Sayyid Ali al-Hakim (born 1964) is a high-ranking

Shiite Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

Ayatollah Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیت‌الله, āyatollāh) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Etymology The title is originally derived from Arabic word p ...

Najaf Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Biography

Family tree

Al-Hakim is a member of the

Hakim family The Hakim family is a prominent family of Shiite Islam scholars from Najaf, Iraq who claim descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They belong to a Tabatabaei branch whose scholarly involvement has revolved around Iraq for centuries. The fam ...

of Shiite scholars.

Early life

Al-Hakim was born in

, the son of Ayatollah Sayyid Abdul al-Sahib, and the grandson of the Grand Ayatollah Sayyid

Muhsin al-Hakim Muhsin al-Tabatabaei al-Hakim ( ar, محسن الطباطبائي الحكيم; 31 May 1889 – 2 June 1970) was an Iraqi Shia religious authority. He became the leading marja' of Najaf in 1946 after the death of Abu al-Hasan al-Isfahani, and ...

; the latter is considered one of the greatest Shiite scholars of the 20th century. In addition to his studies in secular schools, he joined the Islamic seminary at an early age in 1976. Al-Hakim is the brother of Sayyid

Jafar al-Hakim Sayyid Jafar al-Hakim (born 1965) is a high-ranking Shiite Ayatollah in Najaf, Iraq. Biography Family Tree Sayyid Jafar al-Hakim is a member of the well known and highly respected Hakim Family of Shiite scholars. Early life Sayyid Jafar al-Ha ...

, who has visited the United States and delivered lectures on a variety of topics. He is also a nephew of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Saeed Al-Hakim, one of the four main Grand Ayatollahs of Iraq. He has visited the Hakim Foundation in the United States, which is run by family member Ammar Al-Hakim.

Iraqi politics

During his early studies in the Islamic seminary, Al-Hakim faced harassment and intimidation from Ba'ath party police and security forces. In particular, Al-Hakim was scrutinized for his seminars and participation in intellectual forums. In 1980, Al-Hakim fled Iraq to Kuwait, and later Iran, to continue his seminary studies without facing repression by

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

's government. In 1994, Al-Hakim completed the highest level of study in the seminary, Bath al-Kharij, or "Advanced Studies". He then migrated to

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, where he found employment as a professor, researcher, and writer. Currently, he serves as the General Secretary of the Imam al-Hakim foundation, which he established in 2008.

Works

Books

* Seminars in Shia Jurisprudence - Applied Jurisprudence (1997) * The Jurisprudence of Prayer - Derived Jurisprudence (1994) * Singing in Sharia and its Social Effects - Comparative Jurisprudence (1988) * The Explanation of the Principles of Jurisprudence (Derived Jurisprudence) (1985) * The Explanation the Jurisprudence of Purity (Derived Jurisprudence) (1985)

Religious theses

* The Principles of Jurisprudence (1994) * Singing in Sharia (1989)

Advanced dissertations and research

* Dissertation in Advanced Seminars ( Bath al-Kharij) on the science of Principles of Jurisprudence for Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sahib al-Hakim (2007) * Dissertation in Ijtihad and Emulation for Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammed Mahdi Shamseddine (1998) * Dissertation in Critical Women Rulings for Ayatollah Mohammed Mahdi Shamseddine (1995)

Lectures and speeches

* Coexistence in Islam * Unity of Religion and Diversity of Laws * Iraq: Politics, Religion & Civilization *

Imam Husain Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...

Martyrdom: Studying the Event

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hakim, Ali 1964 births Living people People from Najaf Iraqi ayatollahs Islamic democracy activists