On Monday, July 22, 2024, Aley was filled with vast delegations of Sheikhs and followers of the Unitarian Druze community from various Lebanese regions, Jabal al-Arab, and Jordan, who came to the city to bid farewell to the late spiritual reference, the esteemed, pious Sheikh Abu Masoud Hani Jaber Shehayeb.
The solemn scene was the best testament to the late Sheikh's dignity among the Muwahhidun, as Aley witnessed a magnificent funeral attended by the Sheikh Aql of the Unitarian Druze community, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, spiritual leaders, and a crowd of Sheikhs who came to Aley on the day of Abu Masoud's farewell from all Lebanese regions, Jabal al-Arab in Syria, and Jordan. The funeral was also attended by Minister of Education and Higher Education Abbas Halabi, Minister of Displaced Issam Sharafeddine, Majid Talal Arslan, Member of the Democratic Gathering MP Akram Shehayeb represented by his son Wael Shehayeb, Aley Interior Commissioner in the Progressive Socialist Party Youssef Deibes and a party delegation, former Minister Wiam Wahhab, former Minister Saleh Al-Gharib, Member of the Political Council of the Democratic Party Liwaa Jaber, and municipal, mayoral, and social figures.
Initially, Sheikh Hadi Jamal El-Din provided an introduction, followed by a speech for the city of Aley, delivered by Sheikh Dr. Wajdi Al-Jordi, President of the Ishraq Charitable Association, in which he spoke about the late pious Sheikh.
Al-Jordi said: "We bid farewell to a virtuous, patient, and pious Sheikh who took the soundness of mind from his late grandfather, Sheikh Abu Muhammad Saeed Jaber, and the quality of wisdom from his late father, Sheikh Abu Hani Masoud Jaber. He was the descendant of these trusted notables, combining all the beautiful qualities he was given. How could it be otherwise when the hearts of the brethren were united in their love for him."
Sheikh Al-Jordi eulogized the deceased with verses of poetry that touched upon his honesty, gentleness, and the importance of his role. On behalf of the city of Aley, he thanked everyone who shared their painful loss and everyone who honored them by sending messages of condolence.
Following this, a speech on behalf of the deceased's family was delivered by Sheikh Majd Salman Shehayeb, in which he stated: "Our deceased drank from a pure source, following the virtues of his forbearing, religious father, the virtuous Sheikh Abu Hani Masoud Jaber, may God have mercy on him. Through a sudden destiny, the master of dreams fell early, shattering the hearts of the brethren and causing tears of sorrow to flow... Two moons set for our late Sheikh in his life: Masoud and Muhanna, two benevolent sons. Our Sheikh took comfort in patience and solace, satisfied with the judgment of the One, the Eternal, struggling for obedience and duty. After his children, the apples of his eyes, the deceased mourned his companions, the pious Sheikhs, waiting for the day of reckoning and the appointed time. After a long life spent in steadfastness on the path of reconciliation, striving sincerely to unite people and mend rifts, he left his world, equipped with the best provision for his afterlife, wearing the crown of chastity, calling for harmony and affection, and the path of the predecessors is preserved by one generation after another."
Sheikh Shehayeb eulogized the deceased with poems, adding: "On behalf of the deceased's family, we thank everyone who shared our fate, whether through appreciated attendance or messages of condolence. We offer our condolences to them as we do to ourselves for the loss of this religious scholar. The fragrance of our late Sheikh's piety spread to all corners of the land, and its breezes wafted among the virtuous and generous. O God, You who have no preventer for Your gift... nor any repeller for Your decree... and with whom nothing is lost... O God, You who raise the heavens... and hear the prayers... we ask You by the merit of our late Sheikh and our virtuous Sheikhs, those who have passed and those who remain, we ask You for souls at peace with Your decree... patient under Your trial... yearning for Your meeting."
Sheikh Aql
A speech was delivered by His Eminence, the Sheikh Aql of the Unitarian Druze community in Lebanon, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, which read as follows:
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: "Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration." Distinguished Sheikhs, our brothers in Aley, the loyal people of the Mountain and the Muwahhidun, O honorable ones, four decades ago, Aley and the community bid farewell to the esteemed scholar, the late Sheikh Abu Hani Masoud Jaber Shehayeb, the father of our pure, late Sheikh Abu Masoud Hani, whom we bid farewell today with grief and sorrow. Back then, the great assembly from the people of the Mountain marched to Aley, and we were at the age of youth, so we wept and eulogized him, satisfied and submissive:
My sorrow for that beauty that has withered
My sorrow for the friendly face that perishes
We are satisfied, we submit our affairs to God
And all are slaves to the inevitable fate.
And here we are today, forty years later, returning with broken, sad, yet satisfied and submissive hearts to say: Peace be upon your pure soul, O happy face, O bearer of the message of the fathers and grandfathers, peace be upon you, O trusted and honest Sheikh, O guardian of the house, the heritage, and the trust. Peace be upon your good memory and your beautiful biography, O pillar of the pillars of the community of faith and Unitarianism, O heart beating with righteousness, love, and faith, and a chest steadfast, like the righteous father, on the soil of Prince Ma'dad, drawing from him the determination to face difficulties and tribulations, drinking wisdom from the fountain of the righteous predecessors in this noble family and from the families of Aley known for piety, righteousness, soundness of mind, and steadfastness on the word of truth and monotheism. In the distant past, during the time of war and distress, your dear boy "Masoud" fell as a martyr, and you rose with him with a sound mind, a patient heart, a preaching mouth, and an arm wielding the sword of faith, contentment, and submission. You followed the path of the Prince, so you said what we said: The judgment of destiny and the judgment among us is the Prince's; we are satisfied as the Prince was satisfied. The heart was wrung a second time by the departure of your second son, "Muhanna," so your heart overflowed with light upon light and acceptance upon acceptance, and you became more attached to your book and your prayer niche, seeking refuge in the shelter of beneficence, climbing the ladder of monotheism and faith, where worship is a journey and an ascension, surrounded by a constellation of the pious of "Ain Hala" and the righteous of "Aley," following in your footsteps as you followed your pure, distinguished predecessors. You guarded the trust, gathered the people, and raised the banner of monotheism, just as the masters of this city and the notables of this family did before you, from Sheikh Abu Yousef Amin to Sheikh Abu Ridan, Sheikh Abu Hamza, Sheikh Abu Taher, and others. Your house, in every stage and era, was a destination for the Sheikhs of Jihad and the leaders of the country. Therefore, you are alive, O Sheikh Abu Masoud, because your light and essence remain, and your memory is eternal and does not die: "The light is not folded, and the essence remains." With you and those like you among the deserving, Paradise welcomes, as the Almighty said: {For those who have done good is the best [reward] and extra. No darkness will cover their faces, nor humiliation. Those are companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally}. God Almighty has spoken the truth. In bidding you farewell today, I allow myself, from the position of the Sheikh Aql, to mention what you granted us of kindness, affection, love, and support since the very first moment destiny willed for us to bear the responsibility of preserving the trust and performing the duty. Since my first visit to you, I felt your sincere fatherhood and pure brotherhood, and since I was honored to receive you in our homes and kissed your pure hands bearing the fragrance of the predecessors and the scent of Unitarian brotherhood, I remembered the definitive saying from the testament: "Support them and do not let them down." You were for us, and your virtuous brothers and your literary son, Sheikh Minhal, were the best supporters, calling for our success and guiding us, holding with us the embers of responsibility and serving the people. As we pledged to you yesterday, we pledge to you today, as we share the sorrow with you in Aley, that we will continue the journey together with the sincerity of belief, the correctness of the path, the soundness of intention, the clarity of vision, and the steadfastness of will, in loyalty to the soul of the late Sheikh "Abu Masoud," whose love was spread by the people and the good opinion of the pious knowers before the hand of our master and our esteemed Sheikh, Sheikh Abu Saleh Muhammad Al-Andari, crowned him. He was truly deserving of it through his praiseworthy path and known humility, accepting the honor with his refined character, and transcending it in pursuit of the unity of all. Distinguished Sheikhs, noble personalities, our virtuous people, what we are experiencing today in our country and our surroundings calls us to vigilance, not anxiety, and to cohesion and meeting, not fragmentation and distancing. This requires us as Muwahhidun to cling to the foundations of the creed and the principles of the path, and to the constants of the spiritual identity of the people of Ma'ruf and monotheism, and to emphasize the Arab Islamic Unitarian national identity of the community, holding fast to our spiritual and jihadist heritage in the face of any threat or challenge, regardless of its type or size, steadfast in our affiliation, our identity, our commitment to duty, our rootedness in the land, and our defense of honor. And you, our beloved Sheikh, you who left the world to reach the hereafter, and transcended its passions to win your soul, and gave up your self-interests to win the favor of acceptance with God, sleep satisfied, well-pleasing, and reassured. For your soul, a thousand mercies, and for your family, your small family, your large family, and all your loved ones, may you have goodness and loyalty. May God reward you all, O virtuous brothers, and help us and you to remain steadfast on his path, united on his word, and working diligently to preserve his message and follow in his footsteps. May your house, O our late Sheikh, remain a house of purity and piety, full of its pure and pious people, "If a procession returns from it, another comes," and to the presence of God and His happy shelter, O Sheikh Abu Masoud, and to the ships of Jihad and the processions of work, O brothers and sons, let us preserve what the beloved late Sheikh preserved, and let us bid him farewell saying:
Live after your death satisfied, O Hani
And revive happiness, for it is a second life
And depart to where eternity is, crowned
With the turban of monotheism and beneficence.
Our distinguished Sheikhs, you have our condolences and prayers, and for his pure soul, mercy and loyalty, "Indeed, we belong to Allah and indeed to Him we will return."
Then His Eminence Sheikh Abi Al-Muna asked Sheikh Jihad Al-Rayyes to perform the prayer, which was led by Sheikh Abu Saleh Raja Shehayeb, and the deceased was laid to rest. A series of telegrams and messages of condolence also arrived at the funeral from spiritual leaders and organizations from Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and the diaspora countries. A stand was also held for the late Sheikh at the shrine of Nabi Shu'ayb (peace be upon him) in Palestine, with the participation of spiritual bodies and Sheikhs.
