Int’l Congress in Iraq Discusses Seerah of Ayatollah Hakim
The scholarly event got underway at the conference hall of the Alawi Complex in the holy mausoleum of Imam Ali (AS) on Thursday, Al-Forat News reported.
More than 1,000 scholars and figures from Iraq and a number of other countries are taking part in the congress, which has been organized by the Astan (custodianship) of Imam Hussein (AS) holy shrine.
Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalayi, the custodian of Imam Hussein (AS) holy shrine, in an address said it is a duty to preserve the legacy of great scholars and that is why the Astan has organized the congress.
He said late Ayatollah Hakim was a brilliant page in the book of Najaf Islamic Seminary who spent his life on serving Islam.
Ayatollah Hakim played a great role in elevating the scientific level of the seminary’s scholars and strengthen the bond between the seminary and the sources of emulation, he added.
Next, a message was read out by Sheikh Ali Rabiee, in which senior cleric Ayatollah Muhammad Is’haq Fayyaz called for documenting the Seerah and achievements of Ayatollah Hakim.
Ayatollah Bashir Najafi, another senior scholar also sent a message to the event, which was read out on the first day.
He described Ayatollah Hakim as a pioneer in many important fields in the Islamic seminary and one who spent his life in serving Islam and the motherland.
Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim was a Shia source of emulation (marja) and one of the Big Four Grand Ayatollahs of the Najaf Seminary.
Born to a family of clerics in Najaf in 1354 Hijri (1936), he was a grandson to late Grand Ayatollah Muhsen al-Hakim. His father was Mohammad Ali al-Hakim, one of the most respected clerics in Najaf.
Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hossein detained him in 1983 and kept him behind bars until 1991. The influential cleric authored dozens of books and monographs, mostly on Shia jurisprudence.
He died on September 3, 2021, aged 85 from a heart attack.
