Background
His father, Ismail as-Sadr (d 1920) was a Grand Ayatollah and the first to be use the as-Sadr surname, which came to be associated with a long line of religious scholarship within Shia Islam.
His father, Ismail as-Sadr (d 1920) was a Grand Ayatollah and the first to be use the as-Sadr surname, which came to be associated with a long line of religious scholarship within Shia Islam.
Haydar and the as-Sadr family are also considered as Sayyid, or those who can trace their lineage back to Muhammad (d632). This direct and meticulously documented lineage is unprecedented even among the illustrious families in the Islamic world who claim such lineage. Haydar was considered a grand marja at-taqlid (supreme religious authority) of his time.
A marja' at-taqlīd, literally, means "reference point for emulation", or one who through his learning and probity is qualified to be followed in all points of religious practice and Islamic law by the generality of Shi'is. He died in Kazimain, Iraq in 1937 leaving three children: Isma'il, Mohammad Baqir as-Sadr (d1980) and Aminah (known as Bint al-Hoda).
