Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani was declared as the most knowledgeable specialist in the field of the Islamic law (Marja al-taqlid) by the central Shi'a school of religious studies in Qom, Hawza 'Ilmiyyah, after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini.
As his health conditions deteriorated he moved from the holy city of Qom to Tehran and then to London to receive medical treatment then on Friday 15 June 2007 he moved to Qom and he died on Saturday June 16, 2007.