He was great...

He was great, besides his eloquence, in choosing the jewels of his thoughts, the garbs of his opinions which he masterly fitted and organized, breathing life into whatever he desired of arguments, explanations, logic, expositions, additions, and into all his works which are organized through harmony and equilibrium. His Services As regarding his contributions to the struggle against foreign colonialism, you may elaborate on these as you please.

This undertaking does not allow us to go into such struggle in detail; however, I may summarize it in one statement: His great services during the Turkish regime, then the French occupation, then the post­independence, were simply extensions of the movements of liberation. He raised their level of effectiveness and directed them towards the noble objectives of securing justice and stability, thus bringing fresh hope to the masses.

All authorities during these regimes, however, spared no effort to oppose him and undermine his plans through the implementation of whatever plots, persecution and harmful means they could improvise. The calamities from which this great imam suffered while trying to make his people happy may not have been endured except by the most outstanding Arab chiefs and leaders, those who struggled heroically and suffered a great deal in the process.

I do not need to elaborate on the surprise the occupying French authorities had in store for him when they felt sick and tired of him. They instructed some of their hoodlum hardliners to assassinate him. Ibn al­Hallaj suddenly broke into his house when he, together with members of his family and kin, had none of his supporters around. Allah the Glorious and Sublime willed for him the opposite of their will.

He kept their evil away from him, and they retreated in humiliation, stumbling in their failure and shame. As soon as the news of this surprise attack was broadcast in ‘Amila, crowds rushed to Sur from each and every direction in order to be under the command of their master as to what to do about that incident. Yet the Sayyid dispersed them after thanking them, advising them to simply overlook it. This incident was succeeded by many, many other similar ones.

The gap became wider, and dissension exploded until, eventually, the Sayyid, together with his kith and kin among the chiefs of ‘Amila, had to seek refuge in Damascus which he reached despite the French army's attempt to close the highway in his face.