About a week after the demise of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack, he will be laid to rest today. There are talks that he might be buried in Karbala. A symbolic procession will be held in his honor. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will attend Friday prayers in Iran.
According to reports, due to fears of an Israeli attack on Nasrallah's funeral, his final journey will not be grand. In honor of Nasrallah, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will join the Friday prayers in Beirut, Lebanon, but he won't attend the funeral for security reasons.
Due to the fear of Israeli attacks, Hassan Nasrallah's final journey will remain symbolic. Once the situation is safe, a religious ceremony in his honor will be organized.
But Why Symbolic?
In Islam, it is believed that a body should be buried as soon as possible after death. Muslims typically bury the deceased within 24 hours. However, this is not a strict rule. Bodies are generally not kept for more than three days, but due to medical investigations or other circumstances, they may be kept longer. For instance, Libyan dictator Gaddafi's body was kept for several days for examination.
Due to Israeli attacks, Nasrallah's funeral will not be conducted on a grand scale but on a normal level. There are speculations about whether his body will be buried in Karbala, Iraq, or Najaf, Iran.
Will Nasrallah's Body be Buried in Karbala?
Hezbollah has not provided any information regarding Nasrallah's funeral. The Iraqi Prime Minister's advisor, Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani, mentioned in a social media post that Nasrallah would be buried in Karbala, next to Imam Hussein.
Imam Hussein’s tomb is located in south Baghdad’s Karbala. It is possible that Nasrallah will be buried there, given his stature and prominence. Karbala is where Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, was laid to rest. Nasrallah is considered a modern-day martyr.
Prophet Muhammad described Karbala as paradise on earth. For Shia Muslims, being buried on this sacred land is considered the highest honor. It’s noteworthy that Nasrallah studied in Najaf, Iran, in the early '80s. His death is seen as the greatest sacrifice for Palestine.
Nasrallah's Death Due to Suffocation
Hassan Nasrallah died from suffocation caused by toxic fumes. He was hiding in Hezbollah's secret bunker in Beirut, where he died during an Israeli attack on September 27. Israeli Channel 12 reported that Nasrallah's secret bunker was destroyed in the attack, leading to the 64-year-old's death from suffocation by toxic fumes.
The report mentioned that toxic fumes made it hard to breathe inside the bunker after a heavy explosion. Around the building where Hassan Nasrallah was located, Israel dropped 80-85 bunker buster bombs. These bombs are designed to destroy deeply entrenched bases, causing destruction even several feet underground.
Where Nasrallah was hiding, a bomb created a 30-foot-deep crater. It’s the specialty of GBU-72 family bunker buster bombs to break through thick steel and concrete walls and attack 30 to 60 feet deep.
According to media reports, when Nasrallah’s body was recovered from the site, there were no visible external injuries. Hezbollah has not yet commented on the circumstances of Nasrallah's death.
