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 Shaaban 11, 1423 AH/ October 18, 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 Birth of Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.):
Be on the Side of Justice to Be One of His Men
They see it far and we see it near.
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "Allah only intends to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification." Surat al-Ahzab (33:33). The first member is Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib (a.s.), while the last is Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hasten his relief) whom Allah, the Most Exalted, has prepared to fill the earth with justice having been filled with wrongdoing.
O Allah, send blessings on the Custodian of Your commandments,
the vigilant Guardian, the reliable Patron, the awaited Justice,
surrounded by Your favorite angels,
assisted by the Holy Spirit.
O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, send him to call the people unto Your Book for establishing Your religion,
and make him succeed on the earth,
as You caused those who were before him to succeed,
and establish for him his faith
which You have approved for him,
and give him in exchange safety after fear.
He serves You.
He ascribes nothing as partner unto You.
O Allah, give him power and authority,
and through him strengthen the people.
Give him the necessary assistance,
and through him support the people,
and make him prevail over all with Your final decisive victory,
and delegate him Your controlling authority.
We are awaiting and expecting to see him among us at any time, "They see it [as] distant, But We see it [as] near." Surat al-Ma'arij (70:6). But as we wait, we cannot sit still while unbelief wants to uproot Islam. We cannot watch confused and helpless, as we face all this oppression and arrogance that want to suppress the downtrodden. We have to wait for him -he who carries the message of Justice- carrying the same message in our hearts and lives, so that we would be paving the way for him to fill the earth with justice.
Thus, in times as the ones we are living in, while the storms are about to uproot all trees of good, and ruin the fences of justice, we have to shoulder our Islamic responsibilities especially the political, cultural, and militant ones, because Islam came for all aspects of life and not for any side in particular "O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life." Surat al-Anfal (8:24).
We, in this phase, have to face the arrogance’s effort to distort the image of Islam and drive people away from it. We have to wage this cultural war… Every Muslim intellectual in the Islamic world, whether in religious academies or universities, has to face these challenges. According to the Messenger (p.), "he who does not reveal his knowledge in times of abundant falsehood, is cursed by Allah, the Most Exalted." Moreover, it is very critical that all Muslim intellectuals and scholars have to freeze their differences, whether political, sectarian or juristic, for the enemy has unified its ranks in its war against Islam.
We Have to Fight International Arrogance
We also have to fight against the political war of the international arrogance. They are accusing several parties of being terrorists or extremists to fight any Islamic policy that wishes to assert freedom and preserve independence.
When President Bush talks about the axis of evil associating it with Islam and the Muslims, it is as if he considers himself to be the source of all good that can pass judgment on others and classify them.
We do not deny that there is something evil in some of our rulers, but what about their rulers?
To Bush, evil is all those who want to live a free, decent, independent and honorable life. They are those who dare to oppose his arrogance or his interests.
We have to freeze our petty political differences, which are generated by the political leaders, as well as the leaders of parties and communities who preoccupy the minds of the people with these partisan differences at a time the enemy is unified in facing us.
International arrogance is waging an all-out war against us that uses all its advanced weapons, and even nuclear weapons if it feels the need, just as it did in Japan. Faced by such a threat all secondary differences should be frozen and we should all strive to consolidate our internal unity and solidarity.
The arrogance is oppressing the downtrodden all over the world whether on the cultural level or on the political and military levels. Thus, as we celebrate the birth of Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.), we remember Allah’s saying: "And We wanted to confer favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors, And establish them in the land and show Pharaoh and [his minister] Haman and their soldiers through them that which they had feared." Surat al-Qasas (28:5-6).
There are some traditions that state that this verse is more general and represents the struggle of believers against arrogance in every time and place.
There are even some traditions that say that this verse indicates the final victory that would be achieved by Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.): The Prophet (p.) said: "The world will not end until the Arabs will be ruled by a man from my house whose name is the same as mine." He also said: "I am leaving with you what if you cling to, you will never go astray: Allah’s Book and my household who will not separate until they meet me"… on the Day of Judgment.
Strengthen the Positions of Justice
When we remember Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.) we have to strive to strengthen the positions of justice in our Islamic nation. Let us try to be just in our houses and in our clubs and in our markets… When the nation is educated on justice it will be a strong, free and proud nation, and it will be victorious over all wrongdoers. Because justice is the theme of all religions "We have already sent Our messengers with clear evidences and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice." Surat al-Hadid (57:25).
Justice is the Message of all religions. It is the message of Islam, the Prophet and the Imams and the Message of Imam Al-Mahdi.
If you want to be supporters and soldiers of the Imam (a.s.), it is not enough to read the supplication. You have to look at your life: Are you just in your homes, in political views and stands, in your economic dealings…
Let us study ourselves to find out if we are among his supporters or his enemies.
There is no such thing as a small wrongdoing; it will turn, given the right circumstances, into a big wrongdoing.
Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.) is not only a word, a promise and a feeling of love. He is a message, a cause and a commitment. He is loyalty to Allah, the Most Exalted, His messenger (p.) and the Muslims… He is the one that will come to lead the oppressed to defeat the oppressors… We have to choose where we stand for we will be asked about this on the Day of Judgment.
O Allah, send blessings on the Custodian of Your commandments,
the vigilant Guardian, the reliable Patron, the awaited Justice,
surrounded by Your favorite angels,
assisted by the Holy Spirit.
O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, send him to call the people unto Your Book for establishing Your religion,
and make him succeed on the earth,
as You caused those who were before him to succeed,
and establish for him his faith
which You have approved for him,
and give him in exchange safety after fear.
He serves You.
He ascribes nothing as partner unto You.
O Allah, give him power and authority,
and through him strengthen the people.
Give him the necessary assistance,
and through him support the people,
and make him prevail over all with Your final decisive victory,
and delegate him Your controlling authority.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Worshippers of Allah… Be pious and face this tough situation that challenges all our vital issues. Be the united nation and hold to the rope of Allah, the Most Exalted... if you disperse, you will be defeated by the arrogant forces that will turn us into fragmented pieces.
Our problem is that the arrogant powers were able to weaken us, because we weakened ourselves, by producing almost daily our own feuds…
Dominating the World
America continues to execute its plan of unilaterally dominating the world. It has reached the extent of holding a stick, albeit in a diplomatic way, against the Security Council. It also threatened the opposing countries by depriving them of their interests and investments in post-Saddam Iraq. The American president continues to act as a "Zionist" Christian preacher as he divides the world between the axis of good (America and its followers) and the axis of "evil" represented by those who oppose its policies or some of its interests. He also continues to talk about peace and to describe himself as a "man of peace," while at the same time he threatens to wage war, under the pretense of ridding humanity and civilization of "terror." Moreover, he even praises Sharon, whom he described as a man of peace, for his "humanitarian" dealings with the Palestinians.
What kind of humanitarianism is this destroying of the Palestinian infrastructure or this killing of the innocent including women, children and the elderly? On the other hand, Sharon has described Bush as "the best American president Israel has dealt with," because he has sought to give the Zionists full freedom to implement their strategy of transferring the Palestinians and turning Israel purely Jewish.
The Arabs Are in Quarantine
As for the Arabs, America has been able to put them in a political and military quarantine, by threatening their leaders with losing their rule and by deceiving them in the various letters or meetings with US officials… Muslims too were subjected to the American hegemony through its influence on the "Islamic Conference Organization"…
We are still in the same stage that represents the greatest threat ever, and we have witnessed lately the last massacre in the city of Rafah, Gaza, where several victims including two children were martyred.
The war against Iraq is still in the making; for the American Administration wants to dominate Iraq through military occupation to make sure that it fully controls its resources and its strategic location.
America claims that it is restoring democracy, while it rejects this democracy in all other third world countries where the rulers promote American interests.
Thus, America is the real threat to all the downtrodden nations. It has given all dictators their powers and their positions… to continue to play the game of nations and conquer more peoples… While Israel represents the major threat to the region, whether by its own forces or by the American protection it enjoys.
Palestinian Legendary Steadfastness
As for the Palestinian people who live a daily tragedy, it is planned for them to become the victim through the American deception scheme of making empty promises of a Palestinian state on condition that the Palestinians go on with the security and political reforms as a means to humiliate them. Nevertheless, the Palestinians have decided to remain dignified and continue their march of resistance and steadfastness until they liberate Jerusalem, leaving the Israelis to face their security impasse and thwarting the American attempts to cool down the situation so that it can focus on its war on Iraq.
On another level, we feel concerned about the massacres that move from one place to another: first in Indonesia, then in the Philippines and now in Algeria, especially that the American media and their allies are using these massacres to accuse those whom they call terrorists without any proof. They want to turn the international public opinion against Islam and Muslims, which might constitute a threat against the Muslim communities in the West.
We call on all Islamic activists to study the situation thoroughly. There is a dire need for awareness, as well as realism, to determine the right means of struggle that could achieve positive results without any violence against the innocent.
Such violence may distort the image of Islam and Muslims in the world and provide proof for the allegations that terrorism is an Islamic phenomenon, while everybody knows that Islam is the religion of mercy for all mankind, and that Jihad is not an act of aggression, but rather an act of self-defense.
Lebanon Accomplishes Its Second Victory
In Lebanon, the national unity over the major national issues has provided, through its support of the resistance and its taking into consideration the adequate political circumstances, a balance of terror that enabled Lebanon to accomplish its second victory over the Zionist occupation and provide water from the Wazani River to the thirsty villages of the south.
We hope that additional steps will follow this achievement, until we retrieve all our rights in our land and water. We also hope that executing the developmental projects that help the southerners to continue to live and resist in their southern lands will complement it.
Moreover, the Lebanese have to draw the lessons of this successful experience of political planning on the basis of national unity. They have to keep away from the political discourse that causes violence and sectarian tensions and focus on the realistic solutions especially in this stormy international climate that threatens the stability of the region.
Building Sandcastles
We should not continue to be as the kids who build their sandcastles on the beach and start to fight over them, only to be destroyed by the next fierce wave… Do not raise the issues that induce conflict, stir sectarian instincts and besiege freedoms.
Lastly, we call upon our free youth that stands tall and acts freely under the sun, to rationalize its agenda, study its moves, and keep away from sectarianism, to be able to build a future Lebanon based on freedom. A Lebanon that radiates thought and believes that justice for all its citizens is what gives the country its meaning.