Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din: Difference between revisions

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'''Muḥammad Mahdī Shams al-Dīn''' (Arabic:محمد مهدی شمس الدین) (b.[[Najaf]] 1354/1936 – d. [[Beirut]] 1421/2001) was a religious scholar, political theoretician and the chairman of the [[Supreme Islamic Shi'a Council in Lebanon]]. He began his scientific and political activities in Najaf under [[Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim]] and [[Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khu'i|Ayatullah al-Khu'i]]. The cooperation with [[Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr]] and [[Muhammad Husayn Fadl Allah]] in founding [[Hizb al-Da'wa]] and the [[al-Adwa' al-Islamiyya|al-Adwa' magazine]] was among his most important political activities. In 1395/1975, Shams al-Din accepted the deputyship of the Supreme Islamic Shi'a Council whose director was [[Imam Musa al-Sadr]]. After Imam Musa al-Sadr disappeared in 1398/1978, Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din accepted the chairman position of this Council and in 1414/1993, he was officially elected as the director of the Supreme Islamic Shi'a Council in Lebanon.

Establishment of [[Hizbullah of Lebanon]] and especially bloody fights between [[Amal movement]] and Hizbullah had a deep influence on his political thought and manner. Following those fights, he issued the theory of Wilaya of Umma upon themselves against the theory of [[Wilaya of Faqih]]. He had many works including ''[[Nizam al-hukm wa al-idara fi l-Islam]]'' and ''Ansar al-Husayn'' .

Shams al-Din’s father, 'Abd al-Karim was among the scholars of Lebanon who educated and taught in Najaf for years. Muhammad Mahdi lived 33 years of his life in [[Iraq]] when he had cultural, social and political activities before Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim and [[Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khu'i]] in addition to learning religious sciences.

In Najaf, Shams al-Din helped [[Muhammad Rida Muzaffar]], Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and Muhammad Husayn Fadl Allah establish al-Adwa' magazine.

=== Hizb al-Da’wa ===

In 1377/1957, he assisted Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr in the establishment of Hizb al-Da'wa. Many Lebanese students who studied in the [[Seminary of Najaf]] joined this party under the influence of Shams al-Din and his compatriot Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadl Allah and after their return to Lebanon, most of them became the founder of political activities especially Hizbullah.

In 1395/1975, he accepted the membership in the Supreme Islamic Shi'a Council of Lebanon directed by Imam Musa Sadr and became his deputy. Since 1398/1978, when Imam Musa Sadr disappeared in his travel to [[Libya]], Shams al-Din became the director of this council in practice. In 1414/1993, 15 years after disappearing Imam Musa Sadr, once again Imam Musa Sadr was elected as the honorary director and Shams al-Din was officially elected as the director of the Supreme Islamic Shi'a Council of Lebanon.

In 1374/1954, Shams al-Din wrote the book ''Nizam al-hukm wa al-idara fi l-Islam'' to answer the secular movement and specifically to the book of 'Abd al-Razzaq (''al-Islam wa usul al-hukm'' ) which was published twenty years before. He has mentioned his goal from writing the book as proving the existence of a model and system of government in Islam and rejection of separation between Islam and government.

After the victory of the Islamic revolution in Iran, regardless of supporting the revolution and its leadership, Shams al-Din insisted on the identity independence of the Shi'a of Lebanon and regarding the tribal and religious variety in Lebanon, prohibited political Shi'a forces from imitating and repeating the experience of the Islamic republic in Lebanon.

Shams al-Din was deeply devoted to Amal movement which was somehow a non-ideological, moderate and nationalist organization; so, he was not happy with Iran’s support of Hizbullah which sought a political-revolutionary transnational project and also the separation of Amal movement. Following the fights between Hizbullah and Amal, Shams al-Din proposed the theory of Wilaya of Umma upon themselves against the theory of Wilaya of Fqih. After proposing his theory, he changed his mind regarding his negative position he had proposed about the democracy he mentioned in his book ''Nizam al-hukm wa al-idara fi l-Islam'' and in the preface of the new edition of the book in 1411/1990, he declared that in the first edition, he believed in the opposition of democracy with Islam but now he believes that during the [[Occultation|Occultation of the Infallible Imam (a)]], democracy is the criterion of validity of the political system and exertion of people’s will is based on the existence of democratic mechanisms.