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Who are we?

At the end of the year 1982, which witnessed the Zionist invasion of Lebanon, and the increasing need to establish educational and social institutions on a sound foundation and on a pure and moderate Islamic methodology, the students of the Shaykh ^Abdu l-Lah Al-Harariyy, the scholar of hadith, may God have mercy on him, decided to join the framework of an association in which they would achieve their lofty goals of spreading the enlightened culture and benefit the society and the nation.

There was an association in Lebanon founded in 1930 called the “Association of Islamic Charitable Projects” which had carried out some charitable work in the past but it was since then going through a long period of stagnation. Over the years, its presidency was assumed by the Shaykh Mustafa Ghalayiniyy, and the Hajj Husayn Al-Awayniyy (one of the former ministers of Lebanon), and the Shaykh Ahmad Al-^Ajuz, may God have mercy on him, who was the president of the association at that time. He liked the idea, so he handed over its management to the students and disciples of the Shaykh ^Abdu l-Lah Al-Harariyy, and the association became a comprehensive framework for their religious, educational, social, and other fields activities. His Eminence, the Shaykh Nizar Al-Halabiyy, may God have mercy on him, assumed its presidency, and managed with the cooperation of a group of educated and sincere young people to restart the association according to modern methodologies, and ambitious aspirations.

The Association of Islamic Charitable Projects currently includes thousands of disciples and students of the educational guide the Shaykh ^Abdu l-Lah Al-Harariyy, and they are of various ages and academic and professional specializations, and are spread throughout Beirut and the Lebanese governorates but also outside Lebanon. By the grace of God, they are called to exhort one another to the truth and be patient in accordance with the words of Allah: “By the ^Asr, indeed mankind is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to the truth and exhort one another to patience.” Surat Al-^Asr.

We are a group of Muslims who do not follow a new scheme or an idea that was innovated 50, 200, or 600 years ago. The first of these was innovated by Sayyid Qutb and Taqiyyu d-Din an-Nabhaniyy, the second by Muhammad ibnu ^Abdi l-Wahhab, and the third by Ibn Taymiyyah, from which Ibn ^Abdu l-Wahhab drew his inspiration. We are innocent of these groups and we do not find permissible to assassinate government officials because they rule by non islamic laws. 

Rather, we are following the mainstream route of Ash^ariyyah and Shafi^iyyah, which is followed by millions of Muslims in the world. We are Ash^ariyyah in belief and Shafi^iyyah in practical rules. The Imam Al-Ash^ariyy is the Imam of Ahlus-Sunnah who summarized the belief of the companions and their successors. He taught during the third Hijriyy century and died in the beginning of the fourth century. His vast knowledge is entirely substantiated with intellectual and textual evidences. The Shafi^iyy School of Islamic Jurisprudence has been passed on for 1200 years. Our belief about the Imams of the famous four Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence – the Imam Abu Hanifah, the Imam Malik, the Imam Ash-Shafi^iyy and the Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal- and the rest of the recognized Imams is that, all of them are Imams of guidance. We acknowledge them all.

 

 

Advisor and Presidents of the Association

The Shaykh ^Abdul l-Lah Al-Harariyy

The Leader of the Association

The learned scholar the Shaykh ^Abdul-Lah Al-Harariyy, may God have mercy on him, is the religious and spiritual guide of the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects. He devoted himself to delving into the seas of knowledge, receiving science and knowledge from a large number of scholars, and memorizing a tremendous number of texts and books in various fields. Then he devoted his attention to the science of the Prophet’s Hadith, and memorized the six books and others with their chains of transmission.

 

The Shaykh Nizar Al-Halabiyy

The Former President of the Association

The former president of the association, His Eminence, the martyr the Shaykh Nizar Al-Halabiyy, may God have mercy on him, was born in Beirut in 1952. At a young age, he met the Shaykh ^Abdul-Lah Al-Harariyy who raised him, and taught him from his knowledge. Then, in 1975, he graduated from the Faculty of Al-Azhar al-Sharif in Egypt.

The Shaykh Husam Qaraqirah

President of the Islamic Charitable Projects Association

His Eminence, the Shaykh Dr. Husam Qaraqirah assumed the presidency of the association on September 1, 1995, shortly after the assassination of His Eminence, the Shaykh Nizar Halabiyy, may God have mercy on him. He launched the slogan “We will repel the maliciousness by building an institution” and worked to implement it, so charities and education structures continue to rise.

We must imitate the Chosen Prophet in remaining steadfast to his message, and eager to spread it; this message for which he was subjected to various forms of persuasion and intimidation, to various sorts of harm and persecution, and to various types of bargaining and boycott from his enemies. We also should imitate him in his concern for the sake of his nation. Indeed, he did not leave this world before he had conveyed the message, fulfilled what he was entrusted with, and advised the nation. He did not  leave a door on good for his nation unopened, and he did not leave a door open on evil without locking it.

The President of the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects
His Eminence The Shaykh Husam Qaraqirah
 

Our goals

Spreading religious knowledge with wisdom and good preaching

Combating extremism and fanaticism with religious knowledge and clarification

Preserving the knowledge heritage, authentificating manuscripts and editing them

Improving individuals, family life, and society and purifying it from calamities, heresies, and circulated falsehoods

Developing cultural, educational and social activities, as well as media, sports, scouting, and entertainment projects

Communicating and cooperating with associations and institutions in order to reach the desired goals and serve the public interest and the common good

Protecting women's condition and employing women’s energies in various areas and fields that are in demand

Caring for young men and women, protecting them from modern dangers, and utilizing their energies to serve society and the nation

Preparing curriculum studies that address the needs of society in various fields

Promote useful modern academic sciences by building educational institutions such as institutes, schools and universities, and urging young people to get graduated 

Caring for the poor, orphans, widows, and elderly through education. Providing aid, job opportunities, shelter, psychological care, and social protection. Supporting people with special needs and disabilities

Improve health and environmental conditions, establishing a prevention culture, raising public awareness, and addressing multiple problems such as drugs, marital disputes and family tragedies

Among our field of interest

Spreading Correct Islamic Awareness

The Association places great emphasis on scouting activities as they have a profound impact on the personal development of young people, regardless of gender. Scouting promotes qualities such as commitment, discipline, teamwork and the desire to serve others. Project guides and leaders play an active role in organizing scouting teams and conducting various scouting events such as camps, trips, lectures, and courses that align with the goals of project scouting work.

Celebrating Religious Occasions

We commemorate religious occasions and remember their meanings, especially in the blessed month of Ramadan, or Rabi^ al-'Awwal in which the Prophet’s was born, and he migrated to Medina, or Rajab, the month of the night journey and the ascension (al-'Isra' wa l-Mi^raj) and so on. The association commemorates these occasions through its vocal groups all over the world whose members’ voices resound with the remembrance of God and the praise of the Messenger  and who work to spread the enlightened culture of Islam and to encourage moral and virtue. These teams hold celebrations in mosques, homes, halls, streets, and other places without financial compensation.

Knowledge Heritage Preservation

Our Association works to preserve the muslims' knowledge heritage and takes care of islamic scholars manuscripts by authentificating them, and then editing them. Out of its desire to promote the authentic islamic culture, the AICP takes care to publish books which cover topics as diverse as creed, jurisprudence, interpretation and Hadith, biographies of the honorable Prophet, his family, his Companions and the nation’s notables and scholars, but also Arabic language sciences, Islamic history, books for children, young people, and school books.

Social Assistance

In this field, the Association cooperates with charitable people to collect aid, such as food, clothing, and the like, and distributes it to those in need for the sake of God Almighty. The Association pays special attention to social affairs, especially with the worsening economic crisis that the country has witnessed recently. Under the pressure of the living hardship, the association expanded, according to its capabilities, the circle of beneficiaries of its social assistance, including school scholarships provided to orphans, poor, and outstanding students.

Media work

Media outlets play a crucial role in the operations of the Association. Therefore, the AICP has been publishing "Manar Al-Huda" magazine since 1992 which is an Islamic magazine that focuses on promoting accurate Islamic concepts, cautioning against fanaticism and extremism, and advocating for moderation and balance in society. It covers a range of topics, including Islamic antiquities, the history of cities and countries, and social issues. The association is also keen on radio-related activities and various radio programs. In today's era, where the spread of ignorance and indoctrination poses a threat to the nation's culture and history, society urgently needs access to the "Call of Knowledge", which is the voice of truth and kind words.

Noble Prophetic Traces

From the beginning, the AICP pays great attention to the noble prophetic relics and seeks blessings from them, as do hundreds of millions of Muslims in this world, following the example of the righteous predecessors who used to seek blessings from the Prophet’s hair and other noble traces, as narrated by Al-Bukhariyy and others. Every year on the last Friday night of Ramadan, the members of the association go to the Grand Mansuriyy Mosque in Tripoli, which houses one of the hairs of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It was delivered by an Ottoman naval frigate accompanied by soldiers in the year 1308 AH/1891 CE. The city's scholars, nobles, and notables received it, with one scholar even placing it on his head. The crowd followed him, raising their voices in the streets, sending prayers and blessings to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. 

Scout Activities

The Association places great emphasis on scouting activities due to its positive impact on the character development of young individuals, both male and female. Indeed, scouting instills values such as commitment, discipline, teamwork, and the desire to serve others. Scout leaders plan and coordinate scouting activities such as camps, trips, lectures, and courses to achieve scouting objectives.

Health Affairs

Providing healthcare services and assistance to those in need, including medicine and treatment, is also among the activities of AICP. The Association promotes health and social awareness by creating customized programs, campaigns, and lectures. They have dispensaries and health centers staffed by highly qualified doctors in various specialties and provide even pilgrims with special care. They work in partnership with many health centers and organizations to achieve their goals. 

Construction and restoration of mosques

We are actively involved in building, restoring, and taking care of a significant number of mosques and prayer halls across many countries. We conduct daily lessons for men, women, and children on various Islamic sciences. We also hold celebrations on religious occasions, including ^Id and Tarawih prayers during Ramadan, and strive to revive the Ramadan nights, especially the night of the twenty-seventh.

Guidance for Hajj and ^Umrah

One of the activities of AICP is to guide pilgrims, ^Umrah performers, and visitors by holding educational lectures related to the provisions of Hajj and ^Umrah, and explaining the virtues of this obligation, and the virtue of visiting the grave of the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ.

Qur'an memorization sessions

Hundreds of students from AICP schools and others, as well as children, males, and females, participate in memorizing sessions ofthe Holy Qur’an and Sharia texts, especially “The Course of the Hadith Scholar the Shaykh ^Abdul-Lah Al-Harariyy” and “The Course of the Shaykh Nizar Halabiyy". It goes through stages and qualifiers and ends with celebrations honoring the winners and participants in which incentive prizes are distributed.

 

We are a people who believe in justice, moderation, and temperance. We call for working towards achieving public interests and serving the people and the nation with honesty, determination, and sincerity.