Hadi al-Modarresi

Ayatollah Sayed Hadi Almodarresi or al-Modarresi (Arabic: هادي المدرسي‎‎; transliterated: Hādī al-Mudarrisī)

Born to a family with a long line of top-ranking scholars that dominated the Hawza (Islamic seminaries) for many years in Karbala, Iraq. His family includes supreme religious jurists (Marja’a) such as the late Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mahdi Al Shirazi (grandfather), Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Shirazi (uncle) and Grand Ayatollah Sadiq Shirazi (uncle), late Grand Ayatullah Ali Al-Sabzowari (cousin), late Grand Ayatullah Sayed Abdul Hadi Al-Shirazi (great uncle), as well as Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Al Modarresi (brother).

Almodarresi started his religious education in the Islamic seminary of Karbala at the age of three and actively sought his religious studies under the auspices of many high ranking scholars. He completed the secondary part of the curriculum by the age of 9. Due to his distinguished abilities Ayatollah Almodarresi received the recognition of several Maraje’ who appointed him as their special representative. While engaged in preaching Islam in Bahrain and at the young age of 26 Grand Ayatollah Sabzewari and Grand Ayatollah Mar’ashi Najafi also awarded Ayatollah Almodarresi power of representation in which they praised him and labeled him as “scholar worthy of taking a leadership position” and urging Muslims to follow his lead.

Ayatollah Almodarresi's advocacy of political freedom and strong stance against Terrorism started from an early age when Saddam Hussein came to power. Seventeen members of his wife’s family have been executed by Saddam's regime or simply disappeared in the notorious Ba'th penitentiaries. The first book openly attacking the Iraqi regime ever to be published by a religious scholar was written by Ayatollah Almodarresi. Published under a pseudonym in Beirut, the book was titled No To Rulers of Iraq and sparked a massive political crisis in Baghdad and caused the Baathist regime to issue an ultimatum for the removal of all Lebanese nationals from Iraq within 72 hours.

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Wikipedia