The role of the al-Hakim family in Iraqi politics mirrors in many respects the evolution of the Shi'i Islamic movement of Iraq from its birth in the late 1950s to after Saddam Hussein's removal in 2003. This is a story of cleric-run politics conducted at home, from exile and again at home, this time not in opposition to the ruling regime but for a share of power in the new political order.

At home, the political moments of Muhsin al-Hakim's marja'iyya illustrate the preoccupations of Najaf's religious establishment during the ‘decade of revolutions’ following the overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958. The ayatullah's inclination and motivations to intervene in state affairs, as well as his methods of protest, were like the political practice of the socially conservative ‘ulama’ in the face of modernising states. His engagement also provided a suitable environment for the emergence of organised forms of Islamist activism. Although al-Hakim shunned a too-close association with the Hizb al-Da'wa, the mission of this new party, which originally worked at raising religious awareness among Iraqi Shi'a for the sake of eventually bringing about political change, was in line with his educational endeavour, discussed in Chapter 3, to re-socialise the people through the faith.

Born long before the Iranian revolution, the Iraqi Islamic movement reached a new phase of development after the watershed events of 1978–9. As a result of increasing state repression, the turn of the decade marked the beginning of a long period when Shi'i politics against the Ba'th regime were conducted mainly in exile. The Islamic Republic of Iran became a safe haven for many groups and independent activists, with SCIRI acting as a major political force under the leadership of Muhammad Baqir al- Hakim. The political history of this organisation demonstrates how the most pro-Iranian faction of the Iraqi opposition handled its relationship with its host state, but also regionalised and internationalised its political movement to gain recognition, in addition to seeking loyalty from below. Occasional parallels will also be made with the little-known opposition movement led by London-based Mahdi al-Hakim in the 1980s, so as to shed light on the conduct of exile politics away from Iran.