“Ayatollah,” an Arabic term meaning “sign of God” or “divine sign,” is a senior clerical title in Twelver Shiite Islam typically reserved for scholars who have spent decades studying and teaching Islamic jurisprudence and theology in seminaries. An ayatollah is generally regarded as a mujtahid — a jurist qualified to use independent legal reasoning and … The post What the title “Ayatollah” means in Iran’s leadership and politics appeared first on Egypt Independent .