BEIRUT – Since February, the shrine of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the late Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has drawn approximately 100,000 visitors per month, including popular delegations and prominent religious and political figures.

Since the day of his historic and unprecedented funeral, it became clear that the shrine would assume an international identity transcending narrow religious and national affiliations and embodying Sayyed Nasrallah’s philosophy of leading just causes, foremost among them Palestine.

On the 43rd anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the shrine received a delegation from the “Lest We Forget the Sabra and Shatila Massacre” campaign, which included a European delegation that laid a wreath as a token of loyalty to Sayyed Nasrallah.

On behalf of the delegation, Heather Stroud, the delegation leader, stated, “It’s a great honor to be here with the Lebanese people, and it is an honor to have been alive during the years that Hassan Nasrallah was alive. He is an inspirational person. Clearly, his enemies were afraid of him. I believe that his spirit is still with us. I think his enemies should be afraid of that spirit because it’s not going to die with his life.”

The shrine is directed by a media directorate that was launched immediately after the funeral. It includes a team of volunteers, including Sayyed Nasrallah’s offspring, who serve no fewer than 5000 visitors daily.

To discuss these details, Tehran Times interviewed Dr. Diaa Abu Taam, Director of the Media and Public Relations Department at the Shrine of Martyr Sayyed Nasrallah (R).

The following is the text of the interview:

1. How does the visit of popular and foreign delegations reflect their appreciation for Nasrallah’s approach?

Visits to the holy shrine, whether popular or political, have not ceased since last February. The figures varied between representatives of countries and representatives of religious authorities, as well as representatives of the holy shrines (Razavi, Alawiya, Husseiniya, Abbasiya, and Kadhimiya). They all visited the shrine and presented gifts of marble stones and banners blessed by the holy shrines of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt.

Representatives of the Iraqi government and presidency attended, as well as political parties of various affiliations. Dr.  Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, visited the holy shrine, as did Foreign Minister Araghchi and foreign ministers from several other countries. These visits, whether by dignitaries, officials, or even popular delegations, all conveyed a single message: His Eminence should not be confined to a leadership role limited to the Lebanese political or resistance context.

Foreign popular delegations that come from outside the Islamic countries always stress that His Eminence represented a human meaning and a human message in every sense of the word, especially since his martyrdom came in this particular battle, the Battle of the Flood of Al-Aqsa and this war of extermination in which the entire humanity today groans from the horror of the massacres and extermination taking place in Gaza; and entire humanity today is exhausted; entire humanity today is suffering from the horror of this scene.

The martyrdom of Sayyed Nasrallah comes at this moment when the entire humanity sees what is happening in Gaza and that this martyrdom is a sacrifice within this battle to support the people of Gaza and support the Palestinian cause and confront the American and Israeli arrogance and intimidation. People see that they have lost a symbol of this humanity and that it is the duty of the world, not just the nation, to carry this torch from His Eminence and to spread it not at the level of West Asia, but at the level of the world as a whole, and that this is the duty of all people. All people come and express that this personality, His Eminence, is a global personality that cannot be limited to borders, religion, or sect.

2. What are the most prominent religious and political events at the holy shrine?

The events, from the date of his burial to the present, have taken on two forms: a cultural aspect linked to the movement of intellectuals, writers, and activists. They are also accompanied by media activities and commemorations. For example, the large festival, titled “A Message to the Sayyed,” in which activists and writers from various countries in the region participated. The turnout was enormous. The event was held inside the shrine to announce the names of the winners. Participants ranged in age from 10 to 60, making this an event with a cultural and media aspect. 
We often revisit lectures and interviews of His Eminence that address the political circumstances of that time. People resonate with his words as if they were spoken directly to them—urging patience, loyalty to the guardianship of Sayyed Ali Khamenei, resistance against arrogance, and drawing lessons from the Twelve Shia Imams (peace be upon them) in standing against injustice despite limited resources. We also commemorated the Nights of Destiny during the holy month of Ramadan, as well as the nights of Ashura.
The number of participants in these religious events, especially, was very large—sometimes exceeding 15,000 in a single night. This, of course, is among the blessings of the school that His Eminence established, where he consistently emphasized the importance of connecting the Holy Quran and God Almighty with our daily lives and political struggles. These are two tracks of the same train, and any deviation in either track leads to our decline.

3. What role do these events play in strengthening people’s relationship with His Eminence?

Of course, all events, whether religious or cultural, are related to the resistance and play a role in attracting those people. Besides, a large number of artists, poets, painters, singers, and reciters come voluntarily asking to serve in the shrine and as an expression of loyalty. Currently, the number of those volunteers is approximately 200, and the number is expected to increase.

Also, the shrine’s media office is open to volunteers; the servants’ office in the holy shrine is also open; the religious activities office is also open to volunteers. Of course, each department has its own conditions for voluntary activities, as they need specialized fields, especially since the shrine has a certain moral level that the volunteers must have.

We can say that this holy shrine has the ability, God willing, to produce a community that carries the values of Sayyed Nasrallah.

4. How has the shrine transformed into a cultural symbol that consolidates the presence of the resistance in the collective memory of the people?

If we come to all the people who visit the shrine, whether religious or non-religious, Lebanese or non-Lebanese, Muslims or non-Muslims, on every occasion we ask them: “What does the Sayyed mean to you? Why do you visit him?” We hear one word: “We are visiting our father.”

We see people talking to His Eminence, especially young children who address him, “Oh Sayyed, why have you left us?”  This is true love and passion that would be reflected in their behavior. This love makes people return to their conscience and feel that there are matters that Sayyed Nasrallah used to talk about and that he offered his very precious life even for our lives.

5. In your opinion, what is the purpose of a report broadcast by one of the channels to undermine the shrine?

Many of Sayyed’s visitors say, “I wish God Almighty had taken us and kept you.” In this light, we grasp what His Eminence spoke of and for which he was martyred — the consecration of these principles. The devotees feel they would be betraying him if they failed to uphold the commandments and values he sanctified. From this, we can also understand the depth of the enemies’ animosity toward this shrine.

The enemies of the resistance are closely monitoring these visitors. For this reason, we see media reports attempting to cast doubt on whether this land is truly the resting place of His Eminence.

These are just trivial lies that serve the enemy. We always accustom ourselves to the fact that we are in the eye of the confrontation, in the heart of the confrontation. Praise to God, Lord of the Worlds, this feeling is deepening people’s attachment, passion, and connection. As His Eminence had recommended, we must carry his voice, his thought, and his blood to the whole world, to the nation, to the future generations.