By Roya Pour Bagher

I always regarded my mother’s homeland as a tiny speck on the map, never giving it much weight, geographically speaking. However, that changed on February 23, 2025.

It was the day I felt that all of existence – not just 1.4 million – had flocked to Beirut, Lebanon. Is it not because you spent your entire life striving in the path of truth and justice?

My beloved Sayyed, even your sworn enemies and adversaries came to Beirut on that day. They arrived with their fighter jets, hovering above the heads of your heartbroken mourners.

The other day, I was reading the verse, “And wherever you are, turn your faces towards the Holy Mosque.” I thought of your funeral, which struck me as strange.

I never had any picture in my mind when I came across that verse before. I simply took it as, “God is saying to turn towards the Qibla (prayer direction).”

But after witnessing the encounter between your admirers and the enemy during your historic funeral, I understood another meaning of that verse.

Your “most honorable people” did not even look at the enemy, except to shout, “Death to Israel.” Their eyes were fixed on your coffin as it was moving through the sea of people inside the jam-packed stadium. So, “wherever they are, their face is towards Allah’s path.”

The old, the young, the newborn, the wheelchair-bound… Lebanese from every corner of the country, from every walk of life, traveled to Beirut to bid you tearful farewell.

Some who came by car from the north and east had to abandon their vehicles due to heavy snow, continuing their journey on foot. In other words, they walked a distance that would take hours by car. All of it for you. All of it for their unbreakable pledge of allegiance to your cause.

I never thought you would be the reason I would witness Arbaeen so early this year.

Speaking of Arbaeen, Imam Hussain (AS) sent his lovers from Iraq to pay tribute. In a proud and worthy display at your martyrdom site, they pounded their chests and mourned your loss.

Each person at the funeral came as a representative of their country and the people who wished to pay their respects in person but couldn’t for many reasons.

As the crowd gathered, their voices rose, echoing sentiments that pierced the heart:

“Why should I live after you?”

“Sayyed is in my heart.”

“You broke our backs, Sayyed.”

“It’s cold, but we’re not shivering… is it the warmth of your presence?”

These words, raw and unfiltered, captured the depth of their grief and devotion. But, Sayyed, do you know who I worried about the most that day?

The ones who carried you on your final walk. And what a weight they bore – the heaviest for the Lebanese who adored you, admired you, looked up to you.

Some cried, some wailed… but one man, in particular, stood out to me. He seemed to have lost even the ability to express his emotions – your loyal bodyguard, Abu Ali.

Watching him, I couldn’t help but feel pain on his behalf – the pain of not having died protecting you. He could have chosen to stay hidden, to grieve in private, away from the eyes of the world.

Yet, he didn’t. He stood there, catching the objects people threw toward your coffin to be blessed by it. He came and carried out his duty. He did not step back to mourn, even though he had every right to.

I saw a unique and unwavering loyalty in Abu Ali, and I know you have not forgotten him.

The unveiling of your coffin felt like the unveiling of a mountain – monumental, overwhelming, and surreal. It was as though I were watching a scene from a film, detached from reality. Even then, we could not see your face.

For most of our lives, we never saw you in person. Our connection was mediated by screens, and on that day, the coffin became yet another barrier separating us from you.

Sayyed, we never had the chance to meet you face to face. Yet, there is a strange beauty in that absence. You taught us to believe in what we cannot see. Is that not the essence of faith? Did you not deepen our trust in our savior, our final hope, Imam Mahdi, may God hasten his reappearance?

You were our father, our well-wisher, our guardian, yet we never knew your presence. Now, your grave is the closest we will ever come to touching the tangible reality of you.

I am not ungrateful. This is a connection I will hold sacred for the rest of my life. But, Sayyed, in my eyes, you are an ‘anonymous martyr’ in your own right. I never saw your face, never came across you in person. You remain eternally unseen, yet profoundly felt.

Our ‘anonymous martyrs’ lived among the people, praying that their graves would not become objects of veneration. Yet, you spent much of your life in concealment, only to be discovered after your martyrdom.

It is a paradox I cannot fully unravel, a mystery that lingers, as enigmatic as it is profound.

Your existence was one of the greatest divine lessons, yet another in the long list of Wilayah (guardianship) lessons given by Allah that many still overlook. But your people did not.

"We remain true to our pledge," is the greatest proof of that. The covenant remains there.

You taught us to obey the true leaders of justice and truth. Indeed, love is not enough. Our slogan is that of loyalty, not just love. To remain steadfast in the cause you championed demands both discipline and action, a truth your people have embodied with remarkable beauty.

They came to renew their pledge to you, not out of obligation, but out of profound devotion. And when the time came to accept the one who followed you, they did so without hesitation, without question. It is a testament to the strength of your legacy and the depth of their belief.

Your enemies never missed an opportunity to accuse you of sectarianism, yet each time, you dismissed and debunked those accusations without even trying.

Even on the day of your funeral, the irony was undeniable. You, the “sectarian man,” had attracted people from all religious, racial, ethnic, and tribal backgrounds. The atheist, Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, Zaidi Muslim, Christian, and even the Jews participated.

They came with honor and left with a prominent piece of your character – fearlessness.

The same voices that rose in solidarity with Palestine during the horrors of Israeli genocide were present at your funeral, speaking of your life and legacy. They knew you as the leader who died for Palestine, for al-Quds, for the cause we all hold dear.

But to define you solely as the man who died for Palestine feels too narrow, too incomplete. I cannot confine your legacy to a single struggle. To me, you were more than that.

I know you as the man who died for Haqq (truth) to reach God. You fought for truth in Palestine, in Syria, and in Lebanon. Everything you did, you did because it was the right thing to do.

Sayyed, you were martyred on the path of truth, and one day, by the will of God, you will pray in the path of truth at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

You said it was your personal belief. Now, I carry that belief for you here in this dunya – this world – as legions of your lovers and admirers do.

If I once wanted Palestine liberated for the sake of justice, I now want it liberated so that the man who gave his everything for justice can pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Roya Pour Bagher is a Tehran-based writer.

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Ayatollah Seyyed Abdul Karim Razavi Kashmiri was a Shiite mystic and a student of Seyyed Ali Agha Qazi Tabatabaei and Seyyed Hashem Haddad. “Sharh Kifayat al-Usul” is one of his works. He died in 1378 and was buried in the shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh (PBUH).

This virtuous scholar had interesting advice for making the most of the month of Ramadan, nine of which are as follows:

1- “Don’t be quantitative; be qualitative!” Don’t seek to finish the verses and supplications; rather, seek to digest them! Chew the small amount of food well so that it becomes part of your soul. Our biggest problem is the narrow-minded approach to religion and Sharia. Think about how much you have done in previous years with the desire to recite a lot, where have you come to?! At the beginning of Ramadan, make sure to make the intention to fast only for Allah; only Allah! Perform the rituals of fasting as much as you have the energy to do so.

2- Contemplation: Be sure to dedicate a few minutes of your mysterious fasting hours to the highest form of worship, and that is nothing but “contemplation”! Be alone with yourself and your God. Think especially about the type of relationship between the Almighty God and you; hopefully, the doors of knowledge will open to you.

3_ One of the most important states of servitude, especially in the month of Ramadan, is a state that the Holy Prophet strongly recommended, and that is “long prostration.” Only God and the saints of God know what rain of mercy and blessings from the world of Lordship will fall upon you during the prostration of servitude. Be sure to have one long prostration during the day.

4- Break your fast at home as much as possible; do not even break your fast in mosques. Let the blessing of breaking your fast and the answered prayer of breaking your fast befall your family and home. In the meantime, do Dalal during Iftar! “Dalal means pampering.” Pamper yourself during Iftar for God! Because you fasted for Him and His Majesty is a generous shepherd.

Bring the first bite close to your mouth, but do not eat! Pray; that is, tell God: “If you fulfill my need, I will break my fast!” This state works wonders!

5- The secret to staying in the divine feast of Ramadan is the alchemy of “good character”. Treat your children, relatives and friends with the elixir of good character and kindness. The moment you are angry and resentful is the moment you are expelled from this divine feast!

6- The dream ship of Ramadan rides the waves of the sea of ​​“tears” to the shore of salvation! Ask God Almighty in this month, especially for the magical dawn of those tears and cries.

7- From the beginning of Ramadan, your goal should be “Laylat al-Qadr”, which is the soul of Ramadan. There is a lot to say about this; however, “it is not good for the secret to be revealed”, let us just try to make the Night of Qadr happen in us, not in the month!

8- This month is our month of "Rabi' al-Quran". In this Quranic spring, choose a verse every day and recite it alternately and meditate on it until iftar. Hopefully, the verse will reveal itself to you at the moment of iftar!

9- Throughout the month of Ramadan, your attention to the true fasting person and the perfect human being, the Imam of the Afternoon, should not be interrupted...

A senior Hezbollah official says the United States was directly involved in the aggression against Lebanon and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination, stressing that Washington has ramped up intelligence operations against Hezbollah tenfold over the past 25 years but the resistance movement remain resolute and remains capable of striking occupiers.

Head of Hezbollah’s Resources and Borders File, Nawaf al-Moussawi, made the remarks in an interview with Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network on Monday, emphasizing that the US had a role in the decision and execution of the assassination of Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general who was killed in an Israeli missile attack in Beirut on September 27 last year.

Moussawi stressed that the types of missiles used to strike the headquarters of Nasrallah in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood “were not part of Israel’s arsenal and were brought in specifically for this targeted attack.”

The Hezbollah official also noted that the US intelligence operations against Hezbollah since 2000 have increased tenfold compared to those of Israel, stressing that American intelligence program “serves Israeli interests.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Moussawi said that Hezbollah had “suffered heavy blows” in its confrontation with the Tel Aviv regime, but stressed that the movement “is not over, nor is the Resistance front.”

The Resistance inflicted significant losses on the Israeli occupation “at the height of the war” and scored achievements during it, he emphasized, citing, as an example, the Caesarea operation, in which a Hezbollah drone reached the residence of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hezbollah “is capable of delivering strikes to the Israeli occupation if it compensates for its shortcomings,” Moussawi stressed, highlighting that “the amount of shortcomings and gaps is significant.”

The Hezbollah official noted that while the occupying entity claims that it has achieved “success,” there is no evidence for its so-called achievements against the movement.

Moussawi also said that Hezbollah is currently conducting an internal investigation into all security and military events that took place during Israel’s latest war on Lebanon.

Since the onset of the escalation in October 2023, around 4,000 Lebanese, many of them civilians have been killed, and over one million people displaced.

The Israeli escalation featured assassination of several high-ranking Hezbollah leaders, including Nasrallah, and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, who had been Hezbollah’s Executive Council chief, as well as commanders and fighters.

Nasrallah and Sefieddine were laid to rest in the capital Beirut on February 23 and 24, respectively, amid myriads of mourning Lebanese and foreign supporters.

The Lebanese resistance movement, however, stood up to the aggression with all at its disposal, conducting numerous retaliatory strikes against sensitive and strategic Israeli targets.

Hezbollah has vowed to continue its resistance against Israeli occupation and aggression, despite the losses, which, the movement asserts, only further reinvigorate its resolve to fend off Israeli atrocities.

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Yes

Praying and its scientific effects on pain reduction have been proven.

Stress reduction: By creating mental peace, prayer can reduce stress and mental tension that lead to pain.

Physical movements: Prayer movements such as bowing and prostration help improve blood circulation and reduce muscle and joint pain.

Increased endorphins: Spiritual practices such as prayer may increase levels of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.

Source: The Book of Modern Sciences in Islam

In a statement published on the Palestinian resistance group's Telegram channel on Saturday, senior Hamas member Abdul Rahman Shadid issued a call to action, urging Palestinians to converge on the courtyard of the sacred site throughout the Muslim fasting month.

He emphasized that Palestinians “must not surrender to the restrictions of the occupiers. We must confront them with all our strength and adhere to our historical and religious right to the blessed mosque.”

Shadid called for “roaring crowds” to protect the al-Aqsa Mosque compound all through Ramadan.

Earlier, Hamas condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli police’s measures to “restrict worshippers’ access to al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, allowing only 10,000 worshippers to attend Friday prayers.”

The Gaza-based movement described these steps as “a new escalation against the Palestinian people and their holy sites, a dangerous precedent that undermines freedom of worship at al-Aqsa Mosque, a blatant violation of all conventions and religious laws, and a direct provocation to Muslim sentiments.”

The movement also considered it “a desperate attempt to impose alleged control over the mosque.”

Hamas affirmed that “the Zionist entity’s crimes and aggressive plans against al-Aqsa Mosque – Islam’s third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian identity – will not succeed in erasing its identity or altering its history.”

The movement stressed that “Al-Aqsa will remain an exclusive Islamic endowment, with no place for the occupation. Our people and our nation will defend it with their lives until it is fully liberated from occupation.”

Hamas warned the occupying Israeli regime against “proceeding with such measures,” holding it fully responsible for any escalation that may happen.

The movement called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the international community to “take serious action to stop the crimes and violations of the occupation against al-Aqsa Mosque and to ensure that the Palestinian people can freely practice their religious rituals there.”

Hamas finally urged Palestinians across the West Bank, al-Quds and elsewhere in the occupied territories to “intensify their presence at al-Aqsa Mosque, engage in worship and seclusion there during Ramadan, and confront all attempts by the occupation and extremists to desecrate or impose control over the mosque.”

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Israeli bulldozers demolish homes in West Bank; Hamas urges UN to stop 'war crimes'

A man looks at destroyed buildings at the Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees near Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank on February 26, 2025. (AFP)

Hamas says Israel has once again committed war crimes by the demolition of homes of Palestinians on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in the occupied West Bank's Nur Shams refugee camp.

he Israeli military is pressing ahead with its intensified acts of aggression and destruction across the occupied West Bank, causing several injuries and forcing numerous Palestinians out of their homes.

Reports coming out of the occupied Palestinian territory pointed to continuation of the indiscriminate assaults across many cities and towns, including the northern cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, and the central city of Salfit’s vicinity.

The reports came amid warnings by various Palestinian and international groups and personalities about the regime’s intentions to annex the territory and turn it into another Gaza Strip, where more than 15 months of a genocidal Israeli war claimed the lives of over 48,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Reports said Israeli occupation troopers deployed after midnight additional military reinforcements to Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps. Troops fired live ammunition intensively, while explosions were heard in the Jabal al-Nasr area of Nur Shams camp.

According to the official Palestinian Wafa news agency, the regime forces seized residential buildings, particularly those facing Tulkarm camp, converting them into military outposts while deploying military vehicles and bulldozers in the area.

The Israeli siege on Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps remains in place, with Israeli forces enforcing a complete lockdown.

The most recent bouts of Israeli aggression saw a three-month-old infant suffocate from tear gas fired by Israeli forces at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp in the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that its medical teams had transported the victim to the hospital after she was exposed to the toxic materials.

The Israeli regime has continued its military onslaught on Jenin and its refugee camp for the 41st consecutive day, resulting in the killing of 27 Palestinians, along with dozens of injuries and detentions.

The ongoing aggression has also led to the forced displacement of residents and widespread destruction of infrastructure and homes, with around 120 houses completely destroyed and dozens more partially damaged.

Earlier this week, the Gaza Strip-based resistance movement Hamas said the regime had once again committed war crimes with its demolition of homes of Palestinians on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at the Nur Shams camp.

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Israeli forces kill a Palestinian in their raid on Jenin as the Tel Aviv regime presses ahead with a large-scale onslaught against the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces on Tuesday handed the body of a Palestinian they had shot dead in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Al Jazeera said in a report, without giving further details.

Earlier, armored Israeli military vehicles stormed Jenin as part of the current massive raid on the city.

The Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank is bearing the heavy brunt of the occupying entity’s ongoing aggression.

Separately, Israeli forces also shot and wounded at least four other Palestinians near Nablus, including a 13-year-old who was hit in the chest by live fire.

Now in its 43rd day, the large-scale onslaught by the occupying regime's forces has claimed the lives of at least 27 Palestinians in Jenin and its refugee camp.

The ongoing aggression has also led to the forced displacement of residents and widespread destruction of infrastructure and homes, with around 120 houses completely destroyed and dozens more partially damaged.

On Monday, The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk sounded the alarm over Tel Aviv’s military aggression in the occupied West Bank.

“In the West Bank, I am alarmed by the use of military weapons and tactics, including tanks and airstrikes, against Palestinians; the destruction and emptying of refugee camps; the expansion of illegal settlements; the severe restrictions on movement; and the displacement of tens of thousands of people,” he said before the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Türk also stressed that “Israel’s unilateral actions and threats of annexation in the West Bank, in violation of international law, must stop.”

Meanwhile the Settlement Resistance Commission, a Palestinian governmental body dedicated to opposing Israeli settlement expansion and the construction of the so-called separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a new report that Israeli forces and settlers carried out 1,705 attacks in February.

Muayyed Shaaban, head of the commission, said that Israeli forces conducted 1,475 of these attacks, while settlers carried out 230, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.

He added that the majority of these attacks were concentrated in Nablus, which saw 300 attacks, followed by al-Khalil with 267 and Ramallah with 263.

According to the report, Israeli forces also carried out 79 demolition operations against Palestinians in February, affecting 156 structures, including 109 inhabited homes.

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Iran does not intend to incite a fire in our region; but the important and fundamental point that must be taken into account is that if any action is to be taken against the positions, interests, soil and people of Iran, the Islamic Republic will undoubtedly respond without any indulgence or appeasement and take its revenge. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the Islamic Republic has announced its support for the axis of resistance from the beginning without any hesitation and without any shortcomings and shortcomings and is pursuing this issue. Basically, it must be considered that the Islamic Republic has supported the axis of resistance in other ways without directly entering the recent war and has engaged in confrontation with the Zionist regime. However, it is the Zionist regime that has committed aggression without adhering to red lines and international rules and forced the Islamic Republic of Iran to directly enter the field to contain it.

If international bodies such as the United Nations and the Hague Tribunal were to make a decision against Israel, they would be virtually invalid and we would find that they would not be very strict against it. Now, the fundamental issue is that in such circumstances, where no one is stopping Israel and its numerous crimes, we must stand up to it and take action.

First, if the meaning of being the Son of God is a true meaning, in accordance with the Muslim belief in God, who is inconceivable in terms of any defects, flaws, combinations, needs, limitations, and issues of this kind, it cannot be plural.

Second, if we consider this term metaphorically - such as becoming divine and purifying the soul - then it will not be specific to Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and will include many believers.

Third, if the description of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) with this title is due to the special creation of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), this title is much more suitable for Prophet Adam (peace be upon him).