Huge crowds of people attended the funeral. They included the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and a number of senior clerics.
The government earlier declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. A public holiday was also announced in Qom, in southern Tehran.
Ayatollah Safi Golpayengani had willed that he would be buried in Karbala, Iraq, and he will be transferred to the holy city following the funeral ceremony.
Iran’s leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei offered condolences over Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani’s passing. Ayatollah Khamenei described Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani as a pillar of the Qom seminary and a prominent religious scholar.
Iraq’s top Shia authority Ayatollah Ali Sistani also expressed grief over the departure of Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, describing the cleric’s death as a great loss. Iranian officials including President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as well as former president Hassan Rouhani also offered their condolences.
Ayatollah Safi Golpayegan died on Tuesday after a heart attack. He was 103.
