Sayyid Aref Muhammad Nasrallah (Arabic: عارف محمد آل نصرالله; born 1958) is an Iraqi Shia social activist, philanthropist, and official commissioner of the Ibn Fahad shrine and seminary.
Both of his parents hail from the noble Al Faiz family, and claim agnatic descent from Muhammad's daughter Fatimah and her husband, Ali, the first Shia Imam.
Nasrallah joined the risali movement, known as the Islamic Action Organisation (IOA) in 1973, after the injustices the Baathist regime was projecting towards the Shia of Iraq.
[11][12] By 1976, he was wanted by the regime, because he was both, not enrolled in the army, which was obligatory at that time,[13] and had been reported to the authorities as a member of al-Modarresi's illegal movement.
By November, 1996, two sons of Muhammad al-Shirazi (Murtadha and Mahdi) were imprisoned in Iran due to ongoing disputes between the government and the Shirazis promotion of the shura al-fuqaha (leadership of a council of jurists) ideology.
[19] After he was released, he remained in Qom, near al-Shirazi–who was now pretty much alone, with most of his children and students abroad or in prison–for approximately six months, until al-Shirazi insisted that Nasrallah leave Iran, as it was not safe anymore.
In the end, he was connected to Nouri al-Maliki's personal assistant, who made it clear to Nasrallah that it was impossible for the troops to allow them to proceed for a number of reasons.
Despite Nasrallah's countless attempts at convincing al-Maliki's assistant that all they wanted to do was go and protect the shrine from any further potential danger, they were denied.
[23] Nasrallah took heed of this, and announced that on eve of the martyrdom anniversary of Hasan al-Askari, i.e. March 16, 2008, they will be heading to Balad, as the closest point to Samarra, and hold a mourning procession there.
[23] Nasrallah reached Balad in the evening of March 16, and was welcomed greatly by its people and heads, who were overwhelmed, since they had not seen any visitors for more than two years, i.e. since the bombings of the shrine.
Nasrallah and his convoy spent the night in Balad mourning the martyrdom anniversary of al-Askari in the Sayid Muhammad shrine.
[23] Nasrallah did not care for this and decided to set off, and before he left Balad, he made a call to one of the leaders of the city, and pleaded for their support, yet they declined.
[25][23] Nasrallah also introduced the idea of dedicating the last Friday of Ramadan as the national day to support al-Askariyayn (Hasan al-Askari and Ali al-Hadi).
[28] Nasrallah hosts an annual protest, in Arar, near the Iraqi-Saudi border, condemning the demolition of the al-Baqi' cemetery, and demanding the Saudi government to rebuild the graves of the prominent Islamic figures buried there.
[30][31] In Syria, after the civil war set off, he took the first mourning delegation to visit the Sayeda Zainab shrine, and helped many Afghans that lived in Damascus, relocate to Karbala.
[37][38][39] An annual football tournament was set up in honour of Muhammad-Mehdi by the Youth and Sport Welfare Authority in the Imam Husayn Shrine.
[40] Karbala's city council also renamed the road in which the explosion took place in to al-Shahid Muhammad Aref Nasrallah (transl.