Hassan Nasrallah standing behind a microphone, surrounded by four body guards

Nasrallah surrounded by bodyguards speaks on Ashura day in 2013

I take refuge in Allah from the stoned devil. In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Peace be on the Seal of prophets, our Master and Prophet, Abi Al Qassem Mohammad and on his chaste and pure Household and on his chosen companions and on all messengers and prophets. 

Peace be on you, my master and lord Abi Abdullah, and on all the souls gathering around your holy site. Peace be on you as long as I remain alive and as long as night follows day. May Allah make it not my last visit to you. Peace be on Hussein, Ali the son of Hussein, the children of Hussein, and the companions of Hussein.

Scholars, brothers, and sisters! Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. On this day – the day of solemn woe, we offer our sincere consolation to our Master – the Prophet of Allah – Mohammad (Peace be upon him), our Master Amir Al Mu’mineen Ali Bin Abi Taleb (Peace be upon him), our Lady Sayyeda Fatima Al Zahraa (Peace be upon her), our Master Imam Hassan Mujtaba (Peace be upon him), all our chaste Imams (Peace be upon them), our Master the Imam of our time (Peace be upon him), our senior authorities, His Eminence Sayyed Ali Khamenai, and all Muslims for the martyrdom of the Grandson of the Prophet – the Master of the Men of Heaven – Abi Abdullah Al Hussein (Peace be upon him) and his household and friends and for what have afflicted his family following his martyrdom.

Second: I address you saying may Allah reward you abundantly and accept you offerings brothers and sisters: your sleepless nights, industrious efforts, and this procession of yours. May Allah make you happy in this world and in the Hereafter for your massive, extraordinary, and courageous turnout despite all challenges, security concerns, and rain too. That’s how you are, that’s how you were, and that’s how you will remain to be Inshallah.

These great scenes for tens of millions all over the Islamic world and in more than one Islamic country, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, condoling the Prophet of Allah, and renewing their oath reflect the greatness of this martyr.

Imam Hussein (Peace be upon him) has forcefully been present among us for more than 1350 years. He still makes us cry today as if he was martyred yesterday.

I am sure that many in this world believe that you have a leader or an Imam who was killed only yesterday when they see your tears, grief, and lamentation. They cannot comprehend that you are crying with all this sorrow and grief an Imam who was oppressively martyred thirsty and lonely more than 1350 years ago.

This is the greatness of Al Hussein as well as his eternality and persistence. The pain for his martyrdom is still being inherited in our hearts from generation to generation. Al Hussein (Peace be upon him) is still pushing us to the fields and squares. If he calls us for a square, we no soon show up, and if he calls us for a definite stance, we answer his call. His words are always strong, effective, and influential.

How great is this Imam before whose calamity all calamities dwindle, and before whose sacrifices all sacrifices dwarf, and before the firmness of his stances all stances become humble!

Thus they feared his power over their thrones all through history. They always wanted to cancel his name from among names, from the past, present, and future, and from consciences. They further killed his adorers and visitors. They demolished his tomb and swept it away. They prohibited shedding tears on him and mentioning his virtues and struggle. To achieve that, they cut off heads, hands, and feet, and they are still doing so. What was the result?

Because Al Hussein is the vengeance of Allah, His holy man, and His light in Earth, he remained, and they were gone. Their names were wiped away, and their deeds were dead while Al Hussein (Peace be upon him) remained a great figure in this nation and in history. Brothers and sisters! Your blessed, courageous, and noble attendance in all regions without any fear is evidence on the immortality and ability of Al Hussein to have influence on us and to push us to the squares of challenge and danger.

Brothers and sisters! I would like to tackle several points in the short time limit available.

First: The first point is that these Husseini gatherings and commemorations have always been subject to bombs and acts of killing. What took place in Nigeria, Ehsa province in the KSA, Pakistan, and Iraq are signs that the aggressors are violent, weak, and fruitless. When they threaten you and threaten civil, peaceful processions with suicide bombers, booby-trapped cars, or rocket shelling and when they kill and perpetrate massacres in more than one place in the world, they would be proving their ignorance and intellectual weakness, their humanistic weakness, their savagery, and their cowardice. Tens of millions all over the Islamic world today and all through history have proved that these means are fruitless. Nothing would ever stand between the supporters of Al Hussein and Al Hussein (Peace be upon him). Neither explosions, killing, bursting into Husseiniyas and mosques, bullets, bombs, suicide bombers, threats, nor intimidation can cause that to take place. Isn’t this a form of war? We are adamant to confront those who launch war on us. Aren’t we in the school of Al Hussein (Peace be upon him)? Don’t we every day, every year, and every tenth of Muharram and whenever the Zionists or the Takfiris or any tyrant in this world put us before two choices – war or disgrace – and suppose that we would accept humiliation, reiterate our pledge to Imam Hussein: The bastard son of a bastard had put us before to choices: either war or disgrace. Disgrace How Remote!

That’s why you turned out today to assert this commitment, this spirituality and this methodology.

The second point has to do with Al Qods and the judaizing attempts it is being subject to besides increasing the number of settlements for the occupying settlers while displacing the original residents whether Muslims or Christians as well as the recent Zionist violations against the Holy al-Aqsa mosque. The “Israelis” are getting advantage of the Islamic world’s turmoil to reach their objectives. Today more than any time in the past, if one stands to talk with fear and worry about dangers facing al-Aqsa Holy mosque and the Islamic and Christian holy sites in al-Qods, he would be right. This is not an exaggeration or an attempt to cause fears. This Holy place is facing real and serious dangers. This is a responsibility to be shouldered by all Muslims and not only the residents of al-Qods alone or the people of Palestine alone or the Arabs alone. It must be assumed by all Muslims around the world. The worst calamity and shame that may afflict the nation of one billion and hundred millions of Muslims is that its first Qibla and one of its blessed holy mosques – as unanimously agreed by all Muslims – is being subject to profanation and judaizing and perhaps even demolition and sweeping up.

All Muslim scholars, Muslim authorities, Islamic states, the Islamic Conference, and the Arab League are called to take a great decisive historic stance. It is not allowed that disputes and struggles distract the nation from being preoccupied with such a serious danger that threatens al-Aqsa Mosque.

The third point has to do with the continuous “Israeli” threats and talk about a third war against Lebanon, especially after the cease of the latest aggression against Gaza.

I want to assert to you that we view all what the “Israelis” say as stemming from “Israeli” weakness not power. They talk about their concern, fear, despair, and frustration. The “Israelis” thought that the development of events in the region and especially in Syria would weaken and exhaust the resistance and the axis of the resistance and affect its readiness.

Indeed they “Israelis” are collecting information and data as they do not rely on what is written in some Lebanese and Arab newspapers and is said on some Lebanese and Arab media outlets to the effect that Hizbullah began to get weak, perplexed, and exhausted as a result of the events in Syria and getting involved in fighting in Syria. These are practicing a psychological war. They know that they are talking against facts.

As for the “Israelis”, they do not make their calculations according to prepaid articles but rather on facts because they pose a true threat and the resistance poses a true threat too.

As for us, all what we have heard since the cease of the war on Gaza to our day does not make us feel worried or frightened or disturbed. We are rather more reassured as it reveals the concern of our enemy.

Yes, the “Israelis” must feel worried. It is true what a senior officer says that in case a new war takes place with Lebanon, on day one they would have to shut down Ben Gurion Airport, Haifa Port and…

I would like to assert to you that you would have to shut down your airports and seaports, as there is not one place along Occupied Palestine that won’t be reached by the rockets of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.

O Zionists! All what crosses your minds must be taken into consideration. Consequently, all what they talk about pertaining to concern, fear, calculations, and a serious war are true. However we put all what we heard so far in the sphere of intimidation first, in the sphere of revealing “Israeli” concern second, and in the sphere of intimidating Lebanon, the Lebanese people, and the Lebanese resistance. Well, we are not frightened with intimidation. In fact, we are not frightened by war itself, so how are we to be frightened by threatening with a war? That does not make any difference at all.

What prevents them from waging a war, staging an aggression against Lebanon, and seizing the opportunity of the events in Syria and the preoccupation of a dear group among our resistance fighters in Syria is that “Israel” knows very well that the resistance in Lebanon was never distracted from eyeing Lebanon’s southern borders with northern Occupied Palestine. The resistance is alert, fully ready, strong, and full-fledged in Southern Lebanon. Thus the “Israelis” are not duped. They know that going to war will be very costly.

So what prevents war is this deterrence presented by the resistance which has proved especially lately that it does not tolerate any aggression against Lebanon or any “Israeli” violation against the Lebanese whether in Adloun or any other village. It will retaliate any time it finds becoming and it will claim responsibility of the retaliation in media outlets as well. “Israelis” know by heart the ever-new-old equation. This is evidence on the strength and bravery of the resistance which is not intimidated or frightened by any confrontation with this enemy.

The eye on “Israel” is always vigilant, and here I am asserting to you and to everybody – not to raise morals at all – that the resistance today and as a result of the events and developments is more determined, powerful, confident, skilled, and experienced in confronting all dangers and wars. Here we must nurture a high degree of reassurance and confidence in what our brethrens have prepared for in all domains.

The fourth point has to do with what is taking place in Syria. I will tackle that in a couple of words.

On the light of all the developments in Syria and the region and the savage killing we are witnessing and is taking place around us make us more convinced that we have made right choices. Before coming here, I read a new piece of news that says that the number of martyrs from the Iraqi Sunnite Bou Nemer Tribe on the hands of “ISIL” combatants in Iraq has reached 500 including women and children in a week or two. Thus when we sit to discuss the rightness of our choices and the soundness of our battle and the fact that we are ready to make great achievement, we find that we are in the core of these achievements.

In Syria, the whole world was mobilized at the beginning of the events. What did they say? They said that Syria would fall in their hands in two or three or four months at most. Here we are in the fourth year and still Syria did not fall. The goal of all the international and regional forces which united to control Syria wasn’t limited to a certain city, a certain village, or some rural areas. Their goal was to control all of Syria and Damascus above all. However, today we see that Damascus is still intact and that Syria did not fall in the hands of this axis or in the hands of the international and regional axes.

The goal of the Takfiris was to control Syria and to eliminate, expel, and hit all communities of other religions and Muslim sects and even those in the Sunnite community who do not agree with their viewpoint. Syria was awaiting massacres similar to those perpetrated by “ISIL” in Riqqeh, Deir Zour, Mosul and Anbar.

However we are on the threshold of the fourth year of the Syrian conflict, and still the Takfiris have not yet been able to control Syria. Many Syrians remain safe in their villages, lands, towns, and cities without coming under this control. Isn’t that a great victory, a great achievement? What is required is that we reach the day of final victory. However, what has taken place so far is a great victory to all those who are defending and fighting for Syria, Iraq, and the region not to fall in the hands of these butchers who cut heads, rip chest, bombard, kill, slaughter, dishonor women, and take them as prisoners.

We are proud of this achievement, and when we stand next to our Syrian brethrens whether the army, national defense forces, people, tribes, and the residents of the various regions in which we offered humble contribution and support, we would be next to them and they would be the primary fighting group. As such this achievement was made. Here I am telling you in addition to what I said before.

Every now and then, some in Lebanon try to verbalize their dreams. We would thus read that Hizbullah will withdraw from Syria as it is being exhausted there. What is taking place in the Qalamoun? The Syrian army and its allies had the upper hand in the Qalamoun and in every region we are present next to our Syrian brethrens.

As far as the Qalamoun is concerned, do not care for the media and psychological war. For months all the fighters in the Qalamoun are struggling to restore one village from the Syrian Army and its allies and still they failed to achieve that, and they will always fail to achieve that Inshallah.

Today, we feel that we are part of the battle taking place to protect the region from the primary threat facing it, and we are proud of being in this defensive position. We have the honor of having our martyrs, wounded, fighters, and stance part of the victory that will take place. Takfiris have no future and their plan has no life. In fact, their project does not have the ability to live and persist. Its life is even short. Here I am asserting to you: These Takfiris will be defeated in all regions and in all states and in all countries and we will have the honor of being part of the side that will defeat them.

Brothers and sisters! Today we meet again not to part to meet only in the next tenth of Muharam as we are with Al Hussein every day, every night, and every hour through our presence in squares and fields and through assuming responsibilities.

With every drop of blood that is shed from every martyr, we say: At your service – O Hussein! With every injury, our wounds reverberate: At your service – O Hussein! With every tear that falls from the eye of a martyr’s wife, mother, or orphan, our tears resound: At your service – O Hussein! Our arms, fists, rifles, minds, and hearts will always shout: At your service – O Hussein! With such a commitment we move along so that our nation, dignity, honor, and all the great events for which Al Hussein revolted and was martyred remain and continue to exist.

Peace be on you, my master and lord Abi Abdullah, and on all the souls gathering around your holy site. Peace be on you as long as I remain alive and as long as night follows day. May Allah make it not my last visit to you. Peace be on Hussein, Ali the son of Hussein, the children of Hussein, and the companions of Hussein. May Allah accept your offerings and reward you abundantly in this world and in the Hereafter. Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.