TEHRAN-- Grand Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Behjat, one of Iran’s most respected Shia clerics, died at the age of 96 in Qom on Sunday.

Grand Ayatollah Behjat was a marja taqlid (Shia cleric who is considered a source of emulation).
Born in Fouman, Gilan Province, Grand Ayatollah Behjat completed his theological studies in the holy city of Qom and religious schools in Iraq.
He spent all his life studying and teaching, and trained many scholars.
The Qom Seminary has cancelled its classes for two days and announced that the nation will observe a two-day mourning period.
For fifty years, Ayatollah Behjat taught the kharij level of fiqh (jurisprudence) and usool (tenets of the faith) in his home to avoid publicity. He also taught jurisprudence at the higher levels