In Ramadan, Safeguard Your Tongues - 08/11/2002

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 Ramadan 3, 1423 AH/ November 8, 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

In the Month of Purification:

Safeguard Your Tongues

We said last Friday that the Messenger (p.) wants us to be ready to receive this month by purifying our souls and minds. Because the issue in this month is not merely a matter of fasting, but also a means of piety: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous." (Surat al-Baqarah 2:183)

Thus you have to fast to become the pious believer who fears Allah, the Most Exalted, in everything he does and obeys all His commands.

Safeguard the Tongue from Sin

This is one of the issues the Messenger (p.) focused on the necessity of doing in the month of Ramadan in particular… To safeguard your tongue means not to use it in committing any sin, for one could end up in Hell as a result of something he said.

We know that Allah, the Most Exalted, has prohibited many things that could be committed by our tongues. He prohibited lying in everything, big or small, and whether jokingly or seriously, as Imam Ali bin al-Hussein (a.s.) told his sons: if one starts with small lies, he will end up with big ones.

Another tradition says: "A liar does not lie while believing." If you lie, you are no longer a believer, for belief ties you to the truth while lying associates you with falsehood, and they cannot be found together in the heart of the believer.

Prohibiting Backbiting, Slander, and Tale-bearing

Allah, the Most Exalted, has prohibited backbiting… He says: "O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it..." (Surat al-Hujurat 49:12) Backbiting in this sense is to reveal a certain flaw or defect in your brother’s or sister’s personality that is actually true but kept secret; for Allah, the Most Exalted, has honored the right of the Muslim to keep to himself the private things about him that he might not want other people to learn about, unless there is a national need that requires otherwise.

It was said in the traditions that "Backbiting is the food of the dwellers of Hell." It was also said that "Backbiting is more serious [a sin] than adultery. For adultery is forgiven by Allah if one repents, while He does not forgive backbiting unless it is forgiven by the victim."

Allah, the Most Exalted, has also prohibited tale-bearing (persecution)… that is to convey to someone something said by another that might destroy their relationship… Even more dangerous is the tale-bearing that drives two parties or two sects in a society to fight. The Messenger (p.) told us that those who commit such sins do not enter Heaven. He also considered in another saying that those who commit these sins and separate between friends are among the most evil in the Muslim community.

Prohibiting the Spread of Rumors

Spreading rumors is also one of the things that were prohibited, especially since we live in societies where there are a lot of rumors of various kinds (personal, political, economic, security...) that could destroy the security of the society, as well as the reputation of innocent people. When any of you hears a rumor, he should not contribute to spreading it. For Allah, the Most Exalted, has warned us against this: "O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful." (Surat al-Hujurat 49:6)

And: "And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned." (Surat al-Isra’ 17:36)

Some people believe that talking is not an offense that one could be punished for, or even scolded. But this is utterly false, for all your talk will be recorded word for word: "Indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers, Noble and recording; They know whatever you do." (Surat al-Infitar 82:10-12)

And: "Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record]." (Surah Qaf 50:18)

In this context, when the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) passed by someone who was saying something false and immoral, he told him: "You are dictating to your two scribes a letter to your Lord." Thus, we have to think carefully about everything we hear or say. If a man, for example, accuses his wife of adultery, he would be punished by whipping. If there are witnesses, the four of them should testify that they have witnessed every detail of the intercourse. If one of the four does not, the other three will be punished. This is but an example of the severity of false accusations.

Do Not Curse or Swear

This is also one of the things you should hold your tongue and refrain from saying. One should never swear or curse, whether at his brother, neighbor, or wife. He/she should certainly not swear against his wife’s, or her husband’s, parents. Allah, the Most Exalted, does not want us to hurt any human being; your wife, your child, your employees… etc.

In this respect, the Prophet (p.) considered that he who starts swearing holds the responsibility for his sin as well as for that of the other person, because he is the one who caused the other to swear.

And since we live in pluralistic societies, the problem of cursing and swearing has additional dimensions. The Quran tells us not to curse other religions or sects, even if they were unbelievers, for this will lead them to swear against Allah: "And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do." (Surat al-An‘am 6:108)

As for the differences among different sects, Imam Ali (a.s.) said, when on his way to fight Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan, who rebelled against the legitimate caliphate, and he heard some Iraqis cursing the people of Damascus: "I detest committing such acts. Instead, if you describe the situation and comment on their actions (showing why it has gone wrong), it would have been more correct… Instead of cursing them, you should say: 'O Lord, preserve our blood (life) and theirs, and reconcile between us, and guide them out of their falsehood,' so that those who are ignorant of the right would know it, and those who aggress and wrong will refrain from such acts." Especially since we know that cursing does not solve the problem, it only complicates it and increases hatred and enmity… Instead, we should make our case, keeping in mind that our society encourages sectarianism at the expense of Islamic unity.

As Muslims, we have to consolidate what we have agreed on, and have a dialogue on what we differ on, and refer our differences to Allah, the Most Exalted, and His Messenger (p.), especially at a time when international arrogance is trying its best to incite internal strife among us.

Heaven is Denied for Those Who Say Bad Words

We also have to refrain from saying bad words that some would not find it inappropriate to say even in front of his wife and children. The Messenger (p.) says that Allah has prohibited those who do so from entering Heaven.

Do you want to lose Heaven as a result of this sin? It has also been said that Allah, the Most Exalted, did not answer the prayers of one of His worshippers because he used to say bad words.

We should also refrain from praising oppressors and unjust rulers or criticizing the pious believers.

In the month of Ramadan, the month of purification, we have to preserve our tongues and refrain from saying anything that displeases Allah, the Most Exalted, so that we will be worthy of entering His Heaven. We have to struggle to become pious in our hearts, minds, and tongues.

The Second Sermon

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The Zionist Government Falls but the Aggression Continues

The Zionist government has fallen as a result of the political and economic pressures of the Intifada, and the terrorists in the Likud are getting more barbaric and Nazi in their efforts to eliminate the Palestinian national rights of independence and the establishment of an independent state whose capital is Jerusalem.

This is the real meaning of the Netanyahu-Sharon deal and the tendency of the majority of Jews in occupied Palestine to choose the most terrorist of the Zionist factions to represent them…

To face these developments, the Palestinians should consolidate their unity in support of the Intifada, for the current stage is one in which the Palestinians are on their own.

The Arabs and Muslims are constrained by the incompetence or the collusion of their regimes, while the international community is trying through the Quartet Committee to sedate the Palestinians by tranquilizers that do not provide any solid solution that could end the occupation.

The free nations of the region, as well as in the entire world, stand with the Palestinians, but they do not have many cards to play, which means that the Palestinians should depend on themselves in trying to thwart the American-Zionist plan that wants to reduce the Palestinian right to an independent state to a self-rule autonomy.

Ramadan: The Month of the Willpower

It is ironic, in the beginning of this blessed month, that President Bush has congratulated the Muslims in the US and the world and said: "Islam is a religion of peace and the Holy Quran teaches us that the month of Ramadan is a time for worship and contemplation." We say to the American President: This month is the month of the freedom of the will… for Allah, as Islam tells us, has created man free, and he is not entitled to enslave himself to any person or state…

Thus, as we thank him for his congratulations, we would like to add that he is actually denying the Arab and Muslim nation all their freedoms and strategic resources. If he is talking about freedom, what he actually means is the freedom of his military power in eliminating all the forces of liberation that want to live in the light of freedom and dignity.

This is precisely what the American writer, Gore Vidal, told Reuters when he said that the American President invaded Afghanistan because it is the doorway to Caspian oil.

He also asserted that most of all the staff that handle the issues of oil in the American administration are from the oil industry. Moreover, Vidal criticized the media and accused it of resorting to falsification, adding that the members of Congress who control the mass media are giving the American people a wrong view.

The American Administration Alienates the Nations

The American Secretary of Defense talked about the fall of the Islamic regime in Iran, despite the fact that it is a government that was elected freely… America has started to plan to assassinate all those it accuses of terrorism without trial, using the Israeli means of shelling by warplanes, even if it leads to the fall of innocent victims. This is what the American planes did in Yemen when they shelled a civilian car to kill one of the suspects. What kind of justice does a state adopt when it gives its intelligence agency the freedom to kill any person it suspects opposes its interests? How could the nations of the earth feel safe with this kind of dictatorship?

We cannot but say to President Bush that your government has chosen Israel to be the stronger and the most privileged state in the region, at the expense of all the other countries, which are left with no choice but to consider the US as their enemy.

Islam is Deep-Rooted among the Turkish People

The Islamic victory in Turkey was achieved when the Muslim Turkish people gave its support to the "Justice and Development Party," against the fanatic secularism that refuses to recognize the others and their right to assume power, in contrast with European secularism.

We do not want to talk about this party’s agenda, but we want to point out the fact that this success shows how deep-rooted Islam is among the Turkish people… We also want to point out that the success of Islamists in Morocco, Bahrain and Pakistan in facing the arrogant campaigns against Islam and Muslims indicates that the Muslims should plan for further victories and should feel responsible for presenting Islam in its civilized reality to the rest of the world.

Time to Wake Up

In Lebanon, the political row is still escalating. One party started to accuse the other of treason, while the other accuses the first of oppression and politicization of the judiciary, claiming that it has become a tool in the hand of the government. This is very dangerous, for it makes the people lose their confidence in their constitutional establishments.