In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
Sheikh al-Habib laments the passing of the Great Religious Authority, Sayed Mohamad Sadiq al-Rouhani, who departed yesterday evening from this mortal world into the realm of everlasting life. He spent his life pursuing knowledge and worked tirelessly for the sake of his faith while facing many trials along the way.
His Eminence extends his condolences to our Master, Imam al-Mahdi (blessings be upon him and his fathers), for the passing of Sayed al-Rouhani. He also extends his condolences and heartfelt sympathies to our ‘Maraji’’ [Great Religious Authorities], our most prestigious ‘Hawzas’ [Shi’a centres of scholarly knowledge and education], the family of the deceased and his followers and admirers.
His Eminence fondly recalls the impactful contributions Sayed al-Rouhani had on jurisprudence, as well as the struggles and sacrifices he had made to maintain the independence and legitimacy of the Hawzas in the face of successive Iranian regimes who sought to oppress and persecute opposition. Sayed al-Rouhani’s resistance started from the time of the last Shah of Iran and continued during the reign of Khamenei, the current dictator of Iran; he spearheaded the religious opposition to all those oppressive regimes. Naturally, that also meant that he was among the first to face the ire of oppressors when they decided to lash out and suffered greatly at their hands. For instance, during the reign of Khomeini, may Allah curse him, Sayed al-Rouhani’s home was broken into by members of the intelligence services, who pointed a gun to his head, and threatened to abuse and defile the women of his house for voicing his opposition towards the regime.
His Eminence also recalls how, during the last years of his life, Sayed al-Rouhani was much closer to the approach of what Sheikh al-Habib refers to as the ‘First World’ by issuing edicts in support of the Islamic Foundation of ‘Bara’a,’ i.e., dissociation from the enemies of Allah, such as by permitting the events that commemorate and celebrate their deaths.
May Allah grant him His eternal reward in Paradise, alongside his ancestors, the Pure Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
We belong to Allah, and to Him, we shall return.
Sheikh al-Habib
