Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association held at the Al-Saha heritage village an honorary lunch in honour of the businessman Mr. Saeb Nahhas in appreciation of his contributions and his giving, in the presence of educational, social, military and municipal figures.
At the outset, a welcoming speech for the man being honoured delivered by the director of relations and sponsorship at Al-Mabarrat Mr. Jaafar Aqil, in which he said: “Hajj Abu Sbeih has generous hands in many spheres of works of righteousness and goodness in Lebanon, Syria and other regions of the world; and today, after forty years since Al-Mabarrat's launch, it was a duty to honour the foremost contributor to its institutions and its blessed projects.”
This was followed by an artistic item presented by the children of the Imam Al-Khoei Mabarra, then a speech by the president of Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association His Eminence Allama Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, in which he thanked Nahhas for his giving, saying: “It gladdens me today that we meet to take part together in honouring Hajj Abu Sbeih, who is one of the symbols of giving and generosity - among those who raised the edifices of Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association the length of this homeland and beyond it. This honouring comes out of the duty of thanks, appreciation and gratitude from my brothers at Al-Mabarrat Association and at the Imam Al-Khoei Mabarra for what he built and offered. What he has offered is of course an ongoing charity enjoyed by thousands of orphans who have graduated from the Mabarra, and which thousands more will enjoy.. So thank you from the heart.”
He added: “Giving for Hajj Abu Sbeih was not a passing state of emotion so much as an act of faith, for he saw faith only when it was manifested as a humanity open to the other human being - since one who believes in God cannot but embody God in his relationship with His creation, for He gives without reckoning and gives even to those who disobey Him and harbour enmity towards Him; His sun rises upon everyone, His rain falls upon all people, and His springs flow in giving in every direction. He held that the relationship with His creation is built on giving.”
He concluded: “Hajj Abu Sbeih found what he sought with Sayyed Fadlallah; he saw in his thought and in his understanding of Islam the Islam that calls for openness to the other religion, openness to the other opinion, to the other human being and to the whole of life.. He therefore opened his house to him and secured for him the place the Sayyed would go to whenever he went to Damascus.. And he never fell short in any work of goodness for which the Sayyed came to him.. and he remained faithful to him even after he departed this life.”
The man being honoured, Mr. Saeb Nahhas, then delivered a speech which read: “I thank God Almighty for enabling me to see the fruit of giving, and I am honoured to be among you today so as to dedicate, together with all those present, this honouring of mine to those who gave me the honour of contributing, for they are our path to goodness and giving. Here I find it incumbent upon me to attribute the merit to the author of this creative social initiative, the Grand Ayatollah His Eminence Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, for he had the foremost hand in launching this pioneering project.”
At the close of the ceremony the association's president Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, the Director General Dr. Mohammad Baqer Fadlallah and members of the administrative body presented a commemorative shield to Mr. Saeb Nahhas in appreciation of his efforts and his giving in the social and development field.
