04/07/2010
Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlullah died on Sunday after a long struggle with illness.
Sayyed Fadlulla's Media Office announced his death in a press conference at Al-Hassanein Mosque in Haret Hureik, Beirut's southern suburb. The Office added that the funeral procedures will be announced later. Family members also began to receive condolences in the nearby Hassanein mosque.
Sayyed Fadlullah had been hospitalized several times over the past months. On Friday he was admitted to intensive care as his health deteriorated.
SAYYED FADLULLAH'S BIOGRAPHY
Birth and Childhood
Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlullah was born in Iraq’s holy city of Al-Najaf on November 16, 1935 /1354H. He was raised and educated by his father who greatly influenced the life and thought of his son.
His father Sayyed Abdul Ra`ouf Fadlullah: Born in 1325H/, went to Najaf and studied with Mirza Fatah` Ash-Shahid, Sayyed Abul Hassan Al-Asfahani, and Sayyed Abdul Hadi Al-Shirazi. He became a prominent scholar and a widely sought and appreciated teacher. He stayed with his brother, Sayyed Muhammad Sa’id and went to the south of Lebanon when the latter died. There he continued his studies and became a religious authority capable of issuing religious decrees (Fatwas). He was known for his piety asceticism and good morals. He had a great influence on his son who benefited a lot from him until he died.
Education:
Sayyed Fadlullah went first to a traditional school (Kuttab) to learn the Quran and the basic skills of reading and writing. Then he went to a modern school where he stayed for two years and studied in the third and fourth elementary classes. Sayyed Fadlullah began Islamic theology studies at a very young age. He also used to take great interest in the whole cultural and literary scene, which he followed up by reading Lebanese, Egyptian and Iraqi magazines and newspapers.
Sayyed Fadlullah also studied the Arabic language, logic and Jurisprudence, and some philosophy. He did not need another teacher until he studied the second part of the course known as Kifayat al Usul which he studied with an Iranian teacher called Sheikh Mujtaba Al-Linkarani. He attended the Bahth Al-Khariji (External Research) in which the teacher does not restrict himself to a certain book but gives more or less free lectures.
Teachers
Sayyed Fadlullah attended the Bahth Al-Khariji of some of the greatest scholars and religious authorities of that time including: Sayyed Abulkassim Al Khou’i, Sayyed Mohsen AL-Hakim, Sayyed Mahmoud Shah`roudi, Sheikh Hussein Hilli, Mullah Sadra Al-Qafkazy who was known as Sheikh Sadra Al-Badkoubi.
Academic and literary Activities
When Sayyed Fadlullah was only ten or eleven years old, he joined hands with some friends in publishing a hand written magazine they called Al-Adab. He then took part in editing the Al-Adab magazine (1380H) that was published by Jammat Al- Ulama (Scholars’ Group) at Najaf. He used to write the second editorial called “Kalimatuna” (Our Message) and these articles were then compiled in a book called, “Our issues in the light of Islam”. The first ”Our Message” editorial was written by Martyr Sayyed Mohammed Baqir As-Sadr.
Back to Lebanon
After 21 years of studying under the prominent teachers of the Najaf religious university, Sayyed Fadlullah concluded his studies in 1966/1385 H and returned to Lebanon. He had already visited Lebanon in 1952 where he recited a poem mourning the death of Sayyed Muhsin Al-Amin.
In 1966 he received a invitation from a group of believers who had established a society called ”Usrat Ataakhi” (The family of Fraternity) to come and live with them in the area of Nabaa’a in Eastern Beirut. Sayyed Fadlullah agreed, especially as the conditions at Najaf impelled him to leave.
In Naba’a, he began organizing cultural seminars and delivering religious speeches that discussed social issues as well.
Nevertheless, his main concern was to continue to develop his academic work. Thus he founded a religious school called” The Islamic Sharia Institute” in which several students enrolled and later became prominent religious scholars including Martyr Sheikh Ragib Harb., one of the main founders of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon. He also established a public library, a women’s cultural center and a medical clinic.
When the Lebanese civil war erupted in 1975, he was forced to leave the Naba’a neighborhood. He moved to the Southern suburb of Beirut where he gave priority to teaching and educating the people. He used the Mosque as his center for holding daily prayers giving lessons in Quran interpretation, as well as religious and moral speeches. He even opened a religious school in the Sayyeda Zeinab (daughter of Imam Ali and sister of Imam Hussein pbut) neighborhood in Damascus, where he used to teach regularly.
Resistance:
Sayyed Fadlullah was a staunch fighter against arrogance and for the cause of freedom. He supported the international liberation movements and devoted his efforts to guide and back the international Islamic movements.
In this context, he took part along with Martyr Sayyed Muhammad Baqir As-Sadr in founding the Islamic Movement in Iraq as a first step towards an Islamic movement in the Shiite sphere. Then, in the late seventies, he announced his support to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic movement in Lebanon with all the means possible to ensure its success: speaking, writing, and defending its major arguments at every opportunity.
In his sermons, he strictly called for armed resistance to the Israeli occupations of Lebanon and Palestine, along with opposition to the existence of Israel. The media described him as the spiritual guide of the resistance. Before long he became the target of several assassination plots executed by local regional and international intelligence services.
Attempt of Assassination:
On March 8, 1985, a car bomb equivalent to 200 kg of explosives went off at a few meters from his house in the Bir El-Abed neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburb. 80 people were martyred and 256 were wounded, most of them were children and women. The blast destroyed a 7-story apartment building, a cinema. The attack was timed to go off as worshippers were leaving Friday Prayers. "Sayyed Fadlullah escaped injury, as a woman had stopped him at the mosque seeking a few answers to some religion-related questions.
Sayyed Fadlullah accused the US, Israel and its internal allies of being behind the explosion.
Social Activities
In addition to academic and religious activities, Sayyed Fadlullah concentrated on social activities.
His Mabarrat Association was born, and it soon became one of the greatest pioneers and models in this field. The association which began its activities by building orphanages expanded and began to build social and medical centers as well as mosques.
The Mabarrat has now nine orphanages, two medical centers nine schools, one Vocational School, eight Islamic centers and other Media and Information centers.
Sayyed Fadlullah’s Contributions to the Civil Society and the Downtrodden
Hanan Awarekeh
04/07/2010 “We have to improve our education and gain more scientific knowledge. If we do not make the best of our time now, we will not be able to build our future or develop in the Future…”
With these words Sayyed Muhammed Hussein Fadlullah used to address people, especially the youths, to benefit from every single minute of their lives. For that reason, his eminence opened many religious and social institutions that were mainly founded with the contributions of many Muslim benefactors.
In 1966 Sayyed Fadlalluh received an invitation from a group of believers who had established a society called “Usrat Ataakhi” (The family of Fraternity) to live with them in the Nabba’a neighborhood in Eastern Beirut. There, he started organizing cultural seminars and delivering religious speeches that tackled various topics.
Sayyed Fadlullah’s main concern was to continue to develop his academic work. He founded a religious school called” The Islamic Sharia Institute” in which several students enrolled and later became prominent religious scholars including Martyr Sheikh Raghib Harb. He also established a public library, a women’s cultural center and a medical clinic.
When the Lebanese civil war (1975-1989) forced him to leave the area, he moved to Beirut’s southern suburb where his top priority was to teach and educate people in this historically abandoned part of the country. For Sayyed Fadlullah, the mosque was the place to pray, teach, preach, and mark religious occasions, like Ashoura.
He soon started to teach Islamic principles, jurisprudence, and morals at an academic level.
Sayyed Fadlullah has also founded a religious school in the Sayyeda Zainab neighborhood in the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he used to teach regularly.
In addition to academic and religious activities, Sayyed Fadlullah concentrated on helping the downtrodden in compliance with God’s saying in the holy Quran: “Restrain thyself along with those who cry unto their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance; and let not thine eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who followeth his own lust and whose case hath been abandoned.” (S18:v28)
Sayyed Fadlullah shared the people’s grievances, and made great efforts to find solutions for their problems. With the advent of the Lebanese civil war and the escalation of the Zionist aggression, he recognized quite early the enormous magnitude of the social problems that had generated. People were being killed, displaced and unemployed. He made every possible effort and established orphanages and schools for the children of martyrs and the poor as well as people with special needs.
Thus, the Mabarrat (charitable institution) Association was established, and it soon became one of the greatest models in this field. The Mabarrat established orphanages and expanded others, and built social and medical centers as well as mosques:
The Orphanages:
- Imam Al-Khouie Orphanage (Beirut-Daouha)
- Imam Zein Al-Abidine (a.s.) Orphanage Biqaa (Hirmil).
- Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib (a.s.) Orphange, South Lebanon. (The Ma`roub-Sour road)
- Virgin Mary Orphange (a.s.) South Lebanon (Jiwaya).
- Al- Sayyida Khadija Al-Kubraa(a.s.) Orphange, Beirut (Bir-Hassan).
-The Zainab (a.s.) Orphange West Biqaa (Suh`mur) Under construction.
-The Imam Al-Hadi Institute For The Deaf and Blind.
Medical Centers.
1- Bah`man Hospital Beirut (Haret Hreik).
2- Al Sayyida Al-Zahra’(a.s.) Hospital South Lebanon (Al-Abbasyyah) Under construction.
Sayyed Fadlalluh Institution for Charity and Social Welfare provides aid for thousands of needy each year in the form of a monthly donation, per annum, or in the form of educational or medical aid. It helps about a 100 thousand people every year, and the value of its average yearly donations, over the last few years, amounted to around 6 billion Lebanese pounds ($4 million).
Sayyed Fadlullah went all the way to fight ignorance, sectarianism, and reactionism, using the mosques, first in Bir- al-Abed and then in Haret Hreik as schools to teach ethics, spread knowledge and call for action. He also gave lectures in many universities, schools, social and cultural clubs, in an effort to emphasize Islamic values among the youth and the nation as a whole.
His eminence also lectured on Islam in many countries including, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France India, Iran, Algeria. He participated in scores of Islamic and intellectual conferences around the world.
Schools
1- The Imam Al Khouie Orphanage Beirut (Dawha)
2- Imam Al-Baqir Secondary school Beka`a (Hirmil)
3- Imam Al-Jawad Secondary school Beka`a (Ali Nahri)
4- Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib school South lebanon (Ma`roub)
5- Imam Hassan Secondary school, Beirut (Ruwais)
6- Al-Mujtaba Secondary School, Beirut (Hay Al-Salum)
7- Imam Ja`afar As-Sadiq school South Lebanon (Jwaya)
8- Al-Kaouthar Secondary school Beirut (Bir Hassan)
9- Imam Hussein School, Beka`a (Suh`mour) under construction.
Vocational Schools
1- Ali Al-Akbar Vocational Institute Beirut (Doha)
Islamic Centers
1- The large Islamic Center, Beirut (Haret Hreik: Consists of the Al-Imamain Hassnian Mosque, the Zah`ra Hall and the Islamic Cultural Center.
2- Imam Hasan Askari Center Beka`aa’(Sira’in)
3- Imam Hussein Center-Beka`a(Jlala)
4- Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib center South Lebanon.(AL-Hawzah-Sour)
5- Ahl Al-Beit Mosque Beka`a’ (Rayak)
6- Imam Ja’afar Al-Sadiq Mosque Beka`a (Hirmill)
7- Ahl Al-Beit Center, North Lebanon (Tripoli)
8- Sayyida Zainab Mosque, Beka`a (Ba’albek)
Media and Information Centers
1- Al- Bashai’r Radio station.
2- Office of Information
Religious Colleges
1- Islamic Sharia Institute
2- Women’s Religious College
3- Sour (Tyre) Religious College
4- Al-Murtada Religious School (Damascus)
Worth mentioning, Sayyed Fadlullah succeeded in founding many institutions that have been helping many people around the country with the belief that these institutions would continue to achieve their sublime goals since they don’t depend on individuals… and the long journey keeps moving towards fulfilling these goals after Sayyed Fadlullah’s death.
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