Grand Ayatollah Hakim is one of the four marajas ofΒ the Hawza Seminary in Najaf, Iraq, and, accordingly, is one of Iraqβs most important Shia clerics. His family is very prominent in Iraq, holding key positions in Shia social and religious organisations and also in government. Hakim leads around five percent of the Iraqi Shia population. His influence stems partly from his relationship to Grand Ayatollah Mohsen Al-Hakim, a former religious leader of the Twelver Shia in Iraq.