Ali al-Hakim

Sayyid Ali al-Hakim (born 1964) is a high-ranking Shiite Ayatollah in Najaf, Iraq.

Al-Hakim is a member of the Hakim family of Shiite scholars.

Al-Hakim was born in Najaf, the son of Ayatollah Sayyid Abdul al-Sahib, and the grandson of the Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim; the latter is considered one of the greatest Shiite scholars of the 20th century.

In addition to his studies in secular schools, he joined the Islamic seminary at an early age in 1976.

Al-Hakim is the brother of Sayyid Jafar al-Hakim, who has visited the United States and delivered lectures on a variety of topics.

He is also a nephew of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Saeed Al-Hakim, one of the four main Grand Ayatollahs of Iraq.

He has visited the Hakim Foundation in the United States, which is run by family member Ammar al-Hakim.

During his early studies in the Islamic seminary, Al-Hakim faced harassment and intimidation from Ba'ath party police and security forces.

In particular, Al-Hakim was scrutinized for his seminars and participation in intellectual forums.

In 1980, Al-Hakim fled Iraq to Kuwait, and later Iran, to continue his seminary studies without facing repression by Saddam Hussein's government.

In 1994, Al-Hakim completed the highest level of study in the seminary, Bath al-Kharij, or "Advanced Studies".

He then migrated to Lebanon, where he found employment as a professor, researcher, and writer.

Currently, he serves as the General Secretary of the Imam al-Hakim foundation, which he established in 2008.