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 AffiliationTwelver Shi'a
Well-known RelativesAl-Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, Qasim Soleimani
Birth1964
Place of BirthDeir Qanoun en Nahr
Notable rolesHead 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.[1] In this role, he oversees Hezbollah's economic and social activities.[2] In 2017, he was added to the United States sanctions list.[3]

Safi al-Din has familial ties to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah[4] 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.[5]

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[6] to a prominent and influential family.[7] He started his religious education at a young age[8] 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.[9]

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.[10] His brother, Abdullah Safi al-Din, represents Hezbollah in Iran, and his son, Rida Safi al-Din, is married to Qasem Soleimani's daughter.[11]

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."[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

Notes

References