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 24, 1422 AH/ May 18, 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 Fear and Hope of Allah
One of the things a Muslim should learn is how to fear Allah. This is to secure a place in Heaven. He should think about how great Allah is. The more he is aware of His greatness, the more he will fear Him.
But Allah is not only a powerful force. He is the absolute power. He has given us any power we might have. He has given us any power we think we have. Do we not say when we feel weak: "There is no power nor might except with Allah." We also say: "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return." This means we submit to Allah’s will in all that happens to us.
When man reflects on the greatness of Allah, everything else will look minute. When he reflects on the secrets embodied in the universe, everything else will look unimportant. We might sin and disobey Allah’s command. We might do this to please our wife or husband. We might do it to please the rich and powerful.
But this only happens when we forget how great Allah is. Therefore, we should always keep in mind that Allah is great. We should always fear Him. He has told us that the reward is Heaven: "But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination, Then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge." Surah An-Nazi'at (79:40-41)
In Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb's (a.s.) will for his son Imam Hassan, he says:
"I advise you to have fear of Allah in all your open and secret affairs."
Imam Ja`afar As-Sadeq (a.s.) says:
"Fear Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you. And if you believe that He does not see you, then you have disbelieved."
Talking about the fear of Allah, the Prophet (p.) said:
"The believer lives between two fears: a past sin he does not know what Allah will do about it, and the remaining lifespan in which he does not know what evil he might fall into."
The Prophet (p.) then says that we should take charge of what is left. We still have a chance to redeem ourselves. He added that we should do that today. We should not wait until tomorrow. After this world, you will go either to Hell or to Heaven. It is your choice.
Imam Ja`afar As-Sadeq (a.s.) quotes his father Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.) as saying:
"There are two lights in the heart of the believer: the light of fear and the light of hope. If you were to weigh them, they would be equal."
The light of fear makes you fear Allah and refrain from disobeying Him. The light of hope in Allah’s Mercy will prevent you from feeling despair.
The Imam then explains how both feelings work. Hoping for Allah’s blessings should lead you to make every effort to earn it. Fearing something should make you avoid it and run away from it. There is no fear greater than the fear of Hellfire. One should run away from any unlawful desire.
On the other hand, one should endure all the hardships he meets in life. He should have hope in Allah. Did He not say the following: "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, 'Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.'" Surah Al-Baqarah (2:155-156)
The Quran explains in several verses the reward for obeying Allah. Who would not want such a reward? Allah says: "Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. Those who believed and were fearing Allah." Surah Yunus (10:62-63)
"Indeed, those who have said, 'Our Lord is Allah' and then remained on a right course - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve." Surah Al-Ahqaf (46:13)
I would like to refer to a particular verse. It reminds us that if we fear Allah, we ought to fear no one else. Allah is the only source of strength: "Those [believers] to whom the people said, 'Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.'" Surah Al 'Imran (3:173)
This is the kind of intimidation that tries to defeat the fighters of Allah's cause before they even begin to fight. But we, in a war, have proved them wrong. A small group of believers can defeat even the most powerful army: "But it [only] increased them in faith, and they said, 'Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.'" Surah Al 'Imran (3:173)
"So they returned with favor from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty. That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [in fact] believers." Surah Al 'Imran (3:174-175)
We ought to educate ourselves about the greatness of Allah. If we realize how great He is, we will fear Him more. We will refrain from disobeying Him. We will keep to the right path. He ordained this path for our benefit in this world and in the Hereafter.