Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei

Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei was one of the most influential Twelver Shia scholars of the 20th century. Trained in Najaf under Grand Ayatollahs al-Hakim and al-Naini among others, he attained the rank of mujtahid in 1933 and became dean of the Hawza of Najaf. Following Muhsin al-Hakim's death in 1970, he emerged as the leading marja of the Shia world, known for a quietist approach that distinguished religious from political authority. His 24-volume Mu'jam Rijal al-Hadith remains a landmark of hadith scholarship, and his practical law manual Minhaju-us-Saliheen has been reprinted dozens of times. He founded and funded a wide network of seminaries, schools, and welfare institutions across Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, the UK, the US, and South Asia, supporting roughly 1,000 theology students internationally. His students included Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who succeeded him as Najaf's leading marja, as well as Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.