May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God Almighty be upon you.
I would like to provide a brief introduction before we proceed to the second part of this meeting.
Throughout history, as Alawite Muslims, we have been persecuted again and again. Accused of the worst traits; such as leaving Islam and disbelief. Also, we have experienced the most vicious massacres.
As the Alawite prince Hassan bin Makzoon Al-Sinjāri (may God’s mercy be upon him) says:
their feeling towards us was hatred.
Nevertheless, our feeling towards them was love.
our allegiance to Taha’s family is all that we did wrong in their belief.
therefore, our community has been trapped in a cycle of isolation and poverty for centuries.
Because they were under siege, fear of persecution and massacres in those periods, our scholars were unable to disseminate Ahl al-Bayt knowledge or print any book. More than that, they lacked any financial capacity, searching for safety and secure living was the top priority.
But almost a hundred years ago, God sent us a scholarly , Allāmah Sheikh Sulayman Aẖmad (RIP), who, with next-generation scholars, have broken the isolation and opened themselves up to the Islamic world. They were able to communicate with their fellow Shiite scholars and ask them for the jurisprudential references and books that we needed in our Jaʻfari doctrine, and from that time the era of knowledge, renaissance and light began. But it was not easy for our fearful and isolated society to organize in such open-mindedness.
Some zealous and religiously committed young men - in the past hundred years - were driven by their passion for knowledge, and they began to go to Shiite universities in Iraq, Lebanon, or Iran (or what is known as H̱awzah) to specialize in religious sciences and learn in an academic, systematic, and scientific manner, and to return so that what they learned would benefit the members of their Alawite sect.
One of them was my master and sheikh, His Eminence Sheikh Maẖmoud Merhej, may God Almighty have mercy and blessings upon him, who obtained four university degrees from four different countries, and studied all Islamic schools of thought, then returned and benefited the members of his sect, and had a great jihad, with unforgettable fingerprints whether in Lebanon or in Australia or in Syria. We need a full lecture in which to talk about his honourable path, and in the Ramaḏān calendar that we dedicate its reward to his soul every year, we affirm one of his valuable commandments that demonstrates the extent of his adherence to his culture, his family, and his Alawite doctrine...
“HOODAN-NOOR” School is, in fact, one of the fruits of this will, and the “BAYTULHUDA The House of Guidance” Association is also one of the fruits of his teachings and commandments.
What I would like to point out in this introduction is that these young people who went and continue to go to universities are being accused of “Shiism” by those who tamper with politics and nations in addition to their followers who are closed and isolated from the world —as if we are not Shiites?! These people doubt their loyalty to their Alawite doctrine and their loyalty to the members of their sect, without any verification. This is unfair, just as Sheikh Mahmoud Merhej was wronged.
Yes, there are only some individuals who disavow their families! Their extensive academic achievement led them to be proud and criticize them, underestimating their honest loyalty and sincere faith despite their low academic level. But how can we judge someone just because they studied at other people's universities! Do we have our universities so that we can join and acquire the needed knowledge in them?
We should be proud of our young people educated abroad if they adhere to their Alawite approach and do not deny the significant Favor and great heritage of our scholars and authorities, although few, and we must give them the opportunity so that we can benefit from their knowledge and studies.
That is why we are pleased to introduce you to one of these young people who worked hard, studied and obtained university degrees, and wants to spread his knowledge among the members of his sect.
Together we welcome Brother Sheikh Yahya Hamoudi, who will tell us about his knowledge and experience and what he can offer us in “BAYTULHUDA The House of Guidance”. May God reward him with all goodness.
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