Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Saeed al-Tabataba'i al-Hakim (محمد سعيد الطباطبائي الحكيم; February 1, 1936 – September 3, 2021) was an Iraqi senior Shi'a marja, and one of the most senior Shia clerics in Iraq.

He was considered a strong nominee for the grand religious authority in Najaf, after Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Biography
Al-Hakim was born in the holy city of Najaf on 1 February 1936 to Sayyid Muhammad-Ali al-Hakeem. His mother was the daughter of grand Ayatollah, Muhsin al-Hakim. His father was a nephew of the grand Ayatollah.

Education
As someone who hailed from a clerical family, al-Hakim began his religious education at the tender age of 5. Under his father, he studied in the introductory subjects that include Arabic language, and grammar; logic; eloquence; jurisprudence and its fundamentals, until concluding his intermediate studies. He studied under his maternal grandfather, the grand Ayatollah, the advanced studies, where he attended a great deal of his Jurisprudence teachings. Among his other teachers were Shaykh Hussein Al-Hilli and Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei were also among his teachers.

Ba'thist imprisonment
In 1983, the Ba'thist regime imprisoned a large number of members of the Hakim family, including al-Hakim, and they remained there for 8 years.

Assassination attempt
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.

Notable students
After reaching the advanced levels of religious studies, al-Hakim began teaching in Najaf's seminaries, and was considered an exceptional teacher. He taught many members of his family including his maternal uncles, Muhammad-Baqir and Muhammad-Husayn al-Hakim, his brothers, Abd al-Razzaq, Hasan, and Muhammad-Saleh, his sons, Riyadh, Muhammad-Husayn, Ala al-Din, and Izz al-Din, and others. As for some of his notable students, they include: Shaykh Hadi al-Radhi, Shaykh Baqir al-Irawani, Sayyid Muhammad-Ridha Bahr al-Uloom, Sayyid Amin Khalkhali.

Works
He wrote many books, some of which have been translated into Persian, Urdu, and English.


 * Almohkem in the fundamentals of the jurisprudence - it is a detailed full course in the fundamentals of the jurisprudence in six volumes.
 * Misbahul minhag in the jurisprudence laws derivation - based in details on the book of Minhag al saliheen. So far he finished 15 volumes.
 * Minhag al saliheen - his Risala - practical laws of his verdicts in three volumes.
 * Menasik – Pilgrimage and Omra Rituals.
 * A message to the people in the west
 * A message to the religions promoters and the hawza students - translated into Persian and Urdu.
 * A dialogue with his eminence about the religious authority
 * Morshid al Moghtarib - instructions and verdicts related to the people in the west.
 * Fi rihab al aqeeda - detailed dialogue with a Jordanian personality in the issues of beliefs, in 3 volumes
 * Religious laws of computer and internet - translated into English.
 * Human cloning - Translated into English
 * Religious dialogues
 * A message to the devotees in Azerbaijan - translated into the Azeri language.
 * A message to the pilgrims of the holy house of God

Amman Message
Al-Hakim was one of the ulama signatories of the Amman Message, which gives a broad foundation for defining Muslim orthodoxy.

Personal life
Al-Hakim was married, and had 5 sons, and daughters. His sons all pursued clerical careers. His eldest son, Riyadh is a notable teacher at the religious seminary of Qom.

His second cousin, is Iraqi politician Ammar al-Hakim.

Death
Al-Hakim died on 3 September 2021 aged 85 from a heart attack. His brother, Muhammad-Taqi led the funeral prayers in the Imam Ali shrine.