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 Rajab 4, 1425 AH/ August 20, 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
Commemorating the Tenth Imam (a.s.): Let Us Build a Rational Society
Imam Ali al-Hadi
Allah says in His Glorious Book:
"Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O People of the Household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification." Surat al-Ahzab (33:33).
One of those Imams is Al-Hadi, the tenth Imam (a.s.), who passed away on the third of this month, the month of Rajab.
On this occasion, we are going to go over some of the Imam's teachings in which he used to clarify Islamic concepts and face all kinds of deviation and exaggeration that overran the Islamic mentality, even in the Shiite community, and which we still find now. Such deviations were irrational and contradict what has been said in the Holy Book.
Although the Imam (a.s.) was young, he was respected and admired by all the community. Even those who held high posts in the Abbasid caliphate, which took a negative stand towards the Imams, used to stand up when they saw him coming. He was quite knowledgeable and a scholar in various fields, which made him enrich the Islamic culture and made it more open to the Islamic doctrine.
He used to talk to the people about the Messenger (p.) and discussed many Islamic concepts, including the distinction that the Holy Ayat made between faith and Islam when they talked about the dwellers of the desert, symbolizing those who are superficial in their thinking and understanding of the issues.
"The Bedouins say, 'We have believed.' Say, 'You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], "We have submitted," for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.'" Surat al-Hujurat (49:14).
For belief is what is initiated in the mind, dwells in the heart, and is reflected in practice.
The Imam (a.s.) relates a saying by the Messenger (p.) that describes belief as something that dwells in the hearts and is demonstrated by actions, while Islam is something that is testified by the tongue and that makes marriage lawful. That is why the Messenger (p.) did not ask those who came to him except to recite the two testimonies in order to consider them as members of the Muslim society. As for belief, it should be an act that involves both the mind and the heart and one that should find its way to each and every action we perform.
The Value of the Mind
Asked by an Arab scholar called Ibn Sukait, “Why did Allah, the Most Exalted, send Musa with magic, Jesus with medicine, and Muhammad with speeches?” Imam Al-Hadi said: “When Allah, the Most Exalted, sent Musa, magic was dominant in that age. Then, Allah sent Musa and gave him what the others could not do, thus proving that he was sent by Allah and that this was not a worldly act. And when He sent Jesus, there were many infectious diseases. And Allah provided him with the medicine for these diseases (thus proving that this was sent by Allah since he even brought back the dead to life by Allah’s will). And when He sent Muhammad (p.), eloquence and speech were the dominant factors. So, the Messenger (p.) brought them, by Allah’s grace, the wisdoms that acted as proof that it was Allah’s talk and not that of any human.”
Stunned by this logic, the Arabic scholar asked: “And what is the dominant element today?” The Imam said: “It is the mind, by which the honest knows Allah and the dishonest lies about Him.”
Thus, we learn that the Imam wanted to lay emphasis on what has been emphasized in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (p.), considering the value of the mind as the justification that entitles Allah to hold people accountable, since it allows man to differentiate between right and falsehood and drives him to adopt development instead of backwardness. That is why Allah, the Most Exalted, has called on us in several Ayat to develop our minds so that we could learn all the secrets of creation, so as to appreciate Allah's greatness and benefit from all His graces. We should also use our minds in every action we take in our lives, so that we would not take any stand regarding any person, whether positive or negative, unless we study it first. Our stands should not be based on emotions or instinct. They should be based on studying all aspects of the issues first and all the points of strength and weakness.
Islam wants the Muslim community to be one of reason and not emotion.
Therefore, educate yourselves on being rational, and teach your children to think. You have always heard me call on you to reject all those who call you not to think and to follow what others tell you. No, you should think and ask others to think with you.
The Prophetic tradition says: “Who consults others shares their minds.” Share the mind of others and do not let him think for you, because they would be thinking of their own interests; but when they think with you, they would enrich your experience by providing additional thoughts and conclusions.
Confronting Exaggeration
Imam Al-Hadi was asked by one of his followers his opinion towards those claiming that prayers and fasting do not mean what we understand them to mean (bowing, kneeling, giving a certain amount of money to the poor… etc.), but that the Ayah that talks about them is referring to one man in particular. This is something disgusting and cannot be tolerated. The man added that those who are claiming such things claim to be righteous religious scholars and concluded by asking the Imam (a.s.) for advice. The Imam told him we should keep away from these people, since what they are saying is not in our religion.
The same claims are found today, with people saying that the Night of Al-Qadr is actually Fatima Az-Zahra, and even that she is our Lord and that the Ayah that calls for “pray to your Lord and sacrifice” refers to her. There are even those who say that we should not ask Allah for favors in our supplications, but rather the Members of the House. This, of course, is not a part of our religion, but it is being promoted and spread by some of those who commemorate Ashura. We should stand against this undermining of our religion that we find in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and in other places, just like Imam Al-Hadi did. A part of my problem with some people has been that I have confronted this theological deviation because I have always sought to present a civilized Islam that could be presented to the entire world and not based on myths and legends. Furthermore, I am merely following in all this the teachings of our Imams (p.).
In this respect, Imam Al-Hadi has always reminded us that it is the Hereafter that matters, and that this world is a world of trial.
These are our Imams, whom Allah has purified and made infallible. We ought to follow them, act by the facts they explained to us, for they would lead us to what pleases Allah.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Zionist Army in Palestine continues its daily practices of demolishing houses and displacing its residents. The Israeli government has put its hands on additional Palestinian lands to build one thousand new houses for the settlers coming from the US and North America.
Meanwhile, no Arab or international protest is made, although such acts undermine any attempt to establish an independent Palestinian state as the Quartet Committee claims.
In the meantime, the Palestinian prisoners in the Zionist detentions continue their hunger strike in protest against the brutal Israeli practices against them, which have utilized all kinds of torture without drawing any European or American objections, although the Israeli internal security minister has declared that he could not careless if the prisoners starve themselves to death and the wardens said that they are planning to make barbecues outside the prisons.
It only proves that in their view only the Zionists are humans. We say to our children and brothers of Arab and Palestinian prisoners: We are with you; your cause is our cause… Your steadfastness is an extension of the people's steadfastness in the bigger prison… You will be victorious, God willing, in the end.
Iraq: The Occupation continues its practices
In Iraq, we are faced by the American offensive on our sacred lands in Najaf, which hides under the over of the Iraqi interim government that follows the guiding lines of the occupation despite all the talk about sovereignty. It threatens to use violence citing the necessity of preserving internal security, but it knows that violence is not feasible in the current situation…
Nevertheless, the government does not have a say whether to use violence or not, but it is providing a cover for the Americans to commit their aggression against the Najaf and the Muslims, which is one of the biggest crimes in history.
Thus, we call for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Najaf since the way the Iraqi government is trying to solve it will lead to negative consequences. Moreover, the longer the occupation stays even if it enjoys an Iraqi cover, the more the Iraqi security will destabilize, especially that the Israelis are training the American soldiers on urban warfare to learn how to kill the Iraqi peaceful civilians in the cities, towns and villages.
Lebanon’s economic crisis
Lebanon is still living an economic crisis with no planning to find a solution for the deprived people in poorer regions, especially in the agricultural sector where the farmer does not receive any encouragement or subsidies… Moreover, unemployment is on the rise and most of those who do not find a job travel abroad, depriving the country from its youth and efficient capabilities.
Meanwhile, the triangle of corruption, waste and manipulation of law thrives, with people feeling that there is no hope for any economic or political reform.
Those who are in power search for personal fortunes by enacting laws, which they will make use of in promoting their own interests whether in winning contracts or otherwise…
The question is: When will the time come to save the country from this octopus whose prey is the entire country?