Ayatollah al-Fayyad, Senior Shiite Religious Authority, Dies at 96

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Ayatollah Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayyad, one of the highest-ranking religious figures in the Shiite world, died Saturday at a hospital in Baghdad. He was 96. Al-Fayyad was born in Afghanistan in 1930 and traveled to Najaf at a young age to pursue religious studies. He became one of the most prominent students of Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khu'i, the late Iraqi scholar who headed Najaf's religious establishment for decades. He was recognized as one of four major religious references in Najaf, a position that confers authority over millions of Shiite Muslims worldwide. Following his death, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and Grand Ayatollah Basir an-Najafi now hold the highest religious offices in the city. Al-Fayyad's death comes two years after the passing of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Said al-Hakim in September 2021, leaving the Shiite religious hierarchy with reduced senior leadership.