Seyyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem
| Representative of the Supreme Leader in East Azerbaijan province | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full Name | Seyyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem |
| Religious Affiliation | Shia Islam |
| Well-known Relatives | Sayyed Muhammad Taqi Ale-Hashem (father) |
| Birth | 1962 |
| Place of Birth | Tabriz, Iran |
| Martyrdom | May 19, 2024 |
| Cause of Martyrdom | Helicopter crash |
| Notable roles | Imam of Friday Prayer in Tabriz |
Seyyed Muḥammad ʿAlī Āle-Hāshem, (b. 1962, d. 2024), was born in Tabriz, Iran. He was a Shia cleric, who served as the Imam of Friday Prayer in Tabriz and the representative of the Supreme Leader in East Azerbaijan Province. He has served multiple terms as a member of the Assembly of Experts. Additionally, he has held positions within the Ideological-Political Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army.
On May 19, 2024, Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was involved in an helicopter incident in East Azerbaijan Province. He was on board a helicopter and was martyred in the incident.
Life
Sayyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the son of Sayyed Muhammad Taqi Ale-Hashem, a renowned cleric from Tabriz, completed his education from elementary school through high school in Tabriz. He began his studies in religious disciplines at the Seminary of Tabriz and later continued at the Seminary of Qom. He participated in advanced courses of jurisprudence taught by Sayyid Ali Khamenei for fourteen years.
Official and Political Positions
On May 31, 2017, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Sayyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem as his representative in East Azerbaijan Province and the Imam of Friday Prayer in Tabriz. At his own request, during his term as the Imam of Friday Prayer in the city, the fences separating officials from the people were removed.
From July 19, 2009, to July 2, 2017, he served as the Supreme Leader’s representative and the head of the Ideological-Political Organization of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran. During this period, his organization achieved the top rank among the ideological-political organizations of the Iranian armed forces.
In the sixth term of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership, Ale-Hashem became a member of the assembly as the representative of the people of East Azerbaijan Province, winning 834,108 votes, the highest among various terms of elections for the Assembly of Experts in the province. His other positions are as follows:
- Head of Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Headquarters
- Head of the Ideological-Political Office, Center for Support Training of Army’s Ground Forces
- Head of the Regional Ideological-Political Office of Azerbaijan
- Deputy Head of Propagation and Public Relations of the Regional Ideological-Political Organization of Azerbaijan
- Deputy Head of the Ideological-Political Office of the Army’s Marine Forces
- Deputy Head of the Ideological-Political Office of the Army’s Ground Forces
- Coordinating Deputy of the Army’s Ideological-Political Organization
- Deputy Head of the Army’s Ideological-Political Organization as approved by the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces
- Member of the Azerbaijan Forum in the Expediency Discernment Council
- Head of the Ideological-Political Office of the Army’s Ground Forces
Works
Ale-Hashem authored books intended for Iranian armed forces personnel, seminary students, clergy members, and the general public. His works include the following:
- The Scent of Morality and Islamic Training
- Moral and Pedagogical Practice
- A Jurisprudential Study of Psychological War
- The Message of Friday (six-volume set, including the sermons he delivered in Tabriz Friday Prayer)
Martyrdom and Funeral Procession
On May 19, 2024, Sayyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem traveled to the border regions of East Azerbaijan along with Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, to inaugurate a construction project. The helicopter carrying them had an incident on the way back. Sayyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem, along with President Raisi, the Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions, martyred in the helicopter crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province. Rescue workers found the crash site after an overnight search in bad weather. Initially, there were reports of his survival, but eventually, news agencies confirmed his martyrdom in the accident. On Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei has led prayers over the bodies of Seyyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem, President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions in Tehran as millions of people gathered to hold a funeral procession.[1] The funeral ceremony was held on May 23, and Sayyed Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem was buried in Wadi Rahmat Cemetery in Tabriz.