With only a week separating the steadfast people of resistance from expressing their loyalty to their most holy of martyrs late Hezbollah Sescretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, Allah’s mercy be upon him, another event celebrated annually in the same community comes to pass. An event that enshrines the importance of Sayyed Nasrallah’s own struggle and eventual martyrdom as his name is placed on his own plaque next to the names of the great martyred leaders before him.
Hezbollah’s Martyred Leaders Day is an event celebrating the memory of the three most important resistance leaders: Sheikh Ragheb Harb, former Secretary-General Sayyed Abbass Al-Mousawi, and Senior Commander Imad Moghniyah. The master of the resistance, Sayyed Nasrallah, had always taken a stand at the podium to give praise and prayers to the compatriots he and his people lost on the path. Until that fateful day on 27 September 2024 that Allah decided it was time Sayyed Nasrallah join that caravan himself, leaving behind an eternally loyal community to continue without him.
As paramount as the “Sayyed” – a name the people of resistance used to refer to Sayyed Nasrallah – was to this journey, it is important we glance over the lives and legacies of those he once walked beside. First and foremost, The Sheikh of the Islamic Resistance Martyrs Sheikh Ragheb Harb, who’s storied life amongst the hills and valleys of Mount Amel in Southern Lebanon is etched on to the stone itself.
Sheikh Ragheb Harb
His role was as humble as his life, during a time where the Islamic Resistance was merely a small handful of inspired youthful warriors wanting nothing more than to rid their land of its viscous occupier and who found solace in the words of learned clerics such as Sheikh Ragheb Harb. The Sheikh, who had completed his studies amongst the high scholars of the holy city of Najaf in Iraq, had decided that the only place to invest such knowledge is with his people, who’s struggle against an oppressor far more powerful than them can only be won with clear minds supported by a steadfast creed.
On the 16th of February, 1984, the “israeli” enemy assassinated Sheikh Ragheb through one of their agents in Jibchit, South Lebanon.
When asked, “How will we kick israel out of Lebanon?” Sheikh Ragheb Harb would reply, “Think of how we will kick them out of Palestine [too].” pic.twitter.com/5rdQw3jBt7
— aya (@political_aya__) February 16, 2024
The Martyr Sheikh’s legacy is held aloft by his community’s ever-present vigil against their enemy, when even now as the occupation soldiers trounce over the hallowed ground of the border villages, Sheikh Harb’s people go out in unarmed droves to face them, chanting the words of refusal he always shouted in his speeches. Sheikh Ragheb’s importance to the community made the Zionist enemy place him on the list of top priority targets, and on the eve of 16 February 1984, enemy collaborators would murder him in plain sight of his friends and family via sniper fire.
Sayyed Abbas Al-Mousawi
Another great cleric who also shines as an exemplary leader is Sayyed Abbass Al-Mousawi, who, while Sheikh Ragheb Harb was spreading the message of resistance in the south, was responsible for gathering the heroic people of the Bekaa valley under the same banner.
Sayyed Abbass, the second Secretary-General of Hezbollah was the glue that held the resistance of Baalbek and the Bekaa together. Being the first cleric to instill in the people the importance of gathering every Friday for mass prayers in the mosques of Baalbek he used those days to describe to the masses the impending Zionist danger encroaching from the south. His inspiring words and insistence to always be present in the field of battle planted the seeds for the now vibrant community that remains one of the only bulwarks against Zionist oppression.
Sayyed Abbas Al-Musawi reiterated the words of Imam #Khomeini:
Today marks the martyrdom anniversary of Sayyed Abbas Al-Musawi. ⚘️💛https://t.co/o7qeud7tau pic.twitter.com/qEMlzui5DO
— Lady Maasuma (@ladyMaasuma) February 16, 2025
As with all such selfless leaders, Sayyed Abbass’s sacrifices, his work, and his effect on those who refused the occupation forced the Zionists themselves to perform a cowardly assassination via helicopter bombardment of the Sayyed’s convoy 8 years following the murder of Sheikh Ragheb, martyring him and his family alongside 4 others who accompanied him to the remembrance held annually in honor of Sheikh Ragheb’s memory.
Hajj Imad Moghniyah
The third leader who brought light to the path while remaining in shadow, the leader whose work is so legendary that it spurred dozens of monikers from both American and Zionist adversaries following decades of pursuit; “Machiavellian”, “Mastermind”, “Abu Dukhan (Father of the Smoke)”, and “The Most Dangerous Man in the world”. Senior Commander and General Hajj Imad Moghniyeh.
“You might ask what the nature of our existence could be at this stage,
but the existence is definite.”The great Shaheed Imad Mughniye answering the questions raised, post 2006, surrounding “the removal of Hezbollah”. pic.twitter.com/C4gk31uz6T
— Axis of Tabyeen (@aotabyeen) January 17, 2025
For over 25 years, Hajj Imad proved the brilliance of Hezbollah’s efforts to rid the land of American imperialism and Zionist aggression. Many in the western world argued that Hajj Imad’s operations were responsible for entirely removing American military presence in Lebanon and his efforts, planning, and strategic know-how a primary factor in freeing the south of Zionist occupation.
Hezbollah’s esteemed leaders had left behind a great legacy that runs deeper than the roots of the oldest trees, echoing through generations as a testament to courage and unwavering devotion. They stood unshaken in the face of oppression, choosing duty over comfort, principles over fear, and the nation over self. Their immortal legacy has woven into the soul of the land they defended, inspiring the people of resistance to rise with the same unbreakable spirit of dignity and patriotism.
This year, the Martyred Leaders Day comes with a new leader joining the convoy of martyrdom, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, the unparalleled leader and the most holy of martyrs. Just as the sun sets only to rise again, his spirit will shine through the hearts of those who will continue the journey, all the way to Al-Quds. He now walks among the immortal legends, illuminating the path of freedom.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
