Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din

Al-Sayyid Hāshim Ṣafī al-Dīn (Arabic: السيد هاشِم صَفي الدّین) (b. 1964) is the head of the Executive Council of Hezbollah in Lebanon and is recognized as the second-in-command after Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah. He is often referred to as Nasrallah's successor.

Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din

Religious Affiliation	Twelver Shi'a
Well-known Relatives	Al-Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, Qasim Soleimani
Birth	1964
Place of Birth	Deir Qanoun en Nahr
Notable roles	Head of Executive Council of Hezbollah

Safi al-Din has been a member of Hezbollah since its founding in 1982 and has led the Executive Council since 1994. In this role, he oversees Hezbollah's economic and social activities. In 2017, he was added to the United States sanctions list.

Safi al-Din has familial ties to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and remained relatively unknown in Lebanese politics until he began representing the Secretary-General at party events, particularly during the funerals of Hezbollahs' martyrs, due to security measures surrounding Nasrallah.

Biography and Views

Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din and Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah

Sayyed Hashem Safi al-Din was born in 1964 in a village in southern Lebanon to a prominent and influential family. He started his religious education at a young age and, before moving to Qom for further studies, married the daughter of Sayyid Muhammad Ali Amin, a member of the Supreme Islamic Council of Shia Muslims in Lebanon.

While in Qom, Safi al-Din was profoundly influenced by the political philosophy of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist (Wilayat al-Faqih) as articulated by Imam Khomeini, a subject he later explored in his writings. His brother, Abdullah Safi al-Din, represents Hezbollah in Iran, and his son, Rida Safi al-Din, is married to Qasem Soleimani's daughter.

Seyyid Hashim Safi al-Din:

"What we saw in the Gaza Strip (destruction and killing of people) proves the importance of resistance weapons in Lebanon."

Safi al-Din believes that Muslims, especially scholars, have a responsibility to defend the oppressed, particularly in the context of the Gaza blockade. He argues that if scholars can't find a compelling reason in their teachings to support the people of Gaza, they should reconsider the relevance of their knowledge to Islam.

At the memorial marking the fortieth day after Qasem Soleimani's martyrdom, Safi al-Din stated that Soleimani's sacrifice would ultimately lead to the expulsion of the United States from the region and the liberation of its peoples.