Abolqasem al-Khoei
Iranian cleric
Also known as: Abū al-Qāsim al-Khūʾī
Quick Facts
- Also spelled:
- Abū al-Qāsim al-Khūʾī
Abolqasem al-Khoei (born November 19, 1899, Khoy, Iran—died August 8, 1992, Al-Kūfah, Iraq) was an Iranian-born cleric who, as a grand ayatollah based in the holy city of Al-Najaf, Iraq, was the spiritual leader of millions of Shīʿite Muslims. Khoei studied Persian poetry and religion as a child. At age 13 he was sent to study Islamic law (Sharīʿah) at Al-Najaf, where he remained and became one of the most important Shīʿite clerics of his day, attaining the status of marjaʿ al-taqlīd (Arabic: “source of emulation”) in 1970 and ministering to Shīʿite communities both in Iraq and throughout the world. ...(100 of 274 words)