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 Safar 13, 1420 AH/ May 28, 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
Islamic Social Regulations Embody Sublime Ethical Values
In many of its verses, the Glorious Quran underscores the importance of the vital relations of man, whether with his Lord, his parents, or the people around him. In this context, the Ten Commandments that Allah revealed to Prophets Musa and Isa constitute a comprehensive guide that ensures the stability and safety of both the individual and society. Furthermore, it invokes the individual to be faithful and trustworthy and incites him to do his best to safeguard the life, property, and honor of his fellow human beings. More importantly, he would also act in a positive manner, trying to make every effort to enhance the value, beauty, and meaning of life…
In this respect, the Islamic social regulations—i.e., prohibitions and injunctions—constitute a comprehensive ethical guide that enables man—who obeys Allah's prohibitions and injunctions—to realize his humanity on the ethical-social level.
Observing the Oneness of Allah in Worship and Obedience
"And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], 'uff,' and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, 'My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.'" Surat al-Isra' (17:23-24).
These verses are divided into many commandments:
The first, "worship not except Him," implies that since worship includes all actions in your private and social life, Allah wants man to worship Him and only Him, through each and every action he does.
Show Kindness to Your Parents
The second commandment, to love, care for, and attend to one's parents, especially when they grow old and feel insecure, is something that has been given special emphasis in the Quran, to the extent that it has been joined in another verse with the duty of worshipping Allah: "And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination." Surat Luqman (31:14).
We notice that Allah has focused on the emotional side of the parent-child relationship, making sure that we understand that there is no place for personal dignity or feeling humiliated in this relationship... For it is a relationship based on love and gratitude.
Squander Not in Wantonness
The third commandment: "And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveler, and do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful." Surat al-Isra' (17:26-27). And do not let your hand be chained to your neck, nor open it completely, giving away all that you have. For Allah wants you to act in a sober and balanced way.
Abortion Is Unlawful
"And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin." Surat al-Isra' (17:31). We hear nowadays about abortion cases as a result of extreme poverty, and we would like to emphasize that abortion is unlawful even if the fetus is only one day old, and even if the embryo suffers from major handicaps or deformities... The only case in which abortion becomes permissible is when it causes a grave illness or threatens the mother's life.
Do Not Commit Adultery
"And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an abomination and an evil way." Surat al-Isra' (17:32). Adultery creates, as it is needless to say, grave social problems, for it destroys the family structure and undermines ethical values, etc.
Do Not Kill
"And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right." Surat al-Isra' (17:33). And this applies to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Allah, the Most Exalted, wants us to respect human life, and wishes all human beings to live in societies in which they feel secure, with no threats endangering their life, property, rights, freedoms, and honor.
In conclusion, I would like to stress that we hold the responsibility of safeguarding our society from all these deviations, to ensure that our community enjoys security and peace of mind, a community whose individuals love and care for one another and seek to worship Allah and obey His commands.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Dear beloved worshippers:
Be pious, and remember always that this piety includes our attitude towards our nation, whose strength we should strive to maintain.
Let us then study our present conditions and try to find what we can do to improve them.
We Warn Against Any Concessions to the Zionist Enemy
The Arab political circles are still preoccupied in studying the implications of the Israeli elections, being a "major development" in the "peace process." Some have even begun to call for offering concessions to the newcomer, although he has made clear that his Zionist strategy regarding Jerusalem and the Jewish settlements is not different from that of the Likud. Furthermore, he has also declared that he does not intend to withdraw to the 1967 borders.
We warn against this new game that might hint that it would put the process back on track, promising, for example, that the Zionists will withdraw from Lebanon in one year.
For this new tactic is based on the same Zionist strategy that attaches top priority to Israeli security and interests. Moreover, Israel will not withdraw from any land in Palestine before turning it into a prison that is encircled by Israeli settlements.
When it comes to strategic interest, the Jews are but one party, regardless of their tactical differences. Arabs, on the other hand, are divided and adopt different strategies despite the fact that they claim to be unified. This has been the case throughout the Arab-Palestinian struggle. Consequently, there is an urgent and critical need for a change that will restore Arab solidarity and unity, to pave the way for a change in the course of the struggle itself.
As for Lebanon, all concerned should recognize that if the enemy decides to withdraw, it would have been forced to take this action as a result of the Resistance's—especially the Islamic Resistance's—operations, and not in response to any international or regional calls. We should, therefore, enhance our support for the Resistance to force the enemy to retreat and defeat it.
We would also like to repeat our call upon the collaborators to repent and flee before it is too late. For the Lebanese people will not have any mercy on those who chose not to repent and maintain their treasonable course to the very end.
As for Jezzine, we want to assure those who are skeptical that there are no grounds for any sectarian strife, provided that everybody is aware of the enemy's plots and remains vigilant of his intelligence agencies' schemes.
Jezzine is a part of its country, and its people are a part of the Lebanese people. The Resistance, therefore, is expected to protect its security, as it holds the responsibility to protect the safety and security of all Lebanon and all Lebanese.
Confront the Collapse in Our System of Values
Lastly, these savage crimes—rape of children, or one's daughter, a mother throwing a child from the balcony, etc.—that have grown more frequent in Lebanon of late… It is not sufficient to punish those who commit them. We should also determine their motives or causes and try to eradicate them.
Poverty should be confronted by means of enhancing social solidarity, while shows containing sex, violence, or crimes should be censored. We stand with the freedom of information, but this freedom should be restricted by the demands of safeguarding future generations.