Kurdistan Region President Barzani Mourns Death of Ayatollah Fayyad at 96

ERBIL, Iraq — Kurdistan Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani issued a condolence message Tuesday following the death of Ayatollah Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayyad at age 96. Barzani described Fayyad as one of the leading religious and scientific authorities in Iraq and the Islamic world. The senior cleric died at a hospital in Baghdad in the morning hours. Fayyad was one of four senior Marjas at the Hawza religious seminary in Najaf, a prestigious position placing him among the highest-ranking figures in Shia Islamic scholarship. Born in Afghanistan in 1930, he relocated to Najaf as a young man. He was considered one of the most distinguished students of the late Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoi and served as a reference point for millions of Muslims worldwide. Following his death, the senior-level Marja hierarchy in Najaf now consists of two figures: Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and Ayatollah Sheikh Basr al-Najafi.