Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din

Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din
Born	1936 Najaf
Died	2001 Beirut

Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din (1936-2001) was an Islamic political thinker.

Biography

Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din was a religious scholar who was born in Najaf in 1936 to a family of scholars of Lebanon tracing their lineage to “Shaheed Awwal." Like his father Abd al-Karim, who both studied and taught in Najaf, , Shaykh Shams al-Din also studied in the city and stayed there for 33 years. Upon returning to Lebanon, Shaykh Shams al-Din became a public figure and supported Muslim-Christian harmony in Lebanon.

Being politically active, Shaykh Shams al-Din partook in establishing Hizb al-Da’wa in Iraq and was deeply devoted to the Amal Movement in Lebanon. In Beirut, the Imam al-Sadiq Mosque was established by him, where he was buried after his death in 2001 at the age of 67.

Career

• Director, Supreme Islamic Shia Council, Lebanon, 1993
• Chairman, Supreme Islamic Shia Council, Lebanon, 1978 - 1993
• Deputy Chairman, Supreme Islamic Shia Council, Lebanon 1975 – 1978
• Director, Cultural Charity Society, Lebanon, 1969 - 1975

Academic Activities

• Established the al-Adwa magazine alongside Muhammad Rida Muzaffar and al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr
• Took part in the establishment of the Islamic University of Lebanon

Books

• The rising of al-Ḥusayn: Its impact on the consciousness of Muslim society, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985
• The Revolution of al-Husayn, The Mainstray Foundation, 2014

Source

• Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din Biography