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 Rabi’ al-Thani 30, 1425 AH/ June 18, 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
Success in This Life and the Hereafter
Elements of Success
What, according to Islam as evident in the Book and the Traditions, are the elements of success in this life and the Hereafter? The word success is one of the Islamic slogans that is urged in the call to prayer. In this sense, its association with prayer is due to the fact that prayer is the believer's means to ascend through his soul to Allah and ensure success in both worlds.
Purifying the Soul
This is what man should seek in all his spiritual and social activities. To ensure success, Allah wants us to start by purifying ourselves: "He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself, And mentions the name of his Lord and prays." Surat al-A'la (87:14-15).
Thus, man has to purify himself from all kinds of ideological, spiritual and moral dirt. In doing so, he will head towards Allah, for if man feels the purity of Allah in his life, he will feel that Allah is watching him. Thus, both his love for Allah and his fear of Him will impel him to obey Allah and keep away from sin.
We also need to purify our souls: "And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it, And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness, He has succeeded who purifies it, And he has failed who instills it [with corruption]." Surat ash-Shams (91:7-10). Allah wants man to study this soul that He has given him to organize and manage his life, giving it the ability to be creative and asking it to choose between the path of piety and the path of sin. To choose the path of piety, we are asked to purify our souls, for they will lead us to success and keep us away from failure as will happen to those who corrupt their souls.
Belief and Humbleness
Continuing to list the elements of success, we read that belief in Allah, His Messenger and the Hereafter is an essential element in securing success, and unbelief is a major element in failure.
"Certainly will the believers have succeeded: They who are during their prayer humbly submissive." Surat al-Mu'minun (23:1-2). Thus, performing these religious duties in the proper way—especially charity, giving the poor their due, which is usually coupled in the Quran with performing prayers—will secure some of the elements of success.
"And who turn away from ill speech, And who are observant of zakah, And who guard their private parts, Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed." Surat al-Mu'minun (23:3-6). Those who are committed to avoiding any sexual act that Allah has prohibited would also be securing another element of success, in contrast to those who transgress the limits of Allah, who would be led astray. Believers should also keep their pledges and return the trusts if they wish to ensure success.
"And they who carefully maintain their prayers –" Surat al-Mu'minun (23:9). They should also perform prayers without any uncalled-for delay or ignoring any of its parts or conditions.
"Those are the inheritors, Who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally." Surat al-Mu'minun (23:10-11).
The Believer’s Repentance
Then, Allah tells us about the necessity for those who might deviate and commit sins that Allah has deemed unlawful to repent. He calls on them to come to Him and tells them not to despair, for Allah is Merciful and Forgiving. This means that there is no sin for which Allah does not accept repentance. Most Muslims who entered Islam—with the exception of Imam Ali—used to pray to idols, and then they repented. Repentance does not need a confession before a religious man. Just open your heart to Allah and say, "I repent," and Allah, the Most Exalted, will accept your repentance and have mercy on you. Thus, repenting too is one of the roads that lead to success.
Believing in Allah and the Hereafter
Allah wants man to witness His Greatness in everything He has created. He says to the attendants of the Friday prayer: "And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often that you may succeed." Surat al-Jumu'ah (62:10).
Thus, Allah wants us to seek success in all aspects of life. Allah also tells us that success is also sought by not opening up to those who are hostile to Allah and His Messenger.
He says: "You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. Those – He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him. And We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him – those are the party of Allah. Unquestionably, the party of Allah – they are the successful." Surat al-Mujadilah (58:22).
As for those who will not be successful, they are those who lie: "See how they lie about themselves. And lost from them is what they used to invent." Surat al-An'am (6:24). And those who resort to crime to promote their personal and ideological interests. Moreover, those who assume partners to Allah will not be successful: "And whoever invokes besides Allah another god for which he has no proof – then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed." Surat al-Mu'minun (23:117).
Dear loved ones:
We have to seek and aspire to what draws us nearer to Allah, the Most Exalted, and what provides us with the elements of success in both worlds. Allah's pleasure is the ultimate goal we should all compete to earn.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Incompetence of Islamic Countries
The meeting of the Islamic countries’ foreign ministers concluded with generous resolutions: calling for effective aid to Iraq in its transitional period, asking the UN to deploy peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories, renewing support for the establishment of a Palestinian state, supporting Lebanon in its confrontation of Israeli occupation, and condemning threats and American sanctions against Syria.
All this is commendable, but what will each country do to implement these decisions? What elements of political and economic pressure do these countries possess?
Are they even able to counter the American pressures that force them to abandon any attempt to pursue their vital interests, which demand a confrontation of Israeli aggressions and plots? They all feel that they can do nothing to implement the resolutions on the ground. Could they then threaten Israel and America with economic sanctions, as we should in response to their military and economic threats?
We find that this organization, which calls itself Islamic, does not represent the aspirations of the Islamic peoples, nor does it seriously follow up on its resolutions. It rather acts—following the suggestions of the arrogant American Administration—in a way that reflects its incompetence.
The American Administration: Double Standards
As for the Bush Administration, we cannot find a better description for it than what former American diplomats and military officers have said about its arrogant foreign policy, which relies on an excessive and immoral use of military force and has led to unprecedented international isolation.
They also accused the Administration of being motivated by ideology rather than rational analysis. Thus, the Administration manipulates the information it receives from unreliable intelligence sources and prevents a just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
This arrogant policy toward the Palestinians is evident in all the positions it has taken, whether by encouraging Israel to destroy Palestinian infrastructure, considering resistance against occupation as terrorism, or by legitimizing settlements and the separation wall. All this has made the Road Map—which is supposed to lead to a Palestinian state—a hollow political joke. America has jeopardized any progress the Quartet Committee could make and turned it into an incompetent group, for those who control the Administration seek to promote Zionist interests more than American ones.
Iraq: Nominal Sovereignty
Thus, faced with the tragic situation in Palestine, we must take a negative stance against the American policies that are responsible for the tragedies in Palestine, Iraq and the entire region. As a result of American bias—demonstrated in blind support for Israel—the people of the region no longer differentiate between the two states on major issues, especially when it comes to freedom.
The Americans have dropped this issue from their agenda in Palestine, as they chose to back Israeli occupation; while in Iraq, the American occupation forces will remain and turn into a de facto presence, since the Iraqi authorities will have no authority over them under the pretext of protecting their own security. Moreover, their stay will be legitimized by a treaty that no Iraqi government can reject. However, the question is: if America cannot guarantee the security of its own soldiers or the Iraqis, how can it keep peace in Iraq in the absence of an Iraqi army or security forces?
Iraq has turned into a front where all players meet, and where criminals—both Iraqis and foreigners—kill civilians in a merciless and senseless way.
Moreover, American-appointed government officials repeatedly ask Iraqis to expect new massacres and to be patient. But can the Iraqis escape this dark tunnel if the Americans refuse to open any outlet for light?
Iran: A Decisive Stand
On another level, America has been pressuring European countries to continue a political confrontation with Iran over its peaceful use of nuclear power, despite Iran’s declaration that it has signed the non-proliferation treaty and opposes producing nuclear weapons.
It is as if they are telling the Iranians: resolve everything with America, and all your problems will be solved.
We appreciate Iran’s firm stand in this confrontation with the U.S. In addition, we believe that the Islamic Republic has the strength and the willpower to withstand all American pressures.
Lebanon: Successive Crises
In Lebanon, instead of discussing the deep-rooted causes of its economic problems, the political movement turns to superficial and temporary solutions.
In the electricity crisis, there was much talk about corruption, waste and the responsibility of successive officials in charge of providing power. But, as usual, instead of holding those responsible accountable, they turned their attention to providing power in the summer to save the tourist season—allocating billions of Lebanese pounds that will further increase public debt, which in turn leads to higher taxes on the poor.
The poor and the hungry in Lebanon are asking: How can we live, and how can we confront these living crises? Meanwhile, political crises concerning the government or presidential elections continue to emerge, and Israeli warplanes continue to fly over Lebanon in a way that has become almost routine.
In the meantime, more political placebos are prescribed, and the whole situation looks like a tragic comedy—with nothing but more bad news on the horizon.