In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Religious Authority, Grand Ayatullah H.E. Sayyed M. H. Fadlullah delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque on Rabi‘ al-Awwal 11, 1420 AH / June 25, 1999 AD. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, officials, and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. (Edited version of the Sermons)
The First Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday: Let Us Renew Our Islam
Although the Prophet's birthday could be either on the 12th of this month, or on the 17th, the fact is that the Prophet could not be confined to a certain date or time. He occupies all our history, for he is the one who struggled to ensure that he has taught us the Book and the Wisdom and guided us to the straight path.
Our Responsibility towards the Messenger
On this occasion, that of Muhammad’s birth, we ought to pause and think about our responsibility towards him and how to interpret it throughout our lives, for he was sent to all human beings and all generations until the Day of Judgment.
Our generation lives in a period characterized by the clash of ideas and the divergence of religions. In addition to the Heavenly messages whose advocates continue to preach for their religions, there are the secular trends, and some of them are atheists, who also seek to win new adherents… Faced with such a multiplicity of ideas and trends, we ought to make sure that our hearts and minds are entirely Islamic and immune to any atheist or deviating trends.
But to believe in Islam is also to follow its straight path in each and every sphere of our life, whether with our families, societal relations, social dealings, political causes, etc… To believe in Islam is to uphold the Islamic rulings as the only standard that governs the relations between you and your spouse, your children, your parents, your contracts, your trade…etc. In a word, each and every aspect of your life.
We emphasize these points, because we are going to stand before Allah, the Most Exalted, where we are going to be punished for our sins and rewarded for our good deeds.
Moreover, we are also going to meet the Prophet who will ask us whether we have been faithful to him and whether we followed his path, the path of Islam.
Following Muhammad Is an Indication of Loving Allah
Let us, in these blessed days that coincide with the Prophet's birth, read all the words of Allah to learn how to establish our relationship with Muhammad and examine, in the light of it, the quality of our Islam.
Addressing His Apostle, Allah says: "Say, [O Muhammad], 'If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you.'" Surat Ali ‘Imran (3:31). Thus, if you seek to be loved by Allah, you ought to obey the Messenger’s teachings in each and every aspect of life and in each and every action you take or every situation you find yourself in. This is the way to earn Allah’s Mercy and Love. For as Allah says:
"We sent no messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah." Surat an-Nisa’ (4:64).
"And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful. But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission." Surat an-Nisa’ (4:65-66).
Thus, no believer could be really termed as such unless he refers to the Messenger, either in person or through his heritage, to act as the arbitrator in his disputes.
The Rule of Allah against The Rule of Tyranny
This very same meaning is stressed in another Ayah that explicitly states that no believer - male or female - is free to make his own decision regarding anything that Allah has clarified His position towards.
Then Allah tells about those who try to learn what is the judgement of the Sharia towards a controversy they were engaged in. They want to ensure beforehand that the judgement will be on their side, or they turn away and look for another judge.
In this respect, there is an expression in the Quran that describes any ruling or course other than that of Allah as that of Taghut (Tyranny in its most oppressive form)… Allah describes those who tend to resort to such a behavior as follows: "Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you? They wish to refer legislation to Taghut, while they were commanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray. And when it is said to them, 'Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger,' you see the hypocrites turning away from you in aversion. But how [will it be] when disaster strikes them because of what their hands have put forth and then they come to you swearing by Allah, 'We intended nothing but good conduct and accommodation.' Those - Allah knows what is in their hearts, so turn away from them but admonish them and speak to them a far-reaching word." Surat an-Nisa’ (4:60-63).
Allah, as evident in these Blessed Ayahs, considers those who behave in this dubious manner to be hypocrites who falsely claim to believe in Islam to conceal their real interests.
Let Us Renew Our Pledge of Loyalty to the Messenger
Dear Beloved, As we celebrate the birth of the Master of all beings, Muhammad, we ought to renew our commitment to Islam before him: We ought to renew, with the Prophet as our witness, our adherence and belief in Allah and the Messenger’s Message. This is the line of piety that leads us to Heaven.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Worshippers of Allah…
In accordance with the straight Path of Piety that we ought to adhere to, to fulfill our promise of loyalty to the Messenger, we ought to review the current situation the Muslims face in various parts of the world.
The Israeli Aggression Aims at Imposing the Zionist Conditions
The savage Israeli aggression against Lebanon reveals several political implications: It is essentially an attempt to impose the Israeli conditions, as well as a punishment for Lebanon for "daring" to fight the occupation of its lands and protect its civilians.
On the other hand, we do not agree with the media that held the former Israeli prime minister as solely responsible for the aggression, for we tend to believe that the prime minister-elect, Barak, has something to do with it, especially that he is trying to include the Likud in his coalition government… This means that the aggression is a part of the arrangements to conclude their deal. What are the prospects of the peaceful settlement if this government is formed, and what would the Arabs who welcomed Barak "as a man of peace" say?
America Is Not an Honest Broker
America, who called for restraint, and went as far as blaming the Resistance—who, by the way, has every right to bomb the Israeli settlements to protect the Lebanese civilians—this America is not an honest broker. It is in the first place responsible for the Zionist occupation and all its consequences, since it gives it a free hand in Lebanon. Such a country that provides our enemy with the state-of-the-art military technology and weapons would not, regardless of what the Arabs imagine, put any pressure on Israel to make any concessions in the ongoing negotiations.
Lebanon: More Economic Planning and Less Taxes
The Lebanese internal stability is more necessary now than ever, especially that we are about to face a new wave of pressures that could not be overcome unless we solidify our internal unity and keep away from political disputes whose effects are entirely negative.
Finally, we have long called for an economic and financial plan, but we hope that this plan will not prove to be at the expense of the poor by making them pay more taxes.