The Grand Ayatollah Sistani issued a statement following the horrific explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The statement of the Supreme Religious Authority of World’s Shia Muslims reads:
In the name of God, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful
The Supreme Religious Authority in Najaf Ashraf expressed his deep sorrow and regret over the painful incident in the beloved city of Beirut after a terrible explosion in its port, which resulted in the death and disappearance of a large number of people and many wounded and injured, the homelessness of tens of thousands of citizens, widespread destruction and severe damage to the buildings and public properties in tragic and unprecedented scenes in recent decades.
In this way, we offer our most sincere condolences and sympathies to the honorable people of Lebanon in this great tragedy, and we ask God Almighty to grant them strength, patience and solidarity to overcome this great tribulation, and we invite the honorable believers and all the benefactors in the world to show solidarity with them in these difficult times and to help them in all possible ways to mitigate the effects of this great calamity.
We ask God Almighty to have great mercy on the victims and to grant patience and peace to their relatives, and to provide healing and health to the injured, as God is the Most Merciful.
16 Dhul-Hijjah, 1441 AH
The office of the Grand Ayatollah Sistani- Najaf Ashraf