13 Facts About Ali al-Sistani

Ali al-Sistani has been described as the spiritual leader of Shia Muslims worldwide, and one of the most senior scholars in Shia Islam.

Ali al-Sistani has been included in all editions of "The Muslim 500: The World's Most Influential Muslims" mostly in the top ten positions since 2009.

Ali al-Sistani's father was Mohammad-Baqir al-Sistani and his mother was the daughter of Ridha al-Mehrebani al-Sarabi.

However, when he died in 1993, Ali al-Sistani ascended to the rank of Grand Ayatollah through formal peer recognition of his scholarship.

Ali al-Sistani has consistently urged the Iraqi Shia not to respond in kind to attacks from Sunni Salafists, which have become common in Sunni-dominated regions of Iraq like the area known as the "Triangle of Death," south of Baghdad.

Ali al-Sistani requested that the government prosecute those who gave the command to shoot protesters.

Ali al-Sistani's followers offer him a fixed part of their earnings, which is used for educational and charitable purposes.

Mansour suggested that Ali al-Sistani was unaware of contemporary problems in Iraq or of prevailing post-war conditions, and he alleged that Sistani's edicts were largely, written and disseminated by aides.

At another point, Mansour asked Khalsi whether the United States was using Iraqi politicians, and Ali al-Sistani, to promote Western interests in Iraq.

In January 2010, during a Jumu'ah khutba, Saudi scholar Mohamad al-Arefe vehemently criticized Ali al-Sistani by referring to him as an atheist and describing his behavior as "debauched".

Also, according to Sadegh Zibakalam, professor of political science at Tehran University, Ali al-Sistani has consistently avoided supporting a strict interpretation of the theory, especially of absolute guardianship, nor has he explicitly offered any substantive affirmation of the theory as a whole ; thereby creating "a major lacuna" in the "grand ideological scenario" of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In practice, Ali al-Sistani never delivers public sermons or speeches and only releases official statements through "official representatives".

Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani met on 6 March 2021 during Pope Francis's visit to Iraq.