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 Jumada al-Thaniyah, 15, 1423 AH / August 23, 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
Do not be sorry when it is too late
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin." Surah Al-Ahzab (33:58).
Remorse will not change anything
Allah, the Most Exalted says in His Glorious book: "And warn them, [O Muhammad], of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded; and [yet], they are in [a state of] heedlessness, and they do not believe." Surah Maryam (19:39) and "They have certainly lost who deny the meeting with Allah, until when the Hour [of resurrection] comes upon them unexpectedly, they will say, 'Oh, [how great is] our regret over what we neglected concerning it,' while they bear their burdens on their backs. Unquestionably, evil is that which they bear." Surah Al-An’am (6:31)
In these verses, as well as in others, Allah, the Most Exalted, tells us about the distress and regret on the Day of Judgment. It is that feeling man faces when he faces his dark fate.
At that day we will remember that Allah, the Most Exalted, has given us several chances that we did not make use of, and which could have turned our life and made us meet Allah with the side of the believers, the just and the honest and not with Allah’s enemies.
When one feels regret, it is because they had a chance to obtain good results but they did not take it. Such a feeling is also felt in this world. We know that there are many people who in their private and public lives, whether in business or even in their pleasures and desires, did not make use of the chances they had had. This will generate a feeling of regret. But this worldly regret is nevertheless limited since it would end either in a certain period or when man’s life ends, while the remorse we feel in the Hereafter is endless, because we will be facing indefinitely the outcome of our own acts.
Thus, we should in our life on earth, make use of every chance we are given. One of these opportunities is definitely our health. You need a healthy body, to perform all your duties and tasks.
Security, financial ability and social positions are also chances that you could make use of to help fellow human beings and earn Allah’s pleasure. But one is often ignorant of these chances and of the necessity of taking them.
That is why Allah, the Most Exalted, told His Messenger (p) to warn them about the Day of Judgment, the Day of Distress, in which they find out there is nothing they can do, and that they ought to have thought about this dark fate when they had a chance to change and be pious. They should not have thought about the pleasures and gains of the moment but about the end.
Think about the consequences
Allah, the Most Exalted, draws to us the picture of the Day of Judgment, when those who were ignorant and did not make use of their chances find themselves going to hell while others are going to heaven, He says: {Lest the soul should (then) say: "Lest a soul should say, 'Oh, [how great is] my regret over what I neglected in regard to Allah and that I was among the mockers.' Or [lest] it say, 'If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous.' Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, 'If only I had another turn so I could be among the doers of good.' But yes, there had come to you My verses, but you denied them and were arrogant and were among the disbelievers.' And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied about Allah [with] their faces blackened. Is there not in Hell a residence for the arrogant? And Allah will save those who feared Him by their attainment; no evil will touch them, nor will they grieve." Surah Az-Zumar (39:56-61).
Those people will feel sorry when they remember how they used to make fun of those who feared Allah, the Most Exalted, and performed their duties. They will either say that had Allah guided us, they would have been among the true pious believers, or they would ask for another chance. But Allah reminds them that they had this chance but they chose to ignore it. Now that the time for trial has come there could be no second chance.
The ignorant and his fate
In other verses, Allah, the Most Exalted, portrays to us some examples of those who chose their worldly pleasures at the expense of their religion.
He tells us first about people who would follow those who possess power and wealth; their affiliations will all be gone on the Day of Judgment and only one’s actions will remain "Then those who were followed would disassociate themselves from those who followed [them], and they would see the punishment, and cut off from them are the [former's] means of access." Surah Al-Baqarah (2:166).
In another verse, He shows us how great the remorse of those who were affected by their friends and were led astray "And [mention] the Day when the wrongdoer will bite on his hands [in regret] and say, 'Oh, I wish I had taken with the Messenger a way. Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend. He led me away from the remembrance after it had come to me. And ever is Satan, to man, a deserter.'" Surah Al-Furqan (25:27-29)
Imam Ali (a.s.) has said: “The greatest remorse on the Day of Judgment is that of a man who earned some money in a way that does not obey Allah, and inherited it to a man that spent it in a way that obeys Allah. This man will go to Heaven, while the first will go to hell.” What regret could be greater than that who had suffered a lot to gain money and entered Hell, while the one who spent it without any effort would go to Heaven? Moreover, those who guide others to the good but do not practice what they preach will also feel a great remorse, as we are told by Imam Jaafar Al- Sadiq (a.s.).
On his part; the Messenger (p) too informs us of another behavior that will lead to an overwhelming feeling of remorse and regret. He says: “The most remorseful among you is he who sells his hereafter by the world of others.”
A Believer is not an ignorant
These verses and Holy traditions tell us that we have to be aware and conscious especially in issues relating to our fate.
We also have to manage the affairs of our worldly life, for Allah wants the believers to be clever and resourceful. Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) says: “A believer is a good helper, knows how sustain himself in a lawful way and does not fall in the same trap twice (he learns from his experiences).”
Seek to earn Allah, the Most Exalted’s satisfaction
Being conscious and knowledgeable as we are ordered means that we have to understand that we were born to the second life and not to this one, and therefore we have to evaluate our acts in this world on the basis of how would they balance in the hereafter.
It is true that our families and friends are with us in this world, but who will be with us in the grave? Our deeds only. Thus, we have to take care and ensure that all these deeds are of the kind that pleases Allah.
Let us strive to ensure that Day of Judgment will be a day of joy and not remorse. Let us make our hearts a place of love and not hatred, and let us not let our tongues backbite, lie or incite strife. Let us not let any of our organs act as a means of disobeying Allah , the Most Exalted. We will then be able to meet Allah feeling reassured that we have sought to attain His pleasure, for on that day no money or children will be of any help. The good actions and the pure heart are the only things that will ensure a peaceful and happy fate.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Extremism is a result of America’s policies
The American Administration says that “It has decided to launch a diplomatic-informational -financial campaign to promote the concepts and practice of democracy in the Arab World and Iran. The campaign aims at reforming and developing the economic, educational and political institutions, as well as defending human tights and lessening the degree of animosity towards America, for the U.S feels that the autocratic regimes in the region have created a favorable atmosphere for extremism and terror to grow”.
Is the American Administration really serious? Does it believe itself, its advisors and informers about the growth of what it calls terrorism?
It knows quite well that the reason for all this is its unequivocal support of the Zionist enemy. Whether by giving the Zionists a free hand in destroying the Palestinian structure and killing the civilians or by denying the Palestinian people the right of self-determination and fighting occupation. Furthermore, America has considered the Palestinian and Lebanese liberation movements as terrorist organizations. It also besieges Iran and threatens the states of the region claiming that they possess mass destruction weapons although Israel has the biggest arsenal that includes nuclear weapons, in addition to supporting the regimes that oppress their peoples to protect American interests.
Furthermore, America cares only of its own interests at the expense of the interests of the “Third World” nations. It only wants to insure the flow of oil at a low price, and to keep the Israeli supremacy as well as fighting the “rogue” states to ensure that there is no one in the region who has any power to oppose its comprehensive control, or its usurpation of the region’s wealth and resources.
America does not encourage democracy in the “Third World”. It only tries to give the regimes a democratic outlook that hides the autocracies that rule by emergency laws and security apparatus to serve the new American empire… That is why our peoples will remain hostile to America and its policies.
America has punished Egypt, because the latter tied an Egyptian citizen who has an American passport but it gave Israel a free hand to arrest and kill the entire Palestinian people. It also remains silent when it comes to the arrest of thousands of militants in the states that follow its dictates, just because they oppose Israel or the US policies with all the injustices they create.
America created these regimes
If America is claiming to feel sorry for the miseries of the Iraqi people, and pretends to be concerned about the threat the Iraqi regime represents to the region, we should not forget that it is America who creates such regimes, that suit its interests and then changes them when these interests change. Let us ask: “Who failed the popular Intifada in Iraq after the war of Kuwait? Who remained silent when the Iraqi regime used mass destruction weapons against its own people? Who supported Iraq in its war against Iran…?”
America does not want democracy in Iraq that enables people to be free in their policy choices. It only cares about the Iraqi oil, its investment potentials and its strategic location in the region. That is why we do not trust any American plan to save the Iraqis or the region from the Iraqi regime despite all the dreams of deliverance it is spreading…
We do not have any complexes towards America. Our problem with this country, is that it raises the slogans of freedom and human rights on the one hand and confiscates all our rights to ensure the supremacy of the Jews even if they are violating the rights of others and occupying their lands…on the other hand.
The only solution to establish a balanced relation with America is for it to respect our rights, humanity and interests. Then we could have a relationship based on mutual respect and interests.
Planning for a Palestinian civil war
In Palestine, the Zionist enemy is continuing its atrocities of killings, arrests, destroying houses and bulldozing gardens. It is also trying to distract the Palestinian Authority with deceptive security agreements…
We have heard “Sharon” describing Gaza first agreement by saying that it is not more than taking two tanks out of the street… The Israeli minister of war has expressed his doubts over the ability of the Palestinian Authority to control the security in Gaza and Bethlehem… They -America and the Zionists- want the world to believe that Israel seeks to establish peace with the Palestinians, while in actual fact, they are planning to create an internal civil war amongst the Palestinians, thus ensuring on end of the Palestinian struggle.
Thus, the Mujahideen and all the Palestinian people have to be aware and cautious of this old /new plan… They have to remain patient and steadfast. They have to continue their struggle and preserve their internal unity, for they have nothing to lose but their chains… The Arab and Islamic peoples have to uphold their responsibilities towards the Palestinians, by supporting them in all possible means, especially in this critical new stage, thus acting as a bridge, which would allow the Palestinians to pass to the next stage.
Lebanon: from one crisis into another
In Lebanon, the debate about the conditions and the basis of the dialogue is still going on. But it has entered into local and sectarian mazes, and thus become unfruitful. It lacks the spirit of true dialogue, for every party wants to drag the other towards it, without moving an inch…. Thus every party stays put in its place and starts to accuse the others of undermining the dialogue.
In addition, the spirit of seeking the support of external forces still emerges every now and then, as if they have not learned yet that these bets are losing ones. The people, on the other hand, are suffering from the tough economic conditions, especially that new laws were passed that make certain means of earning a living unlawful, and new direct and indirect taxes have been imposed to lessen the deficiency in the budget that has grown in an unprecedented way as a result of accumulating debt, as well as theft and corruption.
All this at a time the whole region is unstable and about to face drastic changes. With all the regional and international plots awaiting it or trying to put their hands on it… Where are you taking Lebanon to?