From Arabic (膩yat Ull膩h), lit. Sign of God; a title used by the Imami Twelver Shi鈥榠s. The rank of Ayatollah is believed to have been established in the Safawid period (1501鈥1722 CE). The Ayatollah usually heads the hierarchy amongst the Twelver Shi鈥榠 mujtahids. The holder of the title in today鈥檚 Islamic Republic of Iran has two main roles: on the administrative level, the Ayatollah regulates religious dues (taxes) and heads various centres of learning; on the intellectual and spiritual levels, he is considered as a primary source for religious learning.
