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 Sha'ban 16, 1425 AH / October 01, 2004, 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
On the Birth of Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.):
Every Muslim is a Potential Leader
O Allah, make him the caller to Your Book. Make him Your Caliph on this earth as You did with those before him. Consolidate for him Your religion, the one You chose for him. Change his concern into tranquility… O Allah, support him… and support others by him… Give him a remarkable victory.
Al-Mahdi’s Universal Authority
Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of Imam Al-Mahdi, the achiever of truth, who was prepared by Allah, the Most Exalted, to be the savior and the renewer of Islam in its movement and concepts… He would lay the foundation for universal justice on the entire earth. He is the twelfth Imam whom Allah has kept in occultation in a miracle whose secret is known only to Allah… For he was prepared to fill the earth with fairness and justice after it has been filled with tyranny and oppression.
In this respect, it is obvious that the Imam will not come with a new religion or a new book; he will only renew the movement and allow people to feel the originality and spirituality of this religion. As for the Quran, it is a Book which no falsehood can approach from before or behind. Hence the Imam will only explain to the people how to understand the Quran in a way that suits their needs at all levels.
Therefore, when Allah establishes justice, it is the justice of Islam, being the only justice of Allah, which was contained in all previous messages. This is also demonstrated by the traditions that tell of Jesus Christ descending with the Imam, for the Message of Muhammad is his Message.
In light of all this, we ask ourselves: are we loyal to him? Are we honest when we ask Allah to be among his supporters and soldiers?
His supporters are the supporters of Islam, for his message is the message of Islam: that of the Oneness of Allah, the belief in Allah's Message carried by all Messengers. It is also the belief in the Quran as the Book we ought to follow and the light that illuminates our minds and hearts. Thus, we ought to educate ourselves in Islam, for it is meaningless to claim that we are among his supporters while we keep a distance from his line and religion.
Calling to Obey Allah
Celebrating the birth of Imam Al-Mahdi is not a matter of sentiments or wishes. It is adopting the straight path that Allah, the Most Exalted, has called on us to follow. This means we ought to educate ourselves to become his followers and practice what he called for. The best expression for this is probably what we recite in the supplication known as Al-Faraj: "O Allah, we ask you for an honorable state that gives Islam and Muslims the upper hand and disgraces hypocrisy and its supporters… And make us among those who call for obeying You, and those who lead to Your path…"
We should bear the responsibility of this call to obey Allah by calling our household and the people around us to obey Allah, and by each and every one of us becoming a potential leader… For Allah, the Most Exalted, wants each Muslim and believer to educate his mind and heart to become a leading mind and a leading heart, so that if one leader falls on the battleground, others will follow… We have to create Islamic leaders on every level: jurisprudential, political, ideological, or economic.
This is a trust and a responsibility Allah has entrusted to us, so that we could assume the position of leading the world. Why do we let others in the East and the West assume leadership, and accept to be followers of unjust or infidel leadership? If Imam Al-Mahdi is prepared to fill the earth with justice, we too must be just to ourselves, to our families, and to our society. We should all be just persons with Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and with the weak and strong alike.
Positive Waiting
The anniversary we are celebrating holds us responsible for looking forward to the appearance of the Imam, so as to know what our role will be when he comes. Will we be among his enemies or among his supporters? It is not enough to love him to become one of his followers. Imam Al-Hussein (a.s.) asked the Arab poet Al-Farazdaq about the people in Kufa. He replied: "Their hearts are with you but their swords are against you," since their swords do not serve their cause but their ambitions and interests.
Therefore, we have to be ready and become positive waiters… by sitting and asking ourselves: Are we with the Message of the Imam or not? Are we with justice or against it? If we find any weakness in our commitment to the message or to justice, we should work on strengthening it, so that when he comes, we will find ourselves among his supporters.
The anniversary of the Imam's birth is an occasion to contemplate and to practice self-accountability: "Judge yourselves, before you are judged…" O Allah! Let us become among his supporters and those who will be martyred for his cause.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Intifada: The Will of Freedom
As the Intifada begins its fifth year, it has offered thousands of martyrs and tens of thousands of injured and detainees, as well as the demolition of thousands of houses and the bulldozing of countless farms.
All these aggressions were carried out with the use of the most advanced American weapons. They also benefited from American political support that has even accepted the ongoing eradication of the Palestinian people… as well as denouncing the elected Palestinian Authority while talking about democracy and human rights.
The American Secretary of State has called for ending the Intifada on the basis that it has failed to accomplish anything for the Palestinian people. But we would like to ask him: What has America and the International Quartet Committee done for the Palestinians? Did it support them as it has supported Israel? Why did it not give the negotiations a chance, enabling the Palestinians to gain their legitimate rights? Why did it consider the problem as one of security, although everyone knows that it is a political problem and that the Intifada was a reaction to occupation, and although the Mujahideen have announced they will not fire a single shot if the occupiers withdraw?
President Bush is lying when he talks about a Palestinian state. He did not put any pressure on Israel to stop building the racial wall or to enlarge the existing settlements and found new ones.
The Intifada might not have been able to defeat Israel and establish a Palestinian state, but it has asserted the Palestinian quest for freedom and their incredible steadfastness. It has driven Israel, along with America, into several political impasses and created several political and economic crises for the enemy, just as all nations that fight for their freedom have done…
The Intifada has unveiled the ugly face of America and the falsehood of American calls for freedom and human rights, leading to the decisive answer to their question of why they hate us: We hate your administration and its allies, for killing freedom like kidnappers kill their victims.
In this atmosphere, we notice that the Americans are attacking Iran on its peaceful nuclear project without hearing any protest against the Israeli threat to bomb the Iranian nuclear reactor. If Israel has the right to possess the bomb, why does Iran not?
The problem is that the major powers provide immunity for Israel regardless of its crimes. Therefore, we do not believe Britain’s Prime Minister when he says that he intends to intervene to solve the Palestinian problem, for both America and Israel will not allow him.
The only course is to consolidate the steadfastness of the Palestinian people who face an Israeli-American war of eradication. And we call on all free nations to support them, before facing a similar fate.
Vague Future in Iraq
The future in Iraq is still vague amidst all these moving massacres in which civilians are killed, whether in the capital or in all parts of the country. The American Army, in the name of fighting terrorism, is killing those civilians, although everybody knows that it is civilians who are being killed and their houses destroyed due to the lies of its army intelligence.
Moreover, the vicious and dubious assassinations that target innocent civilians are inciting sectarian strife as a result of the probable reactions they might lead to.
As for the talk about a conference on Iraq called for by the US and supported by Europe and some of the Arabs, the only agenda for this conference is ridding America of its Iraqi impasse. But since the problem in this country is that of occupation, which turned Iraq into a political and security mess, what is needed is an international conference supported by the UN to withdraw occupation forces and conduct free elections so that the Iraqis will feel they are in full command of their future, to create a free and unified Iraq, one that has a great future.
Lebanon: A Need for a Salvation Government
In Lebanon, there are many unrealistic accusations whose raising serves the Americans and provides them with free cards. There is also some talk about a quartet committee to monitor Syria's withdrawal and disarm the Resistance, which of course runs against Lebanese interests since the occupation has not fully withdrawn. Moreover, the Lebanese are suffering from the severity of the economic crisis with all the corruption and theft that have been taking place. Then, there is the debate between the opposition and the ruling parties concerning the formation of a new government and the budget, which some say was meant as a shock to punish the political club that has gone too far in oppressing the people and stealing public money.
On another level, we warn against the night bats who strive through their tough talk to create a state of instability that might be exploited by the enemies to incite sectarian strife.
Each Lebanese should guard the security of the country, for as it sinks in its economic crisis and as its people begin to live under the poverty line, Lebanon cannot withstand these political and security crises that are being initiated.
Lebanon needs a salvation government; it needs officials who do not fight over the spoils of the country. It has turned into a ship in the midst of a roaring storm, and it needs the efforts of all to make it reach the safe shore before it is sunk by fanaticism, sectarianism, and the growing polarization that leaves no room for a dialogue on the basis of establishing a free, sovereign, and independent Lebanon—a country that protects its citizens and is protected by them… a country that builds the security and prosperity of all its citizens.