Ali al-Sistani

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid
Ali al-Sistani
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani
علی السيستاني
	Al-Sistani in 2009
Personal
Born	4 August 1930 (age 93); Mashhad, Iran
Religion	Islam
Children	Muhammad-Ridha; Muhammad-Baqir;
Parent	Muhammad-Baqir al-Sistani (father)
Denomination	Shia
Jurisprudence	Jaʽfari (Usuli)
Creed	Twelver
Main interest(s)	Religious jurisprudence
Relatives	Jawad al-Shahristani (son-in-law)
Muslim leader
Based in	Najaf, Iraq
Period in office	1993–present
Predecessor	Abd al-A'la al-Sabziwari, Mohammad Fazel Lankarani
Website	Official website

Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani (Arabic: علي الحسيني السيستاني, romanized: ʿAlī al-Ḥusaynī al-Sīstānī; born 4 August 1930) is an Iranian-born Iraqi Islamic scholar. A Grand Ayatollah and marja, al-Sistani is considered the spiritual leader of Twelver Shia Muslims worldwide.

Born in Mashhad to a sayyid family, al-Sistani studied in Qom under Hossein Borujerdi and later in Najaf under Abu al-Qasim al-Khu'i. An Usuli, al-Sistani rose to the rank of mujtahid in 1960 and succeeded Abd al-A'la al-Sabziwari as Grand Ayatollah. Al-Sistani was included in top positions of The Muslim 500: The World's Most Influential Muslims from 2004 to 2024 and named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2004 and 2005.