Honoring the Memory of a Hero and a Peacemaker Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani at Islamic House of Wisdom
Hundreds of Muslims and non-Muslims gathered at IHW last Saturday 1/14/17 to express their condolences and sympathy on the sad occasion of late Ayatollah Rafsanjani who passed away on Jan 8th in Tehran.
After recitation of the Quran by Youness Makki and majless by Sheikh Hassan Habhab, Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi performed the memorial service as the key-note speaker of the ceremony.
The following is some highlights from imam Elahi presentation.
Imam Elahi welcomed the participants and honored ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani as a hero not only with Islamic but also universal standards.
The Quran identifies three characteristics as the major distinctions of great individuals in a society, knowledge, hard work (authentic jihad) and piety, the late ayatollah was blessed with all these qualifications.
It’s a huge tragedy for the world to lose such a great thinker, philosopher, true Quranic commentator, jurisprudent, writer, speaker, courageous commander, powerful peacemaker and a moral role model.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani was a distinguished student, spiritual son, closest companion, and a beloved friend of the Islamic Republic’s Founder.
The late ayatollah represented the moderate, straight path of the Republic and its voice of wisdom, vision, devotion, discipline and determination.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani is one of the founding fathers and architects of the Islamic Republic as in America George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin are considered of the founding fathers of the Republic.
Ayatollah joined other great friends whom he shared the same strongholds of struggle during the tough times before the revolution’s victory. Yes he joined those who already met their Lord while completed their duties such as ayatollah Taleghani, Montazeri, Motahhari, Mofatteh, Beheshti, Bahonar, Hasheminejad, Tabasi, Mosavi Ardebili and others pure souls.
Before being a politician ayatollah Rafsanjani was an educator and a man of culture and literature. Tafsir Rahnama of the Quran, great legacy of 14 valuable volumes of his life memories, establishment of Azad University with millions of students and graduates, leading Tehran Friday prayer and leaving a legacy of hundreds of inspiring and educational sermons, limitless books, articles, lectures and statements all demonstrate the late ayatollah’s spiritual and cultural contributions.
Imam Elahi then spoke about the final Friday prayer lead by ayatollah in 2009 in Tehran and considered that message as the best road map for Iran and the Muslim world. In that sermon the ayatollah gave a brief and beautiful presentation of moral and loving nature of prophet Mohammad mission and asked the leaders of the Republic and the entire nation to follow that direction. For the system to succeed he emphasized on 1- obeying the law, and if the law was not working well to change it through legal ways. 2- Achieving people trust and confidence.
He asked for freedom of the prisoners who were arrested during the controversial presidential election and spoke about being one nation, one family, one destination.
Imam Elahi admired the late ayatollah for his success in construction policies after the war, including Tehran subway and bringing so much peace and prosperity despite of economic crises.
As president he was so wise, open, and smart that even the late King Abdullah of Saudi was impressed with his wisdom and invited him to the kingdom and welcomed him to visit the Fadak of Fatimah (SA). If late Rafsanjani policies had a chance to continue till the end, there was a great chance that the Middle East especially Yemen, Syria and Iraq wouldn’t be in a situation they are today.
So we are mourning a huge loss and tragedy. We are saying goodbye to a man who had a history of service, sacrifice and sincerity, a man who worked hard till an hour before his death, never gave up, never lost his patience and acted always responsibly. He was shot and wounded by the Forghan evil terrorists in 1980s and lived the rest of his life a living martyr. The ayatollah and his family were the targets of so much injustice, insults, intimidations, physical and psychological harassments by the forces of greed, jealousy, ignorance, and power hungry yet he never complained about his personal pains and continued to defend the people’s civil rights and human dignity.
Imam Elahi at the end went through some of his memories personal meetings in 80s and 90s with ayatollah Rafsanjani and talked about the ayatollah’s friendliness, frankness, dignity and humbleness.
In conclusion the imam admired the Iranian people for expressing their love, loyalty, gratitude and understanding to ayatollah Rafsanjani with their amazing multi millions participation in his funeral procession. It was a day of people, a day of sadness and sorrow, day of dedication and dignity and a day of saying goodbye to one the founding father of Islamic Republic.
Let’s wish that president Rouhani and other political leaders of Iran be able to continue the covenant of ayatollah Rafsanjai, the covenant of courage, commitment, peace, moderation and service to Iran and good relationships with the rest of the world.
Let’s dream that one day the people in the Muslim world be free from the current corrupt oppressive authorities and enjoy God’s given gift of dignity and equality.
