In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Religious Authority, Grand Ayatullah H.E. Sayyed M. H. Fadlullah delivered the Friday prayer sermon at the Imam al-Rida (a.s.) Mosque in Bir al-Abed on Zoul-Hijjah 29, 1416 AH / April 19, 1996 AD. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, officials, and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer.
From Responding to Allah in Hajj to
Responding to Him on the Confrontation
Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book:
"And [mention] when We designated for Ibrahim the site of the House, [saying], 'Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate. * And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass * That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor. * Then let them end their untidiness and fulfill their vows and perform Tawaf around the ancient House. * That [has been commanded], and whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allah—it is best for him in the sight of his Lord. And permitted to you are the grazing livestock, except what is recited to you. So avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement * Inclining [only] to Allah, not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allah—it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place. * That [is so]. And whoever honors the symbols of Allah—indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.'" Surat al-Hajj (22:26-32)
Allah, the Most Exalted, has spoken the truth.
Rejecting the Arrogant Powers
These are the days of Hajj, the obligation that Allah, the Most Exalted, has made mandatory upon everyone who is able to undertake it. Allah, the Most Exalted, wanted people from all parts of the earth to gather around His name, His path, and His House, so that they may respond to Him in everything He has commanded and everything He has forbidden. Through Hajj, they should find their unity upon the religion of Allah and His House, and discover their strength through this unity, in which a Muslim in the East feels united with a Muslim in the West, even if countries, schools of thought, races, and nationalities separate them. They come together through Allah, the Most Exalted, so that they may witness benefits for themselves in their religion, their wealth, their circumstances, their positions, and their stances. Allah, the Most Exalted, intended Hajj to be a gathering from which all pilgrims benefit, and through which these benefits extend to the entire Muslim nation.
For this reason, Allah, the Most Exalted, intended Hajj, from its very beginning, to be a declaration of parting from the polytheists, the arrogant oppressors, and the wrongdoers, so that people, while circling the House of Allah, may realize that they must not circle the houses of the enemies of Allah, the Most Exalted, or the houses where Allah, the Most Exalted, is disobeyed. Whoever circles the House of Allah, the Most Exalted, has no right to circle the house of any arrogant tyrant in support of his arrogance, nor the house of any oppressor in support of his oppression.
Likewise, the one who goes there to stone the symbol of Satan—which is a stone—must draw inspiration from that act and stone Satan within himself, within his life, and within the lives of others, regardless of the size of that satanic influence, whether it is small or great. Satan is not merely an unseen being living in the unseen world; he may also operate in real life. Allah, the Most Exalted, has spoken to us about the devils among both jinn and human beings:
"And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy—devils from mankind and jinn, inspiring to one another decorative speech in delusion." Surat al-An'am (6:112)
Therefore, stoning Satan means more than merely throwing stones at him. It means stoning him throughout your entire life: by rejecting the desires of your own soul through which Satan seeks to distance you from your Lord; by rejecting his oppression, his arrogance, his occupation and domination, and all his deviations and misguidance. Hajj is a movement expressed through symbols so that it may become a movement in real life. A person who performs Hajj and then returns while remaining detached from the public and private concerns of Muslims has not performed Hajj. A person who goes to Hajj but shows no concern for the affairs of Muslims has not performed Hajj. A person who goes to Hajj and then harms Muslim unity has not performed Hajj.
The one who truly performs Hajj is the one who returns from it with a mind that rejects all satans, a soul that rejects all forbidden desires, and a way of life that rejects all arrogance and rejects all religious discord and division among Muslims.
The Meaning of Talbiyah
People are now setting out in groups and individually, wave after wave. The call rises loudly and powerfully:
"Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk, La Sharika Laka Labbayk, Inna Al-Hamda Wa An-Ni'mata Laka Wa Al-Mulk, La Sharika Lak."
This powerful call says to Allah, the Most Exalted: "Our Lord, we answer Your call again and again. We respond to You in everything You command and everything You forbid. We respond by carrying out what You have commanded and abandoning what You have prohibited.
Our Lord, we respond to You because You have said:
'And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire.' Surah Hud (11:113)
And because You have told us that You do not love the arrogant, the oppressors, and those who disobey You. Therefore, we must not love them. The believer is the one who loves whom Allah loves and dislikes whom Allah dislikes. If Allah, the Most Exalted, loves the believers, the righteous, the obedient, and those who strive in His cause, then you must love them in order to respond to Him and to be truthful in the words of your Talbiyah. And if Allah, the Most Exalted, does not love those who disobey Him, the arrogant, and the disbelievers, then you must not love them."
Talbiyah, dear beloved ones, means that from the depths of your being you raise a cry declaring that your entire life will be an answer to Allah, the Most Exalted's call. It means that you will not listen to those who seek to distance you from Allah, the Most Exalted, or lead you onto the path of His enemies.
Therefore, dear beloved ones, Talbiyah is not merely a phrase recited during Hajj. It must be spoken in every time and place, because Allah, the Most Exalted, wants us always to respond to Him in all our actions, words, and relationships.
Dear beloved ones, when Allah, the Most Exalted, wants us to respond to Him, He wants us, through this response, to be free before the entire world while being servants to Him alone. He wants us to possess dignity and honor within ourselves while showing humility before Him. He wants us to move forward on the basis of fighting in His cause and in the cause of the oppressed men, women, and children:
"And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children..." Surat an-Nisa' (4:75)