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-Thani 21, 1422 AH/ July 13, 2001 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
The True Meaning of being a Muslim and a Believer
One of the main issues the Glorious Quran addresses is the true meaning of being a Muslim and a believer. Does it mean that you testify there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger (p), perform your religious duties, but in social and financial relations, you act according to your interests, mood, or fanaticism?
Belief implies that all your life should be subjected to your belief. You would not embark on any action unless you are sure it pleases Allah. To support or oppose any party, you should learn Allah's judgment on the issue. Love, hate, friendship, or rivalry should also be based on what Allah has revealed. Islam means obeying Allah in everything. It is not just a word; it is a commitment.
The Glorious Quran gives us examples of those who say they obey Allah and His Messenger (p.), but when they differ about anything—a business, an opinion, or any other matter—they will not accept Allah’s ruling if it contradicts their own thinking.
This attitude is common in our communities. Fanaticism for family, sect, or party is the major force determining people's stands. Let us read these verses and use them as a mirror reflecting where we stand: Are we true believers? Or do we obey Allah and His commands only when they are in our favor?
Allah says: "And they say, 'We have believed in Allah and the Messenger, and we obey.' Then a party of them turns away after that. And those are not believers. And when they are called to [the words of] Allah and His Messenger to judge between them, at once a party of them turns aside." (Surah An-Nur (24:47-48)).
They will not accept the rule of Allah. They will choose the rule of another party, like civil law or the laws of their tribe. But "If the right had been with them, they would have come to him in prompt obedience." (Surah An-Nur (24:49)).
They do not follow Islam; they follow their own interests. Were they true believers, they would have followed Allah’s commands in all cases, in compliance with: "It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error." (Surah Al-Ahzab (33:36)).
Allah considers those who follow their own interests and not the path of justice to be sick in their hearts and wrongdoers.
"Is there disease in their hearts? Or have they doubted? Or do they fear that Allah will be unjust to them, or His Messenger? Rather, it is they who are the wrongdoers. The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, 'We hear and we obey.' And it is those who are the successful. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah and is conscious of Him - it is those who are the achievers." (Surah An-Nur (24:50-52)).
Then Allah tells us about those who lived with the Prophet and did not keep their promises. Needless to say, there are many like them in our time. He says: "And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that if you ordered them, they would go forth [in Allah's cause]. Say, 'Do not swear. [Such] obedience is known. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with that which you do.' Say, 'Obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away - then upon him is only that [duty] with which he has been charged, and upon you is that with which you have been charged. And if you obey him, you will be [rightly] guided. And there is not upon the Messenger except the [responsibility for] clear notification.'" (Surah An-Nur (24:53-54)).
If these verses talk about abiding by the judgment of Allah and His Messenger (p.) in solving a dispute, the issue is not restricted to that. No father can run his family's affairs except by the rules of Islamic law. The wife and children too ought to abide by Allah’s commands and always seek to please Him.
Moreover, this attitude extends to all our actions in life, including our political and party life. A party might ask you to boycott certain believers because of different political opinions. It is unlawful to boycott them, because Allah, the Prophet, and the Imams have commanded us to preserve relations with them.
Furthermore, a party may ban praying behind a just Imam. You might be asked to inflame others against a believer, distort his image, or accuse him falsely. In such cases, it is unlawful to do so. Being a Muslim means all your actions and sayings should be judged by Islam, in accordance with: "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." (Surah An-Nisa (4:65)).
A believer cannot follow Allah and something else simultaneously. Being a Muslim means you abide by all the rulings of Islam, even in minute details.
We are returning to Allah. We must ensure we have done our best to prepare for this meeting. We must hold ourselves accountable before Allah judges us. For then, nothing will save us except our good deeds.