A marja, or marja-e-taqleed (Arabic مرجع تقليد), literally "source of imitation" or "source of tradition", is the second highest authority on religion and law in Shi'a Islam after the (Shi'a) Imam. Where a difference in opinion exists between the marjas, Aalims (Religious Scholars) try to provide different opinions.
Four senior Grand Ayatollahs constitute the Hawza Ilmiyyah, a religious institution in Najaf and the preeminent seminary center for the training of Shia clergymen. There is a separate institution in Qom, Iran.
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