Sheikh Abu Mohammad Jawad Walieddine, the highest spiritual authority in the region’s Druze community, died Friday morning at the age of 96. Sources close to Walieddine, the head of the Druze Spiritual Council, said the 96-year-old died in the early morning hours of Friday at his house in the Chouf town of Baaqlin, about 45 kilometers southeast of Beirut. Mourners, led by the Druze Sheikh al-Aql Naim Hasan, flocked to the town, where his body was placed in a glass box for a viewing. Condolences were held at Walieddine’s Baaqline home. Walieddine, who was born in Baaqlin, spent his life there and assumed the top post in the council after the death of Sheikh Abu Hasan Aref Halawi in 1988. Known as the “Sheikh of the Jazeera,” or northern Arabian peninsula, for his leadership of Druze in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, Walieddine lived an ascetic lifestyle. Every Monday, he would retreat to a one-room structure outside Baaqlin and spend the day there in seclusion. Walieddine was married, and his wife preceded him in death by several years. Condolences poured in from across the country and political spectrum for a religious leader who was described as a figure who worked for sectarian coexistence. Many contacted Walid Jumblatt, Druze leader and head of the Progressive Socialist Party, to express their sympathy. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who telephoned Jumblatt, expressed sorrow over the loss of the religious leader, describing Walieddine as a “great figure of piety and wisdom.” “[Walieddine] was known by all the Lebanese for his faith, piousness, hard work for the unity of Lebanon and its people, and support of just causes,” Hariri said in a statement. Former premier Fouad Siniora, head of the Future parliamentary bloc, telephoned Jumblatt and Talal Arlsan, head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, to offer his sympathy to the Druze community. In a statement on behalf of the Future bloc, he called the sheikh “a great pillar of wisdom, honestly and knowledge.” Arslan expressed his sorrow at the passing of Walieddine, who he called “a symbol of wisdom and unity, and a figure who embraced and protected the sect and the nation in the most difficult of circumstances.” The head of the opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, telephoned Jumblatt to offer condolences, as did Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and his wife, Bsharri MP Strida Geagea. An LF statement called Walieddine “an eminent and respected Druze leader, and a symbol for the unity of the [Chouf] mountain.” Chouf MP Nidal Tohme, a member of Jumblatt’s National Struggle Front, said that “the Druze sect have lost a figure of unity who called for love and peace. His absence is a great loss for all segments of Lebanese society.” He stressed the influential role Walieddine played in supporting the return of the Civil War-displaced, reconciliations in Mount Lebanon, and Druze-Christian coexistence. “Today we are in great need of people like him,” he said, “but his teachings and actions will remain in the hearts of people from the Chouf, and all the Lebanese.” Sheikh Nasreddien Ghreib, a member of the Druze Spiritual Council, said Walieddine’s was “an example to be emulated,” and said he had passed away at a time when his opinions are most needed. The funeral will take place Saturday in Baaqline at 3 p.m., and condolences can be offered in the town from Sunday April 19 until March 6, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.