This is a partial list of ayatollahs, a title given to high ranked Twelver Usuli Shi'a Muslim clerics. Its ranking is higher than Hujjat al-Islam, and the next higher clerical rank is grand ayatollah also known as marja'. This list contains only the names of ayatollahs. To see lists of grand ayatollahs, or hujjatul islams, see the following articles: List of maraji; List of hujjatul Islams.
Current
NoImageNameBirth Date CEBirth PlaceResidenceNotes1 Mohammad Bagher Bagheri Kani Tehran, Iran -2 Ahmad Mohseni Garakani Garakan, Iran -3 Ahmad Jannati Isfahan, Iran -4 Seyed Ali Akbar Ghoreyshi Bonab, Iran Iran -5 al-Sayyid Murtadha al-Musawi al-Qazwini Karbala, Iraq Karbala, Iraq -6 Mohammad-Ali Movahedi-Kermani Kerman, Iran Iran - 7 Ali Akbar Masoudi Khomeini Khomeyn, Iran Iran - 8 Seyed Hassan Mortazavi Shahroudi Shahrud, Iran Iran - 9 Hassan Shariati Niyasar Neyasar, Iran Iran - 10 Zaynolabideen Ghorbani Panchah, Iran Iran - 11 Morteza Moghtadai Isfahan, Iran Iran -12 Seyyed Mohammad Khamenei Mashhad, Iran Iran -13 Abolghasem Wafi Yazdi Hoseynabad, Iran Iran -14 Ahmad Beheshti Fasa, Iran Iran -15 Reza Ostadi Moghaddam Tehran, Iran Iran - 16 Seyyed Mohsen Kharazi Tehran, Iran Iran - 17 Hashem Hashemzadeh Herisi Heris, Iran Iran -18 Seyyed Ali Shafiei Dezful, Iran Ahvaz, Iran19 Kazem Nourmofidi Gorgan, Iran Golestan province, Iran -20 Sayyid Mohammad-Ali Mousavi Jazayeri Shushtar, Iran Iran - 21 Mahmoud Mar'ashi Najafi Qom, Iran Iran -22 Syed Riaz Hussain Najafi Alipur, British India Lahore, Pakistan -23 Sayyid Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha Qazvin, Iran Iran - 24al-Sayyid Mujtaba al-Hussayni al-Shirazi Karbala, Iraq London, United Kingdom - 25 Ahmad Alamolhoda Mashhad, Iran Iran - 26 Hossein Ansarian Khansar, Iran Iran -27 Seyed Yousef Tabatabai Nejad Ardestan, Iran Iran - 28 Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Faraz Isfahan, Iran Iran - 29 Mohammad Reza Naseri Yazdi Yazd, Iran Iran -30 Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad Qom, Iran Iran -31 Morteza Sadouqi Mazandarani Iran Iran - 32 Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi Tabriz, Iran Iran -33 al-Sayyid Hadi al-Hussayni al-Modarresi Karbala, Iraq Iraq Official Website34 al-Sayyid Ali al-Hussayni al-Milani Najaf, Iraq Qom, Iran Official Website35al-Sayyid Ali al-Musawi al-Sabziwari Najaf, Iraq Najaf, Iraq -36Muhammad Baqir al-Irawani Najaf, Iraq Iraq -37 Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi Najafabad, Isfahan, Iran Iran -38 Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moghaddam Mashhad, Iran Iran -39 Seyyed Mohammad Saeedi Qom, Iran Iran -40 Mohammad Taghi Vaezi Tehran, Iran Iran -41 Mohsen Faqihi Iran Iran - 42 Ibrahim Yaqoub Zakzaky Zaria, Nigeria Nigeria - 43 Mehdi Shabzendedar Jahromi Darab, Iran Iran -44 Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi Lamerd, Iran Iran -45 Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Mashhad, Iran Iran - 46 Seyyed Mohammad Reza Modarresi Yazdi Yazd, Iran Iran -47 Ali Akbar Rashad Iran Iran -48 Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani Tehran, Iran Tehran, Iran -49 Mohsen Araki Najaf, Iraq Iran -50 Seyyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri Bushehr, Iran Iran -51 Mohammad Taghi Pourmohammadi Marand, Iran Iran -52al-Sayyid Ali Akbar al-Hussayni al-Modarresi Karbala, Iraq Mashhad, Iran -53 Mohsen Heidari Alekasir Shush, Iran Iran -54Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Kazemeyni Borojerdi Qom, Iran Iran -55 al-Sayyid Riyadh Al-Hakim Najaf, Iraq Iraq -56 Gholam Ali Safai Bushehri Bushehr, Iran Iran -57 Seyyed Ahmad Hosseini Khorasani Shirvan, Iran Iran -58 Alireza Arafi Meybod, Iran Iran -59 Ahmad Khatami Semnan, Iran Iran - 60 Sadiq Ardashir Larijani Najaf, Iraq Iran -61 Mahdi Mirbaqiri Qom, Iran Iran -62 Abolghasem Alidoust Yazd, Iran Iran -63 Hasan Amili Ardabil, Iran Iran -64Mostafa Boroujerdi Qom, Iran Iran -65 al-Sayyid Muhammad Ridha al-Hussayni al-Sistani Najaf, Iraq Iraq -66 Abbas Ka'bi Ahvaz, Iran Iran -67 Lotfallah Dejkam Jahrom, Iran Iran -68Abbas Tabrizian Najaf, Iraq Iran -69 Reza Ramezani Gilani Rasht, Iran Iran -70 Syed Aqeel-ul-Gharavi Banaras, India London, United Kingdom Official Website 71 Abdul Karim Farhani Ahvaz, Iran Iran -72al-Sayyid Ali al-Hakim Najaf, Iraq Lebanon -73al-Sayyid Murtadha al-Hussayni al-Shirazi Karbala, Iraq Najaf, Iraq -74al-Sayyid Jafar al-Hakim Najaf, Iraq Najaf, Iraq -75 Seyyed Nasir Hosseini Yasuj, Iran Iran -76Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei Mashhad, Iran Iran Current Supreme Leader of Iran. Son of the late Supreme Leader of Iran (Ali Khamenei)77 Syed Ali Naqi Naqvi Qumi Sahiwal, Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan -78al-Sayyid Hussein al-Hussayni al-Shirazi Karbala, Iraq Qom, Iran -
Deceased
No Image Name Year of Birth (CE) Year of Death (CE) Birth Death Notes1 al-Sayyid Muhammad Saeed al-Habboubi Najaf, Ottoman Iraq Nasiriyah, Ottoman Iraq -2 Seyed Ali Tabrizi Tabriz, Sublime State of Persia Tabriz, Sublime State of Persia -3 Mohammad Aghazadeh Khorasani Najaf, Ottoman Iraq Rey, Imperial State of Iran -4 Najm al-Hasan British India Lucknow, British India -5 Abdul Karim Kho'ini Zanjani Khoein, Sublime State of Persia Qazvin, Imperial State of Iran -6 Bibi Khanum Unknown? Baghdad vilayet, Ottoman Iraq Najaf, Kingdom of Iraq -7 Mirza Mahdi Ashtiani Tehran, Sublime State of Persia Qom, Imperial State of Iran -8 Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri Srinagar, British India Srinagar, India "Mehri Taban", Agha Tehraniکتاب عتش/کتاب اسؤه عارفان 157 صفحه9 Haj Mohammad-Hassan Jazayeri 1892 Qom, Sublime State of Persia Ahvaz, Imperial State of Iran - 10 Abdulkarim Zanjani Zanjan, Sublime State of Persia Imperial State of Iran -11 Seyed Mohammad Reza Saeedi Mashhad, Imperial State of Iran Tehran, Imperial State of Iran -12 Seyed Sultan al-Wa'izin Shirazi Tehran, Sublime State of Persia Tehran, Imperial State of Iran -13 Muhammad Taqi Amoli Tehran, Sublime State of Persia Mashhad, Imperial State of Iran -14 Haj Mohammad Ali Hakim Movahed Namazi Shirazi (went missing) Shiraz, Sublime State of Persia Imperial State of Iran - 15 Mirza Mahdi Elahi Ghomshei Isfahan, Sublime State of Persia Qom, Imperial State of Iran -16 Haj Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi Najaf, Ottoman Iraq Karachi, Pakistan 17 al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Musawi al-Qazwini Karbala, Ottoman Iraq Karbala, Ba'athist Iraq -18 Mirza Ahmad Ashtiani Tehran, Sublime State of Persia Tehran, Imperial State of Iran -19 al-Sayyid Musa Sadr al-Din al-Sadr (Went Missing) Qom, Imperial State of Iran Libya -20 Ayatollah Seyyed Aboutaleb Pishvai 1896 Bandar-e Anzali, Sublime State of Persia Bandar-e Anzali, Imperial State of Iran 21 Mahmoud Taleghani Geliyard, Sublime State of Persia Tehran, Iran 22 Seyed Mohammad-Ali Qazi Tabatabaei Tabriz, Sublime State of Persia Tabriz, Iran -23 al-Sayyid Hassan al-Hussayni al-Shirazi Najaf, Kingdom of Iraq Beirut, Lebanon -24 Gholam Hossein Tabrizi Vayqan, Sublime State of Persia Mashhad, Iran -25 Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Beheshti Isfahan, Imperial State of Iran Tehran, Iran 26 Ali Qoddusi Nahavand, Imperial State of Iran Tehran, Iran -27 Mohammad Sadoughi Yazd, Sublime State of Persia Yazd, Iran -28 Syed Yusuf al-Moosavi al-Safavi Budgam, British India Budgam, India -29 Ata'ollah Ashrafi Esfahani Khomeyn, Isfahan, Sublime State of Persia Kermanshah, Iran 30 Syed Zafr al-Hasan Rizvi Azamgarh, British India India -31 Seyed Mohammad Ali Angaji Tabriz, Sublime State of Persia Tabriz, Iran -32 !scope="row" Seyedeh Nosrat Begum Amin Isfahan, Sublime State of Iran Qom, Iran -33 Jafar Hussain British India Gujranwala, Pakistan -34 Haj Mirza Khalil Kamarah'i Sublime State of Persia Tehran, Iran 35 Mohammad Reza Tabasi Mashhad, Sublime State of Iran Qom, Iran -36 Morteza Haeri Yazdi Arak, Sublime State of Persia Qom, Iran -37 Seyyed Javad Khamenei Khameneh, Sublime State of Persia Mashhad, Iran -38 Abdul Rahman Heidari Ilami Ilam, Imperial State of Iran Qom, Iran 39 Ruhollah Khatami Yazd, Sublime State of Persia Yazd, Iran 40 Ayatollah Sayyed Abbas Almohri Mohr, Sublime State of Persia Tehran, Iran -41 Hasan Ali Nejabat Shirazi Shiraz, Sublime State of Persia Shiraz, Iran -42 Hossein Lankarani Tehran, Sublime State of Persia Tehran, Iran -43 Syed Safdar Hussain Najafi Muzaffargarh, British India Lahore, Pakistan -44 Muhammad Yar Shah Alipur, British India