Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei Issues Condolences for Scholar Ishaq Fayyaz

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iran's new religious leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a message of condolence on Thursday following the death of Ishaq Fayyaz, a prominent religious scholar based in Najaf. Fayyaz died at the age of 96 in a Baghdad hospital. He was recognized as one of the four highest-ranking authorities (maraji) within the Shiite Imami tradition. With his passing, the position of top authority in Najaf is now held by Ali Sistani and Bashir Najafi. Born in Afghanistan in 1930, Fayyaz moved to Najaf at a young age to pursue religious studies. He studied under several major scholars, including Abu al-Qasim Hussein Khoei, and spent many years contributing to the fields of science and memory in Najaf through his writings and teaching. In his message, Khamenei extended his condolences to the Najaf scholarly community, Fayyaz's followers, the Afghan people, and the scholar's family, stating that his academic legacy would endure.