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Reflections on the Life and Legacy of Seyyid Hassan Nasrallah (R.A)

By Iqbal Suleman

Israeli media reports that 85 “bunker busting” bombs were used by Israel in the assassination of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. These bombs weigh between 900 to 2000kg each and according to the Geneva Convention are unlawful to use in densely populated areas like Dahiyeh, Beirut.  Never in history has so much force been used to kill one man. What does this tell us about Nasrallah? On the Friday 26th September 2024, Hassan Nasrallah was the bravest, fearless and strongest warrior for freedom and justice walking planet earth. This is why the settler Zionist State used such lethal weaponry to kill him.  The cowardly killing of Hassan Nasrallah immediately brings to mind the cowardly killing of Imam Hussein on the fields of Karbala where the beloved grandson of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) had more than 45 wounds from enemy swords and 35 arrows pierced on his body. None of his enemies had the courage to challenge the Imam on his own. Not even in numbers of ten or twenty or thirty were they willing to take on the Imam. They first struck him with arrows from far away and had to come at him in the hundreds to kill him. There wasn’t an inch of the Imams body that wasn’t mutilated by the weapons used by the enemy. Seyyid Hassan was killed with similar ferocious and cowardly violence. This is because no one else has hurt the Israeli Occupation more than Hassan Nasrallah. It explains why Benjamin Mileikowsky (self-named Netanyahu), the leader of the settler colonial genocidal state referred to the killing of Nasrallah as “Settling the score”.

How can one man like Nasrallah who was a leader of a resistance movement have terrified such a powerful military state like Israel? He grew us as poor kid in a working class neighbourhood. He always retained the working class values and lifestyle. He was the son of a vegetable seller. He lived his entire life frugally, modestly and with simplicity which earned him the fervent love of working class people. Hassan Nasrallah was steadfast, righteous and a deeply devout man entrenched in the worshipping of God, the Almighty. And it was God who elevated this devout servant of his to such levels of earthly power.

In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon.  Hezbollah was formed in 1982 with the primary purpose of resisting the Israeli Occupation. On February 16 1985, in Al Shayyah in southern Beirut, the Islamic Resistance Movement of Lebanon (Hezbollah) publicly and formally announced its formation and released its political programme.  The two notable goals of the programme was ending the Zionist occupation of Lebanon and the liberation of Jerusalem from the Occupation.

Hassan Nasrallah and Abbas Musawi were among the founders of Hezbollah. In 1992, Abbas Musawi was assassinated by Israeli helicopter gunships together with his wife and child.

A 32 year old Hassan Nasrallah was elected to lead Hezbollah. He led the liberation movement for the next 32 years until his martyrdom on the 26th September 2024. At the inception of his leadership, Hezbollah participated in parliamentary elections in Lebanon for the first time and wins 12 out of 128 seats.

Nasrallah followed the example of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) as a political and military leader. It was this combination that put him miles ahead of every other leader in the Arab world. Some are great political leaders with little or no military insight. Others are great military leaders with no political acumen. Some have exceptional diplomatic skills but are not soldiers or warriors. Hassan Nasrallah was all of these and he creatively and uniquely replicated the Prophetic model in this regard. Charming and charismatic, he was able to communicate with anyone and everyone, from the rural to the suburban, from the peasants in the Bekaa Valley to the chief of the United Nations. He also was a principled and committed Muslim who was able to build strong relationships with other faith based communities in Lebanon and successfully navigate the political landscape. He was a formidable political leader and a master military strategist.

He is loved and revered by justice seekers the world over, especially in the global south where his anti-colonial and anti-occupation victories against the Israeli Settler Regime resonates with the historically deprived, oppressed and colonized peoples who are liberated from their colonial masters but are still engaged in the decolonial struggle. He has earned the admiration of the world’s leading liberation intellectuals such as Norman Finkelstein who on many occasion has expressed his admiration for Nasrallah as a freedom fighters. In South Africa, he is revered by the chief of the Media Review Network Iqbal “Tiger” Jassat who was honoured to have met Seyyid Hassan. Jassat says of Nasrallah “He led the Resistance which will not bend but grow as his memory and example seed a new generation. He fought for his people despite the immense personal cost and was hated by his enemies because he defeated them. His loss is a blow to Lebanon but he taught two successive generations how to succeed him”. GIWUSA (General Industries Workers Union of SA) released a statement in solidarity with the Resistance “Giwusa strongly condemns this cowardly assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, a prominent leader and General Secretary the Lebanese Resistance Movement Hezbollah, perpetrated by the Israeli State. This brazen act of terrorism is a stark reminder of the Israeli regime’s blatant disregard of peace and security in the middle east including Lebanon, Palestine and Israel itself, and the imperialist warmongering belligerence of its racist right-wing leadership”

Seyyid Hassan had an intuitive insight and was able to detect the strategy and plans of Zionists and Imperialists from a million miles away. In a speech delivered on Al Quds day on the 29 November 2002, he warned the people about sectarianism because Imperialism and Zionism used sectarianism to divide the followers of Muhammad (SAW) in order to subjugate them “What is even more dangerous is playing the religious and sectarian cards. What is worst is that they will try to provoke sections against each other especially the Shi’is and Sunnis”. “We are coming to a time in which the Muslims, all Muslims, especially the Shi’is and Sunnis, need to unify and cooperate, while maintaining their distinct characteristics. They all must cooperate in order to restore al-Quds and to defend the Palestinian people and Prophet Muhammad (SAW). At this time we must all unite to defend the dignity of the Ummah against those who want to change the map of the region and cause more separations and divisions, causing people to search for a “Shi’I country here or a “Sunni” country there, an Arab country here or a Kurdish country there”.  Hassan Nasrallah advocated for the brotherhood of Muslims and the unity of all oppressed people across faith and nationality. His words are as relevant today as they were 22 years ago. In essence he is saying that it is going to take a united solidarity front and people liberated from sectarianism to free Palestine. Nasrallah detested sectarianism and not once did he ever express sectarian language or aspirations in his speeches. He expressed these insightful warnings 22 years ago about the Imperial project to stir sectarian conflict among the Muslim masses and how accurate was his prediction when we consider the sectarian conflicts over the last two decades that has bled the Muslim body politic from the centre to the periphery.

The Israeli regime is gloating about its assassination of Nasrallah and the media outlets of the West are hailing it as some sort of an epic achievement. But was it really so? Since 2006, Hassan Nasrallah was a dead man walking. The Israeli regime desperately wanted him dead and made every effort to kill him but it took them more than18 years to assassinate him after he struck them with their most humiliating defeat in 2006. It is somewhat of a miracle that he survived for so long. This perhaps alludes to the mystical protection he must have had as a friend of God. For the last thirty years he was in the merciful and protective care of God. How do you explain why a Government with the most advanced technology and the most resourced intelligence agency, supported by the rest of the most advanced intelligence agencies of the West was not able to kill him for more than thirty years? It reminds us of the Prophet of Islam and the attempted assassinations on his life by his enemies. We remember the time when he was on the run with his comrade Abu Bakr (R.A) in the cave and the assassins closed in on them but a spider made a web at the entrance of the cave which made the assassins think that the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and Abu Bakr could not have entered the cave. It was in the infinite wisdom of the Almighty that the messenger of God was able to survive assassination attempts for more than two decades and lived till his early sixties. The rule of life though is that every soul must pass on and return to its Creator. “But Muhammad (SAW) is only a messenger who was preceded by other messengers [who also passed away], so if he dies or is killed, will you retreat and fall back? And whoever does so shall not in the least do harm to Allah and Allah will compensate those who are thankful” [Quran 3-144]. The Almighty cautions the committed Muslims by reminding them that the Prophet even though he is the greatest of all creation is a human as were other Prophets who passed away before him but it behoves committed Muslims to stay the course after the passing of the leader. At the time of the passing of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h), his companions were distraught and dejected to the point where some could not even believe that the Prophet (p.b.u.h) has passed but Abu Bakr stood up and recited the Quranic verses, reminding the people that it was God who was ever Living and that the Prophet was like other Prophets that preceded him and has passed on to return to his Maker.

The Resistance Movement was fortunate to have a leader with dynamic charisma and the impeccable character of Seyyid Hassan to lead them for more than three decades. Of course his passing is a monumental loss but those that remain have to stay the course and have faith and remember that Allah is ever living. Nasrallah not only made Hezbollah a regional actor but he in essence changed the dynamics of power in the region. Hassan Nasrallah was the human expression of Islamic political power. Decades down the line, historians will remember him as a man who changed the world.

Nasrallah’s universalism endeared him to all people. In Lebanon, his support base spans across faith and cultural lines. The Lebanese are heartbroken and mourn the martyrdom of their beloved leader.  The leader of Lebanon’s Christian political party, Sleiman Frangieh said “The symbol is gone, the Legend is born and the resistance continues”. Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun, a Christian and founder of the Free Patriotic Movement party said “With the martyrdom of his Eminence, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Seyyid Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanon loses a distinguished and honest leader who led the national resistance on the paths of victory and liberation. He was faithful to his promise and loyal to his people who reciprocated his love, love and commitment’. Women dressed in Abayas, women dressed in shorts and tee shirts, men in beards and conservative dress, young lads in hip clothing and fashionable hairstyles, the old, the young, grandmothers and grandfathers,  kids, Christians, Druze, Shia and Sunni are all shattered and crying their hearts out for the man they called “The Protector of Lebanon”. Across the world from Beirut to Brighton, Jammu to Khayelishtsha, Caracas to Cairo, London to Tehran, Gaza to Najaf, the hearts of justice seekers are broken. Tears fill the streets, sobs fill the air. A dark and desolate moment in history when the soul of this great freedom fighter leaves planet earth. In countries such as Lebanon, Iraq and Iran, the governments have officially declared at least three days of mourning. Millions of people take to street to express their heartbreak and love for Hassan Nasrallah.

In the year 2000, Nasrallah led Hezbollah in kicking Israel out of Lebanon and ending the Israeli Occupation. After Israel’s humiliating retreat from Lebanon, Nasrallah explained his military strategy of particularly and specifically targeting Israeli soldiers “We focused on striking at the enemy’s main point of weakness-its inability to bear extensive human losses” “The strategy of the resistance has been to fight a war of attrition. We bled the enemy in the human element specifically.  The sight of Israeli soldiers fleeing shocked the world. The Israeli’s didn’t like this and wanted vengeance which prompted them into the all-out war with Hezbollah in the year 2006.

Nasrallah was the embodiment of truth. A prophetic trait. He never lied. It was this pure honesty that earned him the grudging respect even of his enemies. Polls reveal that Israeli’s believed the words of Nasrallah more than their own political leaders.

It was however in the July 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon that the genius of Hassan Nasrallah became apparent to the world when he and his band of guerrilla fighters rattled one of the worlds most advanced military and technological powers and forced them to leave Lebanon with their tails between their legs.

After the 1967 war, Israeli Military generals are reported to have said “Muhammad died and left sissies” arrogantly mocking in an Islamophobic tone the military inability of Muslims and Arabs to beat the Israelis in warfare. However after the defeat in the July 2006 war, Israeli’s never repeated those words when they realized that they were up against a Muhammadi fighting force led by Nasrallah that they have never encountered since the establishment of the colonial settler state. In a speech delivered by Hassan Nasrallah on July 14, 2006, just 2 days after Israel launched its war on Lebanon, the learned leader said “To the Zionists and the people of Israel at this hour I say; you will soon discover how foolish and stupid are your new rulers, your new leaders. They do not know how to assess reality. ……You wanted open warfare so it will be open warfare. Your government wanted to change the rules of the game, so let the rules be changed. You don’t know who you are fighting today. You are fighting the children of Muhammad (p.b.u.h) of Ali, of Hassan, of Hussein, of the Prophets family and the Prophets Companions (Sahaaba). You are fighting a people who have faith such as no one else on the face of the earth possesses.

In the same speech Nasrallah addressed the Arab rulers “We have never for one moment counted on you. We have trusted in God, our people, our hearts, our hands and our children. Today we do the same and God willing, victory will follow”. His psychology was in tune with God’s words in the Quran “Verily my prime protector is Allah, who has bestowed this divine writ from on high, for it is he who protects the righteous”. Quran (7-192)

It was this God Consciousness, the absolute trust in God and following the path of Muhammad (SAW) that resulted in what is described as a “miraculous victory” over the Israeli regime. Hassan Nasrallah and the Hezbollah fighters actualized God’s message in the Quran about how many times those with seemingly less military and financial power with the assistance of God defeated those with seemingly superior military and economic power.

This changed the mind-set of the oppressed people the world over. Israeli military might was considered to be invincible prior to the 2006 war but Nasrallah and his band of Muhammadi fighters shattered the perception of Israeli invincibility.

It was not just a military earthquake but also a psychological game changer.

“Oh Prophet! Inspire the committed Muslims to do combat [when it is necessary to do so, so that] if there be twenty of you who are patient in adversity, they might overcome two hundred and that if there be one hundred of you, they might overcome one thousand of those who are bent on denying the truth [of his power] because they are people who cannot practically grasp the truth of this whole matter’’. [Quran 8: 65]

Seyyid Hassan and his Muhammadi followers sincerely believed in these words of God and actualized this reality on the battlefield in July 2006. This is the Quranic mystical wisdom that contradicts earthly logic for earthly logic tells us that twenty people will not be able to fight and defeat two hundred people but the July 2006 war, bears testimony to the truth of God’s words in the Quran.

This is perhaps Nasrallah’s greatest legacy. The inspiration he has given oppressed people to remain steadfast and defiant in pursuit of freedom and justice, no matter the extent of the oppressor’s military superiority.

It was always Muhammad (p.b.u.h) who guided his military conduct and decision making.  In the July 2006 war, Hezbollah matched the Israeli military casualty numbers at least one to one. Israel of course slaughtered much more Lebanese civilians though it should be expected to be the other way around because Israel has the most sophisticated, advanced and precision guided weapons compared to a resistance movement with much inferior weaponry. It is reported that between 40 and 43 Israeli civilians were killed in that war whereas 1109 Lebanese were killed according to Human Rights Watch, the majority of them civilians. HRW reported “In critical respects Israel conducted the war with reckless indifference to the fate of Lebanese civilians and violated the laws of war”.

On the 23rd September 2024 Israel killed 95 Lebanese women and 50 Lebanese children by bombing residential neighbourhoods in Lebanon. Almost 600 Lebanese citizens, mainly civilians were killed in one day. Nasrallah had at his disposal hundreds of long range missiles that could target Tel Aviv but he chose not to target civilian neighbourhoods and instead the only one missile that was fired at Tel Aviv targeted the Mossad military headquarters and was intended as a deterrent to an all-out war rather than to escalate into an all-out war. It showed his principled commitment to ethical military conduct in that he targeted only military sites whereas Israel targeted and killed mainly civilians. Seyyid Hassan was always directed by the words of God. “And engage in battle for Allah’s cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression, for verily Allah does not love aggressors”. The Islamic leadership is cultured and cultivated by God’s words. The mind of Seyyid Hassan was soaked in the Quran. Many Palestine solidarity supporters criticised Seyyid Hassan for his discipline and extraordinary restraint in not using the weaponry at his disposal that could have been used to cause maximum loss of life in Tel Aviv. These types don’t realise that Seyyid Hassan was “engaging in battle for Allah’s cause”. He could not commit aggression. He was engaging in a resistance against aggression and Occupation. This is the difference between the Israeli leadership and the Islamic leadership.  And the West tells us that Nasrallah is the terrorist and Netanyahu  is the democratic civilised statesman even after all of Gaza has been brutally reduced to rubble and at least 16 000 children ruthlessly slaughtered. Nasrallah’s position was principled and he made it clear that Hezbollah will stop all military operations against Israel if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.  The Lebanese foreign minister told Christian Amanpour that Nasrallah had accepted the 21 day ceasefire proposal just days before he was martyred. The Israeli’s on the other had absolutely no intention of committing to the ceasefire proposal even though they verbally expressed that they were.  “But if they (the aggressive enemies) incline to peace, incline you to it as well, and place your trust in Allah, verily he alone is the All-Hearing, the All Knowing” [Quran: 8-61] Therefore when there was the 21 day Lebanon, ceasefire proposal, Seyyid Hassan sincerely inclined towards peace and it was rather the Israeli’s and Netanyahu who had no intention of peace and were deceptive by creating an impression that they were open to a ceasefire. These types think that they are sharp and manipulated the ceasefire discussions and peace proposals to dupe the resistance who approached the discussions honestly and sincerely. “And should they seek to deceive you (by their show of peace) behold, Allah is enough for you! He it is who has strengthened you with His support and by giving you committed followers” [Quran: 8-62]

“Whose hearts he has brought together, for if you had expended all that is on and of the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together (by yourself) but Allah did bring them together. Verily, He is Magnificent, Wise”. [Quran 8-63]

The above two verses from Surah al-Anfal seems to be talking to the reality in Lebanon right now and describing the situation in the here and in now. How poignant is the wisdom of Ibn Arabi who said “The Quran continuously reveals itself”.

Netanyahu and the Israeli state may be fascinated with themselves in having duped and deceived the resistance and in the process struck a few military blows to them in the month of September 2024. The one thing that they are not alive to is God’s involvement in military affairs. Allah is with the truthful and the sincere. The Resistance has the most committed followers who yearn for martyrdom. Of death, they are most fearless amongst all people walking planet earth today. Having these committed followers is a specific gift from God. Israel might have acted deceptively in expressing an intention to the ceasefire proposal but God has strengthened the resistance with committed cadres. He it is who has strengthened you with his support and by giving you committed followers. You can’t purchase this calibre of cadres. The Imperialist and Zionists with their millions of dollars and billions of shekels will not be able to produce a Muhammadi fighter whose heart is illuminated with faith and yearn for martyrdom.

Nasrallah was martyred because of this solidarity with Gaza and his lifelong commitment to the liberation of Palestine. He sacrificed his life for the liberation of Palestine. History will never forget this fact. He was not a leader of a Government, but he did more than any Government in the world did to stop the genocide in Gaza. His martyrdom bears witness to this fact. It appears that he had a premonition of his death as is normally the case with the close friends of God. In his last two speeches, he tells us that he will speak to us again if he is still alive. He never said this in previous speeches. This was a man who knew that the enemy was closing in on him and that he was going to be martyred. But he always led a selfless life and there was no way that he was going to stop fighting Israel to save his own life. Like Imam Hussein, who stood alone, screaming a defiant no to injustice and tyranny while most of the people lacked the courage, Hassan Nasrallah said no to genocide and Occupation and gave his life for the Palestinian struggle. His end was Husseinic in that he stood as the lone leader fighting for Palestine when the rest of the world stood back, he acted, stood firm, refused to bow to pressure from everywhere and was killed for his heroic stand. The people are watching the Genocide live as it happens and they read Gods words in the Quran and become conscious of their responsibility. “And how could you refuse to fight in the cause of Allah and of the utterly helpless men and women and children who are crying “Oh our Sustainer! Lead us forth to freedom out of this Imperial civic society whose people are oppressors, and raise for us, out of Your grace, a Protector, and raise for us, out of your Grace, one who will bring us support”. Quran Surah 4. Verse 6.

It is these words of God that Seyyid Hassan acted upon when he created a solidarity front for Gaza, in support of the “utterly helpless men, women and children” of Palestine.

The freedom fighters in Lebanon and Gaza are the ones with the most developed faith and God consciousness. “Do you think that you would enter Paradise without suffering like those committed devotees before you? Social and physical hardship befell them and so shaken were they that the Apostle and the committed disciples with him would exclaim. “When will Allah’s support come? Oh certainly, Allah’s support is always near” [Quran 2:214]

These committed and life sacrificing Muslims in Gaza and Lebanon are facing the most powerful enemy. Their suffering is inconceivable. But their steadfastness and patience is unbelievable. It would be normal and human for them to lose heart and ask “When will Allah’s support come? As the Apostle and his companions (Sahaaba) had asked when they faced death in the eye in the frontlines. And the Most Merciful reassures these life sacrificing Muslims “Oh Allah’s support is always near”.

As the Arab and Muslim Street now observe this reality, the street is asking why is it that it is only Ansarallah and Hezbollah taking a stand in the fight against the Genocidal Regime. More than one million Lebanese citizens have been displaced and over two thousand slaughtered. Why is it that the poorest Arabs, the Lebanese and the Yemenis who have complied with God’s words have to be sacrificed whilst the rest of the wealthier Arab and Muslim world makes no sacrifice and look on as the world allows the settler colonial state to have reduced all of Gaza to rubble and slaughtered tens of thousands of Palestinians? Why is it that the resistance needed to sacrifice their greatest leader in Hassan Nasrallah whilst other leaders retreat into their palatial villas and feast on caviar whilst the Zionists are feasting on the blood of the Palestinian children? Why have sectarians lied to the Muslim people for a year now by saying that Hassan Nasrallah wasn’t supporting Gaza when in fact he supported Gaza more than any other person on earth and gave his life for his solidarity with Gaza?

Nasrallah might well be regarded as one of the greatest revolutionary leaders of all time. Not since Che Guevara has a guerrilla leader captured the imagination and inspired seekers of justice as the martyred Nasrallah did. He will continue to inspire freedom fighters forever.  He lived and led gracefully like Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and he fought and died gallantly like Imam Hussein (A.S). “And say not of those who are slain for Allah’s cause, “They are dead”, nay they are alive but you perceive it not”.  Quran Surah 2. Verse 154.