Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din

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
Death/Martyrdom	.c., 3 October 2024
Cause of Death/Martyrdom	Assassinated by Israeli drones in Beirut
Notable roles	Head of Executive Council of Hezbollah

Sayyid Hāshim Ṣafī al-Dīn (Arabic:سيد هاشِم صَفي الدّین) (b. 1964 - d. 3 October 2024) was the head of the Executive Council of Hezbollah in Lebanon and was recognized as the second-in-command after Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah until his assassination in October 2024.

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

The Israeli army announced the assassination of Safi al-Din on October 3, 2024, during an attack on the suburbs of Beirut. Media outlets reported the discovery of his body on October 22, 2024,, and Hezbollah officially announced his martyrdom on October 23, 2024.

The delay in announcing Safi al-Din's martyrdom was due to the Israeli army targeting the rescue teams sent to the site of his assassination, which hindered their ability to assess his condition.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, issued a condolence message on the occasion of Safi al-Din's martyrdom, describing him as a brave and selfless mujahid and one of the most prominent leaders of Hezbollah. He emphasized that Hezbollah remains alive, serving as the most vigorous defender of Lebanon and the foremost shield against the Zionist regime's greed, which seeks to divide Lebanon.

Safi al-Din has familial ties to Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah and remained relatively unknown in Lebanese politics until he began representing the Secretary-General at party events, particularly during the funerals of Hezbollah' martyrs, due to security measures surrounding Nasrallah. Hezbollah confirmed Safi al-Din's martyrdom in a statement on October 23, 2024, following the attacks of the Zionist regime on Beirut.

Biography and Views

Sayyid Hashim 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.

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.

Seyyid Hashim Safi al-Din stated, "What we witnessed in the Gaza Strip—destruction and the killing of people—proves the importance of resistance weapons in Lebanon.

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.

Historic Funeral Ceremony in Lebanon

Funeral of Sayyed Hashim Safi al-Din in Beirut, Lebenon.

Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, where hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final respects to Sayyed Nasr Allah and Sayyed Safi al-Din

A momentous funeral procession was held on Sunday, February 23, in Beirut for Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din and Hezbollah’s late Secretary-General, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah with dignitaries and official delegations from Lebanon and abroad in attendance. Organizers noted the presence of high-ranking figures from Iran, Iraq, and other nations.

The ceremony took place at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, where hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final respects. As the coffins of the two leaders entered the stadium, the crowd erupted in chants of allegiance: "Labbayka Ya Nasrallah" (At your service, Nasrallah), "We remain committed to the pledge, Nasrallah," and "Far from us is humiliation."

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei’s representative in Iraq delivered a speech on behalf of Sayyid Khamenei, emphasizing the continuation of resistance against global arrogance. He conveyed the Iranian leader’s salutations to "the dear sons, the valiant youth of Lebanon." Sheikh Na'im Qassem, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, delivered a speech declaring, "We will keep your will; we will continue this path even if we are all killed and even if our homes are destroyed over our heads."

Lebanese sources reported that today's funeral procession for the bodies of the martyrs Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safi al-Din is expected to be an exceptional and unprecedented event in the entire history of Lebanon and even the entire Arab region. According to estimates, 1.4 million people attended the ceremony.

After the official ceremony in Beirut, Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din moved to his hometown of Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr in southern Lebanon and will be buried there on Monday, February 24. After his assassination on October 3, Sayyid Safi al-Din was temporarily buried in an undisclosed location until his official funeral procession.

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