Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech on the Day of the Islamic Resistance Wounded Fighters (Part 2)
In His Name
Full speech delivered by Hizbullah Secretary General, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, during Day of the Islamic Resistance Wounded Fighters marked on Thursday May 12, 2016. (PART II)
The second topic: as our wounded brothers and sisters and all the attendees are concerned with the event taking place in the country, through you too I address public opinion and the audience as this event is still to take place this Sunday, the coming Sunday, and the Sunday that follows.
As for the second topic, I would like to tell you the following: Thanks and praise be to Allah for His gratitude, the first stage of the elections in Beirut, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel passed successfully, securely, and serenely.
Many thanks to all those who helped in having this event pass successfully - the public administrations, the security and military forces, and the responsible party and popular-level cooperation. We hope things will carry on smoothly during the rest of the stages. As we have got engaged in the municipal elections in Bekaa, it is my obligation to thank our faithful, loyal, and kind people in the provinces of Baalbek-Hermel and in Bekaa for supporting all the Loyalty and Development lists, thus enabling them to win in all towns and cities where they were announced. I thank them for their great and unmatchable love, trust, and loyalty, and for their efforts and great attendance.
In fact, this is what is expected from them always. They have always been as such, and they will be as such always God willing. They frustrate the hopes of all the bargainers. I also thank the brothers and sisters who ran this operation on the various levels of responsibility and manifested strong attendance, efficient organization, and great zeal.
I also have to draw the attention of all the Lebanese - especially our people in Bekaa - that they always have to recall the sacrifices of the Lebanese Army and the fighters of the resistance and the other friends who contributed also. Thanks to Allah Almighty first. and to them second, the appropriate security opportunity was provided. Thanks to Allah Almighty first, and to the army, resistance, security forces, the general security and the other security apparatuses second, for providing the appropriate security opportunity to carry out the elections in Bekaa with such a turnout that is the highest so far.
The first stage was in the Baalbek-Hermel Province. The sacrifices of these soldiers, resistance fighters, martyrs, wounded, and those stationed along the borders defeated the Takfiri groups and expelled them from most of the regions until they pushed them back to the interior of the Syrian territories. They besieged them in some regions of the Ersal outskirts. These sacrifices led to this level of security and peace that enabled the elections to take place, and this is something that must be spoken highly of and praised.
In the following point, I repeat the same points I said in the first stage, in order to be taken into consideration in the other stages. It is normal that when there are municipal elections, there might be lists opposing us. Perhaps with regards to the political path, they are with us. Perhaps they are our friends and dear ones. Perhaps they are with us too but they are not convinced one way or another.
On this point, we would like to tell those who were on opposing lists in Bekaa or on other lists in the coming stages, we do not consider them enemies or antagonists. They are rather our people and dear ones. Many of them are on the general political line, but perhaps they have other convictions or ideas, or certain orientations or a different intention. Anyway, we do not deal with anyone as an enemy or an antagonist, except if he considers himself an enemy or announces himself as such. These exist. Some consider themselves enemies for the resistance and view its martyrs who fight the new US project as infernal and the Takfiri groups as martyrs.
So in case anyone announces enmity to the resistance, he would be an enemy.
However, we consider all the people and all our people, and all those who differ with us, whether on this choice, the municipal choice, or the parliamentary choice, as our dear people with whom we must live in agreement. Thus, as I said last week, it is the responsibility of the brothers and sisters in the various regions to take the initiative and detect any kind of sensibility or problem or wounds to address them God willing. It's because it is clear that the country is in chaos due to the municipal elections. So we must address any problem because these facts will last for six years. Allah is All Generous. Nobody knows how long one will live. We are all facing existential and historic challenges, and we must confront them with unity, accord, and a strong stance.
The second point has to do with the elected municipal councils. These must and will be for everyone. As for us in Hizbullah, wherever we have seats in the municipal elections, we promise our people in all cities and towns that the municipal councils will be at the service of everyone, regardless of who voted for us or not, or who fought us or competed with us. This stage is over with the announcement of the results. This is a responsibility we as well as our allies and the newly elected municipalities must assume, and God willing we will all assume this responsibility fully.
This is as per what took place.
Now, I would like to have a look at some analyses of the elections. Now I will mention some principles because they interpret for us what took place and what might take place, because in the elections in Mount Lebanon and later on in the South and the North, we have a limited or a certain presence.
It is good to mention these principles because many analyses were made in the country since last Sunday to our day, and the analyses will continue following the elections in Mount Lebanon. We will hear long and broad political readings even after the elections in the South and in the North. With the end of the municipal elections, there will be many political readings and repercussions and consequences on the Lebanese political situation, whether as per the parliamentary elections, or as per the presidential elections as well as other issues.
Indeed, I will not talk about all principles. I talked a bit last week, and I will add to them some principles on which we differed over within Hizbullah in running the current municipal elections:
1- This year we differed on benefiting from the previous experiences when forming our alliances. True, the municipal elections have service-related and developmental aspects, but they are political too. They have a political aspect or perspective. The Lebanese are good in characterizing. They are developmental, service-related, political elections in the whole sense of the word. This is the case in Lebanon.
That means that political alliances will be formed. We took a decision that our alliances must be in harmony with our political status. So with whom will we ally? We will ally with our allies and friends in the general political line and not with our political antagonists.
I am talking about the enemies with whom we have been the political antagonists since 2005 to our day, but in the past few years, they did not spare a sword, a pen, a television, a radio station, or a newspaper (which they could use) to distort our image and level at us accusations and offences openly and secretly. Why should I ally with them in the municipal elections? I want to respect my mind. We - meaning Hizbullah - want to respect our minds and the minds of our masses.
I can't tell the masses of Hizbullah who are everyday being instigated, cursed, and humiliated, and their martyrs, wounded, and fighters are being offended: you have to vote for this list in which we allied with, the so and so political current or the so and so party, or the so and so side. You have to form a platform to them, and you have to revive them politically. As such, we will be having our masses bearing what they can't tolerate, even if there is a political interest in that.
We have tried this in the past. The other political forces who adopted this paid the price for it in Beirut when they made their masses bear the choice of alliances. These masses are not cultured to such principles, and they are rather sensitive to them.
So in politics at least, it is enough that we have to deal with the familial issue. As for politics, let's not let our audiences bear what they can't bear. This is the truth. How come someone would be for years on the TV, the radio, and platforms cursing and offending you and humiliating your martyrs, wounded, fighters, resistance, ideals, sanctities, and distorting you and accusing you of treason, and on the following day I go and form an alliance with him in the municipal elections which are political, and then I would have to vote for him?
This is first. So in all our alliances from the first stage to the very end, we in Hizbullah will not ally with political antagonists. Perhaps there is an exception in a personal, individual form in a village without me knowing so. However, this is the principle and the general policy. We ally with our allies and our friends and with those we are meeting and with those who at least did not offend or harm us.
This is first. Keep this point in mind, because based on it I will tell you what took place, and we will together understand what is taking place. Indeed, this is not an objection to the choices of our allies.
The second point is that we took a decision to comprehend our allies. Let's talk frankly. The Free Patriotic Movement wants to ally with the Lebanese Forces and the Phalanges. We can understand this issue. Our brethren in the Amal Movement want to ally with the Future Movement or with the so and so party or the such and such side. There is no problem in that. We do not have any objection. We do not pose any problem or make any objection. Let the people act freely. The same applies to the Sunni arena as well as the Druze sphere, in all squares and provinces. We understand our allies in case they allied with their antagonists or with their allies, or with new sides with whom they agreed for electoral or municipal considerations, or for calming down the squares to avoid conflicts in this city or in that village. We can understand that, and there is no problem in that. Now we move to the following point.
The third point: where our allies are present in lists we are not in, whether we are present as candidates or voters, I want to say a clear word that has a retrospective and forward-looking effect, because at every political municipal elections, there are people who want to use us and our allies as the subject of their articles. O' brothers! O' dear ones! O' our allies! We are committed to you politically, morally, and ethically. But we are not committed to those whom you ally yourselves with. We are not committed morally, ethically, or politically to them. There is no understanding or coordination that calls for that. On the contrary, we agreed on what I am saying now on the TV in our bilateral meetings, discussion tables, and closed rooms.
Hizbullah is committed to the FPM because there is an understanding between us. But I am not committed to the Lebanese Forces and the Phalanges and any other party with whom the FPM allies with, if this party is a political antagonist to me. I am not committed. Now am I to help in the elections or not, this is another story. Still, some people make demands claiming you are committed, while saying that we are looking at things with more than one eye. That is not the case. In fact, we have two piercing eyes, and in the whole world, if there are movements, parties, currents, or sides which value loyalty, faithfulness, and commitment, we are among them. We do not betray, we do not deceive, we do not forsake our ally, we do not abandon our friend, and we do not stab in the back. We pay our blood to stand for our commitment. Still this is the commitment. We are not committed to allies or partners in lists our allies formed with others. This is the third principle.
This is what took place in the first stage and will take place in the second, third, and fourth stages.
Based on the above, I will very briefly make several comments under this topic because there are many contests, readings, and analyses that took place in Beirut. In fact, we are not concerned with what took place in Beirut. When it was first said that there is a list under the name of "The Beirutis" formed by the Future Movement, and based on the first principle which I talked about, we in Hizbullah took a decision that in these elections in Beirut we do not want to form a list with a political antagonist. The Future Movement is a political antagonist, and I do not want to say more than this.
Well, our allies found their interest and found that they have no problem in lining up with them in the list. Thus our allies partook in the list. I recall among our allies who partook in the list to be - at least - our brethren in the Amal Movement, the FPM, and Tashnaq. We do not have a problem with that, and we do not object. May Allah safeguard them and bless them God willing. On the contrary, that safeguards the country. In the previous elections, we refused to partake in a coalition list in Beirut because they refused to include representatives from the FPM. Praise be to Allah, this year they included representatives. Still our reasons were political; thus we said we do not want to partake.
This is the political reason. Now some analyze and say this is a clear, covert, negative, or positive message. These are the results. These might be the results, but these are our reasons. We do not want to send a message from above the table or from under the table. You are free to say what you want but the true reason is when the brothers held talks they decided that they don't want to partake in the elections based on the above mentioned political principle. This is the end of the story.
Well, what is the other option? They may tell us: go then and form lists of your own or support other lists. You may give a chance for the other list to win.
Unfortunately, I found some writers saying that the reason behind the defeat of the other lists is that Hizbullah did not partake in the elections that took place in Beirut. No, that's not true. You are wrong. You are mistaken.
Anyway, we did not form another list, and we do not support other lists in the Beirut Municipality for several reasons including:
1- We do not want to partook in lists that oppose our allies
2- We can't gather the other lists in one list, and you have seen that. This is very difficult. We have tried it the other time and the elections before it too.
3-The chance of winning is very difficult. Thus getting engaged in the battle will be misused and invested in sectarian and factional instigation. They'll make a big fuss about it. It is as if we are telling the Sunnis that we are standing in your face.
It will be an endless grinding battle in Beirut. But we are running away from problems in fact. As you can see, we are avoiding the media, interviews, and comments. We only fight on the real front because we are seeking the level of the least possible tension in the country. That's why we refrained from Beirut.
From here off, let them write and analyze and say what they want. Indeed, we did not tell the people to boycott. We told the people that you are free to vote for whomever you want. They boycotted. It is not we who took the decision of boycotting the elections. They abstain from the ballots. As for those who follow us, we did not tell them to abstain from the ballots. They themselves abstained. This is part of the general issue that must be studied and discussed as per the elections in Beirut.
Second: The elections in Zahle; we did not nominate anyone from Hizbullah in Zahle. Furthermore, we as Hizbullah, did not have the objective of being represented in the Municipal Council of Zahle. This was not our goal. Also, our hope was that our three allies whom you all know would ally among themselves and that we would support them all. But that did not take place. Thus there were three lists with every friend expecting that we support his list fully instead of the other lists and that does not appeal to us, whether on the level of friendship or on the level of our moral, ethical, or political commitments.
Our choice was to offer full support to the FPM candidates in the Parties List in Zahle and to vote evenly to the other two lists. Our stance and our votes in Zahle were fully based on moral and political reasons, and they were not based on our interests. We do not want to shave a share in the municipal council, and we do not want to compete with anyone. Still, we could not abandon our friends. Had we decided to refrain or to abandon the elections in Zahle, do you know what would have happened? Everyone would have held us responsible saying: Had you - Hizbullah - voted, our lists would have won. Well, we voted evenly for our friends and allies, and this was the result.
Thus our considerations were moral, political, and fraternal. Still, we were the subject of criticism from some friends in the FPM. I am saying some because our relation with the FPM, General Michel Aoun, the Head of the FPM Gibran Basil and many of the leaders in the FPM is above trust. There is always work by some on creating problems between us. So they said that Hizbullah should have fully voted for the Parties List in Zahle, assuming that we (Hizbullah) are on that list. This expectation is wrong. It is wrong now, it was wrong, and it will be wrong in the future. Dear friends! Here I am telling you again. We are not committed to your allies. Do not expect us to be committed to your allies. This is over. It's not that in every election we will be the subject to be discussed in councils, articles, and the media.
Well, as for the other cities and villages in Bekaa in which we partook and wherever there were Loyalty and Development Lists i.e. the coalition of Hizbullah, Amal Movement, and the other friendly parties, they all won.
Now I will leave talking about the reasons behind this victory and its significance and reading to May 25 God willing. By then we would have been done with the elections in Mount Lebanon and the South. There will only be the North. Then we will talk about this issue and its message, significance, results, and evaluation, and I will not take more of your time.
As per the coming stage in the municipal elections that will take place next Sunday in Mount Lebanon, it includes the municipalities in the Dahieh. In the Dahieh, we formed lists that comprised the coalition between Hizbullah, Amal Movement, FPM, and other friendly parties in agreement with the families and the people. Thus these lists were called the Loyalty, Development, and Reform lists, taking into consideration the diverse political coalition it comprises.
As we said last week, we called on our people in the coming stage, and also in the villages in Mount Lebanon, and in the other cities where we are present and where we have lists, to have an active participation. In the second and third stages, we also call on them to support the Loyalty, Development, and Reform lists in the suburbs in Dahieh and the other towns in which we have lists and a presence, and we thank them on the stance which they choose, whatever stance it is.
The last topic tackles the occasion we are marking - your wounds my brothers and sisters!
I want to talk a little bit to you as wounded fighters about some issues and responsibilities. Yes, your wounds are a testimony for you in this world and in the Hereafter. It is a testimony for you in this world on you resistance and the path (you have chosen), and it is a testimony for you in the Hereafter for your sacrifices, loyalty, jihad, obedience and servitude to Allah Almighty, patience, commitment, steadfastness, and responsibility.
Taking into consideration the recent years, a considerable number of wounded from among our resistance fighter brothers was newly added. The wounded fighters embark into a new stage in their lives. It is a totally new phase on the psychological, spiritual, and social level. His life, activities, movement, food, drink, disposition, personal, familial, and social relations as well as his practical attendance change. This is among the factual things which you see.
Thus the wounded brother must be prepared for this new phase. He had finished a stage in struggling, assuming responsibility, and showing obedience to Allah, only to enter into a new stage of struggling, assuming responsibility, showing obedience and servitude to Allah, and working towards his Hereafter. What changed is that his body is injured. His obligation thus changed and that will be reflected on his lifestyle. Here the wounded fighter faces true challenges. His family faces true challenges. There are true challenges facing the resistance, the institutions of the resistance, and the society of the resistance towards the wounded fighter.
We will talk first about the wounded fighter, though there are several topics that are common to all. The wounded fighter must first know that through his wounds he has received a kind of mark or stamp from Allah Almighty. Through this stamp he has a relation to Allah Al Mighty. So as the martyrs are the martyrs of Allah, the wounded are the wounded of Allah. They are related to Him as the good pious men are related to Him.
When any land is turned into a mosque it becomes the House of Allah. Before it becomes a mosque, you can put garbage in it. However, when it turns into a mosque, it will have its own sanctity because it has a special relation to Allah Almighty.
The wounded fighter has his sanctity and his own dignity. When he is martyred, he will have additional sanctity and dignity. When he is still alive too, his wounds which I call a stamp of Allah, give him a new relation, this new position, and this new status, and consequently, Allah Almighty will grant him this status and dignity. So he must understand this, his family must understand this, and his society and resistance must understand this.
Thus the sanctity of the wounded is over the sanctity of others. It's not because the latter do not have any sanctity. No they have their sanctity and their dignity, but the wounded fighter has an additional level, and we must deal with him on the moral, psychological, and spiritual level accordingly.
The brothers who are wounded fighters must know that they have received a status that only Allah Almighty knows, because he is one of the fighters whom Allah preferred in the verses of the Holy Quran. The first responsibility of the wounded fighter is that he must guard this status, not to lose his reward or to lose this status. Here he is obligated to another form of jihad with himself. The wounded has entered the phase of suffering. He must be patient towards his wounds and pains, and the deficiency that afflicted his body. He must show patience to his family, environment, society, and us, if we neglected his rights. He must show patience to guard his status and rather raise it, and to fortify his status and elevate it even more.
The jihad of the wounded is the grandest jihad which the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him and his Household) recommended. Here I bear witness, based on the information I receive and the follow up that the overwhelming majority of our wounded - not to say that all people are infallible - were from the people of patience, tolerance, and steadfastness.
The wounds of some make them fall on the doctrinal level, thus they feel dubious and get frustrated. The wounds of some make them fall politically, thus they feel remorse over their political choice. The wounds of some make them fall morally, thus they fall on the behavioral level. Satan and the devils exploit wounds as they exploit good health in pushing man towards deviation.
One way or another, your battle is with the devils of jinn and humans and the fighting square is your soul, and you own something which is very precious. It is a golden reward Allah promised you and a status no one has heard of, seen, or even crossed one's mind. You must cling strongly to this thing. You must struggle fiercely to guard it. You offered your eye, your hand, or your leg, or you were paralyzed to receive this award and this status from Allah in the Hereafter. Your primary responsibility is not to neglect it through your patience, jihad, steadfastness, and tolerance. This requires psychological, intellectual, and cultural effort, and we must all give a hand because we too are afflicted. We are all suffering in fact.
The other point which I want to highlight is that this applies to the wounded fighters and their families and on the procession of the brothers and sisters. The wounded are in a state of jihad at every moment. As for the fighter, when he returns from the front for his holiday, he sits with his family and does recreational activities.
The angels recording his deeds as a fighter stop, and they start recording what he is doing in his other life during this 10-or-5-day-break. As for the wounded fighter, from the moment he is wounded, the pens of the angels write his rewards continually to the moment of his death because these wounds are continuous jihad, patience towards these wounds is continuing, and showing steadfastness towards wounds is a continuous jihad. So his rewards, status, and dignity are continuously being upgraded by Allah Almighty, and this is what you are looking forward to. You went to fight to get martyred and not to get wounded. The martyr reached his goal. As for you, Allah gave you a chance; but He held you responsible to move forward and thus to reach your goal.
Also under the title of reward and dignity, the title of suffering applies on the wounded fighter. He is a suffering believer. The wounded have special sufferings and all what you read in the Book "Mizan Al Hikma" and search on the computer under the title of suffering, Allah has promised the suffering believers who show patience towards His afflictions and tests.
There is another topic which is the topic of sickness. Go back also to the book "Mizan Al Hikma", and you will see the narrations under this topic. They are numerous. That's because the suffering and pains of the wounded fighter is considered sick in a certain way. This applies to him. That's because he is suffering, and perhaps he is suffering more than the sick. There are narrations related by the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him and his Household) on the hours and days man spends in addressing and confronting pain and sickness. Now what if this sickness was because of jihad on the path of Allah? Indeed, that decreases his sins and bad deeds and purifies him, and some pains even increase his reward and upgrade his status.
So the status in which you are is that of continuous jihad and continuous worship. We must understand this case we are in, and we must deal with it accordingly, and we must guard the award, status, and stamp Allah has honored us with.
The responsibilities of the wounded fighter do not end here. He must continue. You have responsibilities to assume:
first, we talk about his mobilizing mission. It is not a must that the wounded ascend the platform and give a speech. As I have said in a previous meeting with the wounded fighters, when you sit among a group of two or three, your words and influence leave an impact on the people and make them interact because you talk about what you did and you are not someone who says what he does not do. You are among those who fought, resisted, struggled, offered sacrifices, and reached martyrdom, but were given the award of the wounded. Consequently, you enjoy a level of authenticity higher than ours. So your responsibility to mobilize, awaken, and strengthen the spirit, mentality, culture, and will of the people is very high, and it must not be wasted.
At one stage you were supposed to hold arms. Now your responsibility is to express by your tongue - and gestures if you can't talk with your tongue. You must express by any means of expression to mobilize and awaken the people. Today, the soft war and the psychological war are very important. As you have seen a while ago, distorting the image, the siege, and the instigation are part of the battle to destroy the resistance. Your blood has made achievements. You must guard the achievements made by your blood with your tongues, voices, words, statements, and faithful feelings which you express. This is common to all the concerned sides.
The second point: the brothers who are still able to work, let them partake in any level of work. That is not shameful. Don't take into consideration the nominal issues and the organizational positions. Rather put these aside and go to work.
Source: al-Ahed News, Translated by website team
