Ayatollah Alireza Arafi is a prominent Iranian Shia cleric, jurist (faqih) and high-ranking figure in the Islamic Republic's religious and political institutions.
Born in 1959 (1338 solar Hijri) in Meybod, Yazd province, he comes from a clerical family, his father, Ayatollah Mohammad Ibrahim Arafi, was a scholar and close associate of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
He moved to Qom at around age 11 (in 1970) to pursue advanced religious studies, quickly advancing through preliminary and intermediate levels. He studied under major scholars such as Ayatollah Morteza Haeri Yazdi, Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi and others, attaining the rank of mujtahid (independent jurist) with expertise in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh), philosophy, and related fields. He has authored numerous books and continues to teach advanced classes (dars-e kharij) in Qom.
His Positions and Roles:
- Head of Iran's Seminaries since 2016/1395, overseeing the nationwide network of Shia seminaries.
- Chairman of Al-Mustafa International University, a major institution for training non-Iranian Shia clerics and promoting Iranian Islamic ideology globally (former role, but influential).
- Member of the Guardian Council since 2019, one of the six jurist members appointed by the Supreme Leader, responsible for vetting legislation and candidates for compatibility with Islamic law and the constitution.
- Deputy Chairman (Second Vice President) of the Assembly of Experts, the body that selects and supervises the Supreme Leader.
- Friday Prayer Leader (Imam Jumu'ah) of Qom since around 2013/1392 (previously in Meybod).
- Member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom and other bodies.
His career has been heavily shaped by direct appointments from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reflecting deep trust within the system. He is seen as a government insider focused on clerical education, international propagation of Shia and institutional continuity.
