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 Safar 28, 1426 AH/ April 08, 2005, 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
Let us Hold to Allah's Line
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessing be upon our master, Muhammad, his purified progeny, his select companions, and all Allah's Messengers.
Addressing His Prophet, Allah, the Most Exalted, says:
"Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die." (Surat az-Zumar 39:30)
"Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful." (Surat Ali 'Imran 3:144)
"And We did not grant to any man before you eternity [on earth]; so if you die - would they be eternal?" (Surat al-Anbiya' 21:34)
The 28th of Safar is the day commemorating the passing of the Prophet (p.). On this painful day in which the contact between earth and heaven was broken, we are going to learn about Muhammad's (p.) last days, the days in which the Message was completed.
The Prophet's Will
When the Messenger felt that he was severely sick, he took Ali (a.s.) and they were followed by a group of Muslims and went to Al-Baqi' (the cemetery of Medina). There he said: "I was commanded to ask forgiveness for the occupants of Baqi’." He added when he reached an overlooking spot: "Peace be upon you, O people of the graves. I congratulate you on your situation compared to that of the living."
It was as if he was saying to them that leaving this world and meeting their Lord is better than living. It was as though he was feeling the pain and bitterness that resulted from the movements and plots of the hypocrites; that is why he added: "Tribulations are coming like the dark pieces of night." He knew that many plots were in the making, especially since he was witnessing that some people stalled in executing his commands, and even forgot what he had said at Ghadir: that Ali (a.s.) is the master of those who consider Muhammad (p.) to be their master.
Doing Good Is the Only Key to Heaven
Then the Prophet turned to Ali (a.s.) and told him: "Gabriel used to show me the Quran once every year, but this year he did it twice. I believe it is because my time has come," and he added: "I was given the choice between the wealth of this world and Heaven, and I chose Heaven and meeting my Lord." Then he left for his home and stayed in bed for three days. He then went to the Mosque with a band on his head and helped by Imam Ali (a.s.) who held his right hand and Al-Fadl ibn Al-Abbas who held his left hand. He then made a speech in which he told the people that he was about to die and asked them to ask for their trusts or debts, if there were any. Then he said: "O People, there is not between anybody and Allah anything that would make Him bestow His grace on him or keep an evil away except one's actions." Meaning that there are no advantages for anybody, and no lineage or social and economic position will get him nearer to Allah. Such a statement when the Messenger is the one who is saying it, means everybody without exception—"No one should claim or wish so, for by Him who sent me a prophet for the right, nothing saves except deeds with mercy. You should act in doing good and ask Allah to forgive your sins. If I would sin I would have fallen down. O Allah, have I conveyed?"
It is as if the Prophet were repeating two Ayahs in the Holy Quran:
"It will not be in accordance with your desires or the desires of the people of the Scripture. Whoever does a wrong will be recompensed for it, and he will not find besides Allah any protector or helper." (Surat an-Nisa' 4:123)
"Say, 'Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day.'" (Surat az-Zumar 39:13)
Do not say that since we are Muslims we will not go to Hell. It is not a matter of wishes. The relationship between Allah and man is based on the latter's action. In addition, he who disobeys Allah does not have any privileges.
The Farewell Pilgrimage
Feeling that he was about to die, the Messenger (p.) delivered a speech in which he gave the believers his trusted teachings and guidance. He said:
"O people! Listen to what I say. I do not know whether I will ever meet you at this place once again after this current year. It is unlawful for you to shed the blood of one another or take (unlawfully) the fortunes of one another. They are as unlawful (Haram) as shedding blood on such a day as today and in such a month as this Haram month and in such a sanctified city as this sacred city (i.e., Makkah and the surrounding areas)."
"Behold! All practices of paganism and ignorance are now under my feet. The blood-revenge of the Days of Ignorance (pre-Islamic time) are remitted."
"(Shedding) the blood of one another and eating or taking one another's provisions (unwillingly) and your honor are all inviolable (Haram). It is unlawful to violate their holiness. They must be as sacred to one another as this sacred day, in this sacred month, in this sacred town."
"You will go back to be resurrected (after death) to your Lord. There you will be accounted for your deeds. So do not turn into people who go astray and kill one another."
"Have I not delivered the Message (of my Lord)?" "Yes you have," said they. "O Allah! Bear witness! Let him that is present convey it unto him who is absent. For haply, many people to whom the Message is conveyed may be more mindful of it than the audience," said he.
"I am leaving for you two precious things and if you adhere to both of them, you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my progeny, that is my Ahlul-Bayt. The two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
Then, the Prophet made his last and biggest will, that of appointing Imam Ali as his successor in leading the nation. He made the man whom he told: "Aren't you satisfied to be with respect to me like Haroon was to Moses," and the one whom he described as: "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate," "Right is with Ali and Ali is with the Right," "Ali and the Quran will always be together until they come to me in heaven."
"O people, am I not a leader who has more say over you than you have over yourselves?" When they all agreed, the Messenger raised Ali's hand and said: "Whoever believes that I am his leader then Ali is his leader. O Allah, side with those who side with him and be the enemy of those who are hostile to him…"
Then, when the Prophet (p.) was about to die, he asked for some papers to write a document that would save the Muslims from deviation after his death forever. But the people did not obey immediately. Instead, some said that the Quran was enough, while others considered that he was hallucinating. Then when they became quiet, they asked the Prophet (p.) if he still wanted the papers, but he replied that it was useless once they had said what they said.
Ibn Abbas, who narrated the story, said that this act was awful, for it would have saved the Muslims from the catastrophes of division and fragmentation.
"Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful." (Surat Ali 'Imran 3:144)
The Messenger dies and the Message stays. It is Allah's trust that we all have to be responsible for; whether to believe in it or to call the coming generations to keep the faith, as a religion for all mankind. We also have to uphold our Islamic unity, which is one of the major sources of the strength of both Islam and the Islamic nation.
The Message Stays
At the end of his life, and as he was surrounded by his nearest relatives, such as his uncle, his aunt, and his daughter Fatima, he called on each one of them by name saying: "You should seek to please Allah by your deeds. I can do you no good." In another instance, Fatima went to him as he was dying. She embraced him and he whispered something in her ear which made her weep. Then, when he whispered something that made her laugh, she was asked: 'How quickly you laugh after weeping?!' She said: 'I shall not reveal the Messenger of Allah's secret in his life.' So, when she was asked about this after his death, she said: 'He whispered in my ear first that he was going to meet his Lord and that his soul was announced to him (his death), so I wept; then he whispered in my ear again that I was going to be the first of his family to go after him, so I laughed!'
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Israel and American Democracy
We used to talk about how much the American Administration has sided with Israel, to the extent that it has supported every Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, whether by preventing any UN condemnation or by supporting its criminal actions, including its massacres, house demolitions, and killing of civilians.
When we say that, people used to say that we tend to exaggerate. But we read in the human development report that America is responsible for hindering Arab progress, and that Washington "contributed in creating an international environment that hindered progress," whether through its policy towards Israel or its practices in Iraq. It adds that America undermined the world order when it repeatedly vetoed or threatened to veto any resolution that condemns Israel. The report concluded that this has made many of those who live in the region "lose hope of any international justice… which could trigger a whirlpool of violence and counter-violence."
In this sense, the report gives a clear idea about the kind of democracy Bush calls for. Moreover, if the report talks about the role of the intelligence and security agencies in the Arab world being so vast, it is well-known that these agencies are associated with the Central Intelligence Agency. In addition, Bush himself has admitted that his country has protected dictatorships in the region for sixty years.
Bush is going to receive Sharon in his ranch, the man he had called a man of peace and a man who wants to establish democracy in Palestine. Yet everyone—including Bush himself—knows that he is trying to hinder even any progress in the Road Map.
The problem is that they both represent a unified team in their hypocrisy that attempts to give war the name of peace, terrorism the quality of democracy, and the exclusion of the downtrodden in the name of freedom and human rights.
America used to consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, as occupied lands, but now it calls them "disputed lands" so as to give the enemy an opportunity to annex them in the end. Moreover, it has also said that the right of return of Palestinian refugees is not realistic.
This is what made the Arabs and the Muslims reject America. It is because of its bias and siding with Israel, even in its policies towards other states in the region, such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran. It has a mutual strategy with Israel in such a way that some of the resolutions it sought to pass—Resolution 1559 for example—are Israeli resolutions. This is the answer to their question: why do they hate us?
Iraq: Compromises Do Not Build a Nation
The Iraqi tragedy is also an American responsibility, whether in the security chaos, the political turmoil, or the sectarian demands. Attempts to solve the problem on the basis of dividing the cake will only make any bet on a unified Iraq a losing one.
The same thing goes for the issue of freedom and independence, especially with the problems facing the building of a strong Iraqi army and balanced internal security; thus giving the occupation every excuse to maintain its presence.
We believe that the Iraqi people are a people of freedom, and this has been evident in its civilizational history and Islamic identity. Therefore, all Iraqis should demand: the occupation should withdraw, for the Iraqis are capable of running their own affairs.
Lebanon: Beware of Vague Slogans
In Lebanon, the American Administration continues to pressure many political parties in an effort to carry out its dubious plan of pressuring the Resistance and Syria. It wants to create a hostile environment that aims at destroying any source of strength Lebanon and Syria still possess, so that they will succumb to the American-Israeli demands.
We warn the Lebanese against these plots, and call upon them not to be deceived by the vague slogans and the sweet words that show something while hiding another.
Meanwhile, the people are waiting for the new government and the new elections in an atmosphere of tragic comedy that aims at inciting their sectarian fanaticism.
But there is no talk about what future awaits Lebanon: is it an Israeli one or an Arab-Lebanese one?
The question is: could those who are talking about freedom be liberated from the American pressures? Moreover, is there a realistic chance for Lebanon to change from one sphere of influence to fall into another, since the Lebanese tend to think about what others want and not what they themselves want?