Fadlallah, Muhammad Husayn

Fadlallah, (Ayatollah Sayyid) Muhammad Husayn

(born c. 1935, Al-Najaf, Iraq) Muslim Shi'ite cleric associated with Lebanese Hezbollah organization. He was schooled at a traditional madrasah in his birthplace, where he studied under many of the eminent Shi'ite scholars of his day. His scholarly acumen eventually earned him the honourific ayatollah. He moved to Lebanon (where his parents were born) in 1966 and quickly established a reputation as a leading religious authority. Fadlallah's eloquence led many to believe that he was Hezbollah's leader after the party was founded in 1982, but both he and the party have denied any direct link, while acknowledging his strong spiritual influence over the organization. Though impressed by the Islamic revolution in Iran (1979), he generally stood aloof from the more radical position of its leader, Ruhollah Khomeini.