Mohammad Said Al-Hakim
Encyclopedia
Grand Ayatollah
Sayyid Muhammad Sa'id al-Tabataba'i al-Hakim is an Iraqi
Twelver Shi'a marja
, one of the four members of the Hawza
of Najaf
and the second most senior Shia cleric in Iraq after Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
al-Hakim is the son of Ayatollah Muhammad Ali al-Hakim, grandson of Sayyid Ahmad al-Hakim an great nephew of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhsin al-Tabataba'i al-Hakim. . His second cousin, Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim
leads the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, one of the largest Shia political parties in Iraq.
In 2003, he was targeted in an attempted assassination, when his house in Najaf was bombed. Three people were killed but al-Hakim suffered only minor injuries. He had previously been threatened that he would be killed if he didn't leave Najaf. Originally the Sunni fundamentalist Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (who later became al-Qaeda in Iraq
) was blamed. However, the bombing has also been attributed to followers of rival shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr
.
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Sayyid Muhammad Sa'id al-Tabataba'i al-Hakim is an Iraqi
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
Twelver Shi'a marja
Marja
Marja , also known as a marja-i taqlid or marja dini , literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference"...
, one of the four members of the Hawza
Hawza
Hawza or ḥawza ʻilmiyya is a seminary of traditional Islamic school of higher learning. It is a term used mostly by the Shi'a Muslims communities to refer to a traditional Shi'a centre where clerics are trained...
of Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
and the second most senior Shia cleric in Iraq after Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
al-Hakim is the son of Ayatollah Muhammad Ali al-Hakim, grandson of Sayyid Ahmad al-Hakim an great nephew of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhsin al-Tabataba'i al-Hakim. . His second cousin, Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim
Ammar al-Hakim
Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim is an Iraqi politician who leads the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, which was the largest party in Iraq's Council of Representatives from the 2003 Invasion of Iraq until the 2010 Iraqi elections....
leads the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, one of the largest Shia political parties in Iraq.
In 2003, he was targeted in an attempted assassination, when his house in Najaf was bombed. Three people were killed but al-Hakim suffered only minor injuries. He had previously been threatened that he would be killed if he didn't leave Najaf. Originally the Sunni fundamentalist Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (who later became al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....
) was blamed. However, the bombing has also been attributed to followers of rival shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr
Sayyid Muqtadā al-Ṣadr is an Iraqi Islamic political leader.Along with Ali al-Sistani and Ammar al-Hakim of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Sadr is one of the most influential religious and political figures in the country not holding any official title in the Iraqi government.-Titles:He is...
.