A year of grief, a lifetime of loyalty to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
15 Min Read
They thought they buried a man, but they laid to rest a mountain. One year on, Sayyed Hassan still dwells in our hearts.
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365 days of grief, endless devotion in our hearts (Illustrated by Batoul Chamas for Al Mayadeen English)
The day the world rumbled and then went eerily silent, silence only broken by the sounds of tears, cries, and sighs echoing through souls that went instantly hollow...
The day 84 tonnes of bunker-buster bombs rocked a tiny neighborhood in Dahieh with the aim of killing one man, and one man only...
The day entire blocks of residential buildings were flattened, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the afternoon sky, seen from miles and miles away...
The day the Israeli enemy poured out its anger, frustration, desperation, and years of being leashed on the very man who had reined it in for so long...
The day the Lebanese witnessed the assassination of their Sayyed Hassan, leaving them wrecked and reeling from his loss...
The day Lebanon saw the killing of its protector and liberator, leaving the country vulnerable to the winds of malice and a sleeping grudge...
The day I experienced the loss of my icon, my symbol, my role model, my beloved Sayyed, leaving me shattered and changed as a person until this very day...
That day has come back again, one year later…
Except that after 365 days, the pain of Sayyed Hassan’s loss is only growing larger…
Read next: Martyr Sayyed Nasrallah, Lebanon's liberator, breaker of hegemony
At 6:18, Dahieh’s skies split: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was struck
On the evening of September 27, at 6:18 pm, the skies over Dahieh split open with thunder: Israeli warplanes, like lurking vultures, approached as the sun’s light was fading away and unleashed their deadly cargo tearing through the earth into an underground facility; precision-guided weapons, silent until their final roar as they made impact, had carved paths of fire through the clouds and struck the country at the heart. The place that once brimmed with purpose, determination, and sounds of prayer and supplications fell silent.
The target? None other than the leader of the Resistance. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a towering symbol of steadfastness, resistance, honor, and defiance, was assassinated in an insolent act of cowardice that sent shockwaves across the world.
Sayyed Hassan, who stood for decades as the voice of the oppressed, the pulse of resistance, and the unwavering guardian of Lebanon’s dignity, was now gone, leaving the nation under the weight of grief as heavy as the mountains holding the earth as pegs.
Remembering martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: The voice that refused to bow to tyranny. 40 days since his martyrdom, #Lebanon and the region honor not just a leader but a legacy of steadfast resistance.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 8, 2024
Born in #Beirut’s impoverished Karantina neighborhood, the leader of the… pic.twitter.com/swd8j5MT1T
A father to the forgotten, a leader to all
From the narrow alleys of Dahieh to the quiet villages in South Lebanon, people sat glued to screens, holding phones with trembling hands, waiting for a denial that unfortunately never came.
Some wept before they knew what had happened. Others held their breath, waiting for a voice they had long cherished. Had he survived? Was this just another chapter in a long story of evasion and endurance? Or had the enemy succeeded not only in hitting a facility but in shaking the soul of Lebanon's resistance?
The Secretary-General of #Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, offered his condolences to the families of those who were martyred or wounded in the pager attack.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 19, 2024
He thanked the Lebanese government, hospitals, civil defense, and everyone who contributed to treating the wounded,… pic.twitter.com/CIU4TLE0xS
When the news finally broke, it did not come with sirens or speeches; it came accompanied by melancholy, a kind of solemness that choked the breath and froze the blood in the veins. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader, the father, the icon, was indeed gone.
Mothers wept as though mourning their own sons, young men who once listened to his speeches before heading to the front sat together stunned, quiet, their eyes filling with tears; their hands shaking in dismay… their guardian had fallen.
The night that followed felt infinite, with ache and grief hitting hard.
The very man who was the calm in the storm, the defiance in the face of ruin, his voice had left this realm through the rubble and had now departed. But from amid the sorrow rose a raw, aching pride. His people had not buried a man; they had laid to rest a mountain. He had yearned for martyrdom so greatly that his death felt not like the end, but the fulfillment of a lifelong yearning.
In an exclusive interview with #AlMayadeen, the daughter of martyr Sayyed Hassan #Nasrallah, Zeinab, discussed the side of him that was still unknown to many.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 20, 2025
She describes Sayyed Hassan as the 'ideal husband' in how he treated his family, reflecting this profound love for the… pic.twitter.com/IO7ryCi8oZ
Read more: Exclusive: Sayyed Nasrallah was a compassionate, unique leader - Safa
In his words, many had found direction, in his vows, many had found valor, and in his silence, even more had found protection.
Belief, trust, legacy: The enduring bond with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
Al Mayadeen English visited Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s shrine to speak with visitors marking the first anniversary of his martyrdom.
The following testimonies capture the raw, immediate reactions of people from different ages, places, and circumstances upon learning of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s martyrdom. Some received the news while bedridden in hospitals or displaced from their homes; others heard it amid crowds, in quiet rooms, or through screens, but they all describe the same shock, disbelief, and deep sorrow. Together, these answers trace a shared emotional arc: an initial numbness or denial, the acute pain of loss, and beneath it a steady current of reverence for his decades of leadership and the resolve his life instilled in his supporters. What emerges is not only grief, but also a sense that his legacy continues to shape people’s courage, patience, and commitment.
Beyond death: The enduring bond between Sayyed Nasrallah, the people
There was a consensus among all those interviewed that they did not believe the news of Sayyed Nasrallah's martyrdom.
It was a disbelief not rooted in denial of mortality, but in the very essence of who he was. For decades, he embodied steadfastness, wisdom, and resilience to such an extent that his presence felt inseparable from the fabric of their lives. His voice, guidance, and unwavering stance against oppression had become a constant: a moral compass and a source of strength that seemed beyond the reach of time or the enemy's treachery. To them, imagining a world without him was almost inconceivable, not because they thought he could not die, but because his spirit, leadership, and sacrifice had transcended the ordinary limits of human life, leaving an impression of permanence that death could not erase.
"They cannot take away the legitimacy that the Lebanese people recognized more than 35 years ago... with a mere stroke of a pen," declared Mohammad Raad, Head of #Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Loyalty to the Resistance in an exclusive interview for #AlMayadeen.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 22, 2025
He also… pic.twitter.com/xO9ZuB6I0D
It was too difficult for them to accept that he won't be making any new appearances, too difficult to comprehend that they won't be hearing his voice live, too difficult to understand that he won't be analyzing controversial issues, explaining to people the situation to soothe them. After all, they believed him, and only him, and what he said.
The bond between Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the people was built first and foremost on trust. They saw in him a man of rare honesty, one who never spoke a word he did not mean and whose promises were consistently fulfilled. His sincerity gave weight to every statement he made, so much so that people believed him without hesitation, certain that his words stemmed from integrity and responsibility, not rhetoric. This unwavering credibility forged a relationship of loyalty and faith, where his voice became a source of assurance and truth in times of both hardship and hope.
Shock and sorrow: Voices across the region, ages
We asked them the following question:
How did you receive the news of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s martyrdom?
For some, the news arrived while they were already enduring hardship. One victim, recovering from injuries sustained in the pager attack on September 17, recalled, “I received the news of the Sayyed’s martyrdom while in hospital undergoing treatment. The news was deeply distressing and difficult to bear, especially since we were still at the hospital, unable to do anything, unable to see.”
#Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim paid tribute to martyrs Sayyed Hassan #Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem during a speech today describing Sayyed Hassan as "a historic, exceptional, patriotic, Arab, Islamic leader, the model of the free people of the world."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 23, 2025
Here are some… pic.twitter.com/vDicotpH4V
From Lebanon to Iraq
The grief was felt far beyond Lebanon. One man from Iraq said, “It is with utmost sadness that we received the news of the Sayyed’s martyrdom. We felt bereaved. The moment I learned of the news, I felt like my eyes were filled with blood, not tears. We mourned the loss of a man whose legacy is etched in history, being the leader of the Resistance for almost 40 years, going from one victory to another, until he was martyred.”
Another Iraqi visitor described the scale of the tragedy, saying, “Our world came crashing down, it was a tragedy that befell the entire Islamic world and every honorable person, not just the Islamic world, every honorable person, defender of righteousness, and those who safeguard their honor and sanctities.”
The disbelief was echoed by a Lebanese youth who was performing prayers there: "It was such an indescribable shock upon hearing the news that the Sayyed was martyred, the shock of our lives. Upon receiving the news, no one believed it at first, until we saw his shrine. Even after seeing it, still no one would believe it because he is forever alive in our hearts and minds.”
Personal bereavement, symbolic loss
Many mourned the loss on a personal level, the loss of this symbol. One youth said, “Many people’s hearts ached upon hearing the Sayyed’s martyrdom news. Sadness dwelt in the hearts of people across the world. Everyone was shocked… Sayyed Hassan… left such an immense void. The Sayyed is irreplaceable. Were our parents martyred, I would have felt sorrow, but not as much as I was saddened by the Sayyed’s departure.”
Others framed the loss within a broader perspective of leadership. A Lebanese man noted, “It was devastating news, but praise be to God. It is true that our leaders are martyred, but leadership only produces leadership, and the leaders who are martyred in front of their men bring the glad tidings of revolution.”
'It felt like a part of my heart was gone'
For some, the loss felt like personal bereavement. A Lebanese woman said, “It felt like a part of my heart was gone, it felt like I had lost a homeland. After it happened, I cried like I had just lost a father, as if I had just lost my homeland, such a huge loss, a loss beyond remedy.”
Many admitted to struggling with the reality of his absence. Another woman explained, after breaking down in tears, “It was a real shock, and no one believed the news. Sadly, I, and many others, still… I know that he was martyred, but I live on the hope that he wasn't, because we're really in need of him.”
Acceptance needed time
For others, acceptance took time. A young woman, who had just come out of the shrine, said, “It was terrifying. I didn’t believe it at first. Still now, sometimes I go through the events in my mind and say to myself that it is impossible, but eventually, we have to accept reality.”
The depth of sorrow was palpable. An elderly woman remarked, “The news struck us like thunder. We felt so sad and heartbroken. He's irreplaceable. What can we say?”
Alleviating a martyred father's loss
A martyr’s daughter reflected on Sayyed Nasrallah’s role as a symbol in sustaining hope in the middle of tragedy. “The news of the Secretary-General’s martyrdom struck us with the force of a storm... He is the soul of our homeland. After my father was martyred, the Sayyed was the medicine that helped soothe our pain," she said.
"We tell him that we are more than willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of his soul," she added.
People of different ages, regions, and circumstances shared a common reaction: shock, disbelief, and a profound reverence for a leader whose decades of guidance and steadfastness had left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of his supporters.
A year after his martyrdom: Voices from the people
Al Mayadeen English also posed the following question:
What is your message for Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah one year later?
One visitor, still bearing wounds from the terrorist pager attack, expressed that their pain had not weakened their commitment: "To the Sayyed we say that our injuries have not hindered or weakened us; on the contrary, we grew more determined and resolute to continue treading this path."
“We shall forever uphold our pledge [to you],” they added.
Pledges across borders
Supporters from outside Lebanon echoed similar sentiments. An Iraqi man declared, “I say to the Sayyed, we shall forever uphold our pledge [to you], committed to the Resistance and supporting it, and committed to supporting the Lebanese people, the Palestinian people, and all the downtrodden peoples in the world.”
Many emphasized that Sayyed Hassan’s influence persists through the leaders he inspired. “You are not really gone,” another Iraqi visitor said. “Because there are thousands, no, millions and millions of leaders whom Sayyed Hassan left behind… and we shall forever uphold our pledge [to you], undeterred by anything.”
'We will never forget you'
Young scouts came to the shrine to lay a wreath where the Sayyed was laid to rest. Speaking with Al Mayadeen English, they highlighted their dedication to pursuing the Sayyed’s mission.
One scout said simply, “We will always follow his path. We will forever uphold our pledge [to you].” Another added, “The Sayyed has offered a lot and helped us abundantly. A lot of people were saddened by his martyrdom. It left a deep wound in our hearts.”
A young man added, “One year after his martyrdom, I tell him: We will never forget you Sayyed Hassan. You will forever be etched in our hearts for as long as we live.”
Even the younger generation reflected on the Sayyed’s encouragement for education and knowledge. A recent graduate said, “Being new high school graduates, we dedicate our graduation to him, which he had always encouraged, pursuing an education and acquiring knowledge, which the path [of Resistance] is in need of nowadays, to be educated to be of benefit to this path.”
You leave behind 'heroic warriors'
Visitors underscored the enduring power of his leadership. One visitor said, “Your memory shall forever dwell in our hearts. You are etched deep in our hearts. We will never forget you or abandon your freedom-fighting path… we shall forever stand by you."
The sentiment of continuity and resilience was echoed across the shrine. “Our message to the Sayyed: a group of great and heroic warriors remains in the wake of your departure. You, O Sayyed, were the guardian of this Ummah… we will forever uphold our pledge [to you], and it is your path that we will tread until the ultimate victory is achieved, God willing.”
A promise to remember
Others highlighted the spiritual and moral inspiration of Sayyed Hassan. “May he be under the watch of God and the Ahlul Bayt. God willing, all the people will always stand by him, and we will forever tread his path,” an elderly lady said.
A martyr’s daughter added, “You remain alive within us. We have not forgotten you, one year on. Your memory will remain etched in our souls, and you will continue to inspire our generation and many generations to come... You will be immortalized for the remainder of time.”
Even the youngest voices expressed unwavering loyalty, “We will continue to tread the path that you paved. Whatever happens, we’ll stay by your side, now and forever.”
Despite the sorrow, the message from all visitors was clear: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah may be gone, but his vision, leadership, and inspiration live on.
They may have taken Sayyed Hassan, and a year on, grief remains heavy, yet loyalty remains heavier still, and his supporters and followers stand strong and remain unbroken, under the eternal slogan:
"We shall forever uphold our pledge [to you]."
Read more: On martyr Sayyed Nasrallah, the nation, Hezbollah: MP Raad - Exclusive
