al-Ghita' and other eminent clerics in Najaf and Isfahan a declaration of jihad against the Russians, thus implicitly recognizing their authority to issue such a declaration – one of the functions of the Hidden Imām. Kashif al-Ghita used the opportunity to extract from the state acknowledgment of the ulama's right to collect the religious taxes of Khums." This followed the pattern of other transgressions by overthrowing the limits of its prior (fourth) transgression. Iranian Revolution Following the Iranian Revolution, the Usūlī school has gained popularity among previously Akhbārī communities. Usuli clerical power reached its natural conclusion with control and domination of the state as promulgated through Vilayat al-Faqih under the authority of the Supreme Leader. Rejection of the Mujtahids Akhbārīs reject mujtahids. They practice this based on the last letter Imām Mahdi wrote to ‘Alī ibn Muhammad, fourth trusted follower of the Lesser Occultation. In the letter, Imām Zaman said: Akhbārīs claim that only the Imāms may be described as āyat Allahs (Ayatollahs, "signs of God") based on the Hadith-e-Tariq, and that no one else has the right to ascribe this divinely appointed title to themselves. For example, the Hadith-i Tariq says: Historically it was only in the early 19th century that ordinary mujtahids began to describe themselves as 'Ayatollahs.' However, the powerful mujtahids existed long before the title of Ayatollah was adopted for high ranking Shia clergy. Debate Pro-Akhbari It can be noticed that the Usuli ulama have allegedly “usurped” one by one all the functions of the Hidden Imam, virtually ascribing themselves with his Imamate. Since the 1953 Iranian coup, the Usuli ulama have made countless transgressions from Wilayat al-Faqih to unity among Muslims (or what might be called Islamic ecumenism at the cost of Shia beliefs). The convergence of these trends can be seen heading towards the caliphate of mujtahideen, although with a different naming scheme. The fact that Akhbārism is a movement that started four centuries ago and was intellectually defeated is allegedly “false”. It is established that generalization that causes a fallible man's decision to gain the status of divine law is against the gist of Shia Islam. The Usuli appeal to "intellect" ('Aql) is similar to the Sunni qiyas. All early Shī‘a authorities are unanimous in rejecting Sunni qiyas (deductive analogy). Anti-Akhbari Akhbārīs claim to follow Hadith directly, without the need for generalisation, or of finding the reason for the decision. This, according to