Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. (Credit: Photo taken from local media)
BEIRUT — The institution of Lebanese-Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah announced Monday that its dispute with Hezbollah is “definitely closed,” following a visit from a party delegation led by Political Council Vice President Mahmoud Qomati.
The statement came just days after the institution condemned a report aired by Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, which it said had “insulted” the late cleric’s memory.
“Following the visit by a Hezbollah delegation, represented by the party’s Political Council vice president and MP Ibrahim Moussawi, as well as the clarifications that were provided, including their firm confirmation of Hezbollah’s rejection of any offense or attempt to undermine His Eminence Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah — whether through public statements or any media outlet — the Sheikh Fadlallah Institution affirms that this matter is a definitively closed chapter,” the statement said, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The statement also stressed the “need for everyone to overcome this episode, to strengthen our Islamic and national scene as our master wished, especially in this difficult and critical phase Lebanon is going through, and beyond, the entire Arab and Islamic world.”
Deceased in 2010, Fadlallah was a major Shiite authority and an early mentor to Hezbollah, before distancing himself from Iran.
According to Lebanon Debate, the controversy arose from a TV series about the life of cleric Jaafar Mortada, who had “excommunicated” Fadlallah.
During the episodes, commentators reviewed Fadlallah’s position, saying he had opposed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah’s “ideological deviations.” The institution had on Aug. 28 defended the late ayatollah, recalling that he spent his life promoting a “dynamic, open Islam, rejecting extremism and sectarian fanaticism,” and had chosen “not to engage in controversy.”
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