Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, issued a condolence message following the passing of the source of emulation, Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Ishaq Fayyad.

What is very, very important to me is that the third leader, in his condolence message for a recognized Muslim source of emulation (marja'), unlike the second leader, regarding a more senior marja' than himself, has addressed him as "Ayatollah" without using "al-Uzma" (Grand Ayatollah).

In the traditional customs of the seminary (howzeh), Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei has thus placed the late deceased recognized marja' on an equal footing with himself. This is a clear indication that in the Islamic Republic under the leadership of Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, unlike his predecessor at the beginning of his leadership, a distinction will not be made between the political leadership (Velayat) and religious authority (Marja'iyat).

Although for Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, achieving the status of marja'iyat — from becoming the leader until the official announcement of his marja'iyat — took five years, for the third leader, marja'iyat will likely be announced from the very beginning of his leadership. However, there is still one step remaining.

Will the funeral prayer for the body of the second leader of the Islamic Republic be led by the third leader, or by another source of emulation? The significance of this question becomes even more pronounced given that, unlike in 1989 and 1994, the scholars of the cities and the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom have not yet felt any religious duty to introduce a marja' or the most learned maraje' to the believers.