student of the leading theologians of his day, among them Mohammad Mohaghegh Damad, Abbas Ali Shahroudi, Mohammad Ali Araki, and Borujerdi himself for about a year. His most lasting education came from the seven years he spent being taught by Khomeini until the latter's exile in 1964. At the age of 22, he was granted the degree of Ijtihad allowing him to formulate religious judgements for his own use. In September 1964, Ayatollah Saanei married Khanum Shafiei (d. 2012) and has two sons and a daughter. One son, Fakruddin (Saeed) is also a cleric, with the honorific of Hujjud-al-Islam. Career He taught regularly in the hawza of Qom beginning in the 1950s. In 1975, Saanei became a teacher at the Haghani School of Divinity. Later he became Grand Ayatollah. In 1980, he was appointed chairman of the Guardian Council. Saanei retired from the council in 1983 and has not held any political office since. According to the CBS GlobalPost, Saanei has been considered "the successor" of Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri and as "the spiritual leader" of the Iranian political opposition movement. After the urging of many students and scholars, Saanei published his risalah in 1993, thus becoming a Marja', or source of imitation on matters of religious law to others. Death Ayatollah Saanei fell at his Qom home on the night of 10 September, fracturing his pelvis and arm. Due to preexisting conditions (he suffered from Diabetes-related kidney problems, as well as cirrhosis of the liver), he died during dialysis treatment before surgery could be safely performed to repair his injuries. He died shortly after the time of Fajr prayer on 12 September 2020. Due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions, no public funeral was held. The Ayatollah was buried in Sheikhan Cemetery located near Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom. He was survived by his three children. Tributes were paid to him from many parts of the clerical establishment and wider society, including the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khemanei and the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom. Views Inheritance He held in the area of inheritance that: A non-Muslim can inherit from a Muslim just as a Muslim can inherit from a non-Muslim. An illegitimate child inherits from and through both his natural parents, but they cannot inherit from him. A widow is entitled in addition to a share of her deceased husband's movable property, to the monetary value in the same proportion