Sayyed Ali Fadlallah visited the Doha Al-Mabarrat Educational and Care Complex, where he was received by the complex's director Dr. Mohammad Gharib, the director of Ali Al-Akbar Vocational and Technical Institute Ghassan Wehbi, the principal of Al-Abrar Secondary School Riva Al-Sayed Kassem, and members of the teaching, care and administrative staff…
At the start, the girls of Al-Abrar Secondary School welcomed His Eminence's arrival with words and anthems expressing their joy at his presence. He then made a field tour of the complex's various facilities and saw the restoration and refurbishment works on a number of buildings, then visited a number of classrooms at Al-Abrar Secondary School, observing the work in progress and listening to the students, before moving on to visit an exhibition of handicrafts…
His Eminence held a meeting with the students of the secondary and vocational departments at Al-Abrar Secondary School and Ali Al-Akbar Institute in the theatre hall. After a welcome speech from the institute's director Ghassan Wehbi, His Eminence delivered a speech in which he began by expressing his happiness at meeting this group of dear students and at being in this distinguished institution, the first of the institutions founded by the religious authority Fadlallah to serve people and which sought to develop society and advance its reality. He affirmed the importance of knowledge in fighting ignorance and backwardness, in advancing the nation toward the better and in lifting it out of the problems it faces, so that it may be able to confront all the challenges facing society.
His Eminence called on the students to make use of time and not to waste their hours or squander any moment of their lives, and to use them to develop their skills and abilities, particularly amid the scientific and technological revolution we are witnessing, and to “make use of all the capacities and capabilities that qualify you to be among the distinguished”. He stressed the value of success, which we should follow and adopt throughout our lives, for God wants us to be in the foremost position, and wants distinction to be the mark of our lives in everything we do.
He noted the importance of combining knowledge with faith, not in form but in substance that enters hearts and minds, far from insularity, fanaticism and rancor. He pointed out the importance of this pairing, which must be one of complementarity rather than collision, for knowledge without faith may turn into a danger and a problem, just as faith without knowledge turns into superstition, fanaticism and extremism.
His Eminence drew the students' attention to the danger of the cultural challenge invading our societies, which works to promote ideas and concepts far removed from our religion, our ethics and our values and aims to strip us of our will and our wealth. He called for the need to fortify ourselves with awareness, wisdom, knowledge, faith, patience and steadfastness so that we are able to face these challenges.
His Eminence called on the students to be messengers of love, dialogue and goodness, for you are the makers of this nation's coming future, and our bet will remain on you to make it better and finer and to keep it moving with the march of scientific progress.
He pointed to the need for us to possess the mentality and method of dialogue, for it is dialogue that builds bridges of love and harmony with everyone, both those we agree with and those we differ from. He noted that there are security, political and economic challenges facing this country which cannot be met through a policy of contention and division, but through sincere and serious dialogue aimed at rooting the national and Islamic unity that is this country's safety valve against every storm that may blow over it.
He stressed the need for this nation to recover its presence and its history after losing them and becoming preoccupied with its conflicts, wars, strife and divisions
He then led the prayer for the teachers and pupils in the prayer hall of Imam Al-Khoei Charity, and afterwards visited the orphan families at Prophet Youssef (PBUH) Charity.
In conclusion he met the staff at the complex, where he valued their efforts and dedication in their work, affirming that they are an essential part of this institution's development and of its pursuit of its humanitarian, faith-based and moral mission…
