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Ragheb Harb
File:Ragheb Harb.jpg
NameRagheb Harb
Personal Details
Birth PlaceIn the village of Jabshit
Death PlaceOn the way from Jabshit Mosque to his home
Death DateOn Friday night, February 16
TeachersAyatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah
ReligionIslam

Ragheb Harb, cleric, Lebanese politician and one of the founders of the Islamic Resistance who due to his attention to the issue of resistance in Palestine and Lebanon, fight against occupiers of the Israeli, addressing the issue of Islamic unity, consultation with Sayyed Abbas Musavi in teaching Islamic rulings regarding occupiers and unity against enemies to Muslims, participation with Imam Musa Sadr in "Amal Movement" and "Harakat al-Mahroumin", reform and education of people during sermons, speeches and lessons and in Congregational prayer in Jabal Amel, holding Friday prayer, announcing religious rulings regarding the obligation of Jihad and defense of Islam against the enemy Zionist, was tortured and arrested many times by the then government of Lebanon, which was a supporter of the Israel, and the Israel. He on the midnight of Friday 28 Bahman 1362 SH (February 16, 1984), due to disrupting the sinister plans of Israel with his actions and activities, while after performing prayer and speaking in Jabshit Mosque was going to his home, was martyred by machine gun fire in an ambush by occupier forces of Jerusalem on his way.


Biography

Sheikh Ragheb Harb was born in 1952 AD in the village of Jabshit and in a poor family[1]. His father's house was a place of visit for religious figures including Ayatollah Mohammad Mehdi Shams al-Din and Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. He was a devout farmer who paid the Zakat of his product every year and was known for his religiosity and piety.


Education

Ragheb entered elementary school at the age of seven. And since his mother considered the French language the language of Colonialism and this belief was also formed in the existence of her son. Therefore, he continued in the village of Jabshit until the elementary level and at the age of ten went to Nabatieh to continue his education. Ragheb showed great interest in discussion and dialogue at school during his education. He who did not accept the system of Lebanon from that period and considered the flag of this country a symbol of the dominance of France and a sign of colonialism, became interested in studying religious sciences at the age of 15.


Seminary Education

He, eager for religious education, in the year 1389 AH equivalent to 1348 SH, corresponding to the year 1969 AD, went to Beirut and went to the seminary "Al-Ma'had Al-Shar'i Al-Islami" in eastern Beirut which Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah had established after returning from Najaf and there he taught Rasa'il, Makasib and Kifayah and outside principles and Fiqh. In Beirut, important religious, social and political desires were formed in the spirit of Ragheb Harb and he tried to achieve them in a coordinated manner. He followed the issues of Muslims, the thought and flow of Palestine. Until he found the desire to continue his studies in Najaf Ashraf. Ragheb in the year 1391 AH (1350 SH, 1971 AD), went to Najaf Ashraf. He did not incline to Ijtihad and wanted knowledge with action and service to the people and tried to finish his lesson quickly and return to Jabshit. He was in Najaf for three years and in the summer of the year 1392 AH (1351 SH, 1972 AD), in Najaf Ashraf he married his cousin and two great scholars, Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah and Mohammad Mehdi Shams al-Din were present at his marriage ceremony.


Attention to the Lunar Calendar

Martyr Ragheb in Najaf insisted on using the Hijri calendar, in such a way that even if asked about the Gregorian year, he would answer in Lunar. He paid special attention to Ashura ceremonies and went many times from Najaf to visit Imam Hussein (Peace Be Upon Him) in Karbala and sometimes walked this long path.


Return to Lebanon

He during the three years that he was in Najaf Ashraf, learned Logic, grammar, rhetoric and Principles of Islamic jurisprudence and in the summer of 1394 AH, returned to Lebanon, while studying the beginning of Kifayah and the middle of Lum'ah. He rented a house in the "San al-Fil" area of Beirut, but after a while returned to Najaf again, of course, he did not stay there long and spent that period in poverty and hardship.


Acquaintance with Sayyed Abbas Musavi

Acquaintance with Sayyed Abbas Musavi was during the days of his residence in Najaf Ashraf and what caused this friendship in Najaf and its increasing strengthening was the intellectual unity of the two persons. The distinction of Ragheb Harb and Sayyed Abbas from other scholars was not only due to their specific understanding or perception of the phenomenon of enemy occupation of the Zionist but these two mujahid scholars turned their knowledge and thought into a mobile school and moved among the Muslim Ummah and taught Islamic rulings regarding occupiers and unity against enemies to Muslims and in this path adopted brave and explicit positions, remained steadfast in their beliefs and tried to mobilize youth in the way of values.

Return to Lebanon

Sheikh Ragheb Harb returned to Lebanon in 1394 AH due to pressures from the Iraqi Ba'ath Party and, while continuing his seminary studies at Burj Hammoud School, held weekly sessions for the education of youth. The following year, he departed for the village of "Al-Sharqiya" and from 1398 AH (1978 SH, 1978 AD), he settled in his birthplace, Jabshit, as the local cleric. He considered the factors of deviation, corruption, and materialism to be the lack of thinking figures, and the lack of clarity regarding the laws and achievements of Islam; therefore, he decided to reveal the true nature of Islam, which conforms to the Holy Quran, and adopt Islamic educational methods. Methods that had proven their ability to build a determined personality opposed to libertinism and nihilism. He wished to guide people through knowledge of Sharia rulings so that they would consider God in all affairs, walk in the path of His pleasure, and keep themselves away from His wrath and anger.


Meeting with Imam Musa Sadr

Martyr Ragheb was thinking of reviving Islam and establishing a party which he had named "Hizb al-Tali'a al-Thawra al-Islamiya". He went to visit Imam Musa Sadr along with some of his friends. He himself says regarding this matter: Imam Sadr welcomed us warmly. Dr. Chamran was also with him. When the topic of organizing the Islamic movement arose, Imam Sadr brought out the Covenant Pact and said, "This is the national covenant of the Movement of the Deprived, and you are among the first people to become informed of it." Sheikh Ragheb Harb, after the text of the covenant was read by Imam Sadr, said: "In this statute, Islam is not explicitly mentioned!" Imam Sadr replied: "This is a national covenant." Ragheb said: "The Arab people are mentioned." Imam Sadr responded: "We live in an Arab environment, so it was necessary to refer to it."


Cooperation with the Amal Movement

With the announcement of "Harakat al-Mahroumin" by Imam Musa Sadr in 1974 SH, Martyr Ragheb Harb began cooperation with it in the Nabatieh region along with his friends and disciples. Hojjat al-Islam Sayyid Abuzar Ameli, from among the comrades and colleagues of Martyr Chamran at the Jabal Amel Industrial Institute, says regarding this matter: ... We became acquainted with Sheikh Ragheb Harb after the formation of the Amal Movement. Sheikh Ragheb Harb cooperated greatly with us. We went with him many times to the villages of the Nabatieh region to manage the weekly youth sessions of the Amal Movement. Sheikh Ragheb Harb had a very beautiful voice. For this reason, in all sessions, he would recite the Quran himself. This part of the program lasted about half an hour. After that, cultural and political issues were raised[2].

In the Field of Action

Ragheb's field of action in Nabatieh was part of his Islamic field of action in Lebanon. His Islamic movement influenced many Islamic movements. His most important actions in the field of action were as follows:

  1. Ragheb's first task in Jabal Amel was enjoining good and forbidding evil among the people of the city. The work of reforming and educating people during sermons, khutbahs, and lessons, and in congregational prayers, was the same work he had performed in Jabshit. For a period, he resided in his wife's family home. Then he lived in his grandfather's house, and later in a waqf residence for a religious scholar. The mosque was his beloved home. He insisted on prayer there, finding his roots there. He collected old Qurans whose pages had deteriorated and entrusted them to bookbinders. Initially, he had difficulty in speaking. He would become dazed and bewildered. Sometimes he read from papers, but eventually, through perseverance and repetition, he became a renowned orator. He had great interest in the Holy Quran. At the beginning of the khutbah and lesson, he would recite Quranic verses and express the exegesis of the verses. He attached great importance to children and youth.
  2. His second task was establishing Friday prayers. Before that, Friday prayers were only held in Burj al-Barajneh, Beirut, led by Dr. Mohammad Sadeqi Tehrani. Initially, the proposal for Friday prayers was not welcomed, because some Shia jurists considered the obligation of Friday prayers valid only during the time of a just ruler (the Infallible Imam or his immediate successor in the Era of Occultation). Sometimes only 5 or 7 people would attend Friday prayers, until gradually the number of worshippers increased. Despite the scarcity of scholars in the region, Friday prayers provided a suitable opportunity for the gathering of believers, apart from its virtue and reward. Friday prayers had many benefits, including believers getting to know each other, cooperation in the social dimension, raising various political issues on the Friday prayer pulpit, and the growth of the community of believers and their education in gatherings. Years later, with the occupation of southern Lebanon by the Zionist regime, Ragheb continued to hold Friday prayers and believed that one of the main messages of Friday prayers is to teach Muslims not to cooperate with the invading enemy, and that Friday is one of the most important days where, by utilizing its etiquette, society can be built based on correct principles and criteria, and cohesion can be brought to the ranks of Muslims.


Trip to Iran

Ragheb Harb traveled to Iran in Khordad 1361 SH to participate in the Conference of Liberation Movements. The programs of this seminar, in which representatives of more than 350 delegations from nearly one hundred Islamic, Asian, and African countries participated, lasted one week. These delegations had traveled to Iran at the invitation of the Liberation Movements Unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The attack by the Zionist regime on Lebanon coincided with the holding of the conference. The army of the Zionist regime, with the aim of expelling Palestinian fighters from Lebanon, installing a pro-Israel Christian president, and reducing the military and political power of Syria in Lebanon, launched a widespread invasion of the country from land, air, and sea, and due to the withdrawal of Palestinians and the Amal Movement, advanced to the gates of Beirut. The Shia-inhabited area of "Dahieh" was the only area in Beirut that the Israeli army could not enter, and this allowed Islamist groups to have a safe place to keep their weapons and forces. In the Tehran conference of 1379 SH, religious and non-religious figures from Lebanon had participated. The most important principled figures present at the conference were Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, and Sheikh Subhi al-Tufayli. The Lebanese participants requested immediate aid from Iran for the people of Lebanon.


Continuation of Resistance

Martyr Ragheb Harb returned to southern Lebanon after the conference to become fully informed of the situation. The community of Muslims and most Muslims were seeking comfort. Ragheb Harb ignited the flame of national resistance of Lebanon for the first time in Jabal Amel, and resistance grew in all mosques and in religious ceremonies, especially during Ashura. The first step Ragheb took in Jabshit was declaring religious rulings regarding the obligation of jihad and defense of Islam against the enemy. With the attack by the Zionist regime on Lebanon in the year 1361 SH (1982 AD), and the occupation of this country, scholars in southern Lebanon such as Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Sheikh Hussein Sarwar, and others did not leave their villages after the occupation. Sheikh Ragheb Harb embarked on a popular intifada.


Further Familiarity with the Islamic Revolution of Iran

Ragheb Harb traveled to Iran again in the same year. His goal was to become familiar with the Islamic Revolution of Iran. He entered the city of Qom and spent several months in this holy city. He participated in the Congress of Friday Prayer Leaders and the Fajr Decade celebrations of the year 1361 SH, and during Quds Week, he traveled to Arab and African countries to propagate the Islamic Revolution.

Arrest and Torture

The occupation forces recognized the increasing role of the clergy and their efforts to mobilize the people against the Israel. Among the most prominent of these clergymen was Ragheb Harb, who initiated the public mobilization movement in Jibshit against Israel. The occupiers attempted to pressure him. An Israeli officer went to his home to converse with him, but he refrained from shaking hands with the officer. At that time, Ragheb Harb uttered a phrase that later became famous: Our positions are our weapons, and shaking hands with the enemy means recognizing him. Jibshit was among the first villages that, guided by his teachings, stood against Israel and boycotted all Israeli goods, and men and women made significant efforts to expel Zionist mercenaries. Israel, realizing that the people's adherence to the Sheikh would be costly for them, and that the Sheikh was a tough and inflexible man whose thoughts would undoubtedly trample the goals of Israel and the America in Lebanon and the region, attempted to suppress the nascent movement of the Lebanese revolutionaries in such a way that others would be frightened and become isolated and withdraw from the battlefield. Forces of the Zionists on Friday night, 28 Esfand 1361 SH (March 8, 1983), surrounded the home of Sheikh Ragheb Harb, the Imam of Jibshit, with armored vehicles, arrested him, and transferred him to an unknown location.

Reaction of the People of Lebanon to the Arrest of Sheikh Ragheb Harb

Following the spread of news regarding the arrest of the Imam of Jibshit, who was also a member of the Sharia Council of the Supreme Islamic Council of Lebanese Shiites, the residents of Jibshit staged a sit-in at the city Mosque after strikes and demonstrations. Subsequently, the residents of Nabatieh villages went on strike, and institutions, schools, and shops were closed. With the general strike of the people of Nabatieh, Israeli forces in southern Lebanon went on high alert. On 1 Farvardin 1362 SH, Muslims of Nabatieh city, during demonstrations condemning the occupation of southern Lebanon by Zionists and the arrest of Sheikh Ragheb Harb and other people of southern Lebanon, demanded the release of the Imam of Jibshit. On 2 Farvardin 1362 SH (March 11, 1983), scholars of southern Lebanon began their sit-in in protest of Sheikh Ragheb Harb's arrest at the Nabatieh Hussainiya and, through a statement, demanded the release of the Imam of Jibshit city. Following the strikes in Nabatieh and Jibshit, the people of the Baalbek region also went on strike and closed shops, schools, and government offices. The people of southern Lebanon cities joined the vast crowd of strikers, and finally, Sheikh Ragheb Harb was released after 17 days of captivity on Sunday evening, 14 Farvardin 1362 SH (March 25, 1983).


Speech After Release from Prison

Sheikh Ragheb Harb said after his release from prison: Zionist forces blindfolded me and kept me handcuffed for one night in Nabatieh city. They said they wanted to transfer me to Ansar Prison, but they took me to Sidon. Then they took me to Al-Shajarah School, the center of the military governor of the Israel in the city of Tyre. I was detained there until the day they released me. The Zionists asked my opinion during interrogation about peace, mutual recognition, and the interest of the Israel: My response was that every human prioritizes their own interest and that of their homeland. He immediately went to his city after release. Amidst the welcome of thousands of people chanting "Allahu Akbar", he entered Jibshit. He went to the mosque and in a speech said: I am very happy to meet you... The best phrase I can utter here is the word "La ilaha illa Allah" just as Muslims uttered it upon victory and entry into Mecca. Ragheb Harb said after release: The continuation of the popular Amal Movement is necessary for the general uprising to bear fruit and for the liberation of Lebanon from the presence of occupiers. He added: I hope to be able to walk the right path with my mujahid brothers to achieve our goals with all available means. My release was achieved by the grace of God and the effort of the God-fearing people who confronted the Zionists, and reliance on God and self-reliance is the best means for confronting the enemy and reaching victory. The Zionists wanted me to cooperate with them in exchange for my release, but I rejected this proposal and told them: You must know that without any doubt, I will continue my struggle against you. The Zionists asked me about Imam Khomeini and whether I had met him during my visit to Iran, to which I replied: Yes, praise be to God, I benefited from his guidance. They also asked about the role of Imam Khomeini and the degree of our commitment to his leadership. I said: Imam Khomeini is considered our religious reference, and since he is the Deputy of Imam Mahdi, we are obligated to execute his commands and prohibitions

Media Interview of Sheikh Ragheb Harb Stating the Goals of Struggle Against Israel

A reporter for the Milliyet newspaper of ترکیه noted in an article regarding his visit to Lebanon: The person whose name is heard more than others in southern Lebanon is Sheikh Ragheb Harb. His images cover all the doors and walls of southern لبنان. From سازمان امل to حزب‌الله لبنان and even the Islamic Jihad Organization, they consider Sheikh Ragheb Harb as their own. Most شیعه organizations of Lebanon show great interest in Sheikh Ragheb Harb and consider him the shadow of Imam Khomeini in Lebanon. Martyr Sheikh Ragheb Harb, in an interview with the aforementioned reporter at his residence located near Nabatieh, stated his struggle goals as follows: Until today, we have resisted with tooth and nail against the صهیونیست‌ها who, by occupying our lands and regions, are trying to destroy us, and we will continue our resistance until they are eradicated, from the old and young to children and women. We know that the occupiers of قدس, in case of withdrawal from these lands, will turn these regions into a lake of blood. Their destruction and elimination from the occupied lands of فلسطین is the duty of all مسلمین of the world. Until today we have only resisted against the occupying forces of Jerusalem; henceforth we will employ other methods. If you are with us, you will see how to use these methods; our only goal for Lebanese and Palestinian Muslims is the complete liberation of بیت‌المقدس from the claws of the Zionists.


Participation in the Conference on Saddam's Crimes

Martyr Ragheb Harb last traveled to ایران at the end of the year 1362 SH to participate in the Conference on the Crimes of صدام, which was held by the Supreme Council of شیعیان of عراق in تهران, and spoke at this conference, an excerpt of which is as follows: Perhaps some of those who have gathered here have only become briefly familiar with Saddam's crimes through the press, but we ourselves have been victimized by Saddam's crimes. Saddam's crimes are not limited to the people of Iraq and include all مسلمین of the world, and whenever I think about the city of نجف اشرف, its historical background comes to my mind. Najaf Ashraf, a city that was the cradle of knowledge and the center of gathering for students of science and standard-bearers of guidance, has been besieged by the forces of صدام, and a considerable number of scholars of this city were martyred and others are constantly under pursuit. Wherever we are in the world, we always receive news of Saddam's crimes against the Muslim nation of Iraq.


Martyrdom

Ragheb Harb, after returning to لبنان, went to the southern region and continued his work. اسرائیل, seeing all its sinister plots foiled, committed a more horrific crime. In the midnight of Friday, 28 Bahman 1362 SH (16 February 1984), while Sheikh Ragheb Harb was going to his home after performing نماز and giving a speech at the Jibshit Mosque, the occupying forces of قدس ambushed him on his way and martyred him with machine gun fire. Two other men who were with him were severely injured. According to reporters, Sheikh Ragheb Harb shouted before death: Allahu Akbar, they killed me.


Funeral Ceremony

After this martyrdom incident of Ragheb, the youths of Jibshit carried the Sheikh's corpse on their shoulders and started moving in the streets of the town, when suddenly they faced fire from the security forces of اسرائیلى and five people were injured. The Phalangists' radio also reported: Israeli forces besieged Jibshit after this incident. Israel thought that by killing Sheikh Ragheb Harb and creating terror and fear among the oppressed people of لبنان, it could prevent the spread of the انقلاب اسلامى, but this did not happen. Martyr Ragheb Harb was buried in his birthplace, Jibshit. 7 children (5 daughters and 2 sons) remain as a legacy from this honorable martyr.

Reactions

Sayyed Abbas Musawi

Following the martyrdom of Sheikh Raghib Harb, whose slogan was "Taking a stand is [using] weapons, and shaking hands is [making] acquiescence", Sayyed Abbas Musawi moved from the city of Nabi Shith in the eastern Beqaa towards Jabchit in the heart of Jabal Amil and settled there. He spread his cloak on the ground and donned combat attire. Sayyed Abbas Musawi, years later and on the eighth anniversary of Raghib Harb's martyrdom (27 Bahman 1370 SH), went to Jabchit with his wife and child, accompanied by a group in a vehicle. Upon returning from this trip, forces of the Zionists lay in wait for him with electronically guided missiles and, in a savage attack, targeted the vehicle carrying the secretary of Hezbollah at the Tufahita junction – Jabal Amil, martyring him, several of his companions, as well as his wife and six-year-old child. Martyr Sayyed Abbas Musawi, during the ceremony commemorating Sheikh Raghib Harb, elaborated in a speech on the dimensions of the injustices inflicted upon the people of southern Lebanon (Jabal Amil) by the Lebanese government and the Zionist regime. This speech was the last sermon of Sayyed Abbas Musawi moments before his martyrdom.

Imam Khomeini

His Eminence Imam Khomeini, on 14 Shahrivar 1367 SH, on the occasion of the martyrdom of Allamah Sayyed Arif Hussain Hussaini, leader of the Shias of Pakistan, sent a message addressed to the Muslim nation of Pakistan and the Islamic scholars. An excerpt of this blessed message is included as the conclusion of the biography of Martyr Raghib Harb: We have not yet seen a court cleric or a Wahhabi religious figure stand against oppression, polytheism, and disbelief, especially against the invading Soviet Union and the American world-devourer. Just as we have not seen a pious cleric who loves serving God and His creation have a moment of rest or tranquility to aid the downtrodden of the earth, and who has not fought against disbelief and polytheism until reaching the abode of the Beloved; and Arif Hussaini was such. And Islamic nations have certainly understood the reason for this incident: why in Iran the Motahharis and Beheshtis and martyrs of the Mihrab and other dear clerics, and in Iraq the Sadrs and Hakims, and in Lebanon the Raghib Harbs and Karims, and in Pakistan the Arif Hussainis, and in all countries the clerics aware of the pain of pure Muhammadan Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) become the target of conspiracy and assassination.[3].


See also


Footnotes

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Sources

  1. ↑ Images/ Martyr Hojjat al-Islam Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Sacred Defense News Agency.
  2. ↑ Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Hawza Information Center.
  3. ↑ A look at the biography of Martyr Sheikh Raghib Harb, Rasa News Agency.
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