The scholar Sayyed Ali Fadlallah sponsored the iftar of the Al-Hadi Foundation for Hearing and Visual Impairment, Language and Communication Disorders, attended by the Director General of Al-Mabarrat Association Dr. Mohammad Baqer Fadlallah, a crowd of social, economic, scholarly and diplomatic figures, and the members of the Council of Friends of the Al-Hadi (PBUH) Foundation, which launched the initiative “Because you are my friend, my path is in my hands” to support, educate and treat 600 children with disabilities at the foundation.
The ceremony opened with verses from the Holy Quran, then the national anthem, followed by a musical segment and religious chants by the Al-Hadi Foundation choir. After that a play inspired by the occasion was performed, followed by a word from the president of the Council of Friends of the Al-Hadi Foundation, Youssef Hammoud, who thanked those present for their contributions and their response to the initiatives the council launches, affirming that support for this humanitarian institution would continue and explaining the work and achievements of the past year through the launch of the “Be My Friend” initiative. The ceremony was presented by the storyteller Sarah Kassir.
The ceremony's patron, the scholar Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, then delivered a speech in which he said: We meet again today in the embrace of this blessed month - the month of goodness, love and humanity - and in this distinguished edifice, which is one of the outward signs of goodness and giving, to affirm once more that our humanity is still sound and that we have not lost it; it has not submitted to the logic of interests and share-splitting, has not been consumed by its own selfishness and has not abandoned the logic of mercy and love. We will go on carrying the project of the human being so that the flame of goodness in our homeland is never extinguished.
He added: This gathering confirms that in this society there are still those whose hearts beat with love, giving, mercy and feeling for others. It is a blessing beyond compare that among us are those whose belonging to God and bond with Him outweighs every other belonging and bond, and that these hearts still carry their purity despite everything we have been through of crises, wrongdoing and scandals, which made many fail the test of faith and the test of humanity after the springs of giving dried up within them. But thanks be to God, your hearts are still a boundless sea in responding to whoever needs us to extend a hand to them, to lift them out of the reality they live - whether that is a physical disability, poverty, a social condition, or a danger to life and existence such as is happening today in Gaza and in Lebanon. You have held to your faith and your humanity, which no greed or avarice has threatened, and which no sectarian, denominational or political bigotry has brought down…
He continued: Blessed be this faith, which has made you cross above all the factional barriers that separate one human being from another and prevent a person from thinking or working to ease the suffering of others, whatever their identities. For whoever is consumed by a particular factional identity, and is shut off by it from giving to a human being - any human being - that is an identity belonging to no religion and to no faith…
He said: We are here to affirm that our homeland is still well, despite all we suffer in it from the corruption of the corrupt and the failings of those who fall short. We are still blessed with people of goodness who think about how to meet people's needs from their own means and at their own expense, seeking for that neither reward nor thanks…
He held that this homeland will not enjoy security and stability, nor will its crises be solved, except through giving, generosity and cooperation. It is not built by the selfish, who do not go beyond the bounds of themselves, and who, if they widen at all, widen only to their sect, their denomination or their political position.
He stressed that we are among those who call for building a strong state able to fulfil its duties on every level; but in its absence, or when it absents itself, it is our responsibility to stand beside these institutions and to cooperate together. In this way we can protect this vulnerable group in society and make it able to express its energies and capacities
He continued: We have come to this humanitarian and faith-filled edifice to affirm our humanity, our faith and our love of God in our fasting and in all our directions, through work in every project of goodness - foremost among them this project in whose shade we gather today: the project of friendship, the friendship of one human being for another. This is a project we will carry, proclaim, call to and widen. We do not want it to stop at the bounds of this institution but to expand, out of our belief that everyone who works for the good of the human being is of us and we are of them.
He expressed his full appreciation to the one who launched this initiative, Mr. Georges Khabbaz, and to the efforts of the Council of Friends of the Al-Hadi Foundation - a council that has proved and goes on proving how precious the fruit of this work is, work that sets out from the self for no reason other than the good of the human being… a precious fruit that raises the concept of friendship to a deeper and richer meaning. Blessed be such sincere friendship; and to the Al-Hadi Foundation, its administration and its staff, all love and praise for their leading role in raising this institution's name and in performing its role well in the service of our people…
At the close, the artist Georges Khabbaz was honored with the presentation of a decorative plaque.
