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 Islamic Resistance in Lebanon and widely regarded as the second-in-command after Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah until his martyrdom in October 2024. Safi al-Din was a founding member of Hezbollah in 1982 and had led its Executive Council since 1994. In this role, he oversaw the organization's economic and social activities. In 2017, he was placed on the United States sanctions list. He was assassinated by the Israeli regime's army on October 3, 2024, during its attack on Lebanon.

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 began religious studies early and later moved to Qom for advanced education after marrying the daughter of Sayyid Muhammad Ali Amin, a member of the Supreme Islamic Council of Shia Muslims in Lebanon.

In Qom, he was deeply influenced by the political philosophy of Wilayat al-Faqih as articulated by Imam Khomeini, which he later explored in his writings. His brother, Abdullah Safi al-Din, represents Hezbollah in Iran, and his son, Rida, is married to Qasem Soleimani’s daughter.

Safi al-Din believed that Muslims, especially scholars, are responsible for defending the oppressed, particularly in Gaza. He argued that if scholars cannot find justification in their teachings to support Gaza, their knowledge lacks relevance to Islam.

He stated, "What we witnessed in the Gaza Strip—destruction and the killing of people—proves the importance of resistance weapons in Lebanon."

At the 40th-day memorial of Qasem Soleimani’s martyrdom, Safi al-Din declared that Soleimani’s sacrifice would lead to the expulsion of the United States from the region and the liberation of its peoples.

Safi al-Din had familial ties to Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah and remained relatively unknown in Lebanese politics until he began representing Nasrallah at public events, especially funerals of Hezbollah martyrs.

Martyrdom

The Israeli army announced the assassination of Safi al-Din on October 3, 2024, during an airstrike on the suburbs of Beirut. His body was recovered on October 22, 2024, and Hezbollah officially confirmed Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din’s martyrdom on October 23, 2024, following attacks by the Israeli regime on Beirut.

The delay in announcing his martyrdom was attributed to Israeli forces targeting rescue teams, which hindered efforts to confirm his condition.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a condolence message describing Safi al-Din as a brave and selfless mujahid and one of Hezbollah’s most prominent leaders. He emphasized that Hezbollah remains alive and serves as Lebanon’s strongest shield against the Zionist regime’s ambitions.

Historic Funeral Ceremony in Lebanon

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

Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, where hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final respects to Sayyed Nasrallah 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 Secretary-General, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. Dignitaries and delegations from Iran, Iraq, and other nations attended.

The funeral ceremony was held at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, where hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered. As the coffins of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din entered the stadium, the crowd erupted in chants: "Labbayka Ya Nasrallah" ("At your service, Nasrallah"), "We remain committed to the pledge, Nasrallah," and "Far from us is humiliation." The chants echoed through the arena, repeated with unwavering devotion, a collective expression of loyalty and resistance.

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei’s representative in Iraq delivered a speech emphasizing continued resistance against global arrogance and saluting "the dear sons, the valiant youth of Lebanon." Sheikh Na'im Qassem, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, declared, "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 described the funeral as an exceptional and unprecedented event in the history of Lebanon and the Arab region. Estimates suggest that 1.4 million people attended the ceremony.

Following the official ceremony in Beirut, Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din’s body was transferred to his hometown of Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr in southern Lebanon, where he was buried on Monday, February 24. After his assassination on October 3, he had been temporarily buried in an undisclosed location until the formal funeral procession.

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