{And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient (155) Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return” (156) those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided (157).} Al Baqarah 155-157

It is indeed the eternal fact of life that the Creator, the life-giving and the death-giving, from time to time, gives us some fear, hunger, and a lack of money, lives, and fruits, in the hope that we reap his rewards and the good tidings he reserved to the patient.

Many honorable scholars and great jurists have indeed passed away during the past few months, and as soon as our tears begin to dry up, and our hearts begin to calm down from grief over the separation of those great ones, we mourn again the departure of other great scholars, may God have mercy on them all.

Here we are today bidding farewell to another eminent jurist who spent eighty years of his blessed life, educating generations, guiding nations, guiding those who seek, giving ifta to those who ask, and reconciling between the warring parties. He was never apprehensive of misfortunes, never tired of reconciling one another, and he never got tired of bringing the two sides closer together.

Twenty years have passed since I met first met our great Sheikh. He was always smiling, eloquent, deep in thought, great in contemplation, loving the Arabic language, advocating the unity of Muslims, keen on reunification, and devoted in his endeavor to unify the voice of the Ummah. I testify that in all the sessions of the Academy in which he participated, he was always insistent, and reminded us of the need to take refuge in the rich heritage of the Ummah, and the importance of holding onto the abundant intellectual heritage in order to be acquainted with its treasures, and to make the most of it when trying to manage the calamities and developments of contemporary life. I also bear witness that he was a believer in innovation and disciplined ijtihad that is open to the age. Above all, he was constantly asking about the conditions of Islam and Muslims across the globe, and on every occasion I met with him, I noticed his great interest in the affairs of Muslims.

As he has responded to the inevitable call of our Lord, and today he joined a group of people, scholars and jurists, whom he loved and they loved him, we raise the palms of humility to the Honorable Lord that he accepts him among the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, the righteous, and those are good companions. We also pray to the One and Only God to have mercy on our deceased, the bereaved of knowledge and chivalry, and inspire us, his family, students, and admirers patience, solace, and contentment with what the Most Merciful has decreed.

Finally, our dear Sheikh, our great teacher, and teacher of generations, your Academy, of which you were one of its pillars, presents – on behalf of its members, experts, and affiliates – their deepest condolences to your family, to the people of the Beqaa, to the people of Lebanon, to the people of the Levant, and to the whole Muslim Ummah. We pray to the Almighty to have mercy on you, pardon you, forgive you, and unite us with you on the Day of Judgement in the abode of bliss, in a seat of truth with a powerful Lord.

We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return

Your admirer/ Koutoub Moustapha Sano

Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy