Al Maghrib - A special edition in commemoration of the first anniversary after Said Hajji passed away - 6th year, No 1189 , March 11, 1943.
If a friend or one close to Said would write his biography to highlight the gifts endowed to him they would see the immensity of the calamity provoked by his passing. They would see attributes that distinguished him from others and the projects he initiated and firmly intended to achieve. Moreover the whole world would have found in the deceased's character many qualities and virtues that rarely are found in young people of his age.
Said now rests among the dead and only his reputation and the work he fulfilled remain for eternity. Hence is it not our duty, we who are his friends and his comrades in the struggle, to recall his memory from time to time? Is it not our duty to enumerate his acts and draw from his life a source of light to brighten our path? Is it not our duty to hold his ideas and thoughts like so many lessons to protect us from dangerous slopes? After his interment are we not duty bound to show our loyalty to his memory by acknowledging all the good he accomplished and by reminding the collective memory of the gifts and attributes that made him unique? We are deeply in your debt, Said! That said, we will spare no effort to acquit ourselves to the extent possible. Dear sincere and loyal friend, you can rest in peace. Rest assured with regards to the hopes you cherished; your friends will tackle them head on and do everything to carry them out.
Now that we decided to publish this special edition to commemorate you after the anniversary of your passing, what can I write about you? Your life was totally devoted to work and productive activities. It needs a thorough study as it is captivating and instructive. Your scholarship should be presented to the current generation and should become a model for dynamism, endurance, self-confidence, firm determination and open mindedness to the future. Have the readers ever heard of a young man who educated himself before age 15 to determine his goals within the framework of rigorous planning, deadlines and the means to accomplish them? Have they heard of one as young who prepared himself for the tasks to be accomplished, taking on activities of extreme import and engaging in the most delicate of matters? Have the readers heard of a youth his age who proceeds with methodical partitioning of his schedule, reserving an hour for cultural studies, another for developing his character and correcting his errors, or setting time to review societal problems and seeking their remedies. This is a young man who after attaining his developmental goals deems the moment has come for him to fulfill his mission in life when he has prepared his road map, drew his plans and checked his assumptions to such an extent that he could never go off course and his activities would be crowned with success.
Since his childhood Said was a veritable prodigy. Had he lived longer, he would have been destined for a brilliant future. Furthermore we would have learned that he belonged to that group of men who knew how to take control of the most delicate of situations. The nation would have benefited even more from his breathtaking undertakings, the maturity of his mind, the fertility of his intelligence, ceaseless efforts and his loyalty in the face of all trials. "But winds take ships there where they wished not to navigate." Said observed his nation like a seasoned doctor. From his childhood, he diagnosed the causes that kept it behind, at the tail end of the caravan. He recorded all ideas that came to mind as well as those observations he judged to be of interest. He subjected these to a most thorough reflection and after establishing of a large database on a topic related to the ills that gnawed the nation's core, he began to seek their most effective remedies. His reflections were never the fruits of fancy. He was astute and practical in all that he initiated and undertook.
We often remarked that he took interest in fruitless pursuits, but his only reply was a slight smile and gave no heed to our observations, Awhile ago, Said was asked about the immediate needs of the nation and he told us that the country urgently required a print shop. The simplicity of this response was for sure not sufficient to convince us, however when we found ourselves involved in the field of political action we realized the need to have a print shop to be able to cope with certain activities in the national interest. Moreover we realized that everything we wanted to undertake, at no matter what level, was dependent at least partially on having a print shop. Hence we finally understood why Said placed a high priority to that effort and our esteem for the views of our dearly departed, Said, doubled.
This quality is but one among the innumerable of his worthy qualities. This is not the place to go into details of all the attributes our beloved typified. Other no less import aspects of his life distinguished him and only a few among the most devoted or our comrades could also claim. The passing of Said, can rightfully be considered a veritable calamity and major loss for the nation. His family nor even his friends were not the only ones to have lost him, also lost are the hopes ruined by his death, the talented that are wiped out, the activities and projects that are buried or abandoned, the aspirations of the nation as a whole, singular talents, and projects and actions that he was at the same time their founder, implementer, soul and pillar.
May the Lord bless your soul, Said and give us the courage to be armed with patience to help us realize your dreams.
Abu Bakr Kadiri
