Correspondingly...

Correspondingly, the susurrations of martyr Ayatullah al-Hakim’s pen and his steps on the path of jihad were so well known in the east and the west of the globe that the gates of martyrdom were wide open before him. After twenty-five years of exile and alienation from his homeland, martyr Sayyid al-Hakim returned immediately after the collapse of the Baathist regime in Iraq.

He aimed at residing in the vicinity of the holy shrines of his immaculate forefathers, living amongst the Iraqi people who were severely tormented and persecuted, reconstructing all that was demolished by the infidels and transgressors. From the sacred minbar (i.e. pulpit) of the Congregational Friday Prayer, he delivered sermons full of admonition and guidance to spread awareness among the faithful. Thus, the people’s love for him augmented day by day.

Unfortunately, this brilliant lantern was extinguished by the harbingers of gloom who could not tolerate such luminosity. They stretched forth their treacherous hands to end his life immediately after he had finished his prayer on Friday beside the holy mausoleum of his forefather, Imam ‘Ali Amir al-Mu'minin (‘a). Sayyid al-Hakim embraced the great victory of martyrdom after an extraordinary journey, full of strife.

In truth, Sayyid al-Hakim did not die, because martyrs are forever alive and provided sustenance from their Lord. Although we can no longer see the person of Sayyid al-Hakim, he is present with us constantly illuminating our lives. The Grand Ayatullah Sayyid al-Khamene'i said about Sayyid al-Hakim, “This dear martyr was both a scholar and a warrior (for Islam). He challenged the oppressive regime of Saddam for many long years.

When this sign of evil and transgression collapsed, Sayyid al-Hakim acted as an invincible wall in the face of the occupiers—the Americans and the English.

He resisted ill-omened plans and prepared for martyrdom in the long path of jihad to join the caravan of martyrs from the family of al-Hakim along with other martyrs of knowledge and virtue in Iraq.” The (‘a) World Assembly, in co-operation with other foundations, held a conference on the anniversary of the passing of this ‘martyr of the prayer-niche’ ( shahid al-mihrab ), Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, on the eighteenth of Rajab, 1425 AH, in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This conference was attended by a group of eminent Muslim scholars who delivered speeches for the occasion.