GrandAyatullah H.E.Muhammad Hussein Fadllulah delivered the two Friday speeches at The Two Hassan Imams Mosque (Zulhijja 29, 1419/ April 16,1999). Several prominent religious scholars, officials, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended it.
The First Speech
Peace and Blessings be on our Master Muhammad, his progeny, and his chosen companions and all of Allah’s messengers.
Not only is he Ignorant and Blind but He Is also a Burden
Allah (S.) says in His Glorious Book: "Allah surely knows what they hide and what they reveal. He does not love the proud"(The Bee: 23);"I will turn away from My signs the arrogant and the unjust"(The Heights: 146); "Enter the gates of Hell to be in it for ever. Dismal is the abode of the proud"(The Bee: 29), "Do not turn away from men with scorn, nor walk proudly on the earth: Allah does not love the arrogant and the vain-glorious"(Luqman: 18); "Is there not in Hell home for the arrogant"(The Companies: 60)
Treating the Plague of Arrogance
In these glorious verses, Allah (S.) considers the arrogant to be a social group that He detests. For He wants man to live in a realistic manner in which each of us should be acquainted with his points of weakness and strength as well as those of the others. We should then try to weigh the positive traits and compare them with the negative ones, so as to attain a balanced personality. If you are aware of your weak points vis a vis the points of strength of the others, you would become modest and just.
Thus, if you happen to be rich or powerful but you could still see your other points of weakness, you will have a balanced personality that stops short of catching the arrogant sickness.
This is why Imam Ali, the man whose manners and piety have reached the highest levels, used to say when he was praised by others: My Lord, make me better than what they think and forgive me for the misgivings they know not about". That is: Let me know myself and keep me away from becoming ignorant. For ignorants tend to overlook any negative or weak points they have, just as they overlook the good and strong points of others, and see only their misgivings and deficiencies.
Thus, if we turn to the others whom we had established relations of varying levels with, we will find out that they have several traits that we might not. This in itself should prevent us from becoming arrogant a trait that the Holy Quran has described in a denouncing manner every time the Glorious Book mentioned .
The Difference between the Leader and the Arrogant
The arrogant does not have any similarity with the leader. For the latter respects those around him and lives among, and not above, them… When Allah, the Most Exalted, talks about the Messenger, He says: “Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, and those with him…(victory: 29). Although Muhammad (p.) was, and will always be, the master of all human beings, he lived with follow human beings as one of them. Those who wrote the biography of the Messenger (p.) recall how the Muslims used to describe his great modesty:"He lived with us like one of us". With no personal advantages whatsoever.
The following story is a case in point:
When a woman was panicked upon seeing him, the Prophet soothed her by saying: "Take it easy, I am but the son of a woman who used to eat cured food".
Thus, a real leader should be exemplary in his modesty and respect of fellow human beings, while the arrogant is the one who does not have any consideration for the personality of others.
This is the type of character we suffer from in the Third world, where our rulers cancel the whole nation or the state, and take their place . Moreover, criticizing the ruler becomes forbidden and cult-personality in its worst form is abound. We might respect somebody for his academic merits or for his struggle for the cause, but we should not believe that he is above the level of criticism. On the country, we should strive to make him listen to this criticism… When Ali (as), then the caliph of Muhammad, heard that one of the khawarij had said about him: "May Allah curse him, being an atheist who is so good in jurisprudence" and the people wanted to kill this Kharaji, he told his followers: "Take it easy. It is either a matter of cursing or a mistake that we should forgive”.
The Secret of Tyranny
The arrogant's actions are motivated by his inferiority complex. But since Allah has denounced that arrogance as a spiteful and even vicious quality, we ought to confront the arrogants to make them appreciate their real position, and drive them to forgo their empty arrogance. For it is the people who encourage the arrogance of the tyrants derived either by their greed or by their fear…
Arrogance is not restricted to individuals only; it might also inflict parties, tribes and even countries and nations. Yet, all of them share the same feeling of being better than the rest, one that is similar to the Nazi German ideology that believed that Germany is above all.
But since we have learned that Allah is the only Being that could wear the rope of pride and supremacy, and that He does not like the arrogants, and that He has promised to send them to Hell, then we ought to treat this sickness: We should learn to respect others and appreciate their capabilities, values and good deeds, for all believers are (equal) brothers. These are the values and the ethics of Islam that will earn you a place in Heaven: Respect other believers, since they have the right to be respected, just as you have the right to enjoy their respect.
The Second Speech
Let Us Raise Our Voices To Confront the Kosovo Tragedy
The Atlantic war game in Kosovo is still claiming more and more victims: Tens of thousands of Muslims are being dislocated on the one hand, while the NATO massacres have so far claimed more than eighty innocent victims on the second hand.
This leads us to the following question: What does NATO aim at? Does it really want to liberate the Muslims of Kosovo ? Or does it want to end the Muslims’ presence in Kosovo?
Is the deportation process irreversible? Or would it end once the war is over, allowing the Muslims to return to their country? We are afraid that their state would become similar to that of the Palestinian refugees.
These drastic results lead us to the following conclusion: Both warring parties have taken part in the ethnic cleansing process, and the whole Kosovo crises have become a subject of international compromise between Serbia and NATO.
Moreover, America is the major, if not the only, party that benefits from this war that it is waging abroad: It monopolizes all the political, economic and strategic gains, and forces Europe to accept its positions and consolidates its unilateral leadership of the West and the United Nations.
As For the Islamic counties, we would like to wonder about the role of the Organization of the Islamic Conference that is supposed to play a major role towards the Muslims’ cause which by definition lies in setting out plans to confront the Muslims challenges, and to represent the Muslims and further their interests on the international level…
Yet the Organization seems incapable of playing such a role, and consequently. it is not worth anything in the international political arena.
The Islamic peoples should voice their protest against the humanistic-political tragedy in Kosovo, lest we would be of those whom the Messenger described as non-Muslims because they do not care about the Muslims’ affairs.
The Unity of The people, the State and the Resistance Guaranties the Enemy's Withdrawal.
If the enemy has reoccupied the village of Arnoun, the unity of the people and the state and their support of the Resistance would sooner or later force it out of Arnoun and of all the territories .
The big question is: Why has not Washington that claims to defend human rights stood against -if only by lip service- dislocating the Lebanese, especially the children, and targeting the civilians? What does this silence mean?
We ought to understand that we should take the matter into our own hands, for those who claim to defend the Muslims in Kosovo, will not do anything to protect the Lebanese and the Palestinians in the Middle East. On the contrary , they provide all possible support for Israel to enable it to impose its hegemony over the whole region.
Taking the National Interest into Consideration
Lastly...We welcome this calmness on the political front that freezes the Lebanese politicians’ customary practices of hindering the ongoing reform and planning process.
We would like to call on all parties to join hands in setting out plans that find solutions for the critical problems and challenges. Both those who support the government and those who oppose it should always bear in mind the nation's supreme national interest, while the people should continue to monitor the politicians’ behavior to prevent any distortion initiated by the game of petty-politics. For the temple is bound to fall on the heads of all of us.
GrandAyatullah H.E.Muhammad Hussein Fadllulah delivered the two Friday speeches at The Two Hassan Imams Mosque (Zulhijja 29, 1419/ April 16,1999). Several prominent religious scholars, officials, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended it.
The First Speech
Peace and Blessings be on our Master Muhammad, his progeny, and his chosen companions and all of Allah’s messengers.
Not only is he Ignorant and Blind but He Is also a Burden
Allah (S.) says in His Glorious Book: "Allah surely knows what they hide and what they reveal. He does not love the proud"(The Bee: 23);"I will turn away from My signs the arrogant and the unjust"(The Heights: 146); "Enter the gates of Hell to be in it for ever. Dismal is the abode of the proud"(The Bee: 29), "Do not turn away from men with scorn, nor walk proudly on the earth: Allah does not love the arrogant and the vain-glorious"(Luqman: 18); "Is there not in Hell home for the arrogant"(The Companies: 60)
Treating the Plague of Arrogance
In these glorious verses, Allah (S.) considers the arrogant to be a social group that He detests. For He wants man to live in a realistic manner in which each of us should be acquainted with his points of weakness and strength as well as those of the others. We should then try to weigh the positive traits and compare them with the negative ones, so as to attain a balanced personality. If you are aware of your weak points vis a vis the points of strength of the others, you would become modest and just.
Thus, if you happen to be rich or powerful but you could still see your other points of weakness, you will have a balanced personality that stops short of catching the arrogant sickness.
This is why Imam Ali, the man whose manners and piety have reached the highest levels, used to say when he was praised by others: My Lord, make me better than what they think and forgive me for the misgivings they know not about". That is: Let me know myself and keep me away from becoming ignorant. For ignorants tend to overlook any negative or weak points they have, just as they overlook the good and strong points of others, and see only their misgivings and deficiencies.
Thus, if we turn to the others whom we had established relations of varying levels with, we will find out that they have several traits that we might not. This in itself should prevent us from becoming arrogant a trait that the Holy Quran has described in a denouncing manner every time the Glorious Book mentioned .
The Difference between the Leader and the Arrogant
The arrogant does not have any similarity with the leader. For the latter respects those around him and lives among, and not above, them… When Allah, the Most Exalted, talks about the Messenger, He says: “Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, and those with him…(victory: 29). Although Muhammad (p.) was, and will always be, the master of all human beings, he lived with follow human beings as one of them. Those who wrote the biography of the Messenger (p.) recall how the Muslims used to describe his great modesty:"He lived with us like one of us". With no personal advantages whatsoever.
The following story is a case in point:
When a woman was panicked upon seeing him, the Prophet soothed her by saying: "Take it easy, I am but the son of a woman who used to eat cured food".
Thus, a real leader should be exemplary in his modesty and respect of fellow human beings, while the arrogant is the one who does not have any consideration for the personality of others.
This is the type of character we suffer from in the Third world, where our rulers cancel the whole nation or the state, and take their place . Moreover, criticizing the ruler becomes forbidden and cult-personality in its worst form is abound. We might respect somebody for his academic merits or for his struggle for the cause, but we should not believe that he is above the level of criticism. On the country, we should strive to make him listen to this criticism… When Ali (as), then the caliph of Muhammad, heard that one of the khawarij had said about him: "May Allah curse him, being an atheist who is so good in jurisprudence" and the people wanted to kill this Kharaji, he told his followers: "Take it easy. It is either a matter of cursing or a mistake that we should forgive”.
The Secret of Tyranny
The arrogant's actions are motivated by his inferiority complex. But since Allah has denounced that arrogance as a spiteful and even vicious quality, we ought to confront the arrogants to make them appreciate their real position, and drive them to forgo their empty arrogance. For it is the people who encourage the arrogance of the tyrants derived either by their greed or by their fear…
Arrogance is not restricted to individuals only; it might also inflict parties, tribes and even countries and nations. Yet, all of them share the same feeling of being better than the rest, one that is similar to the Nazi German ideology that believed that Germany is above all.
But since we have learned that Allah is the only Being that could wear the rope of pride and supremacy, and that He does not like the arrogants, and that He has promised to send them to Hell, then we ought to treat this sickness: We should learn to respect others and appreciate their capabilities, values and good deeds, for all believers are (equal) brothers. These are the values and the ethics of Islam that will earn you a place in Heaven: Respect other believers, since they have the right to be respected, just as you have the right to enjoy their respect.
The Second Speech
Let Us Raise Our Voices To Confront the Kosovo Tragedy
The Atlantic war game in Kosovo is still claiming more and more victims: Tens of thousands of Muslims are being dislocated on the one hand, while the NATO massacres have so far claimed more than eighty innocent victims on the second hand.
This leads us to the following question: What does NATO aim at? Does it really want to liberate the Muslims of Kosovo ? Or does it want to end the Muslims’ presence in Kosovo?
Is the deportation process irreversible? Or would it end once the war is over, allowing the Muslims to return to their country? We are afraid that their state would become similar to that of the Palestinian refugees.
These drastic results lead us to the following conclusion: Both warring parties have taken part in the ethnic cleansing process, and the whole Kosovo crises have become a subject of international compromise between Serbia and NATO.
Moreover, America is the major, if not the only, party that benefits from this war that it is waging abroad: It monopolizes all the political, economic and strategic gains, and forces Europe to accept its positions and consolidates its unilateral leadership of the West and the United Nations.
As For the Islamic counties, we would like to wonder about the role of the Organization of the Islamic Conference that is supposed to play a major role towards the Muslims’ cause which by definition lies in setting out plans to confront the Muslims challenges, and to represent the Muslims and further their interests on the international level…
Yet the Organization seems incapable of playing such a role, and consequently. it is not worth anything in the international political arena.
The Islamic peoples should voice their protest against the humanistic-political tragedy in Kosovo, lest we would be of those whom the Messenger described as non-Muslims because they do not care about the Muslims’ affairs.
The Unity of The people, the State and the Resistance Guaranties the Enemy's Withdrawal.
If the enemy has reoccupied the village of Arnoun, the unity of the people and the state and their support of the Resistance would sooner or later force it out of Arnoun and of all the territories .
The big question is: Why has not Washington that claims to defend human rights stood against -if only by lip service- dislocating the Lebanese, especially the children, and targeting the civilians? What does this silence mean?
We ought to understand that we should take the matter into our own hands, for those who claim to defend the Muslims in Kosovo, will not do anything to protect the Lebanese and the Palestinians in the Middle East. On the contrary , they provide all possible support for Israel to enable it to impose its hegemony over the whole region.
Taking the National Interest into Consideration
Lastly...We welcome this calmness on the political front that freezes the Lebanese politicians’ customary practices of hindering the ongoing reform and planning process.
We would like to call on all parties to join hands in setting out plans that find solutions for the critical problems and challenges. Both those who support the government and those who oppose it should always bear in mind the nation's supreme national interest, while the people should continue to monitor the politicians’ behavior to prevent any distortion initiated by the game of petty-politics. For the temple is bound to fall on the heads of all of us.