Business booms for 'prayer sellers' in Iran

Tehran: In Islamic Iran, where clerics rule, unofficial "prayer sellers", who promise to intercede with the divine to solve all manner of life's problems, are seeing their business boom.

Backstreet spiritual guides like YaAli are tolerated by the authorities and increasingly sought after by Iranians seeking help from on high.

"People from all walks of life, mostly young women, come here asking for prayers that can solve their problems," says YaAli sitting on a chair in a crumbly old alley in Tehran.

Stroking his white beard, YaAli, a nickname he's been given by his customers, explains how each prayer must be used in its own specific way.

"There are lots of methods depending on the problems. Some prayers [written on a piece of paper] should be burnt and some should be put in a bowl of water. You should follow the instructions."

According to Islam, prayers have a divine source and make a spiritual connection between God and his servants. Those who have the right religious knowledge can write prayers for others to help them obtain better results. Regular customer Mahoor says YaAli helped her shake off a stalker. "I didn't see him any more after YaAli gave me the prayers," says the 26-year-old nurse.

Mahoor and several of her friends come to YaAli believing his prayers will change their destiny and stop bad things happening to them.

"This time I want prayers that will make my boyfriend marry me. He says he doesn't have enough money to start a new life," Mahoor says of her reluctant beau. Iran's clerics also believe in the power of prayer but they advise people against using prayers that lack a religious basis. Magic and superstition are both illegal under Islamic law.

"Writing prayers quoting Shiite's immaculate imams and receiving money for that has no legal obstacle," said Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani when asked about the religious legitimacy of the prayer sellers.

"But referring to prayers written by hustlers without reliable sources is not permitted, and getting money for those kinds of prayers is [religiously] forbidden," he told news website hawzah.net.

Despite what Iranian clerics say, none of YaAli's customers asks him about the basis of his knowledge, which he says, is founded on Quran.