RNA - Lebanon bid farewell to prominent Shiite scholar Sayyed Hani Fahs in a grand funeral Friday that was attended by the country’s top officials and a high-profile Palestinian delegation.
Fahs’ coffin was transported in the morning from Beirut to his southern hometown Jibsheet, where he was laid to rest.
The sound of women crying filled the air and rice and roses were thrown at his casket, which was wrapped with both the Lebanese and Palestinian flags.
The casket was preceded by a number of funeral wreaths, including those sent by Speaker Nabih Berri, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Paying tribute to Fahs, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said in a statement: “ Lebanon has lost a man whose religious beliefs transcend sectarian boundaries, and whose Islamic values are open to all of Lebanon with humanity that was reflected in each of his stances.”
Fahs “spent his life fostering a communicative approach that made him a luminous beacon of thought, culture and dialogue,” he said.
Salam also praised Fahs’ ability to be close to groups of people from all religions and walks of life. “He loved all of them to the point where his friends and admirers started calling him an area of successful civil work,” he added.
“Scholar Hani Fahs was able to offer calm dialogue as an alternative for heated debate; he proposed areas for freedom of speech that don’t promote ideological conflicts but an abundance of thought and ... common bonds between people,” he said.
The prime minister offered his deepest condolences to Fahs’ immediate family, asking those who were related to him or knew him “to continue the dialogue approach that the great deceased left for us ... God rest his soul,” he said in his statement.
The deputy head of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, also mourned the Shiite scholar’s death, saying during his Friday speech: “ Lebanon lost ... a prestigious religious figure that is eminent in social work and local and Arab politics.”
“This incredible human being was in the service of his people and worked toward their best interest,” Qabalan said.
“We have lost ... a friend and a companion and a loving brother,” Qabalan added.
“You [Fahs] were always benevolent and honest in your speech and straightforward in your life as you dealt with everyone.”
MP Bahia Hariri mourned the death of Fahs “after a journey full of spiritual and humanitarian giving and national work.”
In a statement, she said: “ Lebanon says goodbye today, with the entire Arab and Islamic and humanitarian world, to a man of piety, religion, science, mind and conscience, who spent his lifetime in the service of Islam and the ordinary citizen.”
“[Fahs] used his mind and pen to defend noble values and he founded an approach to inter-religions dialogue involving respecting others and accepting them,” she said.
“He put distinct efforts into building the partnerships between Muslims and all sects.”
Hariri sent her “condolences and sympathy to the family ... and to the Lebanese people and the Islamic and Arab world.”
Hariri said that Fahs had worked for a united, diverse and modern Arab and Islamic society, and “these are the qualities we hope to combine in Lebanon, the nation and state, because it’s the basis of the Lebanese message.”
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