Grand Ayatollah -- A Title for Females?

[DrakeRlugia]

I was doing some browsing this morning regarding Shia Islam, and one thing that struck me as interesting that, aside from mere Ayatollah's that differ from Grand Ayatollah's (a title popularly known as being held by Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khameenei, the Grand Supreme Leaders of Iran).

Aside from title Grand Ayatollah, there is also the mere title of Ayatollah -- experts in Islamic Jurisprudence, ethics, philosophy and the like, teaching in Islamic Seminaries. One thing I've found interesting is that an equal rank exists for women, with women Ayatollah's being known as Lady Mujtahideh.

Unfortunately the Shi'a sect of Islam, and indeed Islam in general is not my strong suit. The question is, would it be possible for a Lady Mujtahideh to achieve a similar rank comparable to Grand Ayatollah? Considering it's not a title only held by one person, and in fact many people can hold such a title... or are the doors to a life within the Islamic clergy too closed off to allow such a thing?

I put this in before-1900 as I figure it'd be easier to produce a POD that creates a title where a woman could wield significant moral authority. Perhaps a splinter of something in the sorts creating a third-way between Sunnis and Shiites, or would it be possible within the existing framework within Persia following the adoption of Shiite Islam? Seems the most earliest significant one I can find is Amina Bint al-Majlisi, of the Safavid period.

My question is, I guess... could a Mujtahideh be skilled/wise enough to be raised to a rank similar to that of Grand Ayatollah, like Grand Lady Mujitahideh?

Bonus points if the woman who rises to this rank does so in the midst of the Safavid or Qajar dynasties (preferrable) during the reign of a pious Shah and succeeds in having great influence over domestic and foreign policy as a power behind the throne or minister-without-portfolio. The rise of such a figure during the short lived Afsharid and Zand dynasties are allowed as well.

Further bonus points would be if said Mujtahideh has royal blood connections to the reigning dynasty, such as an aunt or even elder sister. That is, if this scenario is in anyway plausible.

EDIT: Seem to have placed this in AFTER 1900... could a mod move this to BEFORE 1900? Thanks.

 

[MalcontentRex]

I was doing some browsing this morning regarding Shia Islam, and one thing that struck me as interesting that, aside from mere Ayatollah's that differ from Grand Ayatollah's (a title popularly known as being held by Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khameenei, the Grand Supreme Leaders of Iran).

Aside from title Grand Ayatollah, there is also the mere title of Ayatollah -- experts in Islamic Jurisprudence, ethics, philosophy and the like, teaching in Islamic Seminaries. One thing I've found interesting is that an equal rank exists for women, with women Ayatollah's being known as Lady Mujtahideh.

Unfortunately the Shi'a sect of Islam, and indeed Islam in general is not my strong suit. The question is, would it be possible for a Lady Mujtahideh to achieve a similar rank comparable to Grand Ayatollah? Considering it's not a title only held by one person, and in fact many people can hold such a title... or are the doors to a life within the Islamic clergy too closed off to allow such a thing?

I put this in before-1900 as I figure it'd be easier to produce a POD that creates a title where a woman could wield significant moral authority. Perhaps a splinter of something in the sorts creating a third-way between Sunnis and Shiites, or would it be possible within the existing framework within Persia following the adoption of Shiite Islam? Seems the most earliest significant one I can find is Amina Bint al-Majlisi, of the Safavid period.

My question is, I guess... could a Mujtahideh be skilled/wise enough to be raised to a rank similar to that of Grand Ayatollah, like Grand Lady Mujitahideh?

Bonus points if the woman who rises to this rank does so in the midst of the Safavid or Qajar dynasties (preferrable) during the reign of a pious Shah and succeeds in having great influence over domestic and foreign policy as a power behind the throne or minister-without-portfolio. The rise of such a figure during the short lived Afsharid and Zand dynasties are allowed as well.

Further bonus points would be if said Mujtahideh has royal blood connections to the reigning dynasty, such as an aunt or even elder sister. That is, if this scenario is in anyway plausible.

EDIT: Seem to have placed this in AFTER 1900... could a mod move this to BEFORE 1900? Thanks.

Benazir Bhutto did run Pakistan at one time, and she was obviously a woman, and Pakistan is a very fundamentalist/militant Islamic nation. Granted, she was assassinated later, but she proved that it's possible for a woman to rule a devout Muslim country under the right circumstances.

That being said, I do believe Pakistanis are Sunni, so that may not mean much for your question.

 

[Kishan]

Many Muslim countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey and Indonesia had female leaders as Prime Ministers and Presidents and they were democratically elected too. Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, Sheikh Haseena and Begam Khaleda Zia in Bangladesh and Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia are examples. History has also recorded the reigning queens like Queen Razia Begam in Delhi.
But I do not think that Islam promotes women as Imams or similar religious positions. In Iran there are many Ayatollahs and Hajatol Islam (I am not sure that is the right word, but that is just below Ayatollah and the title of Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former President) and lower level religious functionaries. Are there any women among them? I doubt. Hence I think that a female Ayatollah is as plausible as a female Pope.

 

[Falecius]

"Grand Ayatollah" is a religious title. It only developed really under the late Qajars, though. A woman holding the title is theoretically possible after 1900, although fairly unlikely. Khamene'i is not one, IIRC, by the way.
The title has not, technically, political significance. There may be more than one Grand Ayatollah at a given time, and in principle nothing forbids a woman to be one.
As for the post of Rahbar (Supreme Guide) which is a political role in post-revolutionary Iran, I am not sure if the Iranian constitution stipulates specifically it has to be given to a male, but in any case, it would be very hard for woman to hold it as it implies a sort of public role, political and religious at once, that is not very consistent with the behaviour a woman is supposed to have in the current Iranian system.
Women can and do have public roles in Iranian politics, mind you, but usually through elected posts. It is explicitly possible for a woman too be elected President, for example, although, again, I don't think it's a very likely possibility (well, if one of Khomeini's daughters ran for election I suppose she'd win).

 

[Falecius]

As for your scenario, yeah, it's possible.
Women can and did have religious authority through both family connection and personal scholarship and piety in Islmic history, especially but not exclusively among Twelver Shi'ites.
Having both can give a woman considerable (informal) power; she won't have the title of "Grand Ayatollah" in that timeframe though.