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 Muharram 08, 1423 AH / March 22, 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
Imam Hussein’s Teachings: The Primacy of Allah’s Pleasure
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master, Muhammad, his purified progeny, his selected companions, and all Allah’s Messengers.
We are still with Imam Hussein, and we continue to learn from him. People have gotten used to viewing the Imam, and other Imams for that matter, as a person and as a tragedy; their commitment to them was that of personal love and not as guides and teachers who could lead us to Islam, to justice in this world, and to eternal bliss in the Hereafter.
In this speech, we are going to review some of the Imam’s teachings so that our commitment to him will be a commitment to the message of Islam he called for.
The Imam said in reply to a question: "He who seeks Allah’s satisfaction, even if it angers the people, Allah will free him from the need of them. But he who seeks to please people, even if it angers Allah, Allah will leave him to the people."
What the Imam wants to say is: Allah has control over everything. If you have Him, you need nothing else, and if you do not have Him, then nothing else will suffice.
The Imam is saying that there are two kinds of people. The first tries to satisfy Allah in everything he does. Before he embarks on anything, he will think about it first, and only when he reaches the conclusion that it pleases Allah, will he go ahead. On the other hand, there are those who seek to please other people, whether the rulers on the public level, or the wife and the like on the private one. Those people do not care if pleasing others angers Allah.
The majority of people usually derive their conclusions from the knowledge they acquire through their senses. Those people might imagine that the power of some people is greater than that of Allah. Even when we say that He is capable of everything, we will only be admitting it with our tongues, but when we go back to real-life practices, we would act as if some people hold absolute power.
That is why Allah tells His Messenger to talk to us, through him, that he should not fear other people, but only Allah is the One who ought to be feared.
The Quranic Education
This is what Imam Hussein really is, and this is his reformist Islamic methodology. He wishes the public who attend Ashura to adopt this pattern of thinking: to care only about Allah’s satisfaction. If he wants them to stand with him against Yazid, it is because he stands with Allah, while Yazid has angered Allah and sought the pleasures of this world.
The Imam has defined the ways by which one becomes rich and glorified when he said that they roam around until they find a person who relies on Allah, and there they will stay. When Imam Hussein was told that Abuzar said, "I love poverty more than wealth and sickness more than health," he answered: "May Allah bless his soul, but I say, he who relies on what Allah has chosen for him will not choose anything different." Allah has talked about those people and described them as those who have grasped a firm handhold (Allah), and His saying that the Quran is his mirror (that is, if a believer wants to know himself and the life around him, he would look in the Quran to obtain the real image of all that).
He would sometimes read how the believer is described: "The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely." (Surat al-Anfal 8:2)
"And they will not cease fighting you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able." (Surat al-Baqarah 2:217) If you want to learn about the believers’ traits, you should go back to the Quran to learn about the issue in depth and not be deceived by the appearances.
And at other times he would look at the tyrants: "Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and made its people into factions, oppressing a sector among them, slaughtering their [newborn] sons and keeping their females alive. Indeed, he was of the corrupters." (Surat al-Qasas 28:4)
"And of the people is he whose speech pleases you in worldly life, and he calls Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the fiercest of opponents. And when he goes away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and animals. And Allah does not like corruption." (Surat al-Baqarah 2:204-205)
"And when it is said to him, 'Fear Allah,' pride in the sin takes hold of him. Sufficient for him is Hellfire, and how wretched is the resting place." (Surat al-Baqarah 2:206)
In these quotations, the Imam wishes to say that the believer is the one who accepts gratefully what Allah has chosen for him.
The Imam’s Teachings and Recommendations
These are some of the teachings of the Imam that show the other side of him. He also said in one of his speeches: "O people, when you want to compete, let it be in doing good," and do not care if no one thanks you, for Allah will reward you, and He is the best and most generous rewarder. "And know that people’s need of you is one of Allah’s rewards that He bestowed upon you," for when you give, you will feel better and your spirit will rise to a higher level. "Do not ever stop giving, lest it will turn against you… O people, be generous, and you will assure a position of leadership... be misers and you will be neglected… Know that the best charity is the one given to those who do not expect it… and the best forgiveness is the one made when you have the power [to punish]… and the best socializing is the one with those who have boycotted you…"
This is Imam Hussein, and those are his advice and recommendations. Come, let us learn from him how to love Allah more; how to obey Allah more... how to love one another more… how to unite more, and how to do good more.
Dear loved ones, Ashura is a big responsibility. It asks: What did you learn? What did you gain? What change has it made in you? For it carries all this spirituality and all this good.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Resounding Failure for the Israeli Project
The Intifada goes on, and the Mujahideen continue to overcome all the security arrangements and prove to the Zionist government and Sharon that their security and aggression project has failed, and that the daily practice of the Israeli Army of incursions into the Palestinian territories to chase wanted militants is a counterproductive weapon. This was evident since the martyr operations have been increasing.
Not only do these operations represent a retaliation for the Israeli aggressions, but they also represent a message to the American envoy who came to solve the Israeli problem without any concern for the plight of the Palestinians. He has played into Israel’s hand by focusing on marginal details, instead of the central issue of occupation.
Washington: Total Support for Israel
The American president was disappointed by the fact that the "violence" did not stop, since he was unable to make the Palestinian people succumb to the Israeli demands. We have noticed the same attitude in Cheney’s visit, who proved, by refusing to meet with the Palestinians, that America is not neutral as it is supposed to be an honest "broker."
The current situation in Palestine will remain one of an action from one party and a reaction from the other, with American weapons used for killing the Palestinian people, destroying its infrastructure, and demolishing its houses. The American green light might turn into a yellow one at times to pay some lip-service to the Arabs, but it will always provide a cover for the Israeli aggression.
Freedom Lovers in the World Should Support the Intifada
On the other hand, the Palestinians have to preserve their national unity, since it is the only road to victory. Moreover, the Arab and Muslim masses, as well as all freedom-loving nations in the world, have to uphold their responsibility in standing with this wounded people that faces American and Zionist terrorism.
The civilized world ought to stand against this American and Israeli state terrorism, instead of being deceived by the Americans and entering into an alliance against the free nations that oppose arrogance and its exploitation of their resources and confiscation of their political will. The problem of the international arrogance, especially America, lies in the fact that they did not ask themselves about the reasons that make the world’s weak hate them. If they do so, they will understand that such hatred is not due to a belief in a religion or a terrorist mood, but rather out of the anger of those who want political and economic freedom. They are looking for peace, but those who talk about peace are the ones that wage wars against the oppressed everywhere.
The American War Will Be Continued against Islam
In this respect, CIA director George Tenet said in his testimony before the US Senate: "There is no difference between Shiite and Sunni terrorism. Distinguishing between them is no longer accepted, because there is a common interest that binds them: to act against the US and its Allies in the Middle East." He then accused Iraq and Iran of being associated with Al-Qaida without providing any proof and asserted that terror will increase in the region because of poverty and racial tension. Such statements make us wonder if America is trying to incite the Americans against those who oppose its policies as a prelude to its second phase of its war against terrorism.
Furthermore: If America really believes that poverty and the like are behind terrorism, why does it not try to address its causes instead of attacking various nations? Lastly: Why have they started to talk about the Shiites and Sunnis, and why did they not talk about "terrorism" of non-Muslims? Is it because they want to continue their war against Islam?
The Beirut Summit: Towards Arab-Israeli Peace
As for the Arab Summit, the Arab leaders are supposed to rise to the level of their responsibility towards the need of Arab peoples for a free future that is not dominated politically and economically by the arrogant powers.
If the Arab leaders are trying, through their political initiative, to show that they want freedom, then they should know that America and Israel will try to sink any initiative in the maze of negotiations.
In this stage, and in this moment in which we have reached a critical crossroad, we bear a huge responsibility to rise to the level of challenge of founding a new Arab free world. Talking about real politics only means that we accept the status quo, claiming it is the best possible.
The future is not yours, and holding the posts you hold means only that you are delegated by your peoples, and therefore you do not have the right to sign any resolution they do not agree upon unless it promotes their freedom, glory, and dignity.
We are all waiting, together with history, and we will either curse or appreciate you.
Lebanon: Internal Stability is a Need to Confront the Critical Issues
In Lebanon, we need to enhance our political stability and freeze all the differences that could wait, for things around us are turning upside down as a result of the arrogant offensive that wants to impose the Israeli conditions on all of us, including the coming Arab Summit.