mujtahid

American  

[mooj-tah-hid] / mudʒˈtɑ hɪd /

noun

Islam.

1. a person who has been certified as capable of interpreting religious law.

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Etymology

Origin of mujtahid

1805–15; < Arabic: literally, one who exerts himself; see ijtihad

Example Sentences

In 2022, a news outlet associated with the seminary in the holy city of Qom referred to him as an “ayatollah” for the first time, suggesting he had reached the rank of mujtahid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

The supreme leader must also be a mujtahid, a cleric qualified to issue religious rulings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Alireza Arafi, whose name has also come up as a potential successor, attained the rank of an ayatollah, or mujtahid, after publishing over 20 books and articles on Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

Alí the mujtahid, while in Nayríz Siyyid Yaḥyá of Daráb was the leader and arbiter.

From A Traveler’s Narrative by `Abdu'l-Bahá

Of wide learning, at once a mujtahid, a philosopher, a mystic, and gifted with intuitive sight, he was also an accomplished man of letters and an orator without a peer.

From Memorials of the Faithful by `Abdu'l-Bahá