Other Facts:
He is a member of a well-known family of religious scholars and began studying at the age of five.
Al-Sistani has written many books and treatises on Islamic law and life.
During Saddam Hussein’s regime, al-Sistani was under house arrest for many years.
Rarely does interviews and is rarely seen in public.
Timeline:
1952 – Al-Sistani moves to the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, to study with Shiite clerics there.
1990 – Is chosen by other religious figures to lead an important network of schools in Najaf.
September 2002 – Issues his first political fatwa, urging Muslims to unite and defend Iraq against outside aggressors.
April 2003 – Al-Sistani’s house arrest is lifted after the US-led invasion of Iraq. Al-Sistani issues his second political fatwa, urging the Iraqi people to remain neutral and not to interfere with the US forces.
June 3, 2004 – Al-Sistani endorses the new Iraqi government. Says the new government lacks “legitimacy of elections” and does not represent “in an acceptable manner all segments of Iraqi society and political forces. … Nevertheless, it is hoped that this government will prove its efficiency and integrity and show resolve to carry out the enormous tasks that rest on its shoulders.”
August 3-26, 2004 – Fighting engulfs the city of Najaf. Militiamen loyal to Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr battle US forces for control of the area.
August 6, 2004 – Al-Sistani, who seldom leaves his home in Najaf, travels to London for treatment for heart problems.
August 25, 2004 – Al-Sistani returns to Iraq and begins negotiating a ceasefire in Najaf. Before his return he asks all Iraqis to “march to Najaf in order to rescue the city.”
August 26, 2004 – Arrives at his home in Najaf, where he and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr reach an agreement to put an end to the violence in the region.
February 13, 2005 – The results of Iraq’s January 30, 2005, election are released. Al-Sistani’s United Iraqi Alliance comes in first, with over four million votes.
December 2008 – Al-Sistani endorses the Iraqi government and US military troop withdrawal proposal.
January 2009 – Releases a statement urging Iraqis to vote in the upcoming provincial elections but states that he is not endorsing any candidates.
March 2011 – To express his dissatisfaction with Iraqi political leaders, al-Sistani refuses to meet with them.
March 2013 – Al-Sistani issues a fatwa prohibiting shedding Iraqi blood, particularly Sunni blood.
June 13, 2014 – Through his representative, al-Sistani appeals to his followers to join the security forces in fighting ISIS militants. “Citizens who are able to bear arms and fight terrorists … should volunteer and join the security forces to achieve this holy purpose.”