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 amadan 19, 1424 AH / November 14, 2003, 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 Martyrdom of Imam Ali (a.s.):
Follow His Path of Piety and Unity
Ali: An Image of the Prophet
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "And of the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the approval of Allah. And Allah is kind to [His] servants." Surat al-Baqarah (2:207) And: "Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed - those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they bow [in worship]." Surat al-Ma'idah (5:55)
This is Ali, the man who has sold himself to Allah. His mind became the mind that opened up on Allah by clinging to the Right… His heart became big enough to love all people, for it is the heart that was big enough to love Allah… This is Ali’s secret: He did not think about himself. He only thought to please Allah… That is why he used to say to the people… that he was not like any of them… He wants them for Allah, while they want him for themselves.
Ali was an image of the Messenger (p.). He was raised by Muhammad (p.), who nurtured his mind, personality and soul, until he became an image of the Prophet (p.).
When he became the Commander of the Faithful, the Imam (a.s.) used to say to the people who had conflicting opinions regarding his caliphate: "You, the people of conflicting souls and dispersed hearts… I call you for the Right, and you run away from it, like a goat running away from a lion… There is no way that I can climb with you to the level of Justice and straighten the deviation away from the Right…"
This was Ali’s tragedy: He wanted to raise the nation to the top, but they wanted to stay at the bottom and chose not to listen to him or learn from him.
The Role of the Caliph
Then Ali talks about his role as a ruler and explains why he accepted this post, emphasizing that he wanted to serve and had no personal ambitions or interests… Then he talks to Allah, as a prophet or an Imam should when he shoulders a responsibility, feeling that he is responsible before Allah in the first place and to the nation in the second. Thus, the Imam (a.s.) stands in submission to say to Allah: "O Allah… You know that I did not seek to engage in any struggle for power or money or such worldly benefits men might be tempted to acquire, but to defend Allah’s religion and seek justice and reform in Allah’s land, so that the wronged and the downtrodden will feel safe and Your laws will be observed… I was the first to be called for Islam and the first to respond to the call… 'No one has performed prayers before me except Allah’s Messenger.'"
He was a Muslim in his heart and mind before the message was revealed; then, when the Prophet (p.) called him to Islam, he was ready to adopt what had already lived in his mind and soul…
The Caller and the Militant
Thus, the Imam lived Islam as a kid, and he grew up to vow as a young man that he would dedicate himself to the cause of Allah as a caller and a fighter… He lived in the Messenger’s house and used to say: "The first house in Islam held three: Allah’s Messenger, Khadija and me." And when the Messenger (p.) wanted the Imam (a.s.) to sleep in his bed, he asked only if this would secure his safety. Then he graciously accepted.
Ali was also the man whom the Messenger (p.) chose to return all that the people of Mecca had entrusted him with. He was also the bravest fighter in the battle of Badr, where he killed half of those the infidels lost and took part in killing the other half… to the extent that Gabriel was saying while the angels were cheering the Muslims: "There is no man (champion or fighter for a cause) except Ali (a.s.), and there is no sword except Ali, and there is no sword except Zulfiqar (Ali’s sword)." He was the sword that vowed it would only fight for a just cause.
He used to move from one war to another, not because he liked to fight, but to defend Islam and fight those who wanted to thwart Islam and kill it in its cradle. He was also the caller who learnt all the Islamic sciences his teacher, the Prophet (p.), taught him, to the extent that the Messenger (p.) said: "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate."
In the battle of Al-Ahzab, he fought an infidel fierce fighter called Amr bin Abd-Wid, whom all the Muslims were afraid of. And on the eve of the battle of Uhud, Muhammad (p.) said: "I will give the banner tomorrow to someone who loves Allah and His Messenger (p.), and who is loved by Allah and His Messenger… He is a man that attacks and does not retreat until Allah grants us victory." This medal, which the Prophet (p.) gave to no one else, indicates that Ali, just as the prophet has said, is worthy of the love of Allah and His Messenger, for he is the Right in its entirety. He is, as Muhammad (p.) said: "Ali is with the Right and the Right is with Ali. May Allah turn the Right with him wherever he turns."
Then when the Messenger gathered the Muslims in Ghadir Khum, having been told by Allah that if he did not convey what was revealed to Him, he would not have conveyed Allah’s Message… The Messenger (p.) stood up and raised Ali’s hand and said: "'For whoever I am his master, then Ali is his master.'" But things changed and events turned out to deviate the Muslims from the straight path.
Nevertheless, Ali (a.s.) remained patient, and nothing could change his dedication to Islam. Although his heart was full of bitterness, he decided "to keep the peace as long as the affairs of Muslims were maintained and the only wrong inflicted was against me personally." Ali’s sole concern was to keep the state of peace among Muslims and prevent internal strife. He believed that the unity of Muslims is the weapon that safeguards their strength and dignity… He was the champion of unity who helped those who set him aside and took his place, because the issue was not personal, but that of the Message.
Even when he became a caliph, they planted mines on his road and forced him to engage in several wars he wanted none of. His sole goal was to open up to Muslims peacefully and lead them to the straight path of Islam, but they did not let him.
The Greatest Prize
The Imam (a.s.) remained steadfast all through. He resorted to dialogue and debate with those who fought him and even those who accused him of being heretic and killed him in the end.
They were driven by hatred and fanaticism that did not let them listen to the voice of faith and logic of the Imam (a.s.), who, even after being stabbed by the Damned Ibn Muljam, thought only about his joy in meeting Allah. He said: "In the name of Allah, the Most Exalted… and on the religion of the Messenger of Allah, the Most Exalted… I swear by the Lord of the Kaaba that I have won."
Ali was feeling joyful, because he studied all his life, from the moment he was born in the Kaaba, Allah’s mosque, and died in another mosque, making the course of all his life in between one that serves the Lord of all mosques…
Such a great man represented the top in everything; we cannot but consider him to be infallible and purified, in accordance with what the Quran had stated… Ali (a.s.) is unique, and there is no equal to him among the Prophet’s companions, and thus he is the only one qualified to carry on with the Message…
Following the Imam’s Model
Ali (a.s.) was the man who dedicated himself to Allah. And if we wish to be with him on the day he was killed, we ought to recall what he said when he told the people that they cannot live in the same way he did, for he wanted nothing from this life except the very least to sustain him. He therefore asked them "to help him with piety, hard work, charity and righteousness." He is asking us to continue the march he began with the Prophet… to protect Islam and confront all challenges and changes… This is what we could present to Ali… He does not want our tears and words… He wants us to stay with the Right. For those who stand with falsehood cannot be of the adherents of Ali (a.s.)’s line.
Peace be upon him on the day he was born, the day he was martyred and the day he will be brought back to life…
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Intifada Continues…
The Palestinian people continue their struggle, their steadfastness and their awareness of the importance of their unity… They did not get tired of resistance and did not forego the Intifada… but they are adopting a rational course that insists on the unity of the cause, with the diversity enriching the struggle and not dividing it. This is the secret of the ability of this great people to continue to write the history of the nation, for the result of the struggle in Palestine affects the political future of the entire region…
Israel, on its part, continues its policy of dislocation, closure and killing… The American-Israeli ploy continues to concentrate on the security aspect, demanding to dismantle the infrastructure of the Intifada factions as a condition to implement the Road Map, despite the fact that this plan has become a problem and not a solution to the Palestinians, especially after the Israeli amendments and the developments on the ground, which have actually killed it.
Palestine is a Political Problem
America knows pretty well that the problem of Palestine is a political problem because its solution is the withdrawal from the occupied territories... But they turn it into a security problem by demanding that the Mujahideen should surrender to Israel and admit that they are terrorists and the Jews are victims… And this, as far as we know, will not happen…
America and Israel seek to put the Palestinian land and people away from the sphere of the light and turn it into a detail of the war against the so-called Palestinian terror, and enable the Zionists to continue to pose as victims…
This is what was noticed by all in the speech of the American president, who failed to even mention the occupation of Palestine. His talk about democracy, freedom and human rights as part of a plan to change the region was not serious, because the rights of the Palestinian people are missing.
Thus, the Palestinians ought to be cautious and careful, especially after the formation of the new government that is asked by the American-Zionist alliance to crush the Intifada as a confidence-building measure, while what they really aim at is to create a state of civil war that would enable the enemy to gain by peace what it could not acquire by war.
Occupation: Moving from One Crisis to Another
In Iraq, the impasse the occupation has found itself in is widening as the war against its soldiers expands… We also notice the state of confusion the American administration has found itself in, in its running of the political and security administration of the situation in Iraq. They have criticized the ruling council… and suggested implementing the Afghani experiment in Iraq and talked about hurrying up in handing power to the Iraqis.
The difficult situation the occupation soldiers found themselves in made their political and security leadership move from one crisis to another… They have tried to accuse the neighboring countries, like Syria and Iran, of being responsible for the difficult situation of the occupation in Iraq and that they should guard the borders of the occupation forces… It is as if America is imposing its political and economic interests over the Syrian and Iranian interests. They want them to show all submission and be ready to help the occupation solidify its presence.
That is why America attacked the Atomic Agency when it said that Iran was not producing atomic weapons, just as it did before the war on Iraq.
The Iraqis have to study their tough conditions and the difficult experiment they are living in… They should then tell the Americans that the tyrant regime is not going to return. It has become something of the past. And that the Iraqis should practice their right of self-determination and begin to run their own affairs and develop their economy and rebuild their country… These tasks are not to be left to the occupation, who will not give the Iraqis except little scraps, and leave the major share to the giant companies… A lot of cautiousness and awareness is needed to study the internal and external changes in this stage.
The Riyadh Bombing is a Crime
The bombings in Riyadh that killed innocent civilians who immigrated to Saudi Arabia in search of a decent living is a crime that is not accepted neither by the mind nor by the religion and civilization… Moreover, it does not accomplish any national or Islamic goal… It only distorts the religious and humanistic image of the nation…
The Detainees: Israeli Maneuvers
As for the detainees, the Israelis are resorting to inhumane maneuvers to try to achieve internal and external political gains, relying on the pretense of refusing to free those who killed Israelis. But we would like to ask in return: How could they ask to free the Israeli pilot who was caught while bombing innocent civilians… Would they accept the Lebanese claim, in case they are the ones who are detaining him, that they would not free any Israeli who killed Lebanese? Or is the Lebanese, Palestinian and Arab blood worthless in their view?
The negotiations need a lot of patience and resolve, because there are many complications both in Israel and in Lebanon. But things will turn out in the end in a positive way and the prisoners will be freed, for no right is lost so long as it is being demanded.
Lebanon: Personal Interests
Inside Lebanon… the politicians’ sole concern is their personal interests, which might seem to have national connotations… Officials tend to accuse one another, even with charges of betrayal… especially when they talk about economic and political corruption… But then compromises are reached and the files are closed, and judicial justifications are issued, as when they say that the judiciary has no jurisdiction to try presidents and ministers and further studies are needed…
Meanwhile, the people are starving. They have reached the stage of complete hopelessness, for they see no future solution possible… The region, too, is being immensely under pressure with enormous earthquakes awaiting it, especially with the Americans talking about Syria’s accountability in Lebanon.
The Lebanese officials and politicians, meanwhile, are preoccupied with scoring points in their inner political games, to the extent that they have no time to follow up the indications of the imminent dangers to the fate of their people.