Sayyid Sadr al-Din Qabanchi

Professor at Seminary and University; Friday Prayer Leader of Najaf Ashraf

Sayyid Sadr al-Din Qabanchi (born 1385 AH / 1965 CE in Najaf Ashraf, Iraq) is a contemporary Shiite cleric, orator, and thinker specializing in the fields of jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, Islamic political thought, and the ideas of Martyr Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr. He currently serves as the Friday prayer leader of Najaf Ashraf and is one of the prominent leaders of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. Qabanchi is the founder of the seminary "Jami'at al-Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his relief)" in Najaf, which was established after the fall of Saddam in 1426 AH (2005 CE). He is also a member of the Leadership Council of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and is considered one of the influential political and religious figures in the country. Qabanchi has numerous works in the field of political thought and Islamic teachings. Among his most important works is The Political Thoughts of Ayatollah Martyr Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, which has been translated into Persian and published by the Office of Ma'aref Publications. The book A Philosophical View of the World between Atheism and Belief in God is another of his writings, published by the "Al-Hadi" seminary studies center in Iraq. Among his other works are 'Ibrat al-'Ayn fi Masab al-Imam al-Husayn (AS) and The Reformative Goal of the Movement of Imam Husayn (AS) and the Uprising of Imam Mahdi (AJ) (one hundred questions and answers concerning Mahdism). He emphasizes Islamic awakening, the unity of the Islamic Ummah, resistance against arrogance, and the revival of the ideas of Martyr Sadr, and he expresses his political and religious positions in the Friday prayer sermons of Najaf Ashraf. Qabanchi is a supporter of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Axis of Resistance and has repeatedly emphasized in his speeches his support for the Palestinian nation and condemnation of the Zionist regime.