Former Iraqi Prime Minister recalls the Religious Authority, Sayyed Fadlullah (ra)

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - In an interview conducted by Sayyed Shafiq Al-Mousawi in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, with the Former Iraqi Prime Minister, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafary, the latter confirmed that the uniqueness of the late Religious Authority, His Eminence, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra), was prevalent on the scientific, intellectual, moral, social and political levels, as he excelled in all of them, in addition to his uniqueness "in the open and contemporary reading of the texts of the Quran; a reading that is in a race against time". Al-Jaafary also recalled some of his memories and stands with the Sayyed (ra).Distinction at all levelsDr. Al-Jaafary answered a question about the characteristics of the Sayyed (ra), and said: "The distinction of the Sayyed extended to several fields, for he was distinct in his thoughts and heart that beats with faith. His Eminence left his mark and print on each of his accomplishments. On the moral level, he was a mentor, in the sense that the person who looked up to him was affected by him, by his morals, by his knowledge, by his mature mind, and by his fairness towards others. He was even fair with his enemies; thus, his behavior constituted the living behavioral model… As for his distinction on the level of his diverse accomplishments, it is natural to talk about them, taking into consideration their comprehensiveness and diversity.He also saw that: "His Eminence was strongly attached to the Holy Quran, as he sought to acquire its morals, and those of his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (p), and Ahl El-Beit (as). Thus, the Quran was, throughout his life, the guide and reference he always resorted to. Whenever he delivered a speech or talked about the issues of deduction or any other issue, he used the method of Quranic thinking, making deductions from the Quran, as Imam Ali (a.s.) said: “There is the Quran, let it speak." Thus, you find that the Quran was always his guide. He began with it and presented evidences from it. He also memorized the Quran as he memorized the narrations; thus, he never suffered or experienced hardships when he searched for anything; he lived the Holy Quran.”   He “did not regard the Quranic text in a rigid manner; his view was rather open and contemporary, and in a race against time. Thus, we find that His Eminence used to inquire the Quran and extract the deepest meanings that Allah, the Most Exalted, kept in it. The Quran is the Quran, but innovation underlies in the mentality of the interpreter and the Mujtahid who deals with the Quran and infers rules from it. When the tools of deduction and contemporaneity are available to the one performing deduction, he will find in the Quran what he will never find in anything else.”On another level, he saw that “the distinction of the Sayyed was demonstrated when he addressed people in the language of the Quran to penetrate into their minds and hearts. The Sayyed used to look into the Quranic verses to deduct from them wonderful generalities, for when addressing women, he used to cite Quranic verses that talk about feminine models, such as Balqis and Asia Bint Muzahem”…    Artistry of addressing people Former Iraqi Prime Minister confirmed that the Sayyed (ra) “understood the text from a social point of view… that is why; when he talked to all segments, be they Muslims or non-Muslims, they accepted his words, since the Sayyed (ra) possessed the art of humanizing people; and whenever someone humanizes people, he will find that the other will accept him and react with him… The Sayyed knew how to treat young people that represent the future, and he was capable of understanding their views and minds. His Eminence gave them special attention through his words and overviews for the future, for he talked fluently with all categories of the society. He began his speech from the point that the receiver believes in, and extended it to the point he, His Eminence, believes in. This is an art only few people possess, amongst which is the Sayyed.His Eminence (ra) "knew how to address the people, each according to his level. He used to talk to the cultured, according to his level of culture, and to the average person according to his level of culture. This is a very complicated and difficult artistry, for you would see that at the time the Sayyed addresses the experts according to their level of knowledge in the principles, jurisprudence, science of men (their ancestry and qualities), prophetic traditions and theology, he addresses the others who are not experts with an acceptable and understandable language. The Sayyed and IraqDr. Al-Jaafary answered a question about the bond of the Sayyed with Iraq, and said: "When we talk about the life of the Sayyed in Iraq, we have to divide it into two phases; the phase that stands for his life in Iraq, until he left it, and the phase after he left Iraq, where he left the land, but he never stopped showing interest in the country’s affairs. This is a phase that deserves to stop at and analyze. Whenever you met His Eminence in Lebanon, you would find that he was always informed of the Iraqi affairs. He used to talk to me on the phone and ask me about the situation in Iraq, even after the fall of the regime… When we talked to His Eminence, we always felt that we were dealing with a person who follows the Iraqi situation closely, giving conclusive evidences that he was a man who had never left Iraq. If he had left Iraq, the land, he had never left Iraq in terms of the cause and the human being."    Ethics of the messageAl-Jaafary talked about the ethical side of the personality of Sayyed and said: "He used to talk in a caring way, with strong nerves and composure, especially in crises. While others had no right to talk about prudence, because their behavior does not reflect their speech, Sayyed Fadlullah (ra) had the full right to talk about prudence, since he, himself, was prudent. Without mentioning the names of some people who offended the Sayyed (ra), I would like to say that when His Eminence heard that someone wronged him, he disregarded their words and talked well about them. Someone used to tell me: "Do you know that if the killer of Sayyed Fadlullah’s father (ra) came to him, he would welcome him?!" He was forgiving, whether in his public speeches or in his private meetings. He was also ethical and modest, as he never dealt with anyone haughtily, and he never excluded anyone from his gatherings.