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 Muharram 21, 1425 AH/ March 12, 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
Kindness and Leniency in the Messenger’s Conduct
Mercy and Leniency
Allah says in His Holy Book, in the context of talking to His Messenger about how the Prophet deals with his companions and with people in general: "So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]." Surat Al 'Imran (3:159). In this verse, Allah stresses that the secret of the Prophet’s success—that his Message made people listen to and follow him—lies in his gentleness.
For although Allah has given him the highest rank in mankind, he used to treat all people as brothers, forgiving anybody who hurt him. This is one of the characteristics of any leader: to forgive those living with him when they make mistakes and build self-confidence in them. He has the duty to develop their intellect so they could help him in running the affairs of the nation. Thus, the Messenger is asked to consult with the people. He should encourage them to think, making each one of them a potential leader who engages actively in finding solutions and not merely following orders.
The Messenger is the Supreme Role Model
The Messenger certainly does not need these consultations, having been given all the knowledge he needs by the Almighty Allah. But we are given an object lesson about the relations between future leaders and the people: The leadership should confer with the people, informing them about its plans and projects—except those that might harm security—before it takes its decisions, especially when the leader is as gentle as the Prophet: "There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful." Surat at-Tawbah (9:128).
If the Prophet was the gentle and merciful one who used to have the concerns of the nation in his heart, then all leaders in all fields—whether political, jurisprudential, security, or social—have to follow his lead: "There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often." Surat al-Ahzab (33:21). This is what all believers should adopt: whenever a problem occurs, believers should try to solve it in a gentle and kind manner, knowing that Allah rewards more for gentleness than for violence: "And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend." Surat Fussilat (41:34).
Based upon this logic, we used to say to many journalists, especially Westerners, that Islam teaches us to be friends of the world and to seek to win them as friends. It prohibits us from fighting unless in self-defense.
This is what Islam teaches us: kindness and gentleness, not violence. Since even on the practical level, gentleness is what enables our society to become a society where the strong do not oppress the weak…
A few days ago, Women's Day was celebrated. The slogan this year was “Violence against women,” whether the wife, the daughter, the sister, or the employee. There is a kind of racial discrimination that men in general, even in so-called civilized countries, practice against women.
Violence against women in the West takes various forms, including beating, rape, and even killing, and we have started to feel the impact of this violence in our society through TV shows or other media means. The UN has disclosed that women are more inclined to contract AIDS than men through the violence of the latter. This kind of violence is absolutely not accepted by Islam.
Rules of Married Life
Talking about the relations between husband and wife, Allah, the Most Exalted, says: "O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion. And do not make difficulties for them in order to take [back] part of what you gave them unless they commit a clear immorality. And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them - perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good. But if you want to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount [in gifts], do not take [back] from it anything. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin? And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?" Surat an-Nisa' (4:19-21).
The verses are quite clear: you should always be kind and loving, even if you decide to divorce. You should keep your legal promises and never try to force your wife to forego her financial rights.
There is another kind of violence against wives: to kick her out of her house. This is also unlawful; a man should never kick his wife out of the house, as long as they are married. On the other hand, the wife is not entitled to go to her parents’ house unless she fears for her life or she is subjected to extraordinary pressure.
Then there is the issue of beating the wife. This is also religiously unlawful. Even cursing is unlawful since she remains similar to any other woman in society. All the husband’s rights are those stipulated in the marriage contract.
Although Islam made the husband responsible for providing for the family, it did not make the woman a slave to the man. Islam wants their common life to be based on love and kindness. They are a married couple in body, but they are brothers in religion.
Similarly, one cannot beat his daughters or sons except when it is absolutely necessary, and even then it should be gentle and not cause bruises or any harm.
That is why we have issued a fatwa that prohibits wounding the children to let their blood spill in Ashura. A father does not have the right to injure or harm his children… If he wants to teach them to love Imam al-Hussein, such love cannot be based on such backward practices that distort the image of Islam in the world.
Education on the Quran
It is also a form of unacceptable violence when a father or a brother prevents his daughter or sister from marrying the qualified man she wants, for this could lead to the commonly known practice of “kidnapping,” and then the men would commit murder, claiming they are avenging their wounded honor.
There are also many other kinds of social violence, whereby the strong, be it a party, an individual, or a group, would force their will on others and prevent them from practicing their freedom, sometimes in the name of Islam.
Therefore, we should all be educated on the culture of the Prophet, which is the culture of the Quran: to be kind and gentle in our personal, social, and political lives, to recognize the other and respect him. We should not hasten to accuse those who do not agree with us of unbelief.
Dear loved ones: This is Islam. It is not enough to practice the rituals, but they should also be accompanied with good treatment of others. This is what this Friday prayer is meant for: to teach people how to face their social and political problems in the best manner, and not merely to bow and kneel.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Israeli Impasse
Palestine is still in the midst of political mazes and projects that serve the American-Israeli interests. Nonetheless, these projects are confusing both the Palestinians and the Arabs in general. Meanwhile, there is no longer any talk about the Road Map, with the Zionist project about withdrawing from Gaza taking its place in the limelight. Could the Palestinians overcome the challenges of this new plan as they did in the past, especially with all the talk about who would be in charge of security in Gaza, leaving it to the various Palestinian parties to agree on its limits? Or should Egypt be in charge, as Israel demands, while the Egyptians are wary since it represents a minefield? Moreover, is the withdrawal a free propaganda to boost Bush’s fortunes in the coming elections? And could it lead to an Arab-Israeli rapprochement that would enable some Arab regimes to enter the American paradise from the Israeli gate...
Meanwhile, the Zionists continue to commit daily massacres in an organized and systematic operation to eradicate the Palestinians under the pretense of fighting terrorism, led by the United States, which sees in every cry or action against the Zionist occupation an act of terror, thus permitting the Israelis to continue dividing the Palestinian territories into isolated islands so that the coming round of negotiations, if it occurs, will merely be an occasion to sign the demanded concessions in the name of preserving peace.
We warn the Palestinian people, who proved to be a spot of light in this political darkness, to confront this plan which aims at serving Israel by freeing it from the imprisonment of the impasse the Intifada has put the Israelis in, and perpetuating occupation. We are confident that they would devise a wise and practical plan to face these challenges.
Iraq: No Legitimacy for the Occupation’s Measures
In Iraq, the occupation is still dominating Iraq’s security, economy, and politics in an effort to ensure that the future of Iraq would conform to its imperial interests.
In this respect, the provisional constitution leaves in every article many question marks that enable those who wish to destabilize the country to interfere. It enables certain parties to have a greater share than their real size, thus creating several confessional and national problems. Even those who have signed have done so with many reservations out of fear of being accused of stopping the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqis.
We say to all Iraqis that there is no legitimacy to any political or constitutional move taken under the occupation’s sponsorship or intimidation.
We ask all Iraqis to unite and beware of all the plans that aim at inciting strife. They should plan for their future and think about every step they take to ensure that it paves the way for liberation. They should know that there could be no sovereignty with the presence of this occupation, which did not assign a certain date for the final withdrawal of its military forces.
Freedom and Democracy in Lebanon
The Lebanese state ought to protect the rights of its citizens, especially the students whose thinking is focused on the future. It should preserve the freedom of speech and expression and resort to dialogue and not oppression, no matter how negative the views are. Lebanon cannot be built except on the basis of unity and reconciliation in a country where the rights and duties of citizens—and not sects—are respected, especially in these difficult times where we face the American imperial projects in the region.
The state should also provide social security by finding job opportunities that curtail immigration… It should listen to the rightful demands and confront the problems that the regime itself created… What preserves social and political security is openness and not oppression, plurality and not exclusion. If no effort is taken in this direction, the country’s image will remain one where the people starve while their rulers accumulate wealth, and where corruption becomes the dominant culture.
Lebanon is the country of freedom. It is not permitted to turn it into an oppressive one, and a country where hunger, corruption, and waste are abundant.