Grand

Ayatollah Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...

Kadhim Husayni al-Haeri () (born 1938) is an Iranian

Twelver Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the Islamic schools and branches, largest branch of Shia Islam, Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twel ...

Shi'a Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...

Marja. He has studied in seminars of

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

under Grand Ayatollah Sadeq al-Sadr. Haeri was born in

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

. He was a top leader of the Al-Da'wa Party in Iraq. His involvement in the party led to his exile in the 1970s, later he moved to Iran, where he remains to this day in the city of

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

Relationship with Muqtada Al-Sadr

Al-Haeri is considered the successor to

Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (; 1 March 1935 – 9 April 1980), also known as al-Shahid al-Khamis (), was an Iraqi Islamic scholar, philosopher, and the ideological founder of the Islamic Dawa Party. He was the father-in-law to Muqtada al-Sadr, a ...

, but since al-Haeri has resided in Iran since the 1970s he has not been able to fully take on this position. Despite his exile, he serves as the advisor to the younger al-Sadr on matters of jurisprudence. Thus, al-Haeri is a key source of legitimacy for Al-Sadr. Al-Sadr had previously stated that he would have worked with

Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most distinguished ' ...

if Ayatollah al-Haeri had ordered it. Recently,

Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr (; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi Shia Muslim cleric, politician and militia leader. He inherited the leadership of the Sadrist Movement from his father, and founded the now dissolved Mahdi Army militia in 2003 that resisted ...

and

Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim Ayatollah Abdul Aziz al-Hakim ( ; ; 1952 – 26 August 2009) was an Iraqi theologian, politician and the leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a party that has approximately 5% support in the Iraqi Council of Representatives. He also s ...

signed a pact to end all potential hostilities between the two camps. Al-Haeri has also issued

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

s against the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, but he publicly criticized Muqtada al-Sadr for potential weakening against the Shi'a establishment and its hierarchy in Najaf under the guise of

anti-Americanism Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment and Americanophobia) is a term that can describe several sentiments and po ...

in April 2004 while taking Haeri's name.

Resignation

On August 29, 2022, al-Haeri announced his resignation from the position of Marja, due to old age and illness. This was described as the first time in history a Marja has ever resigned from his position. However, this is wrong as instances of Maraji resigning in the past exists, like that of Sheikh Muhammad Baqir "Al Waheed" Al Behbahani who, according to Sheikh Osama Aal e Bilal Najafi, resigned and made his student, Sayyid Ali Al Tabatabaei the Marja.https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/29358-Sadr-quits-politics,-closes-movement%E2%80%99s-institutions-and-media-platforms

References

External links

Official Website

2nd Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haeri, Kazem al- Iranian ayatollahs Iraqi ayatollahs Iraqi Shia Muslims Living people 1938 births Islamic Dawa Party

Relationship with Muqtada Al-Sadr

Resignation

See also

References

External links