Ayatollah Yazdi: The Determination of Ijtihad in the Assembly of Experts is Solely the Authority of the Guardianship Council Scholars

The head of the Assembly of Experts and a member of the Guardianship Council scholars has emphasized that only the scholars of this council have the authority to determine the 'ijtihad' of candidates for the Assembly of Experts. Mohammad Yazdi, on Tuesday, January 22, criticized those who have put the Guardianship Council under pressure for the 'determination of the knowledge' of candidates during a press conference. According to Tasnim News Agency, the head of the Assembly of Experts stated that 'ijtihad permits issued by religious authorities are only for clerical matters' and emphasized that the Guardianship Council 'is not under any pressure to verify the qualifications of candidates for the Assembly of Experts.' It appears that these remarks by Mohammad Yazdi were in response to discussions surrounding the candidacy of Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic. Hassan Khomeini is a candidate in this round of elections for the Assembly of Experts, but the Guardianship Council announced that all individuals running for the first time in this election must participate in an exam to determine their ijtihad. Hassan Khomeini did not participate in this exam. Ijtihad, in this context, refers to the skill of deriving legal rulings from Islamic jurisprudential sources. Supporters of Hassan Khomeini stated after his registration for the Assembly of Experts elections that he has an ijtihad permit from several Shia religious authorities, but the officials of the Guardianship Council stated that such a matter does not hold validity for them. According to ISNA, Mohammad Yazdi also stated that these claims are 'not documented and credible,' 'it is the scholars of the Guardianship Council who judge the knowledge and ijtihad of individuals,' and 'the tradition of issuing ijtihad permits by religious authorities is a thing of the past.' A member of the Guardianship Council scholars emphasized that the result of the exam held 'shows that the individual at least possesses the ability for ijtihad,' but also added: 'Another way to verify the conditions of ijtihad is through the knowledge of the Guardianship Council scholars about the individual who has applied, and this recognition can also be obtained through dialogue, study, or participation in sessions and debates.' Before Mr. Yazdi, Nejatollah Ebrahimi, the spokesperson for the Guardianship Council, had also stated that 'it is possible that in the continuation of the qualification review, a candidate who did not participate in the exam may have their ijtihad conditions confirmed and be able to continue in the electoral process.' The upcoming elections for the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly will be held simultaneously on March 7. The Assembly of Experts is the only body that, according to the Iranian Constitution, has the authority to appoint and dismiss the leader of the Islamic Republic.