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 Sha'ban 25, 1423 AH / November 01, 2002, 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
Ramadan: Let's Build Ourselves Spiritually and Morally
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion." (Surat al-Baqarah 2:185).
Wednesday is the First of Ramadan
This is the last Friday of the month of Sha'ban, and we will receive the month of Ramadan next Wednesday, according to our juristic theory that is based on: if the crescent's birth is confirmed and the possibility of its sighting is established—even if not actually seen—then we can determine its start ahead of time. The crescent will be born on Monday evening at 10:34 pm, which means it cannot be seen anywhere in the world that night. Therefore, the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan is Wednesday. By using this method, we avoid endless debates about who saw it and who did not, and how many actually saw it, especially in an age when man has landed on the moon.
Thus, Wednesday is the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan. We ask Allah to make it a month of goodness, victory, blessings, obedience, and mercy for all Muslims.
The Month of Goodness and Blessing
The Messenger (p.) wants us to prepare ourselves spiritually to receive this month. In his speech on the last Friday of Sha'ban, he emphasized that we must be ready for this month of blessing, mercy, and forgiveness, as if saying we should prepare ourselves for the Divine gifts of this month.
He added that this month is the best of all months, being the season of Allah's Mercy and kindness, which He bestows upon the believers. Moreover, its days are the best of days, for one can acquire Allah's pleasure through obedience and refraining from sin. Its nights are the best of nights, a time for worship and supplication, asking Him for success, the realization of our hopes, repentance from our sins, and seeking forgiveness. Allah, the Most Exalted, has invited us in this month to be His guests, and we know that a host provides his guest with respect, care, and hospitality. Since every guest deserves hospitality, we pray that our reward in this month will be Paradise. On the other hand, the guest must also be polite and gentlemanly, avoiding any offense to his host.
Allah, the Most Exalted, has bestowed many gifts upon us in this month: our breathing praises Him, our sleep is an act of worship, our voluntary acts of worship are accepted, and our pleas are answered. He wants us to respond to all these mercies by asking Him wholeheartedly to grant us success in fasting and in reciting His Book, and to desire these mercies—for only a wretch is deprived of Allah's forgiveness in this great month.
Fasting Makes Us Remember the Day of Judgment
If you are obedient in this life, you will not suffer from thirst and hunger on that Day. Therefore, we must always remember the Day of Judgment, for forgetting it means forgetting our Lord and our responsibility toward Him.
Then the Prophet (p.) moves to the spiritual and moral virtues we ought to practice in this month in particular, and in all months as well.
Give Alms to the Poor
He begins with charity: "Give alms to the poor and indigent among you." It has been said that "charity in secret extinguishes the Lord's anger" and "treat your sick with charity," which is considered by Allah, the Most Exalted, as a means of purifying the soul. Moreover, charity can take various forms, depending on the needs of the poor, especially those who are too chaste to ask.
Respect the Elderly and Be Kind to the Young
Then the Prophet (p.) speaks about respecting the elderly and being kind to the young. "Surround your elderly with respect, and be kind to your youngsters." We must respect senior citizens and provide them with care, for when they grow very old, they become like children in their need for support. Thus, Islam not only commands us to treat our parents with love and respect, forbidding us even to raise our voices at them, but also to care for all elderly Muslims.
As for children and the young, being merciful to them means understanding them according to their level of thinking, recognizing that their minds are not yet fully developed. We should not be violent toward them or hold them accountable as we would adults. We must be merciful and kind in our treatment, remembering that their thinking is still limited. We should be lenient and avoid resorting to beating as punishment; Allah, the Most Exalted, did not grant fathers, elder brothers, or teachers the authority to beat children. If you beat a child until his hands grow red, you must pay compensation. There may be rare cases where a child needs some measured correction, but it must be carefully weighed, just as doctors study the dosage of medication. If you face problems at home or at work, do not take them out on your child. This is an injustice punishable by Allah, the Most Exalted.
I say to all brothers and sisters: your son or daughter is not your property. They are creations of Allah, the Most Exalted, with their own rights, and you have been appointed to supervise their development. Moreover, in an Islamic state, if you abuse a child, the state has the right to take the child away from you. The West has similar laws. In short, they are Allah's trust among us.
The Importance of Visiting Your Kin
"Visit your kin." Visiting one's relatives is a duty emphasized in the Quran. "A man once came to the Messenger (p.) and said: 'My household members treat me very badly; they boycott and curse me. Should I reject them?' The Prophet (p.) told him: 'Then Allah will reject all of you.' The man asked: 'What should I do?' The Messenger answered: 'Visit those who boycott you, give to those who deprive you, and forgive those who wrong you, for if you do, Allah will support you.'" Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.) says that visiting kin increases wealth, prolongs life, and eases punishment on the Day of Judgment. Some may find it difficult to visit those who have boycotted them, but Allah, the Most Exalted, rewards such good conduct—especially when it goes against one's inclinations—with great rewards.
Being Conscious of Moral and Spiritual Development
Thus, these human values are emphasized in the Prophet's speech and the Holy Quran, indicating that we should seek to develop our moral and spiritual side just as we care for our physical side, so that we may be worthy of living in Allah's Paradise—the abode of goodness, faithfulness, truth, brotherhood, etc. Allah, the Most Exalted, wants us to turn this world into a smaller paradise where we train ourselves in the morals of Paradise, just as we train for any profession.
The month of Ramadan represents a month of training in what pleases Allah, a month of building ourselves spiritually and humanly, so that we may be worthy of Allah's Mercy and Hospitality.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Live Lesson in Steadfastness
The Intifada is still alive and well. It continues its operations that besiege settlements, unsettle the enemy's army, and challenge the occupation. It has not been fatigued by the blockade, wearied by the Jihad, or defeated by barbaric massacres, for it knows well that the light of freedom awaits at the end of the tunnel, and that the will for independence must continue to exhibit resolve in the face of challenge.
Thus, the Intifada continues to shoulder the responsibility of the nation in its fight against the Zionist enemy and the American stance that protects its massacres and occupation. It is giving future generations live lessons on how to hold firm to one's position and how to earn freedom. It has not been deceived by the American envoy's plan, the "Road Map," which pretends to seek a Palestinian state, for it understands that they aim to lull us with the pretense that the Quartet committee has begun to find a solution to the Palestinian problem based on establishing a Palestinian state, so they can focus on Iraq—the number one threat, in the Administration’s view.
The Impasse of the American Project
But the American project has already failed, as it contains no elements for a future solution. Everyone, whether in the region or the world, knows that America supports the Israeli project to the extent of backtracking on its own words and commitments. What America seeks to achieve, whether by threatening the UN and pressuring it to yield to its dictates or by confronting all countries in the region, is control over all the region's political, economic, and strategic resources. In this respect, it claims to wage a war against terrorism while, in fact, it practices state terror and supports brutal Zionist terror against the Palestinians—the fact that Israel possesses weapons of mass destruction notwithstanding.
It is the unique superpower that wants to impose its hegemony on the whole world, including other major states or blocs like the European Union, Russia, and China, whom it deals with using a carrot-and-stick policy to ensure its dominance.
Raising Human Issues
In view of this, we call upon Arabs and Muslims in the United States to base their votes in the upcoming congressional elections on the candidates' stances toward Arab and Muslim issues, so that they may become a political lobby influencing the Administration's policies. We emphasize this position not only out of our responsibility as a religious authority but also due to the responsibility these Muslims and Arabs bear as citizens of the U.S.
At the same time, we reject any act of terror or violence in the U.S. as a means of protesting its policies. We want Muslims and Arabs to be good citizens who respect the laws of the countries whose nationality they hold, while defending the political, human, economic, and strategic issues of their countries of origin. This is perhaps what Jews have done successfully, for America cares more about Zionist interests in our region than its own… Thus, we want Arab and Muslim communities to benefit from the freedom of speech in America to defend their causes peacefully.
Russia: Serious Negotiations with the Chechens
We call upon the Russian government, with whom we as Arabs and Muslims have good relations, to enter into serious negotiations with the leaders of the Chechens, aiming at a radical solution to the issue of freedom and independence. This is what spreads peace in the region and prevents the occurrence of unjustified acts, such as what happened in a Moscow theater… We condemn such acts, which are unlawful and unjustified both religiously and humanely, just as we condemn the way the Russian government reacted, which led to many innocent losses. It is difficult to maintain constant control over a people demanding freedom and independence.
Lebanon: Stop This Sectarian Mobilization
We say to Sharon, who continues to threaten to wage war against Lebanon, saying: "The situation on the northern border could develop into a complicated and difficult war" — "He has tried war with the Mujahideen in Lebanon and saw how he lost it both politically and militarily. Does he want to try again?"
Finally, we repeat our call to the Lebanese to have mercy on their country and people. We call upon them to be more balanced, both as opposition and loyalists, and to end this sectarian mobilization that takes the form of political issues. We also call upon all religious leaders to be pious in the statements they make, as well as in how they manage the affairs of their sects. One spark could burn all the trees in the forest… Do they want the sparks of sectarianism to burn the trees of national unity? And do they want people already suffering economic hardships to fall into a new war…?
The region is about to witness an enormous fire very near to us… Should we bring more political and sectarian wood to fuel this fire, or should we help put it out?