Sheikh Sami Abu Al-Muna, the Sheikh of the Druze community, addressed a message on the occasion of the Hijri New Year stating: "Between the first of Muharram—the date of the Prophet's migration to Medina—and the first of Muharram in the year 1446 AH, there is a long temporal distance that contains treasures of lessons, thoughts, and themes, as well as the great Islamic message that the migrating Prophet, peace be upon him, carried, through which he completed the blessing and perfected the religion: 'Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.' This message was carried by his faithful companions and the noble family, striving to elevate the word of truth, sometimes using effective and kind words and the language of reason and logic, and at other times through struggle and decisive confrontation, solely so that the word of God may be supreme, affirming His saying: 'And He made the word of those who disbelieved low, while the word of Allah is exalted. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.'"
He added: "The Prophet entered Medina as a migrant from Mecca, transforming it into 'the illuminated city.' Does enlightenment not signify the light of truth and monotheism? Does truth and monotheism not signify the worship of the One God? Does the worship of the One God not signify knowing Him and living honestly with Him? A knowledge without any doubt, and a luminous life without darkness overshadowing it. This is the message that necessitated migration, as it is a journey of striving and struggle to achieve the supreme goal that the Prophet migrated for, in order to realize His saying: 'Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam,' which is Islam that does not conflict at all with what has been revealed in previous scriptures and what was brought by the prophets and messengers. It is not isolated from what came before it or rendered null, but it is that which the Prophet called for: the oneness of worship, which shatters the idols of stone, thought, and backwardness, and worship of the Eternal One that transcends the worship of the servile and the merchants to the worship of the noble and the free, and that is knowledge, and knowledge is monotheism."
He continued: "The Prophet bore the message with patience, struggle, determination, certainty, and eloquence in what God, Blessed and Exalted, revealed to him, challenging dangers and obstacles, confronting when the message requires confrontation, and engaging in dialogue when the message calls for reasoning with the best of words, solidifying in these instances the principles of faith in hearts, the virtues in society, and human unity within the one nation, calling for brotherhood among Muslims and equality among all people, commanding good and forbidding evil and anything that could deviate humanity from the paths of goodness to the pitfalls of desires."
He pointed out: "Migration holds no meaning or value unless it aligns with the intent of the Prophet and what he commanded, whether its aim was to avoid strife or to elevate the mission, both of which are worthy of travel. With such migration that embodies both avoidance and elevation, the goal is achieved, and the message is preserved, just as the spirit of monotheism only lives through avoidance and acquisition, and resilient communities are built only through combating ailments and vices, while cultivating morals and virtues."
He stated: "As with every remembrance, holiday, and occasion, we recall the condition of the people and the reality of our country, reminding ourselves that perhaps this remembrance may benefit and awaken consciences. We raise our voices so that perhaps the ears of the officials may hear and their eyes may see and their consciences may awaken. Do they not live what the people experience, fearing for the future and anxious about their fate? Are they not apprehensive of their structure collapsing upon its inhabitants in light of the ongoing Israeli attacks in the region? Do they not realize that discord dissipates hopes and understanding generates achievements? How long will we wait? Can a nation be built without a respected constitution and a system to follow? Or can the state operate without an organized head and a heart that embraces all? Are we not in greater need today to take the initiative and begin serious consultation and honest dialogue to elect a President of the Republic before matters escalate and worse occurs amid the daily military escalation and Israeli violations in steadfast South Lebanon? Have we lost the ability to achieve internal understanding that considers the required balances, and have we become hostages to awaited external agreements that consider balances among nations and resolve the intractable dilemmas in the region?"
He added: "Israel, which has usurped the land of Palestine and covets Lebanon's resources, disregarding international resolutions and the sentiments of the entire world through the brutal massacres it commits in Gaza, must not be confronted with internal weakness, presidential vacancy, and random political strife, but rather with increased responsibility, national solidarity, and coming together for the supreme national interest, affirming national unity to bolster the deterrent resistance work and heroic field confrontations. We need to draw inspiration from that great historical event by establishing faith and affirming that truth, justice, and fairness, along with the rejection of oppression and aggression, are the paths to salvation, starting from purifying oneself from blemishes to purifying society from vices and the nation from impediments, and achieving reform here and there, by lifting oneself from the plight of doubt to the certainty of conviction, from the plight of disintegration and dissolution to a haven of adherence to values and cohesion and hope, and from the plight of state incapacity and institutional vacancy to a haven of revival, prosperity, and victory."
He concluded: "We ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted, to awaken consciences and enlighten visions, to inspire everyone towards the right path, through the blessings of what this blessed occasion carries of goodness and guidance, and to bring it back to our nation and the Lebanese with goodness and peace, guiding us all towards paths of salvation; indeed, He is the Generous, the Forbearing, and He, Blessed and Exalted, is the All-Hearing, the Responsive."
