Editing Ayatollah (section)

==Usage==
===Origins, early 20th century===
The earliest known address of this title is for [[Allamah Al-Hilli|Ibn Mutahhar Al-Hilli]] (died 1374), however it was not in use as a title for those qualifying until the 20th century.<ref name="Algar"/> Glassé states that following domination of [[Twelver]] branch by followers of {{transliteration|ar|[[Usuli]]}} school and demise of {{transliteration|ar|[[Akhbari]]}} school, the title was popularized by {{transliteration|ar|Usuli}}s as an attempt to promote their status.<ref name="Glassé"/> [[Mirza Ali Aqa Tabrizi]] was the first one to use the term {{transliteration|ar|Ayatullah}} for the sources of emulation in Najaf, especially [[Muhammad Kazim Khurasani|Akhund Khurasani]] (1839–1911), to distinguish them from the clerics of lower rank in Tehran, during the 1905-1911 [[Persian Constitutional Revolution]].{{sfn|Hermann|2013|p=439}}  ([[Mirza Sayyed Mohammad Tabatabai]] and [[Seyyed Abdollah Behbahani]] were also given that honorific by constitutionalists according to ''[[Loghatnameh Dehkhoda]]''.)<ref>{{citation|first=James A.|last=Bill|title= Power and Religion in Revolutionary Iran|journal=Middle East Journal|volume=36|number=1|date=1982|pages=22–47|jstor=4326354}}</ref>

[[Hamid Algar]] maintains that this title entered general usage possibly because it was an "indirect result of the reform and strengthening of the religious institution in [[Qom]]".<ref name="Algar"/> [[Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi]] (1859–1937) who founded [[Qom Seminary]], may be the first to bear the title according to Algar.<ref name="Algar"/>

While the title Ayatollah was sporadically used during the 1930s,<ref name="Algar"/> it became widespread in the 1940s.<ref name="Glassé"/>

===Stages of contemporary titles for Shia clerics in Iran===
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| colspan="4" style="background-color:#FFD700; padding:0.3em;" | Usually a ''[[Marja']]'' and issues ''[[fatwa]]''
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| colspan="2" style="background-color:#FFFF00; padding:0.3em; width:5em;"| Can be a lesser ''[[Mujtahid]]''
| colspan="1" style="background-color:#FFFF00; padding:0.3em;" | Can be a greater ''[[Mujtahid]]''
| colspan="3" style="background-color:#FFFF00; padding:0.3em;" | Usually a greater ''[[Mujtahid]]''
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| colspan="8" style="background-color:#FFF8DC; padding:0.3em;" | Allowed to receive [[Charity (practice)#Zakat and Sadaqa in Islam|charity]]
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| colspan="14" style="background-color:#FFFFE0; padding:0.3em;" | Allowed to wear [[clerical clothing]]
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| colspan="2" style="width:12em; border:2px solid black; margin:1em; padding:1em;" | ''Talabah''<br>({{literal translation|Student}})
| colspan="2" style="width:12em; border:2px solid black; margin:1em; padding:1em;" | ''[[Seghatoleslam]]''<br>({{literal translation|Trust of Islam}})
| colspan="2" style="width:12em; border:2px solid black; margin:1em; padding:1em;" | ''[[Hujjat al-Islam]]''<br>({{literal translation|Proof of Islam}})
| colspan="2" style="width:12em; border:2px solid black; margin:1em; padding:1em;" | ''[[Hujjat al-Islam|Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin]]''<br>({{literal translation|Proof of Islam and Muslims}})
| colspan="2" style="width:12em; border:4px solid black; margin:1em; padding:1em;" | ''Ayatollah''<br>({{literal translation|Sign of God}})
| style="width:12em; border:4px solid black; margin:1em; padding:1em;" | ''[[Ayatollah al-Uzma]]''<br>({{literal translation|Great Sign of God}})
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|Sources:<ref name="Calmard">{{harvnb|Calmard|2009}}</ref><ref name="Nasr, Nasr and Dabashi">{{harvnb|Nasr|Nasr|Dabashi|1989|page=265–266}}</ref><ref name="Golkar">{{harvnb|Golkar|2017|pages=219–223}}</ref>
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