RNA – Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Nouri-Hamadani issued a statement on the passing of Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the Chairman of the Expediency Council and a former two-term president, and expressed his condolences.
Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani passed away on January 8 at the age of 82 after having an acute heart attack.
Born on August 25, 1934, the influential Iranian politician and writer was the fourth president of the Islamic Republic, serving from 1989 to 1997.
The message is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
“Indeed we belong to God and to Him do we indeed return”
The news of the sad demise of this mujtahid and warrior scholar, Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani, is the cause of intense pain for us. He had a brilliant record and demonstrated great determination and effort on the path to achieve victory for the Islamic Revolution and had a strong relationship with Imam Khomeini and took on many services to the committed people of Iran in the various posts he had.
His loyalty to the Revolution and Imam Khomeini and the Supreme Leader persisted until the last moments of life.
I personally had a long acquaintance with him in the Islamic Seminary of Qom and witnessed his struggle against the Shah’s ruling regime. And today, with God’s divine providence, this dear brother returned to the countenance of God.
This nation loyal to Imam [Khomeini] and the Supreme Leader will participate in his funeral ceremony and memorial and once against the [Iranian] people will display their unity and support for the Islamic system of government which has been established due to the efforts made by the noble people and the likes of [Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani] despite the determination of the ill-wishers and division-seekers and once more they will disappoint the enemies.
I offer my condolences of this blessed late personality to the Guardian of the Era [Imam al-Mahdi] (may God hasten his reappearance) and to the Supreme Leader and the Seminaries and to all of the noble people of Iran.
Hoseyn Nouri-Hamadani
9 January 2017
112/930/339