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Ali al-Sistani was born in Mashhad, Iran to a family of religious scholars. His grandfather, for whom he was named, was a famous scholar who had studied at Najaf. Sistani's family originated from the area of Iran known as Sistan and this accounts for the title "al-Sistani" in his name. Sistani began his religious education as a child, starting out in Mashhad, and moving on to study at the Shia holy city of Qom in central Iran. After spending a few years at Qom, he went to Iraq to study at Najaf under Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei.
It is in Najaf that Sistani settled down, raising a family and becoming an integral member of that city's community when he was made a marja by Khoei in the 1960sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around. The influence of Khoei on Sistani is well-known. Among other things, Sistani follows Khoei's belief of separating the clergy from politics, and subsequently of keeping out of great political involvement. This helped to keep him away from the attention of the Baath Party that was notorious for its treatment of Shias, and its persecution of Shia leaders in order to keep the Shia population under control. Despite Sistani's non-involvement in politics, he was nonetheless harassed numerous times by the Baath party, and imprisoned for a short while after the Shia Rebellion that followed the first Gulf WarSee also: 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. The war started with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The result of the war was a decisive victory. He was also the target of a number of assassination attempts during the 1990sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s Years: Events and trends Computers, technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other techn.
Khoei died in 19921992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday. Events January January The Internet Society is formed. January 1 Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General January 1 George H. Bush becomes the fi, but not before naming Sistani as his replacement. Ayatollah Sistani cemented his relationship as successor to Khoei by leading the funeral prayers of his teacher. Khoei's death was followed by that of other notable clerics in Najaf, leading Sistani to become among the most respected of the Shia imams in Iraq. He had been contested by other clerics including Mohammad Sadeq al-SadrMohammad Sadeq al-Sadr ( 1943? February 19, 1999) was a prominent, moderate Iraqi Shiite cleric. In his position as a widely-respected leader of the Shiite minority in Iraq, he publicly called for government reforms and release of detained Shiite leaders., but his role as successor to the legacy of Abdul-Qassem Khoei gave him an edge over other clerics. His role as the preeminent leader of Iraqi Shias was cemented after the assassination of Sadr by Saddam HusseinSaddm Hussein 'Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti Hussein also spelled Husayn and Hussain Arabic: ; born April 28, 1937 1) was President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. A rising star in the revolutionary Ba'ath Party, which espoused secular Arab nationalism, economic mod. In his role as Ayatollah, Sistani oversees millions of dollars of money that he distributes in various ways, including paying for the religious education of would-be scholars across the Muslim world.
While Sistani survived the persecution that had killed many other Shia clerics, his mosque was shut down in 19941994 is a common year starting on Saturday, and was designated the International year of the Family''. Events January events January 1 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect January 6 Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an, and continues to be to this day. Since around that time, he has usually kept himself in his house in Najaf, in what is seen by many as a protest against persecution, but others consider to have originated from house-arrest orders issued by the Baath Party. Despite his seclusion and inaccessibility, Sistani exerts great control over the Shia population of Iraq, and is seen as the main leader of the majority of that nation's Shia. It is because of this influence that he continues to play an important role in the current politics of Iraq.
In early August 2004, Ayatollah Sistani, who has long been suffering from a heart condition, reportedly suffered serious health problems. He is said to have been transported to Beirut and from there to London for treatment. This was the first time in years Sistani has left his home in Najaf, which seems to indicate that his medical condition was serious. On August 25, Ayatollah Sistani returned from London to attempt to intervene in the standoff in Najaf over the Imam Ali shrine.