How You Become a Grand Ayatollah

So you've got your heart set on being a grand ayatollah. Get ready to burn the midnight oil, because it'll take years of scholarship to achieve the highest rank of Shi'ite clerics.

First, become a student of Islamic law at a hawza, or center of learning, around age 18. If you want to go to a top Shi'ite school, you'll probably study in Qom, Iran, or Najaf, Iraq. There, you'll choose your instructor and pursue a course of studies in fiqh, or Islamic jurisprudence. For seven to nine years, you'll study grammar, rhetoric, and logic, as well as texts on Islamic law and legal interpretation.

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