 In the beginning, about half a dozen people were addressed with the latter title, but as of 2015, the number of people who claimed that title was reportedly over 50.Addressing someone with or without this title may have political reasons, rather than for purely religious credentials.Ali Khamenei –who was addressed with mid-level title of "Hujjat al-Islam" when he was in office as President– was bestowed the title Ayatollah immediately after he became Supreme Leader of Iran in 1989, without meeting regular unwritten criteria (such as authoring a "Risalah").