Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din: Difference between revisions

| Works = ''[[Nizam al-hukm wa al-idara fi l-Islam]]'' ,''Thawrat al-Husayn fi l-wujdan al-sha'bi'' ,''Dirasat fi Nahj al-balagha'' etc.

'''Muḥammad Mahdī Shams al-Dīn''' (Arabic:{{iarabic|محمد مهدی شمس الدین}}) (b. [[1354]]/1936 – d. [[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-Khoei|Ayatullah al-Khoei]]. The cooperation with [[al-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.

After the [[Islamic revolution of Iran|Islamic revolution]] was successful in [[Iran]], although he supported it, but he insisted on the identity independence of the Shi'a 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'' .

In 1377/1957, he assisted al-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 al-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadl Allah and after their return to Lebanon, most of them became the founder of political activities especially Hizbullah.

Establishment of Hizbullah in 1402/1982 which led to division of some Iran-oriented Islamist members of Amal movement and especially bloody fights between the two groups in 1409/1988 and 1410/1989 had great influences on the thought and political manner of Shams al-Din.

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.

* ''Nizam al-hukm wa al-idara fi l-Islam''