Abou Hassan Aref Halawi

Sheikh Abou Hassan Aref Halawi ( Arabic الشيخ أبو حسن عارف حلاوي, DMG aš-Šaiḫ Abū Ḥasan ʿĀrif Ḥalāwī , b. 1900; died 2003) was a Druze hierarch . He was 103 years old and lived in the mountains of the Barouk , Chouf , a region in which the Druze constitute a majority in Lebanon .

His followers called him "Lord of the Mountains" because he led a strict hermit life and only devoted himself to spiritual questions. His ascetic life nonetheless made him an authority of the Druze religious community (Madhhab at-Tawheed).

Life

Abou Hassan Aref Halawi was born around 1900 in Chouf, in the south of the Lebanon Mountains . Since his youth he has devoted himself to the study of meditation and tawheed . For hours he withdrew into the surrounding mountains in order to recognize the absolute, God. He married a virgin from a neighboring town, Sheikha Zahr , the daughter of the Yazbaki Sheikh Haseeb Sayeq . Haseeb Sayeq was a leading religious and political figure in the power conflict between the Yazbakis and the Jumblatt . Due to his ascetic way of life, Halawi did not consume the marriage and only kept the connection to his wife symbolically. In Arabic this behavior is called “marriage on sight”. He spent the last 30 years of his life in his room in a monastery, hidden from the public and from worldly and social life. He only accepted visits from his co-religionists and those who sought his guidance and advice. He kept strict asceticism.

Abou Hassan Aref had the ability to advise others and to predict future events or actions. The fulfillment of his predictions made him a legend. He made numerous predictions, the most famous of which concerned the future President Émile Lahoud . Lahoud, a Maronite Christian and only a low-ranking officer at the time, visited the esteemed sheikh for advice. He predicted that he would make a great military man and commander in chief of the Lebanese army. When this happened, he went to the Sheikh again and received a prediction that he would soon be President of Lebanon, which came a few months later.

Another prediction concerned the young Wadi Al Safi , who - also Maronit - was predicted that he would become a famous singer. He is now a popular singer for Lebanese folk songs.

Political influence

The “lord of the mountain” also had an influence on a public level, although he rarely interfered in politics. He was repeatedly asked by the leaders of his community for advice. His most significant contributions to politics were made in the mid-1980s, amid the Lebanese civil war (1975–1990). When the Israeli invading army was in retreat in Lebanon, the Chouf region and southern Lebanon (September 1983) and the large Druze cities were abandoned by the army of the Lebanese phalanx ( Kata'ib ), which was allied with Israel. Takadumi Eshtiraki Party Druze leaders visited Halawi to seek guidance, advice and approval. They wanted to attack the heavily entrenched positions of this irregular army with the intention of retaking the Druze region of Chouf, Aley and El Maten . However, the sheikh asked them to postpone the attack for two days. The originally scheduled date was a clear, sunny day and the attackers would have been an easy target for the Falangist artillery and Israeli planes. Two days later, however, the skies were cloudy and the Druze forces were protected by fog, which enabled them to triumph without losing many men. The Druze, led by the Takadumi Eshtiraki, invaded the region on three fronts and the famous Battle of the Mountain began. In a few hours Bhamdoun and Aley were retaken and power in the Chouf and the entire region returned to the Druze forces.

In the mid-1990s, Halawi issued a religious decree which forbade the Druze living in Israel to do their military service or to cooperate with the Israeli authorities. The Druze living in Israel (around 70,000) are the only Arabs required to do military service. With this edict, Halawi earned great respect in the Arab world. However, the impact of this edict is difficult to measure.

In addition, Halawi, along with the religious leaders of the Druze community, made other statements condemning Israel's “barbaric aggression” against the Palestinians. However, he also spoke out against the taking of hostages by Druze groups and massacres of civilians. After the murder of Kamal Jumblat by Syrian agents, the war-ready Walid Jumblat nevertheless followed Sheikh Abu Hassan's instructions.

spirituality

In the private sphere, too, he was an authority for many people and provided for the poor and sick who came to him with predictions, prayers and his meditation. He healed, kept justice, and encouraged noble deeds, while setting a good example.

He valued the immaterial value of things that lay outside the physical senses and human norms. He remained humble and referred to himself only as a humble successor and servant of God who only demanded respect.

death

On November 26, 2003, the esteemed spiritual leader Sheikh Abou Hassan Aref Halawi "disappeared", that is, he died in his home of pneumonia after being bedridden for two months. Since his death, his grave has been a place of pilgrimage for believers.

legacy

The Charity Association of Sheikh Abou Hassan Aref Halawi ( Arabic مؤسسة المرحوم سيدنا الشيخ ابو حسن عارف حلاوي الخيرية), which operates a hospital.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ mmouka.com .
2. ↑ matrimonio de vista, See and desire, but do not touch.

literature

• Rosa Meneses Aranda: Líder espiritual de los Drusos, Abou Hassan Aref Halawi. In: El Mundo de España , December 3, 2003.
• 60,000 mourners attend funeral of Sheikh Halawi, Druze supreme spiritual leader, 103, was 'pious and wise'. In: The Daily Star , Beirut , Lebanon, November 27, 2003.
• Monir Afif El Masri: Red Nacional Druza de Venezuela , Valencia, Venezuela.

Web links

• The Economist: Obituary in brief: Abu Hassan Aref Halawi. January 27, 2004.
• Sheikh Abou Hassan Aref Halawi // The True Human . The Charity Association of Sheikh Abou Hassan Aref Halawi.
• The Times: Sheikh Abu Hassan Aref Halawi. Sage and spiritual mentor who helped to inspire unity among the Druze during troubled times in Lebanon. December 9, 2003.