His Eminence, Sheikh Al-Aql Sheikh Naeem Hasan visited the Druze monotheistic (Tawhid) Foundation of Al-Irfan in Sumqaniyya Al-Shouf, inspecting the religious section and reviewing the work program and educational approach, in the presence of a group of Sheikhs and leaders of religious retreats (Khalwat) and from various villages in the Chouf region. His Eminence was accompanied by Sectarian Judge Sheikh Ghandi Makarem and his Eminence’s religious consultants Sheikh Ghassan Al-Halabi, Sheikh Naseeb Madi, Sheikh Hasan Maher and a delegation of sheikhs and from the western region. They were received by the President of the Foundation, Sheikh Nazih Rafi’, its Secretary-General Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Muna, Advisor to the Administrative Authority Sheikh Izzat Abdel-Khaleq, members of the administrative and public bodies and a number of officials of the religious department and teachers of Druze monotheistic (Tawhid) education in the Al-Irfan School, Al-Sumqaniyya branch.
The beginning of the tour was a reception in the institution’s presidency office, then a meeting in the school hall during which Sheikh Abi Al-Mona welcomed his Eminence and the attendees, stressing the importance of spiritual embrace of Al-Irfan as a message and trusteeship in our hands, and focusing on the first embrace of the institution by the late Sheikh Abu Muhammad Jawad Waliyyudin in the establishment period which had a profound impact in defining its goals and path, and on the care and support of Al-Mukhtara reference for the institution since its foundation until today, which resulted in the development and spread of schools of Al-Irfan, and integration of its educational, social and religious roles. The institution initiated planting the seeds of values and virtues with young generations and nurturing their souls and minds with faith and monotheism, in addition to the nourishment of science and knowledge, and was and is still keen to establish a balance between development and educational modernization and attention to the monotheistic message that is considered the basis, and to integrate with his Eminence’s office, the sectarian council and institutions of the community and nation, and on the unity of the position, for the sake of the advancement of the Druze monotheistic society (Tawhid), the proper education of its children, and the support to those in need without discrimination.
After a model lesson presented by a teacher of monotheistic education with a group of students through an interactive board, his Eminence said, “It is not the first time that we meet in this noble edifice with the honorable Sheikhs, brothers and sisters wo share with us the desire to strengthen the faith of God Almighty. The institution of Al-Irfan is an initiative of religious reform and a blessed renaissance which came at a critical time of change in daily ways of living in which the various sciences became essential to acquire a profession that provides our community members with a permissible livelihood (with distinction). It is well known that the great Sheikh Abo Muhammad Jawad, may God bless his soul, who always considered Al-Irfan religious department a priority of the institution and a focus of attention because its fruits will remain as an essence, and because the body survives through the soul. The vital meaning that we shade in through this hopefully blessed encounter, may be called “the jurisprudence of the responsibility of monotheistic education (Tawhid)”. Jurisprudence is intended here is: understanding the matter and realizing it after thinking and understanding it well, jurisprudence is thus understanding, knowledge and acumen. Responsibility is in the state or characteristic of someone who is asked about something that impacts him, the educator thus is one who takes responsibility of teaching moral basics and good manners. If social education is the foundation of every society that aspires to transcendence, then how is the case in the field of “monotheistic education” that all these meanings bear the concept of sincere commitment in its most precise purpose. This is because the consequences here are linked to the religious self in which the educator is asked before God Almighty in the mirror of wisdom. The actions in this gentle spiritual field are for sure essential and transgressive, and expressed in a simple example: You can never illuminate someone else’s lamp unless yours is lighted and illuminating. One of the descriptions of the scientist is that his knowledge is even better than his learner. "
He added, “There is no doubt that Al-Irfan religious department has held the honor of its share of responsibility since its foundation under the support of distinguished elders of the Sheikhs. It has accumulated many achievements like publications, seminars, lessons, and spiritual and moral support for generations over the course of nearly half a century. All this can be considered as material for all practical purposes in this honorable field. And how much we hope to cooperate with the religious committee and the educational interest in the confessional council. What can be taught today is the rapid development of communication tools and audio-visual means that would overwhelm the senses with enormous influences sweeping the contemporary world. The matter of concern here is the emerging generations and thinking about educational methods and other methods of speech and methodologies of study in its educational sense that aims to confront the various types of psychological temptation and intellectual fallacies and contradictions which distract the soul from the human values. It also aims to generate a living connection with the meanings of virtue, honor and chastity in terms of realizing the virtue of one’s self and its union with the effects of the higher form of the mind and thus, its appetite for what frees its way to awareness of the most honorable purpose of its existence in this world. From this perspective, the big question arises: How can we all avoid rigid verbal reassurance towards stirring up the living sentiments to achieve the golden rule on which sound religion is based, namely: “refining morals and sensing the Creator. It is a fundamental rule which leads to the noble goals to all religious and behavioral suggestions. These essential rules of the graceful origin can be looked forward at, including the rule: the virtue of religion before religion, with the indication mentioned by Prince Al-Sayyid, may God sanctify his soul, and which was explained by late Sheikh, God bless his soul, that the virtue here is one of good deeds that brings its fruits specifically through balance without the prevalent attainment of what it met in corruption of the religious system. How much we hope that the religious department will adopt the biography of the virtuous scholar Sheikh Abu Hussein Mahmoud Faraj in its studies. "
He continued, "A second fundamental rule that is considered an essential asset of the integrity of the religion can be mentioned, namely: the safety of insight into the monotheistic behavior in all its hiddenness, not with the eyesight. Whoever has not realized vision through God, has missed righteousness which is the tool of integrity and dignity. The vision can never be realized through the worldly intentions which distract from the foresight of the honorable and the virtuous insights of the ancestors from the great Sheikhs. How much do we need to adhere to the characteristics of the monotheistic (Mowahed), which the Prince (s) mentioned, "Who God granted him acceptance, advancement and transcendence to the extent of humanity, was the fruit of his actions of reason, dream, tranquility, calmness and preponderance, chastity, maintenance, cleanliness, obedience, purity of morals, asceticism in worldly demands, fear and control and consistency of orders, commitment to the prohibitions, patience, endurance and negligence in achieving the purposes, the foregoing includes things that can never be clearly evident and rooted in action and verification in the hearts and minds of all the workers in particular in the religious department. It should be noted that the school setting is a complement to the basic setting, that is, "the family shroud".
“In the first celebration of gratitude, the late Sheikh Muhammad Abu Shaqra said,“ There is an urgent need for such an institution of Al-Irfan in this era more than the need for bread because with useful science, souls will become alive. ” As we agree with this saying, we see and in this era Interest in bread, too, is very important in these days.”
He concluded, "I can only offer to the Al-Irfan Foundation, to its Director General, Sheikh Nazih Rafi’, and to all the members of the Board of Directors and its employees an offering of thanksgiving from Heaven before the tongue, and of kindness before intensity, without forgetting the preferences of the founder, Sheikh Ali Zainuddin. We ask God Almighty to repay our steps, enlighten our insights, and inspire us to all that is good and prosperous in the honorable paths in which alone the realization of unification with which long live good souls and good societies are acquired. His Eminence also stressed "the unity of the word, the position and the unification, especially in this critical stage in which we pass," calling on "the Sheikhs each in his region and society to urge adherence to the principles and honorable traditions. "
The conclusion of the visit was in the religious section where his Eminence and the Sheikhs visited the classes of the department and blessed the teachers and students with the direction, the pleasant recitation and the encouragement. Sheikh Rafeh, the president of the Foundation, started with a speech, in which he recalled stages of early foundation of the institute and the commandments of Sheikh Abu Muhammad Jawad, the verbal and the recorded of which he recommended the religious section as a basis for the success of the institution and success through God Almighty, and Sheikh Rafeh affirmed in his speech that the institution bears the will and the responsibility and strives with all care to take care of this department in all schools of the institution, with the help of the generous people and with a steady and permanent focus from the presidency and management of the institution, recalling the first Sheikhs who embraced the institution and accompanied its launch, he stressed, "We consider that the religious section is the jewel of the institution and the yeast of its existence, and that, if it happened that we made any mistake or mishap at work, it would never be on purpose or delay, we seek with all the determination and vision which we received from our honorable elders to do what is better and more beneficial for our monotheistic society, and God is the guardian of success. ‘’