Martyr Tony Abi Ghanem: The Truth-Seeking Disciple of Christ and Mujahid of Islamic Resistance

Editor’s note: This narrative and biography of Hajj Haidar Abi Ghanem (ra) is an excerpt from the forthcoming original Basira Press print publication entitled The Firmest Handle: The Converts to Islam Who Became Martyrs, which contains original stories and accounts of the lives of those who, due to being on the path of truth, accepted Islam as their religion but were not satisfied with just that, and kept going along this path of truth until they attained martyrdom as a result of it. The book will feature short pieces on the lives of Malcolm X (ra) (from godlessness to Sunni Islam), Malcolm Latif Shabazz (ra) (grandson of Malcolm X; from Sunni to Shia), Edoardo “Mahdi” Agnelli (ra) (son of the Italian multi-billionaire Gianni Agnelli who was killed by his own family due to converting to Shia Islam), Samir Kuntar (Hezbollah official who converted from Druze to Shiism), Tony Abi Ghanem, Ayman al-Faqih (from Sunni to Shia), and others. We will have some very special guest authors which will be announced in due time.

We are in great need of your support to fund this project. Please donate to our Ko-Fi page. Other donation methods are available on our donate page. By supporting this project, you will help share these role models with the world, role models who were not happy being still and stagnant, but were constantly moving towards the truth and transforming themselves little by little and easily shedding from themselves any aspect of falsehood and ignorance.

Martyr Tony Abi Ghanem (Hajj Haidar), was martyred in 1991, during a confrontation against the Zionist enemy.

The following is a translation of the important speech delivered by Hezbollah former Secretary General, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi (ra), on the one week anniversary of the martyrdom of Tony Abi Ghanem, a Lebanese Christian who converted to Shia Islam and joined the Islamic Resistance.

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Prayers and peace be upon the most honorable of his creation, Muhammad, and his good and pure family and companions. Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh (peace and blessings be upon all of you).

As we commemorate this occasion, the occasion of a week since the passing away of the fortunate martyr [Tony Abi Ghanem / Haidar] (ra), I remember a great companion who was with the Messenger of God (may Allah’s prayers & peace be upon him), and he reached one of the highest ranks of companionship to the Messenger of God, who said: “Salman is from us, Ahl al-Bayt.”

Salman (ra) flipped between many monotheistic religions. The last religion he had settled on was Christianity before he converted to Islam. The feature that distinguished Salman al-Farsi was that he was searching for the truth and was always probing. He was moving from place to place. He was also looking into monotheistic religions in search of truth, in search of knowledge. It is normal for such a great companion to reach the level he has reached.

The seeker of truth is the most honorable and the best of people. It is impossible for a person to advance in life apart from searching for the truth & knowledge. Thus, it was obligatory in Islam for every person, even if they are Muslims, even you who were born in a Muslim society, and from Muslim parents, you must search, think.

It is not permissible for me to belong to Islam because of my parents and grandparents, or because of the environment and the surroundings. Rather, I must ponder in order to establish my Islam on a solid ground, on a strong foundation. When I accept Islam as religious on the basis of thinking, I build my religiosity & my belonging to Islam on a concrete basis that does not slip. The quest for the truth is a major issue in human life.

In memory of the dear martyr, whom I knew as a struggling mujahid, moving from one location to another, chasing the “Israeli” enemy, and the “Israeli” enemy chasing him, I point out that the essence of his life is his quest for the truth. He converted to Islam. Then he struggled for a long time in the path of Allah. Then he reached martyrdom in His way. I mean, he attained the highest rank, the rank of the martyrs and the righteous as a result of his search for the truth, and as a result of his aspiration to the truth. He deserved this high rank from Allah (blessed and exalted be He) and was granted martyrdom.

I ask through your life, O heroic martyr: How many people are searching for the truth? The seekers of knowledge & truth, how many are they? Those who are Muslims, even from Muslim parents, how many of these people appreciate the greatness of Islam and know the value of Islam? Also, on the level of Muslims, what is the state of jihadism in their hearts? The high jihadi spirit, what is its level in their hearts?

The least few desire martyrdom & truly aspire to what is with Allah (blessed and exalted be He), so they search for martyrdom in valleys, caves & mountains, and chase enemies everywhere. Those who look forward to martyrdom, and search for martyrdom, how many are there? Questions we ask before this martyr, and in the midst of this critical era. Of course, each of these questions requires a long answer.

I will focus on answering the first question, the question that was fundamental to the life of this fortunate martyr: How many are the seekers of the truth?

We may come to the situation to ask about everything, except for the basic issues in our lives. We may ask about our food often. We ask about housing issues, about living issues, about societal issues. We ask about all the details & parts of our life, and we indulge in that, but few are the ones who ask about crucial and existential issues, the basic issues, about religion, about the government, about the ruler, about the state.

This era – in particular – may be one of the eras that we should care about with such questions more than any era in the past, especially in light of the circumstances that you observe, as one of the largest empires in the world, in our present era, on which the balance of the global powers relies, suddenly announced its end, completely collapsed.

Who would have thought that the Soviet Union would fall? The fall of the Soviet Union is not a simple passing matter. I mean, there is a roof that has fallen on the heads of tens of millions of peoples, entire peoples on which the roof has fallen. The blame is not only on the rulers of these peoples. The blame – also – lies with those same peoples who did not ask. They should have asked about their regime, since day one. I mean, since 1917, they should have asked: Is this system a good system for our lives?

It was their fault that these peoples neglected this question, focused only on their food, their drink, and their dwelling, without asking about the regime, its nature, the ideology of the ruler, about who should be the ruler, and about who is the trustee on their destinies. They never asked these questions. Now, the peoples in the Soviet Union, as they are portrayed in the media, are starvingly crawling on the ground like worms. They say our dignity has been humiliated for more than 70 years. Who insulted your dignity? Who was the cause of all this famine in the Soviet Union? Who was the reason for insulting you throughout these long years and generations?

We cannot say that the ruler alone was the cause. We cannot say that. Entire peoples are responsible. This is at a time when the regime there was depicting, even for us, even for our poor & oppressed people, that their dreams would come true there, that their happiness is there, that social justice – in its utmost manner – is there. The ugliest picture has been revealed in the history of nations, peoples, and throughout history. At the time we were being shown very beautiful pictures of the Soviet Union. Do you remember all the propaganda the media portrayed, how life in the Soviet Union was portrayed, and their claims about justice & socialism?

Even now, these poor peoples who crawled out like worms on their stomachs, it is also depicted to them that democracy & capitalism are the solution. We all know capitalism & its injustice, and the capitalist arrogance. Now, because they were poor, they did not know anything, they were imprisoned in an iron cage, it is depicted for them – again – that capitalism is the solution, the dream & the happiness.

Of course, when anyone do not really search for the best system that is most capable of organizing their life & addressing their problems, those who do not ponder, will fall into such problems & calamities.

We, here in Lebanon & the Islamic world, our calamity is greater. Many of these peoples, we can assert, except few, basically do not know the Islamic system, and do not understand anything about Islam, or have not been informed about Islam.

As for us, Islam started from here. This region is the midpoint that had exported the monotheistic religions to the world. The center of the descent of heavenly revelations is this region. I mean, we are the ones who should know the value of Islam, the greatness of Islam, and the importance of Islam. Some of us do not know that when Islam emerged, it turned our region into a major civilization in history.

Before the Prophet Mohammed (S), how were human beings?

They were ignorant people who knew nothing about life; they were living the tragedy in its worst manifestations. Then, they have turned, thanks to Islam and under the banner of the Messenger of God, Muhammad, into a conqueror in history. The globe has transformed by Islam.

How were the Muslims before the emergence of the genuine Islam into their lives? I mean, before we applying & following the true path of Islam, what was our situation like? How was our reality? Specifically, before Imam Khomeini (ra) and his blessed revolution, what was our situation like? How were our lives? It was tragic & humiliating. Our reality was successive defeats. We did not dream of victory even once.

After Imam Khomeini’s Islam has become a main party in the conflict, and after he (ra) began to fight on the basis of Islam, some individuals of other religions have decided to take the path jihad, have adhered to the approach of Islam, and have upheld the true jihadist spirit. After that, we witness a victory for Islam in Iran, a victory for Islam in Lebanon, the Islamic Resistance, the Mo’emenah Resistance (a movement that became active at late 1980s – linked to the ideology of Sayyed Musa al-Sadr), an Islamic uprising in Palestine, Islamic movements here and there, and victories for Muslims in Afghanistan.

All our reality was defeat after defeat. However, nowadays, we witness both victory & defeat. Logically, all battles end either with victory or defeat. Even in the early time of Islam, before the great victory was achieved, the Prophet (S) would win one battle & be defeated in another battle. It was in the same battle that, at times, began as a victory and ended in defeat. As happened in the Battle of Uhud or Hunayn, it began with defeat & ended with victory. It is normal as for there to be successive and continuous defeats, this is a calamity. We, with Islam, are beginning to win.

I go back to the topic of my speech: the search for truth, for the system that is best for our lives. When you ask this question, you can get everything. Do not people search for their food, house, clothes? They may search for all their life affairs.

However, let us know that access to all these issues is only based on the answer to the crucial issues. I mean, when you answer the basic question: What is the best system? Once you realize the best system, all your complications would be beaten. There remains no problem.

During the reign of the Shah, there were great calamities. Even in the oil-rich regions of Iran, such as Khuzestan. Imagine those people, living in huts for the poor and needy, see directly before their eyes oil is looted by Washington, London, Paris, and the capitals of global disbelief. Those poor know that this oil is theirs, for the Muslim people. Nonetheless, at that time, these oil revenues used to fill the pockets of the arrogant, the banks of the tyrants and the oppressors of mankind.

After the system became in the safe hands of Imam Khomeini (ra), people began to feel that their problems began to be addressed. You even see how projects in Iran have started from the most deprived areas, for example the countryside and not the city, such as paving roads, establishing hospitals, education centers, etc. Imam Khomeini started tackling the problems of the oppressed & the disadvantaged areas.

Obviously, when there is a just system and a just ruler, the focus will be on the people’s needs & interests without discrimination. Take a look on the biography of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as) and how did he behave with his citizens when he became ruler, taking into consideration that his state was extended & wide, from which the sun does not set. Entire peoples were under his patronage.

One of the narrations mentions that while Imam Ali was with a number of his companions, he passed by an old man knocking on a door and begging. He was astonished by this sight. He considered it a crime, that in his state, there is a person begging. Surprised, he asked why. Someone, who did not fully know his mentality & spirituality, told him that this is a Christian man. Imam Ali rebuked him for saying this. And he said to him, in what he meant, that after you exhausted the life and youth of this person, you left him begging. Then he prescribed a bequest for him. This is one of the dozens of cases that occurred during the period of Imam Ali.

Contemplate the words of Imam Ali, so that you know that the foundation is the just ruler as shown in another incident. There have been attacks on women, on the outskirts of Iraq. So, Imam Ali was keen to defend both Muslim and non-Muslim women without discrimination. And so, in all of his commandments, you will find this approach as stated in his well-known saying to his companion, Malik Al-Ashtar (ra), when he assigned him ruler over Egypt: “People are either your brother in religion or your equal in creation.”

When a Muslim ruler rules genuinely, justice prevails. Therefore, the basic question that we should look for is about the system, and about the ruler, otherwise when there is an unjust ruler and an unjust regime, even if some problems are addressed, they will be dealt with in a patchwork way. There will be no real radical cure. The details must be addressed as when you want to construct a coherent & strong building, you must first ensure the strength of the foundations. You can guarantee the building of 20 floors, 100 floors, 300 floors, because you are confident that there is a strong foundation.

We in Lebanon – in particular – are enduring a highly major affliction, i.e. internal crises. Battles & calamities have plagued us. We are in a state of extreme hunger, in a deteriorating economic situation. Our situation has become so difficult that we were ready to put up with anything, any system. People have accepted the current system, without turning around, as they believe that what is important is the end of the state of internal strife. This is a central issue. This is something we have helped a lot with. It is necessary to adhere to civil peace, for the state of internal strife to end.

We must serve this endeavor with our eyelashes; its absence is a great calamity. But then again, we should not deceive people by telling them that all your problems will be solved through this system, by telling them that the “Taif” system will eradicate all internal & external dilemmas, and solve all calamities. This is a deception of people, and the evidence for that is all the bitter reality that we live in these days.

Please, tell me what problem has been addressed, especially in the context of people’s livehoods?

In Lebanon, there are rulers, as long as they have a special status, as long as they are sitting on a special chair, it is natural that they think only of themselves, only about their narrow regions & interests. Therefore, now, you may find an entire prosperous area, with electricity, projects, water, and roads, just because it belongs to a certain community. While you, as a citizen living in Beirut’s southern suburbs, you see nothing of these services. It is forbidden for these services to reach the suburb boundaries. These are the facts you see. Then, if you go to other Lebanese regions, you will witness more difficult, dangerous, and more tragic scenes. The reason is the system, the same composition of the existing ruling.

I go back to our topic, the occasion of the martyr (ra), to mention that this martyr has rushed out of devotion to this homeland. He has rushed out of devotion to Islam and his religion. He has rushed out of devotion to his nation, especially after he saw with his own eyes how others fall apart, how sales deals for Palestine and non-Palestine are signed with the enemy.

Hence – in fact – we should look at the pure hands of this fortune martyr & all those who fight against the Israeli enemy, and kiss them. We should bow down to their heroism & their jihad, especially at this stage, because my conviction is that the only way and the only approach that can raise our nation’s head high, the only approach that strengthens this nation, and restores it to its positions of glory, strength and greatness, is these martyrs & their heroic martyrs. Otherwise, the enemy will continue to be arrogant towards us, attack us, and humiliate us day after day.

We cannot deem ourselves alive when we see “Israel,” sometimes attacking Majdal Salam, and at other times invade deep into the lands in southern Lebanon, kidnapping whoever it wants, and killing whoever it wants. Which nation is this nation? What sort of dignity this is? What sort of honor this is? Consequently, only those mujahedeen, stationed in the front positions, and only those who aspire to what Allah has, those who have left everything, have abandoned the world with all its joys, and have looked forward to the divine reward, only those who will claim the glory of the true nation.

Triumphing Over the Enemy: A story from the martyr’s life

Haidar finished eating the food he hid two days ago, i.e. a dry piece of bread & 3 olives. He tried to stretch his legs, but they hit the iron door of the cell in one of the prisons in occupied Palestine (perhaps Ashkelon or Ramla prison). He re-bent his legs & raised his hands to the top, in an attempt to relieve them, but he failed agsin because they hit the ceiling of the cell.

The jailer hysterically entered to startle him, as usual. He looked at “Haider” in astonishment, as he saw him talking to someone & crying!

He approached him, asking: “Who are you talking to? There is no doubt that you are mad!”

Haider cut off his pleading. His gaunt body & pale face leaned towards the jailer. He tried to resist the light that hurt his eyes, as he got accustomed to darkness, for 11 consecutive months, during the period of his detention.

Haider asked him: “Will you understand what I’m going to tell you?”

“How do not I understand, and we both speak Arabic!” The jailer wondered.

Haidar replied, “The one I talk to & feel close to, is the one who soothes my heart, heals my wounds, fully listens to me, rather he provides me with strength & steadfastness.”

The jailer replied angrily: “Are you mocking me?”

“Didn’t I tell you that you wouldn’t understand what I’m going to tell you!”

“I asked you, who were you talking to?”

“With my best friend… Allah!”

Haider’s answer made the jailer lock the iron door & flee away. Then, Haider’s laugh echoed in the place.

Haider got martyred in Qantara, on December 11, 1991

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