Under the patronage of Allama Sayyed Ali Fadlallah and on the occasion of the noble Prophetic Birth, Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association held the Giving Exhibition entitled “The Messenger of God Is My Model”, at Imam Al-Jawad High School in Ali Al-Nahri, attended by the mufti of Baalbek Sheikh Ayman Al-Rifai, the bishop of Zahle Issam Darwish, and educational, scholarly and social figures and parents.
The beginning was verses from the Wise Remembrance, then the national anthem, then a speech by the principal of Imam Al-Jawad High School Souad Marah, in which she said “that the Giving Exhibition is nothing but a translation of the teachings brought by the heavenly books; that when God Almighty poured out His bounties upon this universe and urged His servants to give, He did not single out one sect or nation to the exclusion of another; and that from the fragrance of the Jesuan message of love and from the guidance of the message of Islam, giving is exhaled in all its manifestations”. She added: “Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association has taken it upon itself to hold this exhibition annually at one of its institutions so as to cover various families from the different Lebanese regions.”
Then the director of Al-Mabarrat schools in the central Bekaa Ibrahim Al-Saeed delivered a speech inspired by the occasion, in which he said: “Since its launch, Al-Mabarrat's institutions in this beloved Bekaa have embraced the hopes of our children, the students of knowledge and learning, who have today become messengers of culture in their medical, engineering, educational and teaching lives. They have likewise embraced the hopes of our orphaned children, from whom the hand of time stole the compassion of fatherhood, and who found in Al-Mabarrat's edifices the embrace of safety, the refuge of knowledge and the cave of giving - and so they create at their school desks and challenge life with their accomplishments.”
He added: “This exhibition constitutes a message-driven joy and a point of light among the points of light our institutions spread, which are many - such as always raising the level of school attainment, and consolidating the culture of the effective school whose pupils take part in
activities at the level of the whole homeland and achieve distinguished results. And likewise such as this exhibition, which has become a good practice at Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association, out of our sense of the injustice of the times towards many of our people - which obliges the community and official institutions to launch such charitable initiatives.”
There was a speech by the mufti of Baalbek Sheikh Ayman Al-Rifai in which he held “that religion came to free the human being from all fanaticisms”, noting “that what is required of us is to live true, pure servitude to God and to break all these idols and images that we have set up within ourselves and to which we have offered sacrifices”. His Eminence added: “Giving is the most prominent thing that distinguishes the human being and achieves for him his complete humanity; and at this Giving Exhibition we salute the brothers in charge of it, and recall with goodness the one who sowed, God have mercy on him, the one who patronized, God preserve him, and the one who attended to it, God support him. And every giving, and may you be very well.”
For his part, Bishop Issam Darwish offered a prayer “for the martyrs of the Lebanese army who fall in defence of the homeland”, pointing out “that Al-Mabarrat Association has, since its founding, carried love and goodness to everyone, and has contributed and still contributes to wiping sorrow from many hearts and to easing the pains of those in need”. He held “that the work of Al-Mabarrat Association and of other social associations aims at improving the conditions of needy families and at working to establish a society pervaded by love, cooperation and justice”, noting “that the Lebanese feel reassurance at the existence of a climate of dialogue among the components of Lebanese society”. He hoped “that this climate will continue despite the difficulties so that we may arrive at consolidating civil peace and bring love into the hearts of those in dialogue”.
Then came the speech of the ceremony's patron Allama Fadlallah, in which he said: “When we speak about the prophethoods and the heavenly messages, we must speak about giving, because these messages drew their wellspring from God, who is giving without limits and who gives without discrimination or differentiation.”
He added: “The Messenger of God opened up to everyone and wanted this openness to be the character of life; he called for the meeting of these religions around values, and worked to consolidate a shared project that humanity needs.”
He continued: “We are not believers in any heavenly message except when we emerge from our selfishness, our fanaticisms and our sensitivities, or when we carry God's spaciousness and the spaciousness of all the messages that urge love, goodness, the offering of giving and the helping of the needy, regardless of his religion, his denomination and his sect.”
His Eminence pointed out that “those who kill and live fanaticism and closure and work at eliminating the other cannot claim to belong to any heavenly religion or denomination; for where are they from the fragrance of these messages that came with love and peace? They are far removed from all these religions and all these headings and all this history.”
He added: “Our problem is that we always look towards the points of disagreement and work at magnifying them, whereas what is required is to focus on the many points of meeting, whether among religions or among denominations; for all the messages came to complete one another, to serve the human being and to raise societies towards the better.”
He concluded: “As we speak about the value of giving, we must appreciate this giving that is manifested in this blood shed for the sake of the homeland and its protection from those who tamper with its security and its stability - the blood of those who protect the homeland from those who wish it ill. From here we feel the importance of this giving exerted by the Lebanese army and by the resistance; this blood is the most precious medal of giving in life. We believe that this country cannot be built except through the complementarity of giving and the joining of efforts.”
Afterwards those present moved to the exhibition hall, the traditional opening ribbon was cut, and they toured the exhibition, in which assistance was displayed (clothes, blankets, household implements, foodstuffs, shoes and various necessities…), offered free of charge to about 700 needy and poor families.
It is worth noting that within the exhibition's events Al-Mabarrat organized a long recreational day for the children of family care, who spent it between the games halls and the theatre, in an atmosphere of joy, play and fun that included inflatable segments, a circus, the play “Your House, Grandmother” by Professor Karim Dakroub, prayer, lunch, the presentation of gifts, and games and clothes.
