Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah – An Icon of All the Sublime Meanings

By Mohammad Youssef

Every July of every year observes the death of one of the most renowned Muslim leaders of our recent history Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.

Sayyed Fadlallah was one of a kind as a pioneer in many different fields. Volumes could be authored to cover part of his endeavors and faithful efforts.

Being one of those who were close to him for a quite long time, I want to mention few very important things about him in this article.

In the field of Islamic unity, Sayyed Fadlallah was one of the strongest leaders and workers to bring Muslims close to each other till they reach unity. He worked hard for it and paid heavy price because this does not fit certain agendas, especially in the west, namely the United States and “Israel”. An attempt against his life was carried out when many western security apparatuses, atop of them the CIA, along with Arab finance and coordination tried to assassinate him by a booby trapped car in the southern suburb of Beirut back in 1985. Thanks to Allah, he narrowly escaped the assassination because he stopped to answer a woman’s question on his way back home.

In another equally important issue, Sayyed Fadlallah believed strongly in dialogue among all to reach mutual understandings and agreements. He was among the first who called for and practiced dialogue with all parties and groups in Lebanon and abroad. His flexibility, openness and broad mindedness gained him a lot of supporters and followers in many regions in the Arab and Islamic world, especially among the new generations.

It is worth mentioning that his openness and flexibility gave him a prominent position in what we can call a new approach in understanding and analyzing Islamic jurisprudence [Fiqh], thus producing the Fatwa. He was very innovative in this regard which caused a stir among the traditional and classical religious circle, but this has been surmounted due to the flexibility of the Fiqh schools in Shia Islam.

We can easily say that he has established a school of thought that would spread in many areas and found itself a place under the sun.

Sayyed Fadlallah’s role in supporting the Resistance against the “Israeli” occupation was extremely strong and very clear. Whether in Palestine or in Lebanon, he was among the first who supported the Resistance’s military operations against the occupation, his positions in supporting the Resistance gained him a wide reputation and he was called by the western media as the spiritual guide of the Resistance fighters.

Many of the prominent cadres of the Islamic Resistance were among his students. He influenced a whole generation and raised the awareness about the importance of the resistance in sabotaging the enemies’ conspiracies and in bringing liberation, dignity and victory to Lebanon and the Lebanese.

As we commemorate the 13^th anniversary of his death, he will always be remembered, revered and respected, and he will continue to serve as an icon of all the sublime meanings he sacrificed and lived his life for.