In the Name of God the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

The general councils blossom with goodness, with the most virtuous and gracious people and with the active persons who are given more advantage than the passive ones. Here is the House today, shining by your presence and by what you had carried in your hearts and intentions of thanked attempts, praised endeavor, noble bravery and good initiative to the public work for the good of our Community and country in all fields.

We are pleased to welcome you at your House which we ask God His Almighty to keep honorable, respectful and high by the truth, always carrying the united and noble word that gains its significance from our deep-rooted Unitarianism and our true heritage so that it would be an invitation to gather all and unite our ranks with a quiet mind and the shining of the good intention as well as the seeking of the vital interests for our deep-rooted “Maaroufi” tribe. This is the soul by which we are guided so that our work becomes a motivation toward a fertile development to all the abilities of prosperity residing in our regions, waqfs and institutions and mostly in the human energies that constitute in fact a reason for the pride and glory we have, especially in the promising opportunities to the young future generation that is expecting from us all the hope and chance through collective efforts that are meant to motivate a rising process to open the doors of success to their aspirations and ambitions.

When the council took action since the beginning that was followed by a long period of suffering from the war and its consequences, it has not find any open path before it, but difficulties, complications and heavy heritage of complicated and delicate files with all their difficulties, especially the files of the Waqfs that constitute an investment and real estate fortune, but most of them are strained with legal problems of different issues and with real difficulties accumulated as a result of neglecting reality, also by crises stemming from the solutions attempts due to the adherence of some people to approaches that satisfy personal interests as well as the absence of a comprehensive vision for the concept of the Community’s reform, rise and higher interest. In spite of all the above, we are working hard and making serious efforts, the consequences of which are being borne by our brothers in the committees of the Confessional Council and the General Directorate, and they are greatly praised and admired.

The “Zakat” for Unitarians is obligatory. Many people are mistaken forgetting that its widest and largest significance was anchored in the roots under the following characteristic: preserving the brothers. This preservation could not be achieved unless by investing the money, the knowledge and the capacity, what the hand has reached and what the heart and mind have generated, to his brother with all the significances of brotherhood and their general components. Whoever is aware of that and intends to achieve it, is honored and gratified. We only honor him with thanks and appreciation, but the true honor would be granted by God His Almighty. Whoever opens his heart to His Almighty for sacrifice and generosity on the path of goodness is the one enjoying the grace and benediction of God. “Praise be to the workers’ reward”

I address my salutations to the members of “Al-Douha” secretaries Council in this concern. I thank their initiative and sacrifices in the wideness of their vision. “Al-Douha” has been assembled in religious, historical, literary and social issues, which enables it to become a part of documentary subjects, especially in the absence of an equivalent publication in our society. However, it is to say that we are looking forward to more cohesion in the concept of our cultural heritage and its identity on “Al-Douha” pages and for the suggestion of more problems that are currently occurring to our regions, and by that I mean the economic, living, educational and other ones. We also look forward that it allots some of its pages for that is similar to our current period on the intellectual and cultural levels through brilliant intellectuals, scientists and university teachers, not only in our Community, but in Lebanon and the Islamic World. Therefore, it is necessary that we use advice in publishing it and enrich its content so that it remains updated to life action, and this is one of the first principles of the effective cultural work.

Beirut, on November 8, 2013