Imam of Tyre
Al-Sadr first visited Lebanon, which was his ancestral home, was in 1957. During this visit he made a strong impression on his fellow Lebanese Shi'ites. Following the death of the Shi'ite religious leader of the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre, he was invited to become the Imam, or senior religious authority, in Tyre. In 1960 he moved to Tyre, with the active support of his teacher and mentor, Muhsin al-Hakim.
One of his first significant acts was the establishment of a vocational institute in the southern town of Burj al-Shimali. The institute, constructed at a cost of half a million Lebanese pounds (about $165,000), would become an important symbol of Musa al-Sadr's leadership. Today it still provides vocational training for about 500 orphans.
A physically imposing man of intelligence, courage, personal charm, and enormous energy--one of his former assistants claims that he frequently worked 20 hours a day--al-Sadr attracted a wide array of supporters. Imam Musa, as his followers referred to him, set out to establish himself as the paramount leader of the Shi'ite community, which was most noteworthy at the time for its poverty and general underdevelopment.
Imam Musa helped to fill a yawning leadership vacuum that resulted from the increasing inability of the traditional political bosses to meet the cascading needs of their clients.
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