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 Zoul-Hijjah 8, 1424 AH/ January 30, 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 Imam Al-Baqir’s (a.s.) Passing:
Upholding Islam with Love and Piety
The Life and School of Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.)
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "Allah only desires to remove impurity from you, O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification." Surat al-Ahzab (33:33)
One of those members is Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.), whose passing we commemorated yesterday. The Imam’s knowledge was not restricted to the Qur'an and the tradition; it also extended to the knowledge of life and the way to confront the challenges that Muslims faced in his time. It was reported that the Roman Caesar threatened the Umayyad caliph, Abdulmalik bin Marwan, who wanted to coin a new currency. The Caesar threatened that if the caliph went along with this project, he would issue a new currency with an inscription that curses the Prophet (p.). The caliph felt that this problem was too big for him to solve. He consulted the Imam (a.s.), who advised him to proceed with the project. The Imam stated that the Roman emperor was merely bluffing, because no Muslim would use a currency with such an inscription. The Imam was correct. When the caliph coined the money, the Romans did nothing. They were merely conducting a psychological war of intimidation.
The Imam played a major role in the struggle between the Umayyads and the Abbasids. He instructed the poets who were loyal to the Prophet’s Household to support the downfall of the Umayyads. This does not mean that he sympathized with the Abbasids. Rather, the Umayyads were so extremely tyrannical and oppressive that he felt getting rid of them was good for Muslims. Moreover, the period of the struggle between the two dynasties was a period of relative freedom. For this reason, we find that most of our heritage in jurisprudence, ethics, and all that relates to the attitudes and stances one should adopt in life has come from Imam Al-Baqir and his son, Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq.
Living with Allah
The Imam, as historians recorded, used to live with Allah, the Most Exalted, at all times, even while talking or walking. He used to gather his family and tell them to do the same or to read the Qur'an. He also used to work for a living on his farm in Medina.
One of his contemporaries, Muhammad bin Al-Munkadir, said: "I would not have believed that Ali bin Al-Hussein (a.s.) could have a son who is better than him, until I saw his son Muhammad bin Ali. I wanted to advise him, but it ended up with him advising me." When asked how this occurred, he said that he once saw the Imam at high noon working on his farm in Medina. He said to him: "How could one of the nobles of Quraish be working at this hour? What would you do if death comes to you now?" The Imam replied: "If death comes to me now, it would find me obeying one of Allah's commands, which is to sustain myself and my family. I would only have been afraid if I were disobeying Allah." For working and earning money is one of the rituals of worship, provided it is a lawful job that seeks no unlawful gains.
The Qur'an Was His Judge
Although he was not wealthy, the Imam used to take care of the poor people in Medina. He also used to tell people to ensure they knew for certain what they were talking about before they spoke. We refer those who interpret the Qur'an according to their own desires, or those who discuss jurisprudence without possessing the required knowledge, to this saying of the Imam.
He also used to say to his people that they should tell others what they would like to hear from them. He forbade them from slander, for Allah does not like those who curse. He loves those who are tolerant, and those who do not envy others or take what is not lawfully theirs. He also used to tell the people not to blindly believe any of the traditions they hear, but to refer them to the Qur'an. If a tradition agrees with the Qur'an, then it is valid; if it does not, they should discard it.
Social Consolidation
Furthermore, the Imam discusses the issue of consolidation and financial support for the poor. This is especially relevant today, as we find people who perform the pilgrimage annually. The Imam states that supporting a poor Muslim family is better than performing Hajj over and over again. Thus, Islam believes that helping the poor is another form of worship that is in no way lesser in rank or status than praying day and night.
He also teaches people how to be true followers. He said to Jabir bin Abdallah: "Is it enough for a person to embellish himself as our follower by merely professing love for us, the Ahl al-Bayt? Nay! By Allah, a person is not our follower unless he fears Allah and obeys Him. Our followers, O Jabir, are only recognized by their humility, submission, honesty, and abundant praise of Allah; their fasting and prayers; their goodness to their parents; their attention to the poor, the needy, the debtors, and the orphans living nearby; their speaking of the truth; their recitation of the Qur'an; the holding of their tongues except for good words; and their trustworthiness towards relatives in all affairs."
He goes on to say that loving Muhammad (p.), who is better than Ali (a.s.), would not benefit a person on the Day of Judgment if that person does not follow his message. Thus, he tells the followers: "Be pious and seek to please Allah. Allah is not related to any of you. For Allah loves most those who are most pious and who obey Him the most. No one draws closer to Allah except by obeying Him, which is also the only means to become a follower of Ahl al-Bayt. Saying that one is a follower will do him no good. We have no kinship with Allah, and the only way we draw close to Him is through piety and obedience. Therefore, those who obey Allah will benefit from being our followers, and those who disobey Him, our lineage will avail them nothing."
Moreover, the Imam always called for moderation. He warned against being extremists who exaggerate the position of Ahl al-Bayt by attributing traits to them that they do not claim for themselves. According to the Imam, those extremists "are not a part of us, nor are we a part of them."
Therefore, I call upon you to study the sayings of Ahl al-Bayt. Learn that they call on us to perform our duties regarding our fellow human beings. They are the ones who call us to love and to adhere to the message of Ahl al-Bayt, which is the message of Islam.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Liberating Detainees: A Great Victory
The Mujahideen in Lebanon continue to pursue the strategy of liberation, whether that of the land or the prisoners, and for both martyrs and detainees. They look forward to the day all the occupied territories and the imprisoned people in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon are liberated. In accomplishing this, they are conducting their own experiment in liberation that studies every development as well as the enemy’s points of weakness and strength to apply pressure where it hurts.
In doing this, they are telling the Arab and Muslim world that it possesses the element of strength that should be deployed and intensified to force the enemy to accept concessions every now and then, thus undermining its morale. At the end of the day, the enemy’s soldier is not an invincible force. His courage is not the courage of a human being; it is the courage of the machine. And the Mujahideen in Palestine and Lebanon have proved that they are stronger than the machine.
This is a major landmark in the history of confrontation with the enemy, representing a conscious policy of addressing challenges with wisdom, thoughtfulness, and calm. We congratulate the Mujahideen on their victory, and the prisoners on their freedom. We also hope that they will be able to stay on the course they have chosen for themselves, and we ask the entire nation to stand with them to achieve full liberation.
Martyrdom Operations Are Not Acts of Terror
In Palestine too, we meet with the hero who executed the martyrdom operation in Jerusalem that was condemned by the governments in America and Europe as an act of terror, while they failed to say anything about the barbaric acts of the Zionists in Palestine, especially the latest massacres and atrocities in Gaza that killed 13 Palestinians.
The Palestinian blood is worthless in the eyes of the arrogant and those Arabs who have grown afraid. It is only the Jewish blood that counts, and any confrontation with the Zionist "civilians" is considered terrorism.
We have stated several times that we are against killing any civilian, whether a Jew or an Arab. But the fact of the matter is that the Israeli military machine is suffocating Palestine as a whole, and the Palestinians cannot but try to cut the fingers that are pressing on their necks. The Mujahideen have repeatedly said that they will not shoot even one bullet if the Jews withdraw from the occupied territories. But Israel and America want nothing except unconditional surrender.
The Jerusalem operation has proved that the racial wall can do nothing to provide security for the Jews and showed that it only aims to usurp additional land and further besiege the Palestinians.
The Resistance in Lebanon, along with that in Palestine, are the two sources of light in this overwhelming Arab darkness. They are the movements that drive the Arab and Muslim peoples in the direction of resistance. And this is what we see in the upheaval that our peoples are exhibiting to the extent that the rulers have become afraid of it. We are certain that these points of light will increase and accumulate to create the new dawn of freedom and victory against all arrogance.
Silence All Those Who Call to Fragment Iraq
In this context, we look at the injured Iraq that still suffers from occupation, absence of security, suppression of free will, and violence that sometimes leads to negative consequences and sometimes to positive ones. In this very critical stage, we ask all the faithful sons of our nation to support Iraq and silence all those who try to fragment Iraq under any racial or sectarian pretense. All Iraqis should be united under this slogan: No to foreign occupation. Yes to the people’s free decision and careful planning.
Lebanon: Sects Are a Source of Richness, Not Division
Lebanon, which celebrates the return of its detainees and martyrs, should adopt a political stance in confronting the enemy that is as powerful and courageous as that which the Resistance exhibited in fighting it.
There is no place for fear and calls for surrender in the name of diplomatic realpolitik. This is what the enemy wants, and this is what he is exerting all pressures to make us agree to.
The Lebanese, who have suffered from all kinds of security, political, and economic hardships, should try to thwart any sectarian call that produces hate and strife. The Islamic-Christian diversity is a source of spiritual and intellectual unity for both religions. They contain the same spiritual values that enable us to love one another and work together to pursue peace and justice. Let us meet in the name of Allah and not fight in His name. If we do so, we will be able to fight our real enemy that is producing poverty and civil strife among our people. They are depriving us of our tranquility and peace both inside and outside the country. If we can live as humans who cherish love, peace, and justice, why do we create beasts inside us?