Sayyed and Hajj Nabil: Three Decades of Protection, Trust and Martyrdom

Sumaya Ali, Manar TV

“I hope the day will come when I can reward Hajj Nabil,” martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told one of his close friends. Sayyed’s appreciation for the wonderful days he spent with martyr Ibrahim Jezzini [Hajj Nabil] was conveyed to the latter, who was “overjoyed and reassured.”

He was overjoyed to learn that Sayyed reciprocated these feelings and was reassured because he was always haunted by the fear that the security measures, he had set to protect the Master of the Resistance were bothering His Eminence. Hajj Nabil was tasked with Sayyed’s security since 1994, a hard and great task entrusted to him by the one who called him “Nabil” - the martyred jihadist leader Imad Mughniyeh.

Since that day, these words have been etched in Hajj Nabil’s consciousness. Sometimes, he was reminded of them by one of his very close friends, who told us that he used to do this whenever “Nabil” returned sad, complaining that martyr Sayyed Nasrallah “may not be happy with him for some reason,” or when the difficult security circumstances that preceded the start of the last “Israeli” aggression on Lebanon required him to impose extraordinary security measures on Sayyed and forced him to oppose His Eminence’s desire to go out among the people as he used to do from time to time - something His Eminence always did eagerly.

So, what brought these two men together? Photos and videos show that “Nabil” always shadowed Sayyed Nasrallah for many years. They grew old together and went through many events together.

The details of the thorny road remained exclusively in the heart and mind of Jezzini, whose life was mostly surrounded by permanent and constant secrecy. Martyr “Nabil” placed a barrier between his work and his family that could not be breached. One of his close associates confirmed that even his wife and children did not meet the Secretary-General in person.

So, what brought them together? Was it a leader/security chief relationship? The obvious answer is yes. However, Al-Ahed’s source said that in the case of the “international leader with the lofty appearance” - a description Hajj Jezzini accurately approved - where the “guardian” devoted his life out of love, passion, and willingness to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and “out of complete belief in the guardianship”, their relationship went beyond this framework to something farther and more sublime.

The guardianship

“Calm the souls and wipe over the heads, O Zahra, O Zahra… O wing that fluttered among us carrying the warmth of hope, its feathers dripping with love and improvised words.”

The above excerpt is from the poem “Sakkini Ro’a Al-Nufus” by Sheikh Bashar Al-Ali. It was recited by the Islamic eulogist Hussein Al-Akraf on the nights of the martyrdom of Lady Zahra [peace be upon her] in the Al-Zahra Mosque in Hamad Town, Bahrain in 1995.

How did Hajj Nabil describe Sayyed Hassan? The answer reminds us of secrecy - “the permanent trait that shaped Jezzini’s personality since his association with Sayyed, which he worked to refine, along with other skills that he constantly developed by delving into the world of security and studying its secrets until he acquired the ability to scan the details of places with a keen eye in record time.”

But his passion for the Leader of Resistance, which he always emphasized “stems from his dissolution in the guardianship, based on what the Secretary-General represents within this belief.” One of his close associates told Al-Ahed that this love was quickly evident on Hajj Nabil.

“He would be saddened and pained when he saw the families of the martyrs and the supporters of the Resistance repeating ‘I sacrifice for Sayyed’ because he knew how deeply Sayyed Hassan was affected when he heard these words. He would return home happy, and those close to him would realize that Sayyed must be comfortable. One day, he returned with a rose in his hand that Sayyed had picked from a vase in front of him and gave it to him jokingly.”

What about concerns? Three decades of a hard task: protecting the one for whom the hearts and souls of millions chant “We are at your service”. “Hajj Nabil rarely slept deeply. His nerves were on edge most of the time, and this was evident in his hand trembling at times. He was always ready and present to perform his duty, and the heaviest hours were some of Sayyed’s live appearances among the people years ago. Days prior to the live appearance, the martyred Hajj did not know sleep.”

Our source realized this by linking the state of martyr Jezzini to Sayyed’s appearance after that.

“Nabil always repeated that Sayyed had some of the qualities of the household of Muhammad: firmness and great strength, gentleness and compassion. He always talked about people’s concerns and problems and possible solutions in his speeches. He possessed a rare intelligence; he could transform an idea or a word into a refuting reading, criticism, and questions.” And from here was the final word.

By chance, Hajj Nabil mentioned, which he rarely did, that “His Eminence loves to recite the poem ‘Sakkini Ro’a Al-Nufus’ about Lady Fatima (peace be upon her)” to the point that he and some of the young men around His Eminence memorized it. Sayyed was happy when they recited it in front of him.

Should I stay after you?

“Despite Sayyed Nasrallah’s presence in most of Hajj Ibrahim Jezzini’s life, the latter missed him.” When? “Perhaps, for example, when Hajj Nabil would be physically away from His Eminence while accompanying martyr Hajj Qassem Soleimani, at Sayyed’s direct request, in Syria during the war on terrorism,” he added. “Longing would appear in his face when glaring at any new picture of His Eminence: he would sit and examine it carefully.”

As for Sayyed, he was as careful as a loving and caring person would be, calling to check up on Hajj Ibrahim when he was sick, when he was injured during the war in Syria, and when he was in an accident on his motorcycle. He later joked with him and asked, “Are you still riding a motorcycle?”

“Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was Hajj Nabil’s entire life,” confirmed one of the latter’s close friends. “There is no beauty or goodness in a world devoid of His Eminence, and his constant prayer is that he will not remain in it if Sayyed departs.”

Martyr Ibrahim Jezzini wished for this so badly. He uttered this even though he rarely spoke. It was, without him realizing it, an answer to Sayyed’s question about how to reward him. On September 27, “they departed together,” the source close to Jezzini concluded. “Is there a greater and more beautiful gift for Nabil?”