query: religion mohammad bahr al-ulloum
supports: Iraq (, or ; '; '), officially known as the Republic of Iraq ('; ') is a country in Western Asia, bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west. The capital, and largest city, is Baghdad. The main ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds; others include Assyrians, Turkmen, Shabakis, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandeans, Circassians, and Kawliya. Around 95% of the country's 36 million citizens are Muslims, with Christianity, Yarsan, Yezidism, and Mandeanism also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish. Shia ("Shah", from "Shatu Al", followers of Ali) is a branch of Islam which holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor (Imam). Shia Islam primarily contrasts with Sunni Islam, whose adherents believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor. Instead they consider Abu Bakr (who was appointed Caliph through a Shura, i.e. consensus) to be the correct Caliph. Muhammad (c. 570 CE  8 June 632 CE) is the central figure of Islam and widely regarded as its founder by non-Muslims. He is known as the "Holy Prophet" to Muslims, almost all of whom consider him to be the last prophet sent by God to mankind to restore Islam, believed by Muslims to be the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim polity and ensured that his teachings, practices, and the Quran, formed the basis of Islamic religious belief. Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam and Islamic culture. Islamic studies can be seen under at least two perspectives: Twelver (Athn'ashariyyah or Ithn'ashariyyah ) Shia Islam or Imamiyyah is the largest branch of Shia Islam. Twelver belief is based on the Quran and the message of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad attested in hadith, and on hadith taught by their Imams. The term "Twelver" refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, lives in occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi. According to Shia tradition, the Mahdi's tenure will coincide with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ ("Isa"), who is to assist the "Mahdi" against the "Masih ad-Dajjal" (literally, the "false Messiah" or Antichrist). Ayatollah (or ; from "Sign of Allah") is a high-ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, quran reading, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hujjat al-Islam. Islam (' ;) is a religion articulated by the Quran, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God ('), and, for the vast majority of adherents, the teachings and normative example (called the "sunnah", composed of accounts called "hadith") of Muhammad (5708 June 632 CE). It is the world's second-largest religion and the fastest-growing major religion in the world, with over 1.7 billion followers or 23% of the global population, known as Muslims. Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion that upholds that God is one and incomparable and that the purpose of existence is to worship God. Muslims consider Muhammad to be the last prophet of God. A Christian (or ) is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. "Christian" derives from the Koine Greek word "Christós" (), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term "mashiach". The Quran (; ', literally meaning "the recitation"; also romanized Qur'an or Koran"') is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God ("Allah"). It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. The Quran is divided into chapters ("surah" in Arabic), which are then divided into verses ("ayah"). Usulis are the majority Twelver Shi'a Muslim group. They differ from their now much smaller rival Akhbari group in favoring the use of "ijtihad" (i.e., reasoning) in the creation of new rules of "fiqh"; in assessing hadith to exclude traditions they believe unreliable; and in considering it obligatory to obey a "mujtahid" when seeking to determine Islamically correct behavior. In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi (ISO 233: "" "guided one") is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for five, seven, nine, or nineteen years (according to differing interpretations) before the Day of Judgment (/ literally, "the Day of Resurrection") and will rid the world of evil. The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Twelver or "Athnashariyyah" branch of Shia Islam and in Alevi Islam.
  According to the theology of Twelvers, the Twelve Imams are exemplary human individuals who not only rule over the community with justice, but also are able to keep and interpret "sharia" and the esoteric meaning of the Quran. Muhammad and Imams' words and deeds are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin, known as Ismah or infallibility and must be chosen by divine decree, or "nass", through the Prophet. Ayatollah Mohammad Bahr al - Ulloum ( Arabic :      ; 17 December 1927 -- 7 April 2015 ) was a Twelver Shi'a Islamic leader and politician in Iraq . He died of natural causes in 2015 . Al - Ulloum was a longtime opponent of the rule of Saddam Hussein . By 1992 he had moved to London where he opposed Saddam 's rule for many years . He was an active member of London 's Shi'a community and was the head of AhlulBayt Centre in South London . In November 1992 , at the Salahuddin gathering , within the safety of the southern air exclusion zone , along with Masoud Barzani and Colonel Hassan al - Naqib , he was one of the three men to be appointed to the presidential council by the Iraqi National Congress . Mohammad al - Ulloum continued to live in London prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion . After the United States deposed Saddam Hussein in 2003 , as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom , al - Ulloum was appointed to the Iraq interim governing council . He agreed to participate in the interim government and was appointed to the nine - member rotating presidency . He was the first president of the council , in an interim capacity , serving in that position from July 13 , 2003 , until August 1 , 2003 . In August 2003 , Mohammed Baqir al - Hakim , a friend of al - Ulloum , was killed in a car bombing . Shortly after , al - Ulloum announced his voluntary suspension from the council , citing the failure of the council 's ability to maintain law and order in post-war Iraq . He later returned to the council , and became president again on March 1 , 2004 , serving until April 1 , 2004 . He is the father of Ibrahim Mohammad Bahr al - Ulloum , Oil Minister of Iraq from September 2003 to June 2004 , and again during 2005 . Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who serves as the focal point for the religion. It is the world's largest religion, with over 2.4 billion followers, or 33% of the global population, known as Christians. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of humanity whose coming as the Messiah (the Christ) was prophesied in the Old Testament. A hadith (or  plural: ahadith, ) is one of various reports describing the words, actions, or habits of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The term comes from Arabic meaning a "report", "account" or "narrative". Hadith are second only to the Quran in developing Islamic jurisprudence, and regarded as important tools for understanding the Quran and commentaries ("tafsir") written on it. Some important elements of traditional Islam, such as the five salat prayers, are mentioned in hadith. The Yazidis (also Yezidis, "Êzidî") are an ethnically Kurdish religious community or an ethno-religious group indigenous to northern Mesopotamia (see also Ezidkhan) who are strictly endogamous. Their religion, "Yazidism" is linked to ancient Mesopotamian religions and combines aspects of Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Yazidis who marry non-Yazidis are automatically considered to be converted to the religion of their spouse and therefore are not permitted to call themselves Yazidis. They live primarily in the Nineveh Province of Iraq. Additional communities in Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and Syria have been in decline since the 1990s as a result of significant migration to Europe, especially to Germany. The Yazidis' cultural practices are observably Kurdish, and almost all speak Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish). The Soviet Union considered the Yazidis to be Kurds, as does Sharaf Khan Bidlisi's "Sheref-nameh" of 1597, which cites seven of the Kurdish tribes as being at least partly Yazidi, and Kurdish tribal confederations as containing substantial Yazidi sections. 
candidates: christian christianity islam judaism muslim shia islam zoroastrianism
answer: shia islam