Preface by the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly
The Holy Messenger of Allah (S)
is reported to have said,
أَقْرَبُ النَّاسِ مِنْ دَرَجَةِ النُّبُوَّةِ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ وَالْجِهَادِ
The people closest to the rank of Prophets are the people of knowledge and jihad (utmost endeavor).
Imam ‘Ali Amir al-Mu'minin (the Commander of the Faithful) (‘a) is also reported as saying,
اَلْعُلَمَاءُ بَاقُونَ مَا بَقِيَ الدَّهْرُ… أُولَئِكَ خُلَفَاءُ اللهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ وَالدُّعَاةُ إلَى دِينِهِ، آهٍ آهٍ شَوْقاً إلَى رُؤْيَتِهِمْ
The knowledgeable people are as endless as time. They are the representatives of Allah on the earth, and inviters to His religion. Oh! How eager am I to see them!
Peace and blessings of Allah and of His Apostle be upon the pure souls of the martyrs, especially the students of the Seminary (Hawzah). Peace be upon the immortal men of religion who aroused enthusiasm in others, wrote down their academic and practical theses with their martyrdoms and the ink of their blood and transformed their lives into brilliant gems on the pulpits in order to guide others.
Peace and immortality be upon the martyrs and the spiritualists among the students of the Hawzah who left their schools in order to join the fields of jihad, shed off any thing that connected them to worldly ambitions and set forth to join the immortal group of divine people.
Peace be upon those who unveiled true religious knowledge and became honest warners for their people, whose every act and intention testified practically to all parts of their discourses. In all honesty, the true men of the religion of Islam, and Shi’ism in particular, who guide others to the straight path and encourage them to tread the difficult path of truth ultimately become the foremost victims and seal their books of deeds with their blood.
Indeed, those who attended the classes of the spiritual masters of the Hawzah have not been heard hoping for anything other than martyrdom, since they, having enjoyed the highest ranks of sincere connection with their Lord, always pray to Almighty Allah to confer martyrdom.
It is now fourteen years since the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly was founded. Throughout this period, its one and only endeavor has been to spare no efforts in the propagation of Islamic culture and knowledge, defending the sanctity of the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Sunnah
, as well as the entity and the rights of the Ahl al-Bayt’s
followers. By pursuing this goal, we hope to attain the rank aspired by the leader, the Grand Ayatullah Sayyid al-Khamene'i - may Allah perpetuate his blessings on us.
In view of the above, the Assembly has shown remarkable activity in the fields of Islamic research, inquiry, teaching, and propagation as well as many other related fields.
Taking upon itself the mission of honoring the scholars and those who devoted themselves to defending the genuine principles of Islam, the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly is proud to hold a conference to honor martyr Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, the vice-chairman of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly.
It goes without saying that martyr Ayatullah al-Hakim was outstandingly well versed in both Islamic knowledge and policy not only in Iran and the Shi’ite world but also in the entire Islamic world. Unquestionably, his endeavors were the main impetus for the pressures that removed the Baathist regime that ruled Iraq so mercilessly.
This divine leader undertook the mission of spreading the Ahl al-Bayt’s culture through his wide-ranging activities that included teaching, writing and delivering lectures on various occasions. His writings, some of which have been published and others that are to be published in the future, stand as witnesses to testify to his efforts in these fields.
According to the saying that “the affairs of both religion and the world stand on two things - a pen and a sword behind the pen,” martyr Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim was armed with both pen and sword. His pen is still overflowing with wisdom and knowledge that are like unsheathed swords waiting for a signal from him to fight again as they had previously fought against infidelity and challenged persecution and oppression.
A Hadith holds that the Holy Prophet (S) said,
ثَلاَثٌ تَخْرِقُ الْحُجُبَ وَتَنْتَهِي إلَى مَا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللهِ: صَرِيرُ أَقْلاَمِ الْعُلَمَاءِ، وَوَطْءُ أَقْدَامِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ …
Three things penetrate the Veils (of Divinity) and stand directly before Almighty Allah. These are the susurrations of the scholars’ pens, the steps of the warriors (for the sake of Almighty Allah)… etc.
Correspondingly, the susurrations of martyr Ayatullah al-Hakim’s pen and his steps on the path of jihad were so well known in the east and the west of the globe that the gates of martyrdom were wide open before him. After twenty-five years of exile and alienation from his homeland, martyr Sayyid al-Hakim returned immediately after the collapse of the Baathist regime in Iraq. He aimed at residing in the vicinity of the holy shrines of his immaculate forefathers, living amongst the Iraqi people who were severely tormented and persecuted, reconstructing all that was demolished by the infidels and transgressors.
From the sacred minbar (i.e. pulpit) of the Congregational Friday Prayer, he delivered sermons full of admonition and guidance to spread awareness among the faithful. Thus, the people’s love for him augmented day by day. Unfortunately, this brilliant lantern was extinguished by the harbingers of gloom who could not tolerate such luminosity. They stretched forth their treacherous hands to end his life immediately after he had finished his prayer on Friday beside the holy mausoleum of his forefather, Imam ‘Ali Amir al-Mu'minin (‘a). Sayyid al-Hakim embraced the great victory of martyrdom after an extraordinary journey, full of strife. In truth, Sayyid al-Hakim did not die, because martyrs are forever alive and provided sustenance from their Lord. Although we can no longer see the person of Sayyid al-Hakim, he is present with us constantly illuminating our lives.
The Grand Ayatullah Sayyid al-Khamene'i said about Sayyid al-Hakim,
“This dear martyr was both a scholar and a warrior (for Islam). He challenged the oppressive regime of Saddam for many long years. When this sign of evil and transgression collapsed, Sayyid al-Hakim acted as an invincible wall in the face of the occupiers - the Americans and the English. He resisted ill-omened plans and prepared for martyrdom in the long path of jihad to join the caravan of martyrs from the family of al-Hakim along with other martyrs of knowledge and virtue in Iraq.”
The Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly, in co-operation with other foundations, held a conference on the anniversary of the passing of this ‘martyr of the prayer-niche’ (shahid al-mihrab), Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, on the eighteenth of Rajab, 1425 AH, in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This conference was attended by a group of eminent Muslim scholars who delivered speeches for the occasion.
The consequent activities of the Cultural Committee of this conference can be classified in two sections:
The first section: Reprinting a group of the writings of Sayyid al-Hakim, as follows:
(1) The two-volume book entitled, ‘dawr ahl al-bayt fi bina' al-jama’ah al-salihah’ (The Role of the Ahl al-Bayt in Building the Virtuous Community).
(2) The book entitled, ‘al-wihdah al-islamiyyah min manzur al-thaqalayn’ (Islamic Unity from the Perspective of the Two Weighty Things - i.e. the Holy Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)).
(3) The book, ‘‘Ulum al-Qur’an’ (Sciences of the Qur’an) in cooperation with the Assembly of Islamic Thought (Majma’ al-Fikr al-Islami).
(4) The book entitled, ‘Tafsir Surat al-Hamd’ (Exegesis of the Opening Chapter) in cooperation with the Assembly of Islamic Thought.
(5) The book, ‘al-Qasas al-Qur’ani’ (Narratives of the Qur’an) in cooperation with the International Center for Islamic Studies (al-Markaz al-’Alami li’l-Dirasat al-Islamiyyah).
(6) The book entitled, ‘al-Ukhuwwah al-«maniyyah’ (Brotherhood-in-faith) in cooperation with Dar al-Ghadir Foundation.
(7) The book, ‘Thawrat al-Husayn’ (The Revolution of Imam al-Husayn (‘a)) in cooperation with Imam al-Husayn (‘a) Foundation.
Second Section: Preparation and distribution of compact disks (CD’s) comprising Sayyid al-Hakim’s books, which will be offered at the conference. The CD will include:
(1) The life account of martyr Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim by the Approximation of the Islamic Sects Assembly (majma’ al-taqrib bayna al-madhahib al-islamiyyah)
(2) The book entitled, ‘al-Arba’ata ‘Ashara Manahija wa Ru’a’ (Fourteen Methods and Standpoints) by the Foundation for Printing the Writings and Works of Martyr Ayatullah al-Hakim, in cooperation with the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly.
(3) The book entitled, ‘Shuhada' al-’Ilm wa’l-Fadhilah fi’l-’Iraq’ (Martyrs of Knowledge and Virtue in Iraq) by the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly. This book comprises the life accounts of 120 Iraqi scholars who were martyred. It is presented in two languages - Arabic and Persian.
(4) A complete collection of Sayyid al-Hakim’s writings and works
Finally, I express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to all the cultural and executive offices that have extended aid in holding this conference and all their esteemed representatives who have participated in the preparatory sessions and meetings for the conference.
I pray that Almighty Allah lead all the adherents of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) to greater success and include them all among the helpers of His Representative, the Patron of the Age, Imam al-Mahdi - may Allah hasten his relief.
Muhammad Hasan Tashayyu’
Cultural Assistant of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly
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Author: Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Al-Hakim
