Mohammad Mehdi Shamseddine

Ayatollah Mohammad Mahdi Shamseddine was a Lebanese Twelver Shia scholar. Shahid Awwal who was known as Shamseddine, sun of the faith, was ancestor of Muhammad Mahdi.

Biography Mohammad Mehdi Shamseddine was born in 1936 in Najaf, Iraq. Allamah al-Shaykh Abdul Kareem Shamseddine was his father and studied at Najaf seminary. When Mohammad was 12 years old, his father returned to Lebanon but Muhammad Mahdi decided to stay and finish his religious studies. Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei and Sayed Muhsin al-Hakim were his teachers at Najaf seminary. During his time in the Iraq, he cooperated with Musa al-Sadr, Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, and Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim.

In 1969, he returned to Lebanon and cooperated with Musa al-Sadr for founding the Supreme Shiite Council of Lebanon. He was first vice-president. Shamseddine was elected as president of the Council in April 1994. Also, he was deputy of Musa al-Sadr organization.

Anti-Israeli activities He was supporter of military resistance against the Israeli troops in Lebanon and formed the "Total Civil Resistance Against Israel" group after Ashura 1983 to counter the Israeli invasion. He declared that Shia attacks against Israeli forces is a religious duty.