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 Shawwal 2, 1423 AH/ December 6, 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
The Islamic Conception of Joy
On this happy and blessed occasion, the believers have to seek what pleases Allah in everything that is around them, for the satisfaction of Allah is greater than the bliss of Paradise.
Pleasure in the Hearts of Believers
One of the things that pleases Allah, the Most Exalted, and makes us earn His satisfaction and love is making believers and orphans happy.
Imam Ali (a.s.) says in his advice to Kumail (who quoted the Imam’s supplication known by his name)… The Imam says: "O Kumail, tell your folks to be moral and spend their nights to fulfill the needs of those who are asleep." For Allah, the Most Exalted, will reward anybody who enters happiness into the hearts of others by relieving them of any calamity that might face them.
Moreover, the Imams have reaffirmed the same meaning in their traditions. Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.) says: "The Messenger of Allah (p.) said: Making a believer happy makes me happy too, and making me happy will make Allah happy."
Thus, by making a believer happy by helping him fulfill his need, defending him in his absence, or easing his pain, you will be making Allah, the Most Exalted, and His Prophet (p.) happy.
In another saying the Imam says: "Smiling for your brother is a good deed… and no form of worship is better in the eyes of Allah than making a believer happy…"
Imam Zain Al-Abideen (a.s.) was known to start his talk to others by smiling…
Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) said that Allah, the Most Exalted, revealed to Prophet Dawood (a.s.) that He would let the believer enter Heaven if he fulfills another believer’s need even if it were by giving him a date (the least that could be offered). In response, Dawood (a.s.) concluded: "Those who know you, O Allah, ought never give up hope in you."
Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) also says: "Any believer who would help another in overcoming a difficulty, Allah will make it easier for him to attain what he needs in this world and in the Hereafter…" He added: "Allah helps the believer, as long as he helps his brother…" Thus, one ought to learn this Divine guidance and seek to help other fellow believers.
The Believer is a Source of Joy
These traditions, as well as several others, make it clear that man should be a source of joy and happiness to other believers, especially those around him, like his wife and children (or the woman’s husband and children). We should find out what the lawful things that please them are and do our best to attain them so that we could introduce joy to our society… a joy that will earn us happiness in the Hereafter.
The Messenger (p.) said when he was talking about the orphans: "There is a place in Heaven called the House of Joy that will be dwelled only by those who make the believers’ orphans happy." And this could be done only by taking care of them, providing them with shelter, food and education and relieving them from the need to ask for charity from others.
In another saying, the Messenger (p.) said: "There is a place in Heaven called the house of Joy, that will only be entered by those who make the children happy." Thus, we have to make our children as well as those of others, especially the deprived among them, happy. The Messenger (p.) also said: "Whoever has a boy he should act like a boy with him." We also know that the Messenger used to play with Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein (a.s.) and say, while they were on his back: "What a good camel you are riding and what good riders you are."
If Allah, the Most Exalted, and His Messenger (p.) are pleased if someone makes the believers happy, it follows that they would be extremely angry with those who make them suffer. Allah, the Most Exalted, says: "And whoever earns a fault or a sin and then throws it upon an innocent [person], he has taken upon himself slander and manifest sin." (Surat an-Nisa’ 4:112). Thus, this is a clear indication that those who cause suffering and sadness to the Muslims in any way, especially using force to coerce them and denying them their freedom, will be severely punished.
On this occasion of joy, we have to look for the needy and deprived around us, to enter joy into their hearts, so that everyone will celebrate this blessed Eid, and earn Allah’s satisfaction.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Worshippers of Allah, the Most Exalted,
Be pious and try to bless the Muslims with joy… a joy that is the result of our unity and freedom for all Muslims, especially the downtrodden… We as Muslims have a great responsibility of keeping this nation unified, strong and dignified… a nation that unifies its ranks to confront all the challenges that we face…
American Support for Zionist Terror
In Palestine, the Eid comes to witness the bloodshed of children, elderly and unarmed civilians while more land and houses are being taken from their rightful owners under the pretense of enlarging the settlements… Meanwhile, the American President understands the motives of such aggression, being, as he claims, necessary steps to defeat terrorism. In his view, this so-called terrorism is the main cause of the deteriorating situation in the occupied lands, while occupation and enlarging settlements have nothing to do with all the violence that is taking place. He does not believe that the Intifada is a liberation movement, although the Mujahideen, of all factions, have announced that withdrawal from the occupied lands, coupled with the right of self-determination and dismantling the settlements, will stop the Intifada and secure peace…
The American President has even promised to help Israel with financial aid in billions of dollars to help the enemy in confronting its economic and security problems that the Intifada has caused, and to help it in continuing to destroy the Palestinian infrastructure…
Meanwhile, the Quartet Committee is waiting for the result of the coming Israeli elections without even calling for stopping the Zionist massacres.
Washington Pays the Price of its Policies
We believe that the more the Zionist aggression becomes violent, the more the Intifada will grow stronger, making the whole world bow in respect of this strong resolve that continues to confront and resist despite all the American support the enemy is receiving…
In this respect, America’s problem is probably that it talks about the result and not about the cause… Its feeling of arrogance as a result of its huge power prevents it from realizing the cause of the Arab and Muslim peoples’ hatred for the American Administration, which is probably the cause of many incidents of violence against American soldiers in the region.
While America might possess all the mass destruction weapons it threatens the downtrodden nations with, those nations do have several means to thwart the American plans of aggression… I am not calling for violence as a means to fight a political struggle, but we have to eliminate its cause to establish a balance in the relations between the weakened nations and the major powers.
Meanwhile, America is moving in every direction to increase the rift in Arab-American relations. It has lately voted against the United Nations General Assembly resolution that calls for annulling the Israeli law that considers Jerusalem as the capital of Israel although the European Union has considered it illegal… suggesting that America is going ahead with alienating the Arab and Islamic world against it.
A Lebanese Citizenship
In Lebanon, we would like the general climate of joy that the Eid generates to be reflected as a feeling of love and tolerance among the Lebanese.
They should treat one another as human beings and not as members of sects… The politicians and officials should believe that they have a message to realize: to care for the interests of the downtrodden, the needy and the deprived. They should uphold justice that gives each citizen his right without everybody having to turn to the leaders of his sect who might in turn exploit them for their personal interests.
A State of Institutions
In addition, Lebanon should turn into a state of institutions that is not subjected to any internal or external influences. Such institutions would be responsible for finding realistic solutions to the various economic, social, political and security problems and carrying them out without any corruption that wastes the public’s wealth, or without anybody stopping them for any reason whatsoever.
We wish that the Eid would be an opportunity for spiritual, social and economic joy, and not one that adds a new sectarian or partisan difference that aggravates our grievances.