In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Ayatullah Al Ozma H.E. M. H. Fadlullah delivered two speeches (at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Jamadi II 24, 1423h/ August 30, 2002 (Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer)
The First Sermon
Allah (S.W.T) says in His Glorious Book: {And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the family, and to make you pure and spotless} [33:33]
Fatima Al-Zahra’ (a.s.), whose birthday anniversary is today, is one of those members of the house. She is a part of the Messenger, wife of Imam Ali (a.s.) and the mother of Imams Hassan and Hussein. Thus, she constitutes a link between prophethood and Imamate, having inherited, in her character and linage, the traits of the Prophet, and having married Imam Ali and became a mother to the coming Imams.
The secret of Fatima (a.s.)
When we study the personality of this lady whom Allah has purified, and made a role model for Muslim women, we find out that she is infallible, being one of the five members of the House that Allah cleansed as cited in the Ayah above… She was the absolute purity and the absolute good whom the Quran talked about in three different Surahs: The verse cited above, The Man surah in which Allah talked about the spirit of giving that she shared with her Husband (Imam Ali)…When they were fasting and gave the break fast dinner for a poor man, an orphan and a prisoner and remained fasting {And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan and the captive * (Saying), “We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks}[76:8-9].
These two verses explain an important part of Fatima’s (a.s.) and Ali’s (a.s.) secret: They give for the sake of Allah and not for any other worldly reason.
Thus, they do not expect any reward or thanks; this is their secret as well as that of their sons: and it is the Messenger’s secret: To live, strive and die for the sake of Allah. And this is what we should do if we want to follow them.
The Third Ayah was revealed when the Christians of Najran (region in Arabia ) came to argue with the prophet about Issa (p.), claiming that Christ was God. Having found that it was no use arguing with them, the Prophet(p.) asked them to pray for Allah to invoke His curse on those who lie {If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge hath come to thee, say: “Come! Let us gather together, our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Them let us earnestly pray and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie}[3:61].
The head of the delegation told the group to wait and see who the Prophet was going to bring. If he brings some ordinary people of his companions go ahead and pray, but if he brings the members of his house then he would be truthful, because he could not possibly want to sacrifice them. So when the Prophet brought Ali, Fatima , Al-Hassan, and Al-Hussein (a.s.) they refused to pray and signed a treatment with him. Thus this incident proves that they were the closest to him.
Achieving the Prophet’s medal
When we come to what the Prophet (p.) said about his daughter (a.s.), we find that there are many traditions that both the Shiites and the Sunnis agree upon. Sahih Al-Bukhari quotes the Messenger (p.) as saying: Fatima is the leader of the women of paradise and the leader of the women of this nation. Sahih Muslim has it as the leader of the women believers, while Ibn dawoud states that she is “ the leader of the women of the worlds”.
And since we know that Muhammad (p.) does not talk out of his whims or desires, but he only conveys what is revealed to him by Allah (S.W.T), we can have an idea about how superior and sublime lady Fatima (a.s.) is. To be a leader in Heaven, which hosts such great ladies as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Asia bint Muzahim, reveals how great is this lady in the eyes of God.
The Messenger also has let it be known in several traditions that Fatima was part of him: Whatever hurts her would also hurt him…
In other narrations that show the position Fatima held in her father’s heart and mind what Aisha (one of the Prophet’s wives) said: I have not seen anybody who looks more like the Prophet in his speech looks and guidance than Fatima . When he used to see her coming he would stand and kiss her hand…
Aisha also said that Fatima was the woman whom the Prophet loves most, while Ali was the most loved man.
She also said: I have not seen anyone who is more truthful than her except her father.
Imam Al-Kazim (a.s.) describes Fatima (a.s.) as being "a truthful witness” just like the prophets who bear witness in front of God for what their people do.
Fatima ’s childhood was full of pain and suffering. She lost her mother when she was a young child, and then she had to witness, how the infidels were hurting her father.
One of the incidents that shows how much she loved her father, was when AbuJahal, one of the leaders of the infidels, induced one his followers to throw dirt on the Prophet’s back while he was praying. When Fatima saw this, she removed the dirt and cursed the infidels. This proves that although a child, Fatima used to take care of her father and people used to go and tell her whenever something of this sort took place.
She also used to take care of her father at home, giving him the love and affection he lost when his mother died. That is why the Messenger said: " Fatima is the mother of her father”.
Had it not been for Ali, there would not have been a match for Fatima .
And when she married Ali (a.s)… The Messenger(p.) used to tell everybody who asked for her hand before Ali, that he was waiting for Allah’s command. But when Ali proposed, the Messenger (p.) smiled and said his famous saying: Had it not been for Ali, there would not have been a match for Fatima .
This match was not in his relation to Fatima for she had many other cousins, but it was one of knowledge and piety. Both Ali (a.s.) and Fatima were raised and taught by the Prophet(p.) in the same house. Thus, each of them mirrored the personality of the other and they both mirrored that of Muhammad (p.), whether in his mind, character or attitude.
The marriage of Imam Ali (a.s.) and Lady Fatima (a.s.) offers an example and a model for women and men to learn how their life together should be like. Towards the end of her life, she was asking her husband to take care of things after her death and ended by saying: You have not known me to lie to you or betray you or refuse to do anything you want since I knew you. And the Imam (a.s.) agreed and said: You are too good and pious… for me to scold you.
Ali (a.s.) says: I have never angered her and she never angered or disobeyed me; This kind of spiritual harmony, moral complementing and mutual care was the climate in which their children, Al-Hassan (a.s.), Al-Hussein (a.s.) , Zianab and Um-klthoum were raised. It is quite natural when happiness and piety fills and illuminates a house, the children will be brought up to be pious and loving human beings.
According to psychologists, most of the complexes children acquire are a result of the parents’ quarrels. Therefore, we are responsible not only for the physical welfare of our children but about their psychological health as well.
Do not make them psychologically sick as a result of your differences.
How did Ali (a.s.) and Fatima (a.s.) share their household life?
The story says that they went to the Prophet(p.) to divide the work between them. The Prophet(p.) Made her responsible for making bread while Ali had to bring wood and clean the house.
This is Ali (a.s.), not you and me. And yet he was not ashamed to perform such tasks…Thus it is not humiliating to attend some household business.
AL- Zahra’ (a.s.) had a role too in teaching the society. She used to find time, despite all her duties, to gather all the wives of the believers and teach them the principles of their religion, and she used to narrate the sayings and traditions of her father. One of these traditions is "A believer is not a believer, if his neighbors do not feel assured that he will no hurt them. He who believes in God and the Day of Judgment does not hurt his neighbor…
He would either say what is good or remain silent..
Allah is Good and loves those who are good, chaste and tolerant. He hates the backbiter and those who say obscene words”.
She was also a devoted worshipper who used to pray all night every Thursday night.
She used to never ask for herself. Asked by Imam Al-Hassan (a.s.) about the reason for this, she said that the neighbor comes before oneself. She was the worshipper, the honest truthful believer. She was both a religious scholar and a firm militant for the cause of Allah (S.W.T), who defended her husband’s right not because of her relation to him but because he was her Imam (a.s.) and the one who Muhammad(p.) appointed to succeed him.
Thus, Fatima(a.s.) is a role model for both men and women. She is not an object for our crying and mourning. Following her means… following her role model in our practice and not crying for her and her son’s fate.
The Messenger (p.), Al –Zahra’ (a.s.) and The Imam (a.s.) want us to rid ourselves of every backward symptom and be a mind that thinks, a heart that loves and a practice that is both pious and a result of careful planning.
The Second Sermon
America is still spreading concern and anguish in the region by beating the drums of war sometimes and by resorting to a vague language about its plans at other times… On another level, the US is trying to sedate some of the Arab leaders by sweet words that talk about “eternal friendship” and “mutual trust” despite certain differences in opinion. At the same time it offers Israel unequivocal support, as part of their strategic alliance in the region, especially that the American policy in its relations with the Arabs and Muslims in run by a group of politicians who are more loyal to Israel then they are loyal to America .
American policy gives empty words to the Arabs and stances of support to Israel . This might be because the Zionists use the language of force with America while the Arabs use the logic of weakness and failure… An important observation, in this context, lies in the fact Israel exerts pressure on the American elections by mean of the Jewish votes, while the Arabs and Muslims who live in America do not have any plan in this respect. President Bush, who won the elections with the Arab and Muslim votes, did not give then anything in return, Instead he increased his support to Israel and his pressure over the Arabs and Muslims in the States.
Thus, we have to change the mentality in dealing economically security-wise and politically with the US . We ought to withdraw the Arab and Muslim funds, for the new laws that emerged as a result of the events of September 11th, might subject them to freezing or even confiscating.
The Intifada continues
In Palestine , America still provides a cover to the Israeli invasion to its cities, villages and lands. It is also supporting financially the Zionist military operations against the Palestinian people, who is subjected daily to a systemized killing operation including the killing of children that Israel would later claim that is was done by mistake that it regrets. The Palestinians are also subjected to arbitrary arrests, and the collective punishments of destroying houses, bulldozing farms and economic siege… Meanwhile we hear nobody in America, Europe or even the United Nations objecting… even the Arab and Muslim voices have become humiliatingly shi and timid.
We are following up the operations the Mujahideen perform in spite of all the difficulties they face as a result of the Israeli brutality and the Zionist security and political deception, as well as the deceiving role of the American envoy who came to the region to give verbal and empty assurances to the Arabs and the Palestinians, on the one hand, while coordinating with the Zionists to increase the pressure on the Intifada and to fragment the wings of the Palestinian Authority…
The Palestinians still have this wonderful steadfastness, this challenging resolve and this national unity that in itself a militant means of resistance to the occupation. All the factions of the political spectrum of this people unite together in challenging and resisting the occupation. The while nation should stand with this people to emphasize its unity in all fronts…
The American offence will not stop
As for Iraq , the situation is still under the impact of international polarization, regional instability, the opposition’s political confusion, and the American plan to obtain international Arabian and Iraqi (both secular and Islamic) legitimacy, to complete its domination of Iraq .
The Arab and Muslim peoples have to study the ultimate goals of this American movement which will not stop in Iraq; it will go on to contain what could be contained and strike what they feel hat they should strike to ensure the American hegemony over the oil fields in the region, and put an end to any opposition of the US hegemony in the Third world.
In view of all this, is there anybody alive that would listen or have we all become dead?
Lack of trust in the political authority
In Lebanon , arbitrary decisions and confusion are still governing the political and economic policy making of the government. The budget, for example, contains many gaps that have to do with the essential and virtual needs and services of the Lebanese people… Moreover, the new coalitions and consultation meetings are merely reactions that do not aim at studying the roots of the problem or reveal the carefully concealed reason for this chaos.
The people have been asking in every stage and in every administration the same question:
Why do the projects of administrative reform always fail in Lebanon? Who is hindering the execution of the law of illegal wealth, waste and corruption? Why do the people no longer trust any of the big names in politics that have become exceptionally rich? How do we explain the whispers about the legal deals or even the decrees that aim to enable certain companies and individuals make a lot of money? Do the officials hear these whispers and what are they doing about it?
We like to be optimistic and hate pessimism, but are any elements in reality to justify such optimism?
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Ayatullah Al Ozma H.E. M. H. Fadlullah delivered two speeches (at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Jamadi II 24, 1423h/ August 30, 2002 (Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer)
The First Sermon
Allah (S.W.T) says in His Glorious Book: {And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the family, and to make you pure and spotless} [33:33]
Fatima Al-Zahra’ (a.s.), whose birthday anniversary is today, is one of those members of the house. She is a part of the Messenger, wife of Imam Ali (a.s.) and the mother of Imams Hassan and Hussein. Thus, she constitutes a link between prophethood and Imamate, having inherited, in her character and linage, the traits of the Prophet, and having married Imam Ali and became a mother to the coming Imams.
The secret of Fatima (a.s.)
When we study the personality of this lady whom Allah has purified, and made a role model for Muslim women, we find out that she is infallible, being one of the five members of the House that Allah cleansed as cited in the Ayah above… She was the absolute purity and the absolute good whom the Quran talked about in three different Surahs: The verse cited above, The Man surah in which Allah talked about the spirit of giving that she shared with her Husband (Imam Ali)…When they were fasting and gave the break fast dinner for a poor man, an orphan and a prisoner and remained fasting {And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan and the captive * (Saying), “We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks}[76:8-9].
These two verses explain an important part of Fatima’s (a.s.) and Ali’s (a.s.) secret: They give for the sake of Allah and not for any other worldly reason.
Thus, they do not expect any reward or thanks; this is their secret as well as that of their sons: and it is the Messenger’s secret: To live, strive and die for the sake of Allah. And this is what we should do if we want to follow them.
The Third Ayah was revealed when the Christians of Najran (region in Arabia ) came to argue with the prophet about Issa (p.), claiming that Christ was God. Having found that it was no use arguing with them, the Prophet(p.) asked them to pray for Allah to invoke His curse on those who lie {If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge hath come to thee, say: “Come! Let us gather together, our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Them let us earnestly pray and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie}[3:61].
The head of the delegation told the group to wait and see who the Prophet was going to bring. If he brings some ordinary people of his companions go ahead and pray, but if he brings the members of his house then he would be truthful, because he could not possibly want to sacrifice them. So when the Prophet brought Ali, Fatima , Al-Hassan, and Al-Hussein (a.s.) they refused to pray and signed a treatment with him. Thus this incident proves that they were the closest to him.
Achieving the Prophet’s medal
When we come to what the Prophet (p.) said about his daughter (a.s.), we find that there are many traditions that both the Shiites and the Sunnis agree upon. Sahih Al-Bukhari quotes the Messenger (p.) as saying: Fatima is the leader of the women of paradise and the leader of the women of this nation. Sahih Muslim has it as the leader of the women believers, while Ibn dawoud states that she is “ the leader of the women of the worlds”.
And since we know that Muhammad (p.) does not talk out of his whims or desires, but he only conveys what is revealed to him by Allah (S.W.T), we can have an idea about how superior and sublime lady Fatima (a.s.) is. To be a leader in Heaven, which hosts such great ladies as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Asia bint Muzahim, reveals how great is this lady in the eyes of God.
The Messenger also has let it be known in several traditions that Fatima was part of him: Whatever hurts her would also hurt him…
In other narrations that show the position Fatima held in her father’s heart and mind what Aisha (one of the Prophet’s wives) said: I have not seen anybody who looks more like the Prophet in his speech looks and guidance than Fatima . When he used to see her coming he would stand and kiss her hand…
Aisha also said that Fatima was the woman whom the Prophet loves most, while Ali was the most loved man.
She also said: I have not seen anyone who is more truthful than her except her father.
Imam Al-Kazim (a.s.) describes Fatima (a.s.) as being "a truthful witness” just like the prophets who bear witness in front of God for what their people do.
Fatima ’s childhood was full of pain and suffering. She lost her mother when she was a young child, and then she had to witness, how the infidels were hurting her father.
One of the incidents that shows how much she loved her father, was when AbuJahal, one of the leaders of the infidels, induced one his followers to throw dirt on the Prophet’s back while he was praying. When Fatima saw this, she removed the dirt and cursed the infidels. This proves that although a child, Fatima used to take care of her father and people used to go and tell her whenever something of this sort took place.
She also used to take care of her father at home, giving him the love and affection he lost when his mother died. That is why the Messenger said: " Fatima is the mother of her father”.
Had it not been for Ali, there would not have been a match for Fatima .
And when she married Ali (a.s)… The Messenger(p.) used to tell everybody who asked for her hand before Ali, that he was waiting for Allah’s command. But when Ali proposed, the Messenger (p.) smiled and said his famous saying: Had it not been for Ali, there would not have been a match for Fatima .
This match was not in his relation to Fatima for she had many other cousins, but it was one of knowledge and piety. Both Ali (a.s.) and Fatima were raised and taught by the Prophet(p.) in the same house. Thus, each of them mirrored the personality of the other and they both mirrored that of Muhammad (p.), whether in his mind, character or attitude.
The marriage of Imam Ali (a.s.) and Lady Fatima (a.s.) offers an example and a model for women and men to learn how their life together should be like. Towards the end of her life, she was asking her husband to take care of things after her death and ended by saying: You have not known me to lie to you or betray you or refuse to do anything you want since I knew you. And the Imam (a.s.) agreed and said: You are too good and pious… for me to scold you.
Ali (a.s.) says: I have never angered her and she never angered or disobeyed me; This kind of spiritual harmony, moral complementing and mutual care was the climate in which their children, Al-Hassan (a.s.), Al-Hussein (a.s.) , Zianab and Um-klthoum were raised. It is quite natural when happiness and piety fills and illuminates a house, the children will be brought up to be pious and loving human beings.
According to psychologists, most of the complexes children acquire are a result of the parents’ quarrels. Therefore, we are responsible not only for the physical welfare of our children but about their psychological health as well.
Do not make them psychologically sick as a result of your differences.
How did Ali (a.s.) and Fatima (a.s.) share their household life?
The story says that they went to the Prophet(p.) to divide the work between them. The Prophet(p.) Made her responsible for making bread while Ali had to bring wood and clean the house.
This is Ali (a.s.), not you and me. And yet he was not ashamed to perform such tasks…Thus it is not humiliating to attend some household business.
AL- Zahra’ (a.s.) had a role too in teaching the society. She used to find time, despite all her duties, to gather all the wives of the believers and teach them the principles of their religion, and she used to narrate the sayings and traditions of her father. One of these traditions is "A believer is not a believer, if his neighbors do not feel assured that he will no hurt them. He who believes in God and the Day of Judgment does not hurt his neighbor…
He would either say what is good or remain silent..
Allah is Good and loves those who are good, chaste and tolerant. He hates the backbiter and those who say obscene words”.
She was also a devoted worshipper who used to pray all night every Thursday night.
She used to never ask for herself. Asked by Imam Al-Hassan (a.s.) about the reason for this, she said that the neighbor comes before oneself. She was the worshipper, the honest truthful believer. She was both a religious scholar and a firm militant for the cause of Allah (S.W.T), who defended her husband’s right not because of her relation to him but because he was her Imam (a.s.) and the one who Muhammad(p.) appointed to succeed him.
Thus, Fatima(a.s.) is a role model for both men and women. She is not an object for our crying and mourning. Following her means… following her role model in our practice and not crying for her and her son’s fate.
The Messenger (p.), Al –Zahra’ (a.s.) and The Imam (a.s.) want us to rid ourselves of every backward symptom and be a mind that thinks, a heart that loves and a practice that is both pious and a result of careful planning.
The Second Sermon
America is still spreading concern and anguish in the region by beating the drums of war sometimes and by resorting to a vague language about its plans at other times… On another level, the US is trying to sedate some of the Arab leaders by sweet words that talk about “eternal friendship” and “mutual trust” despite certain differences in opinion. At the same time it offers Israel unequivocal support, as part of their strategic alliance in the region, especially that the American policy in its relations with the Arabs and Muslims in run by a group of politicians who are more loyal to Israel then they are loyal to America .
American policy gives empty words to the Arabs and stances of support to Israel . This might be because the Zionists use the language of force with America while the Arabs use the logic of weakness and failure… An important observation, in this context, lies in the fact Israel exerts pressure on the American elections by mean of the Jewish votes, while the Arabs and Muslims who live in America do not have any plan in this respect. President Bush, who won the elections with the Arab and Muslim votes, did not give then anything in return, Instead he increased his support to Israel and his pressure over the Arabs and Muslims in the States.
Thus, we have to change the mentality in dealing economically security-wise and politically with the US . We ought to withdraw the Arab and Muslim funds, for the new laws that emerged as a result of the events of September 11th, might subject them to freezing or even confiscating.
The Intifada continues
In Palestine , America still provides a cover to the Israeli invasion to its cities, villages and lands. It is also supporting financially the Zionist military operations against the Palestinian people, who is subjected daily to a systemized killing operation including the killing of children that Israel would later claim that is was done by mistake that it regrets. The Palestinians are also subjected to arbitrary arrests, and the collective punishments of destroying houses, bulldozing farms and economic siege… Meanwhile we hear nobody in America, Europe or even the United Nations objecting… even the Arab and Muslim voices have become humiliatingly shi and timid.
We are following up the operations the Mujahideen perform in spite of all the difficulties they face as a result of the Israeli brutality and the Zionist security and political deception, as well as the deceiving role of the American envoy who came to the region to give verbal and empty assurances to the Arabs and the Palestinians, on the one hand, while coordinating with the Zionists to increase the pressure on the Intifada and to fragment the wings of the Palestinian Authority…
The Palestinians still have this wonderful steadfastness, this challenging resolve and this national unity that in itself a militant means of resistance to the occupation. All the factions of the political spectrum of this people unite together in challenging and resisting the occupation. The while nation should stand with this people to emphasize its unity in all fronts…
The American offence will not stop
As for Iraq , the situation is still under the impact of international polarization, regional instability, the opposition’s political confusion, and the American plan to obtain international Arabian and Iraqi (both secular and Islamic) legitimacy, to complete its domination of Iraq .
The Arab and Muslim peoples have to study the ultimate goals of this American movement which will not stop in Iraq; it will go on to contain what could be contained and strike what they feel hat they should strike to ensure the American hegemony over the oil fields in the region, and put an end to any opposition of the US hegemony in the Third world.
In view of all this, is there anybody alive that would listen or have we all become dead?
Lack of trust in the political authority
In Lebanon , arbitrary decisions and confusion are still governing the political and economic policy making of the government. The budget, for example, contains many gaps that have to do with the essential and virtual needs and services of the Lebanese people… Moreover, the new coalitions and consultation meetings are merely reactions that do not aim at studying the roots of the problem or reveal the carefully concealed reason for this chaos.
The people have been asking in every stage and in every administration the same question:
Why do the projects of administrative reform always fail in Lebanon? Who is hindering the execution of the law of illegal wealth, waste and corruption? Why do the people no longer trust any of the big names in politics that have become exceptionally rich? How do we explain the whispers about the legal deals or even the decrees that aim to enable certain companies and individuals make a lot of money? Do the officials hear these whispers and what are they doing about it?
We like to be optimistic and hate pessimism, but are any elements in reality to justify such optimism?