Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Fast Facts
Father: Sayyid Mohammad Baqir, a religious scholar
Mother: Name unavailable publicly
Marriage: Information unavailable publicly
Children: Muhammad Rida al-Sistani – eldest son. Total number of children unavailable publicly.
Religion: Shiite Muslim
Other Facts
He is a member of a well-known family of religious scholars and began studying at the age of 5.
Rarely does interviews or is seen in public.
Timeline
1952 – Sistani moves to the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, to study with Shiite clerics there.
1990 – Is chosen by other religious figures to lead an important network of schools in Najaf.
September 2002 – Issues his first political fatwa, urging Muslims to unite and defend Iraq against outside aggressors.
April 2003 – Sistani’s house arrest is lifted after the US-led invasion of Iraq. Sistani issues his second political fatwa, urging the Iraqi people to remain neutral and not to interfere with the US forces.
June 3, 2004 – Sistani endorses the new Iraqi government. Says the new government lacks “legitimacy of elections” and does not represent “in an acceptable manner all segments of Iraqi society and political forces. … Nevertheless, it is hoped that this government will prove its efficiency and integrity and show resolve to carry out the enormous tasks that rest on its shoulders.”
August 3-26, 2004 – Fighting engulfs the city of Najaf. Militiamen loyal to Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr battle US forces for control of the area.
August 6, 2004 – Sistani, who seldom leaves his home in Najaf, travels to London for treatment for heart problems.
August 25, 2004 – Sistani returns to Iraq and begins negotiating a ceasefire in Najaf. Before his return he asks all Iraqis to “march to Najaf in order to rescue the city.”
February 13, 2005 – The results of Iraq’s January 30, 2005, election are released. Sistani’s United Iraqi Alliance comes in first, with more than four million votes.
December 2008 – Sistani endorses the Iraqi government and US military troop withdrawal proposal.
January 2009 – Releases a statement urging Iraqis to vote in the upcoming provincial elections but states that he is not endorsing any candidates.
March 2011 – To express his dissatisfaction with Iraqi political leaders, Sistani refuses to meet with them.
March 2013 – Sistani issues a fatwa prohibiting shedding Iraqi blood, particularly Sunni blood.
January 16, 2020 – Undergoes successful surgery for a broken thigh bone.