Sayyid Jafar al-Hakim (born 1965) 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

Sayyid Jafar al-Hakim is a member of the well known and highly respected

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

Sayyid Jafar 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 Shi'ite scholars of the 20th century. Besides his studies in secular schools, he joined the Islamic Seminary at an early age in 1977. Sayyid Jafar al-Hakim is brother to Sayyid Ali al-Hakim.

Ba'ath Party

He continued his studies while imprisoned by

Saddam 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 revolution ...

Ba'ath party for more than nine years. The studies, at that period of time, were under the supervision of a number of Shiite scholars and jurists who were in prison with him. On February 13, 1991 through a daring attempt, he managed to escape from the prison of Saddam, following the Gulf War air strikes on Iraq, and joined the Islamic seminary in another country.

Role in Contemporary Iraq

After the fall of Saddam in 2003, he returned to Iraq to continue his religious academic career, teaching at the Advanced Intermediate Studies (Sutooh Olya) level, and he now supervises research sessions of Advanced Seminars (Bahth Kharij) level in jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence. Besides teaching and supervising in other fields of sciences such as, theology, theosophy, philosophy, and epistemology.

Conferences

* For three years, he had held a seminar for intellectuals, where he addressed many educational, social, and political theories. * He is a lecturer, speaking on issues of religion and contemporary thought. He has participated in many seminars and conferences, both on the local and international level, and has supervised weekly symposia for long periods outside of Iraq, and in Baghdad and Najaf. * He has visited the United States previously and delivered lectures on a variety of topics. * He has visited the Hakim Foundation in the United States, which is run by family member Ammar al-Hakim.

Works

Scholarly Articles

* Justice for the Poor * Controversies between the Intellectual and the Jurist * Interfaith Dialogue * Religious Pluralism * Resistance and Terrorism * Differences of Capabilities * Contemporary Problems in Religion * Objectivity and Moderation

Religious Theses

* Treatise on Monotheism * Treatise on Imamate (Leadership) * Treatise on Religion and the Religious Project * Treatise on Shia Society and Culture

Advanced Dissertations and Research

* Dissertation in Advanced Seminars (Bahth Kharij) in the science of Principles of Jurisprudence for Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Wahid al-Khorasani * Complete discussions in Advanced Seminars (Bahth Kharij)) in the sciences of Jurisprudence for Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Sanad (full course) * Dissertation of two Jurisprudential studies with Sheikh Muhammad Sanad, on “Ownership in Institutional States” and on “Religious Rituals” * Philosophical Psychology, dissertation with Ayatollah Sheikh Fayadhi * The Primacy of Existence, dissertation with Ayatollah Sheikh Fayadhi * Philosophical Dialogues, between him and his teacher Ayatollah Sheikh Fayadhi * Research in perceptions in “The New Science of Theology,” a series of studies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hakim, Jafar al- 1960 births Living people People from Najaf Iraqi ayatollahs Islamic democracy activists