By Latifa Al-Husseini, Al-Ahed News 

Hezbollah’s Secretary General is surrounded by knowledge and loyalty. He is both thoughtful and a leader, embracing students who were patient and strived to reach the moment of coronation. 

The turban of Ahl al-Bayt [the Prophet’s Household] is the prize for every person who wants to specialize in religious studies. This most beautiful blessing was bestowed on a select few on Wednesday under the personal and direct patronage of Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

It is a remarkable day that crowns years of study and labor. For the graduates, the moment is indescribable and cannot be reduced to a few words. 12 religious scholars [Lebanese, Syrian, and African] were placed in the care of Sayyed Nasrallah. The moment they have been waiting for since the first day they joined the Imam Al-Muntathar Hawza [seminary] in Baalbek has finally arrived.

Sheikh Hadi Ballout, one of the turbaned students, sat down with Al-Ahed News and spoke about the extended session and what it entailed. The Sheikh did not forget the details and atmosphere of this meeting. In the first 15 minutes, the Religious Deputy of the Grand Ayatollah Imam Khamenei in Lebanon, Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek, thanked Sayyed Nasrallah for overseeing the graduation of the students and for his constant support for the seminary.

Sayyed Nasrallah spoke for about an hour and 40 minutes, mostly about religious recommendations inspired by the occasion. According to Sheikh Ballout, the Secretary General shed light on the history of the seminary and what it means, how it was established, the role of martyr Sayyed Abbas al-Mousawi, and how he accompanied him to the seminary. He also spoke about how Sayyed Abbas had opportunities to establish seminaries in Beirut, in the south of Lebanon, and the Bekaa. But he insisted on opening it exclusively in Baalbek. He knew that the necessary components for other locations weren’t in place.

The spiritual aspect dominated Sayyed Nasrallah's speech at all times. He focused a lot on the importance of the supplication [dua], "O you who, if things get difficult, open for us a door that illusions do not go to" and the need for the seeker of knowledge to rely on God. 

“Whether a person is a seeker of knowledge or a mujahid, when he reaches a very difficult stage in which he may feel that there is no solution, God Almighty opens the door of relief for him,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. 

According to Sheikh Ballout, Sayyed Nasrallah expressed the extent to which his affairs and ours were linked to the Grand Ayatollah Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei in more than one place and pointed to the comprehensiveness of His Eminence, his knowledge, and his meticulous knowledge of details.

Sayyed Nasrallah also confided to his audience that in one of his exchanges with the Leader, he was surprised how His Eminence knew the names of some villages in Lebanon, in the Bekaa Valley, specifically Mashghara.

Based on his personal experience, the Secretary General advised the religious scholars to always rely on God, saying, "I am giving you the product of 40 years of work; I have reached a conviction that whoever relies on God, He will definitely make his affairs easy for him, especially in terms of seeking knowledge, tabligh, and calling to God. In short, you have to rely on this basis until you start tabligh.”

Sayyed did not lose sight of the political situation. He reiterated that “the resistance is fully prepared to deter any aggressor and preserve rights, and it is present in all arenas.” He noted that “there is pressure, and the only way out is to adhere to the rope of God.”

There were also a few funny moments at the gathering. After Sayyed finished his address, he gave the audience a chance to ask questions. One of the African scholars made a final request to the Secretary General, inviting him to visit Africa.

His Eminence and everyone laughed spontaneously, then he replied with a smile: "God willing, after the demise of ‘Israel’."