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-Thani 19, 1425 AH / August 06, 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
The Birth of Lady Fatima (a.s.): Studying Her Virtues and Morals
Al-Zahra (a.s.) and the Prophet (p.)
The 20th of this month, Jumada al-Thani, is the anniversary of the birth of Fatima (a.s.), which illuminated the life of the Messenger and his wife, the mother of believers, Khadija (a.s.).
This is the woman whom Ahmad Shawki, the famous Arab poet, described her relation with her father by saying that he who has Fatima as his offspring does not need other children.
As a child, Fatima lived with her father, storing in her mind and psyche everything she saw him do: praying to Allah at night, and feeling the light that led her to know Allah, then learning as a young girl how he dealt with all people with his great mercy, how he used to endure all sufferings for the sake of the Message, and learning all this from him.
She used to live her father’s patience and she became incredibly patient before all the pains of life. She also learned from him how to be strong and resolved, and how not to be afraid of anyone when it comes to telling the truth or standing with the right.
She learned how to confront all challenges, and how to be truthful and honest in everything one says, and she practiced it to the extent that Aisha, her father's wife, said: "I have not seen anybody more truthful than her except her father."
She also became knowledgeable and conscious by hearing what was revealed to her father. She used her awareness to testify before Allah on what was happening in her time, and she became, like her father before her, a witness to people's actions whether good or bad. Thus, she became a saint, a bearer of witness, and one of the righteous.
This is the spirituality of Fatima that no other woman has drawn near to, and the one that made her draw to Allah with all her soul, talking to Him, asking Him alone what she needs, and feeling the tranquility of those who love Allah and draw near Him. Let us hear some of her prayers to learn how she used to live with Allah:
"Content me with the sustenance You have granted me. And till such time that You keep me alive, cover me and make me sound and prosperous. For You are the source of all sustenance, and You alone are the only one who conceals their secrets."
"And forgive me" – but this pleading for forgiveness, coming from an Infallible, is not for any sin she has committed, for Allah has made her infallible. It is a kind of humbleness before the Lord and the Almighty Creator – "and have mercy on me when I die."
"And forgive me. Oh Allah! Do not help me in something that You have not predestined for me. And facilitate the achievement of that thing which You have predestined for me."
"Oh Allah! Bestow upon my parents and all those persons who have rights of their blessings and beneficences upon me, the best of Your rewards."
"Oh my Allah, spare me the leisure and respite for the object for which You have created me." And nothing else, knowing that we were created by Allah to obey Him and worship Him. "And do not let me be busy and involved (absolutely) in my commitments. And do not torment me when I ask for forgiveness."
"Oh God! Make me look humble when I look upon myself and see You as great as You are. Inspire me to obey You, do what pleases You, and avoid what angers You. Oh Most Merciful!" This is how Fatima used to stand before Allah, feeling what it means to worship and serve Him.
The Role Model
As a wife, she lived with Imam Ali (a.s) as the most ideal wife, telling all husbands and wives that married life is based on love, mercy, mutual responsibility, coherence, and humbleness. Imam Ali (a.s.) says: "I have never made her angry or forced her to do anything… and she never angered or disobeyed me…" Being married is not a place where each party tries to force hegemony; rather, it is a chance for integration, where two souls unite.
It is reported in Bihar that Ali (a.s) said to a man from Bani Sae'ed:
"Should I speak to you about Fatima and myself? She was my spouse who was the most beloved to the Prophet. She carried water using a waterskin until it scarred her chest, she ground (grain) using a hand mill until blisters appeared on her hands, she swept the floor until her clothes became dusty, and lit the fire under the cooking pot until her clothes became mud-colored from the smoke."
"Fatima was inflicted by great pain as a result of this, so I said to her: 'Why don't you ask your father for a servant to relieve you from these jobs?'"
"When Fatima (a.s.) went to the Prophet she found that he had company and was too shy to talk to him, so she left the house. But the Prophet knew that she had come for something."
Imam Ali (a.s.) continued:
"The next morning, the Prophet came to the house while we were still under our quilt and said: 'Assalamu Alaikum!' Yet because we were ashamed (of being under the quilt), we preferred to remain silent. The Prophet once again said: 'Assalamu Alaikum!' Once again we remained silent. Then for the third time the Prophet said: 'Assalamu Alaikum.' Now we feared that he would depart, for it was the Prophet's habit to say Assalamu alaikum three times and then wait for permission to enter or leave."
"So I said: 'Wa Alaik As-Salam, Messenger of Allah! Come in.' He sat near our heads and said: 'Fatima, what was your need when you came to Muhammad yesterday?'"
"Imam Ali added: 'I was afraid that she (Fatima) would not tell him, so I pulled my head from under the cover and said: "I will inform you, Messenger of Allah! Surely she carried water using a water skin until her chest was scarred, she ground (grain) using a hand mill until blisters appeared on her hands, she swept the floor until her clothes became dusty and lit the fire under the cooking pot until her clothes were mud-colored from the smoke. So I said to her: 'Why don't you ask your father for a servant to relieve you from these jobs?'"
"The Prophet (S) upon hearing this, said: 'Shall I teach you something that is better for you than a servant and a world with everything in it? After every prayer say: Allahu Akbar thirty-four times, Alhamdulillah thirty-three times, and Subhan Allah thirty-three times, then conclude that with la ilaha illa Allah. Surely, this is better for you than that which you wanted and the world and its belongings.'"
Thus, Fatima adhered to this glorification after every prayer; and it came to be known as "Tasbih Fatima."
Defending Ali's Rights
This is the way the Messenger used to treat Fatima's pains, and she used to respond to this spiritual treatment, for she used to live this spirituality. She was one of the greatest wives, mothers, daughters, believers, and fighters for the Right. When her father died, she did not talk about her pains, but stood to address the Muslims in the Prophet's mosque to talk about her husband’s rights. She also told the women who came to visit her when she was sick: "I have become not interested in this world where the people do not stand with the right."
Fatima was the woman who lived with her father, husband, and children, but she also lived with the nation, its causes, and the cause of Islam. All men and women should find in this woman, who did not live long but had a blessed life, the model they should look up to.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
An Eradication War in Iraq and Palestine
America and Israel are waging a war of eradication in Iraq and Palestine. In Iraq, and as a result of their policies and the political climate they had created, massacres are daily moving from one place to another, bringing the total number of Iraqis killed since the American invasion to exceed tens of thousands. Many Iraqis were expecting peace and stability in their political and economic life, but they got nothing, although the Americans changed the label of their occupation.
In Palestine, where Zionism is waging a war of eradication against the Palestinians, each new day witnesses the murder of Palestinian children, women, and civilian youth. They are backed by the American Administration that is controlled by the neoconservatives and the Jewish lobby.
The American-Israeli strategy, as it demonstrates itself on the ground, aims at destroying the Arab and Muslim resistance to any American and Israeli hegemony over the nation's resources.
Israel continues to build the racial wall and expand the settlements without any pressure from America save some words of meaningless lip service.
All we need to do is to compare it with what America said regarding Sudan to fully appreciate America's silence and complicity.
We believe in protecting all the downtrodden, the oppressed nations. But we refuse this arbitrary discrimination between one nation and another. The Palestinians have been enduring various forms of oppression and persecution for more than half a century now, with the international community not exerting any pressure on Israel.
Lebanon's Old Age
The problem in Lebanon lies in the fact that the private sector suffers from a lot of complicated situations, which makes it lose its initiative as a result of an official policy of ignoring the need for a carefully studied economic plan. Moreover, the living conditions the Lebanese are experiencing have become so severe that Lebanese could hardly provide for their daily food, let alone trying to find alternatives to be relieved from their hardship.
The country is run by several corrupted patrons. In the power domain, for example, each loan the company receives is wasted and is then followed by another loan that is also wasted… The power shortage is an old one, with many ministers and officials over the years claiming that they have tried to solve it; why then is there not even the glimpse of hope of finding solutions? Why is the public not informed of the charges that the judiciary is currently investigating?
The situation is the same in all the other vital services, to the extent that the citizen no longer believes that he is living in a state, but rather in a farm that is turning into a desert and letting all the water find its way to the sea or to the sectarian tanks.
As a result of these arbitrary economic policies, Lebanon itself has become ailing.
Moreover, it has to endure the effects of the state of madness and anarchy the region is living. Would this government solve all the country's problems by a single law that provides social security for its senior citizens?