In Memory of Late Yakan, H.E. Sayyed Nasrallah: Our Enemies Did Everything Possible to Harm Resistance but Failed

In the name of God Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Thanks and Praise be to God, Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds, peace and prayers be to the seal of prophets, Prophet Mohammad, his infallible household, his chosen companions and all the prophets,

The favor head of the Islamic Action Front late Sheikh Fathi Yakan did for the Islamic movement in general and Lebanon in particular was more than clear. In Lebanon especially, we cannot speak about an Islamic movement, an Islamic act, an Islamic path or in the last decades an Islamic resistance without remembering Sheikh Fathi Yakan as one of the most prominent founders, leaders, symbols, intellectuals, as well as one of those who educated, taught, and succeeded in shaping generations and generations of strugglers, believers, and cultivated young people.

Time and words are inadequate to describe our late leader and give him some of the praise he deserves. Therefore, I will not repeat all what the honorable scholars said earlier and I will focus on the most outstanding and unique characteristics in Dr. Yakan's personality, especially through the practical experience we lived with him during the recent years, on one hand to pay him tribute with our utmost respect and on the other hand to reveal the path he walked through carrying all his sorrows, pain, hopes and dreams, and follow his lead.

Personally I got acquainted to the late Dr. through his writings and publications, notably when we were adolescents, then young men looking for any Islamic book of a contemporary style, which tackles issues of our time and era and the challenges before Muslim youth and before the Islamic movement through original intellect and a contemporary language. But my personal relation with Sheikh Yakan actually started following the "Israeli" war against Lebanon in July 2006.

During the war, my fellow brothers in Hizbullah leadership and I were following up all the political and media developments. Amidst the harsh confrontations and challenges as well as the tremendous sacrifices taking place at that time, I watched the press conference during which Sheikh Yakan announced the formation of the Islamic Action Front, where I found in its political line one of the strengths that the Resistance made use of in its historic victory against the "Israeli" enemy. I kept track of his stances and those of all the leaders of the front.

Following the war, which was a divine victory, Sheikh Yakan insisted on visiting me despite all circumstances, for our homes and centers were destroyed, complicated procedures were back then restricting. I even felt ashamed that Sheikh Yakan, with his age, knowledge and status, comes personally to visit me. But his eminence came and a long and intimate meeting followed, in which I figured out the Sheikh's sensitiveness, love and true passion.

During our meeting, his eminence Sheikh Yakan talked about his fellow brothers and the people of his generation who tasted the sweetness of martyrdom or passed away and departed to the afterlife (of course this came in context where he asked me about my age and I asked him about his) and he questioned: "I always wonder - since I have exceeded 80 years of age- why did Allah keep me in this world while others have martyred?"

I thought and said: "your eminence, honestly and it is no compliment, I feel (no proof to what I feel but a believer follows his heart) that Allah the Glorious and the Exalted has extended your life up to date so that you would be present in such days, such stage, times of hardship and challenges. What you have done and said throughout decades of your life in preaching, working, acting, in addition to jihad and resistance that extended to reach the Lebanese and Islamic levels throughout the world is indeed a duty, but it is also viewed as laying a strong foundation for this day and this period of time we are living together as a Ummah on both levels, the Arabic and Islamic, and that which we face in Lebanon mainly. This difficult, complicated and dangerous stage needs people like your eminence, with your position, personality, intellect, bravery, honesty, commitment, and devotion. Therefore I believe Allah has kept you for such days, and it is true." 

The previous days and years were of the most difficult times we all lived, and the most complicated circumstances we faced. Today, each and every one of us in moments of meditation and thinking comes to realize that the Jihad, devotion, stances, strength, stability, clarity, and benevolence of Dr. Yakan has been a blessing, his presence resulted in great impact in facing the international, regional and even domestic complicity against the resistance, the resistance movement, and the project of cooperation and collaboration between Muslims trying to reach a national unity. We all realize that the absence of Dr. Yakan in those difficult and arduous years would have no doubt caused great void. 

I believe that the most outstanding and unique characteristic in the personality of our dear late Sheikh is the deep understanding of the real conflict in Lebanon, the region, and the Islamic world, and comprehending the reality of the events and route of events as well as understanding its background and goals. In addition to that, he had a crystal clear strategic view upon which he was able to organize his priorities clearly and precisely in harmony with his complete faith, deep-rooted commitment to Islam as he believes in it, understands it, and knows it, for he is a great scholar.

His faith in the resistance and in Jihad was limitless. In this context, I ought to say and declare that his eminence Dr. Yakan was one of the founders of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, whether through intellect, preaching, or advising. Also through his leadership of Jamaa Islamiya (the Islamic group) in Lebanon, he continued his path until the day came when he stood firmly by the resistance and with the resistance during the most difficult times, during the July "Israeli" aggression 2006. His eminence supported the resistance during the most critical times when "Israel" wanted to demolish and delete the existence of the resistance and that was when he declared founding the Islamic Action Front. 

What I must say as well is that from the first meeting with his eminence Dr. Fathi Yakan after the July war, his plans and ambitions - which his fellow brothers in the Islamic Front support - were that the Front should be an integral, direct, civil and practical part of the Islamic movement of resistance in Lebanon. And we have indeed agreed upon and started steps that we will continue together God willing. 

Based on this vision and from this position, His Eminence Dr. Fathi Yakan was one of the strongest defenders of the resistance during and after the July War. Now I do not want to open the files of that stage in view of what we have built together and pledged after the parliamentary elections, of maintaining a political and media atmosphere of calm as we enter this new phase.

However, commensurate with this commitment I must say 'yes'...brothers and sisters, honorable scholars, in my opinion and the opinion of many, the past few years witnessed the peak and summit of collusion against the resistance and its presence, physical material presence, and the presence of its weapons, human culture, mind and knowledge, not only knowledge pertaining to weaponry, they ridiculed the resistance culture and culture of martyrdom, they flouted martyrs who fell on the most honorable and sacred of paths a human takes in this world- the cause of liberating the land, the sanctities, the defense of the homeland and the dignity of our peoples in the face of invasions and occupations.

They also accused the culture of resistance of being a culture of death, darkness, killing, alienation and destruction, while in contrast a culture they called the culture of life, within which they enclosed the culture of surrender, acceptance of humiliating deals, abandonment of dignity, and acceptance of the crumbs-the crumbs offered to us by the enemies.

This battle was launched in the past few years against the resistance and its project not only in Lebanon, but also in Palestine, Iraq and in all our Arab and Islamic countries. It has been a comprehensive and broad assault on every level, security and physical assassinations of leaders and cadres of the resistance in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq, as happened with our beloved martyr commander Hajj Imad Moghnieh, as happened also with senior commanders in Palestine and Iraq, including the moral assassination of leaders and cadres of the resistance through spreading doubt about their credibility, motivations and background in their ability to understand, diagnose and assess situations.

To accuse resistance movements and their leaderships of working for the benefit of foreign projects rather than patriotic and national interests, to intimidate and make threats and launching wars against them, under headings of sedition, as happened in the war in July 2006, and the last war of aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Dear brother and sisters Jurist scholars, no weapon was spared in recent years in the attempts to dismember the resistance movements, by all weapons of culture, thought, media, politics, security, intelligence, military, sociology and human relations.

When I confidently speak of the future of the resistance, it is due to this evaluation and experience. Our enemies did all they could do to get at this resistance and failed, because God Almighty championed this resistance and its combatants, because He has been their defender and protector, they were unable to harm it in any field thanks to God.

Therefore, in such circumstances and such a period, Allah the Glorious, and the Exalted kept his eminence Sheikh Fathi Yakan despite his old age - as he had exceeded 80 years in age- in order to be a supporter, defender, leader, master, beacon, and Imam in this confrontation. Upon this evaluation I can say that thank God we have trespassed the most dangerous stage.

Now and on this topic, I address his blessed spirit as I know how worried and concerned he was about the resistance in Lebanon and in Palestine. I tell him our dear Sheikh and dear master, may your soul rest in peace, for your brothers and beloved ones in the resistance movements of all factions you trusted, and believed in their faith and honesty have surpassed the most critical stage, and will continue to move on in this movement until they accomplish your hopes and goals God willing.

On the Palestinian cause, and the resistance in Palestine, we all agree upon and have witnessed that he never allowed any internal or foreign consideration to affect the rightness, strategy, clarity, and inclusiveness of his Islamic and political speeches concerning the Palestinian cause. Moreover, we altogether, brothers and friends of Dr, Fathi are entrusted on this case as the honorable scholar mentioned earlier, all Lebanese, Arabs, and Muslims around the world are entrusted and entitled to this case of nationalism, patriotism, humanism, and distinctively Islamism.

Of course, today Palestine faces dangerous and serious challenges; settlement and deals become only farther and farther, despite all the talks about efforts. No Palestinian accepts the situation taking place now-a-days where the settlement building movement continues. I think many people want to believe the stories of Obama, Clinton and Mitchell, and want to believe that the United States is really pressuring "Israel". But I am one of those who believe not only spiritually and religiously, but also intellectually what Imam Khomeini (May he be honored by God) said and believes in. 

Imam Khomeini does not believe that this story of the Zionist lobby, the Jewish lobby as well as the Jews ruling the world are only invented stories and that "Israel" is capable of refusing or rejecting any of its demands. "Israel" is only an American object and tool in our Arab and Islamic world. It is a military base founded by the western colonist or settler in order to protect his interests and target our nation.

The Americans inherited this relation, that of an illegal guardianship over the tool ("Israel"). No one can fool us, and we will not wait for years and years for Clinton and then Bush followed by Obama and whoever comes after Obama, we will not waste our lives and our people waiting for American efforts. Occupation is continuous; settlement building is on going, especially in Al Quds (Jerusalem).

Efforts to turn Al-Quds into a Jewish state are also on going. Not only "Israel" has attempts to Judaize Al-Quds but also all of Palestine as we have seen through the latest decisions taken to scrap the Arabic names of roads, cities, and villages on road signs. We are facing a serious danger that targets our Palestinian brothers in the 1948 lands, therefore dear honorable scholars, brothers and sisters; we are in a very serious and critical stage of the Palestinian cause, case, and rights. 

We need to be present, ready, and should carry responsibility, as unfortunately, we cannot rely on any of the Arab or even Islamic governments or authorities. These governments and authorities are very ready to compromise and present relinquishments, and that was obvious as soon as Mrs. Clinton called upon Arabs to take some brave steps forward towards "Israel", - at the time when the Netanyahu government presented nothing worth mentioning- we found some Arab officials who have no relation to "Israel" and are not involved in any peace talks hastening to call for openness towards "Israeli" media as well as towards the so-called "Israeli" people.

The bet was on our people, it is still that of our people, our resistance, resistance movements and choices. But we have to put our utmost efforts as unfortunately, during the last recent years, resistance movements were subjected and exposed to mutilation and conspiracy.
We must admit that resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine had to move from a position of attacker to that of a defender as we were obliged to fight this battle whether politically, culturally, military, or socially.

What is the hope of the nations to get back the occupied territories? What is the hope of the nations to get back thousands of detainees?
Days ago, we commemorated the "Redwan Operation" in which we got back our detainees and martyrs bodies, but more than 11 thousand Palestinian detainees in addition to Syrians and Jordanians, Arabs in general remain in "Israeli" prisons, among which there are women and children, elderly and sick, while the entire world watches us. 

So what is the way or means we should follow? Settlement and negotiations will take us no where. The hopes of detainees are the responsibility of the resistance, the hopes of Al-Quds is also the responsibility of the resistance. Moreover, the hopes of the Arab and Islamic world that look forward to live in peace and dignity is also our responsibility. Therefore, the Ummah is called upon to support this resistance, assert its choice, its culture and how will it face these challenges, this way, the Ummah would pay tribute and keep promise to great leaders such as Dr. Fathi Yakan.

If such analysis, fears and forecasts prove correct, what options would the Lebanese people have?

What choices would Palestinians living in camps in Lebanon have? What option would our Ummah take in the face of a war that does not target the existence of a party named Hizbullah, but actually aims at eliminating the presence of the resistance as resistance, so that it can impose the conditions set by Netanyahu and Lieberman on the Arab peoples and governments.
What options are there before us all, but adherence to the resistance path, which Dr. Fathi Yakan (God bless his soul), was partner in its founding, building, supporting, preserving and following.

Among the things we shared in conversation in the many and varying meetings we had, is the issue of Iraq, the resistance in Iraq and confronting sedition in Iraq, now obviously being brought back and revived in Iraq. We were studying data that ought not be raised in the media and took every opportunity to emphasize our support for the noble Jihadist Iraqi resistance fighting the occupation forces, the resistance which expends its weapons, martyrs, martyrdom seekers and capabilities in the face of occupation, while it simultaneously preserves Islamic and national unity, protects the blood of its citizens, people and loved ones, the religious sanctities and shrines of the Iraqi people's spectra of components.

Today we must bring to mention the Iraqi people and government and all the world, especially those who viewed the withdrawal of the American occupation forces from Iraqi cities as a national holiday, to tell them that if it were not for the resistance and its sacrifices, martyrs, blood of its fighters and their suffering in U.S. prisons, the occupation would have remained in the cities. The virtue of this blood will force the occupation out of the entire Iraq, but today there are two major challenges in Iraq:

1- The continuation of serious, clear, visionary, properly committed and firm resistance
2- Facing seditions run by the Americans

When Biden met with the Iraqi political leaders, he stated an extremely frightening sentence, in which he said: "Should violence return to Iraq, the U.S. Administration will detach itself from all its obligations."

This means violence will return to Iraq by American will under American management, which places Iraq in the face of a great danger of violence of previous forms and later versions (I do not want to sound like an alarmist). When the Americans give such talk, we must all take heed, as this places a higher sense of responsibility on the Iraqi leaders, politicians, religious leaders and especially resistance leaders, to prevent Iraq from falling into sectarian, denominational, nationalistic and ethnic seditions. There are those who insist on pushing things into this direction, regional factors strongly serve this direction also.

The other and final heading obvious in Dr. Fathi Yakan's activities, hopes, dreams, pain and suffering, is his concern for Islamic and national unity. 

Everyone knows the serious political developments that took place in Lebanon after the July war, the Lebanese arena was sharply divided up, we always stressed that this division was political but the situation was always been pushed into giving the political tussle a religious and sectarian dimension through statements, speeches, platforms of influence and via some media outlets.

Some did this deliberately, intentionally, with planning and for ulterior motives. I say to you, the Muslims in particular, that that some in Lebanon continue to live on such hopes, their actions continue to stem from such hatred, hoping and dreaming of a situation in which matters are again pushed towards sectarian or confessional strife.

We were always careful to maintain a nationalistic, committed, and political and resistance discourse that is clear and removed from any sectarian or factional considerations. To this end, Dr. Fathi Yakan was a great front row preacher and orator, his presence in the opposition was as a central personality of the resistance movement. He managed to confront this type of sedition to tell the entire world, with his noble beard, familiar appearances, solemn and clear speeches, that division in Lebanon is not sectarian, the conflict is not Sunni-Shiaa based, the dispute is not about an event that took place some 1400 years ago, nor based on ideology, intellectual or doctrinal background, but that the division is political, where there are Shiaas and Sunnis as well as Muslims and Christians in the camps on both sides of the political divide.

Hence, the divide is politically based, on different political visions and aspirations of the current political struggle in Lebanon and the larger region.

No one can underestimate or reflect the dept of the impact of the Friday prayers held in Riad Solh Square in downtown Beirut, lead by His Eminence Dr. Fathi Yakan. It was as far as I know, the biggest Friday prayers seen in Lebanon, when Shiaas and Sunnis grouped together with Shiaa and Sunni scholars in the front rows of a unified group prayer. It was a clear message to the whole world, to everyone that bets on sectarian sedition in Lebanon, that as long as we have the scholars and senior leaders such as Dr. Fathi Yakan, we will not allow the success of conspirators and those lying in wait to harm our Islamic and national field.

Dr. Fathi spoke with me about the possibility of carrying out a joint Hizbullah - the Islamic Action Front endeavor outside Lebanon, that includes him and me personally; even though I always said to him to consider me one of his sons or students, and this was not a matter of modesty, but from the real representation.

He spoke about running joint efforts outside Lebanon as well, at Palestinian level, the Iraqi level, and in different arenas, especially where there are Shiaas and Sunnis, and where there are Sunni Islamic movements and Shiaa Islamic movements and about benefiting from the Lebanese experience of making contact between the Islamic movements of Lebanon, Sunnis and Shiaas.

This is not a an exclusive matter to Hizbullah and the Islamic Action Front, but it is to include all the Islamic groups and movements in Lebanon, to duplicate this experience, to benefit from the mutual trust between us to evoke trust between others-if it is missing-in any country or state.

Unfortunately the challenges we faced during the previous years in Lebanon were hefty, prevented even forced us into a retreat Lebanese wise, efforts spent in more than one arena regressed in favor of internal Lebanese challenges and disputes, with clearly set target aims.

I like to discuss some of the contents of the principle titles described at the opening by His Eminence the dear brother Sheikh Abdel Nasser Jabri (may God protect him), through direct meetings and direct experience.

Today, on this blessed commemoration of the late great Dr. Fathi Yakan, the teacher and father of martyrs, commander of the resistance and Mujahidin, we are keen to affirm to his purified spirit that we shall all continue along this path he lived his life's years for, for which he sacrificed and endured hardship, often reproached, abused and ill treated, yet selflessly and with patience persevering because he considered himself fulfilling his Godly religious legitimate Islamic duty, which he is to present on Judgment day when standing between the hands of God and the prophet (Peace be upon him & his household).

Today on this commemoration we are called upon to tell Dr. Fathi Yakan the following:
• ‘We will continue your way; the resistance trust will be kept by us all.
• We, as your brothers and sons in the Islamic scene will work on achieving your dream for the resistance to become comprehensive and broad, to extend to the entire national and Islamic domains. 

• We consider your keenness to see strong cooperation, rapprochement, interdependence and unity between Muslims in Lebanon and the entire Muslim world our obligation and message which we will work night and day for, God willing,
• Palestine will remain in our heart, mind, conscience, Jihad, movement and as our humanitarian and legitimate duty.

Therefore, just as the greats passed on from this world having fulfilled their duty, we said "They leave this world with reassured souls, calm hearts and faith in God Almighty, leaving behind promising faithful, Jihadist and resistant generations," we say to our great sheikh and dear departed "You passed on, now be reassured great generations of faithful, resistance combatants of Mujahedeen and forces learned from your book and school; be confident our sheikh and Imam your hopes and dreams of victory, which never left you, will be accomplished at the hands of this generation of up and coming Mujahedeen and believers; we in Hizbullah along with your brethren, students and sons of the Islamic Action Front, whom we respect and revere, will continue to work as you emphasized and recommended. God willing there would not be in this nor in any other of the arenas, any door or window that can be used to challenge or attack this faithful front of Jihad and resistance."

At the conclusion of this word, I express my sympathy and feelings of consolation to Dr. Fathi Yakan's honorable, virtuous, noble and dignified family, to his brethren in the Islamic Action Front, in the Islamic Group, in all the Islamic forces in Lebanon, throughout the Islamic world and to all the brothers and sisters present, for the departure and loss of this leader and icon, I ask God Almighty to include him with His prophets and favored ones near Him enveloped in His approval...
Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you all.