In a February 26, 2025 article on the Elaph website, Palestinian journalist Majdi Al-Wahhab slammed the leaders of Hamas, Hizbullah and the entire resistance axis, stating that only getting rid of them will save the Arab nation from the situation it has reached. These leaders, he says, purport to raise the banner of resistance and liberation, but actually lead only to destruction and death. They also pretend to champion Islam, but are actually far removed from the righteousness and the compassion that characterize this religion.
Focusing on Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, both of whom were killed by Israel in the course of the war, Al-Wahhab points to the discrepancy between their names and their deeds: The name Nasrallah means "Allah's victory," but Nasrallah and his organization are "very far from Allah, from His Names and from His attributes," and the name Yahya means "he will live," but the path of Hamas and the resistance axis leads only to death. These leaders, says Al-Wahhab, should be stripped of their names, for they are not worthy of them. He calls on the successors of Nasrallah and Sinwar to learn from the ways of the donkeys, who know how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, and exhorts them to lead their people to "a safe haven, far from wars and destruction."
The following are translated excerpts from his article:[1]
"Let me begin by apologizing to an animal we like to call stupid [i.e., the donkey] although, by Allah, it is smarter than many people who live among us or who have passed away… and who bear one of the Names of Allah[2] or one of the names of the Prophets. For example, the one who bore the name Nasrallah [i.e., Hizbullah's slain secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, whose name means 'Allah's Victory'] or the one who bore the name Yahya[3] [i.e., slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar], who are very far from Allah, from His Names and from His attributes, and very far from the prophets, their vision and their righteousness.
"This may be a harsh description of some of the leaders of the Arab world, starting with Hassan Nasrallah and Yahya Sinwar, and many others of those who bore and still bear the banner of resistance, liberation and war, but [actually] bear only the banners of destruction, extermination and killing and, by Allah, are not worthy of their names.
"These leaders have not learned [a lesson] and will never learn, so only being saved from them – and Allah has already saved us from several of them – will extract the [Arab] nation from the state to which it has come, as we see in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon. They insist that they are raising the banner of Islam and of Allah, [but they do so only] in words, not in deeds, for they are [actually] devoid of any compassion, empathy, wisdom or moderation. Perhaps they should study the Names of Allah, in order to become familiar with the path of righteousness.
"I urge these leaders, the ones who still remain, to learn from the donkeys, who are famous for their ability to overcome obstacles they encounter on the road. They carry their owners on their backs and bring them home safe and sound, even if the road is rocky. This is a call for the successors of Nasrallah, Yahya [Sinwar] and others to behave like donkeys, and [then] they may be worthy of their names and realize that the way they chose and continue to choose leads only to death. For there can be no life amid devastation, war, killing and bloodshed, and there is nothing better than moderation, prudence, wisdom, compassion and life.
"This is a call to divest [these leaders] of the names of Allah the Almighty and of the prophets, and start calling them by the names they deserve. Many have already done this very successfully by calling Nasrallah by the names he deserves.[4] So perhaps we should be creative and choose fitting names for Sinwar and his successor. Let's strip them of their names in order to save ourselves from them, or [so that] Allah will save us from them, and find our way to righteousness and to life. Perhaps we should [do so] riding donkeys, which can tread a tortious path in the mountains and valleys until they reach a safe haven, far from wars and destruction."
[1] Elaph.com, February 26, 2025.
[2] The reference is to the 99 Names of Allah, such as Al-Rahman, "The Compassionate," or Al-Aziz "The Great, the Strongest," many of which are part of Arabic personal names.
[3] In Islam Yahya is the name of John the Baptist, who is considered a prophet.
[4] For example, some have called Nasrallah "Nassralat," an allusion to the pre-Islamic goddess Alat.
