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 Ramadan 10, 1426 AH / October 14, 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
To Build a Loving Nation:
Let Us Hold Fast to the Line of Allah and Call for the Good
To Feel Allah's Supervision
Allah asks the Muslims in His Glorious Book to fear Him: "O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]." Surat Al 'Imran (3:102)
Allah, the Most Exalted, wants man to feel his belief in all aspects of life, a belief that is reflected in his inner self. The believers’ link with Allah is a true one, for Allah created and sustained them. He is the One who should be asked to fulfil all their needs. They should fear Him and obey all His instructions, knowing that He is the beginning and the end.
That is why Allah tells the believers that faith compels them to fear Allah, the Most Exalted, and take Him into consideration in all their ideas, feelings, stands, sayings, relations and actions. This should be the way you demonstrate your faith: by fearing Allah, the Most Exalted, and obeying Him throughout your life, so that you will meet Him as Muslims… because one might begin as a Muslim, but he might face too many temptations or shocks, which could lead him away from his faith. This is why we see Prophet Yusuf asking Allah when he met his father and the rest of the family: "My Lord, You have given me [something] of sovereignty and taught me of the interpretation of dreams. Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous." Surat Yusuf (12:101)
Holding to Allah's Rope:
Then the verses tell the Muslim that they should hold fast to Allah's rope… because when one feels weak as a result of the tragedies that shake him, he has to hold fast to a rope. This rope is the Quran, which Allah, the Most Exalted, has sent as a light that will take people out of darkness. We have to let Islam bind us, and let the Quran guide us. We should let them unify us, so as not to disperse into factions and parties, each accusing the other of unbelief. We should be but one nation, one sect and one line, especially when others want to exploit your divisions.
"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided." Surat Al 'Imran (3:103)
It is said that these verses were revealed when a Jew tried to incite strife among the Muslims of Medina to turn them once again into warring factions. The man was successful to the extent that some in both parties called for war. Then some Muslims went to the Messenger (p.) and told him that he has to hurry up and save the Muslims before they fall into war. The Messenger (p.) came to them and said: "Going back to unbelief…" Hearing this, they were ashamed and returned to their faith. Then this verse was revealed to stress their unity.
This is what we should learn from these Ayats. To preserve our Islamic unity and safeguard it, especially when Allah's enemies, whether Jews, arrogant powers or unbelievers, try to incite strife among us—a state that we are living now, with Satan making some Muslims legitimize spilling the blood of other Muslims. Thus, unity is the theme all Muslims should adopt so as to be able to face all arrogant or unbelief challenges, whether initiated by the Zionist Jews or the arrogant Americans.
Call for Reform:
Then Allah, the Most Exalted, calls Muslims to bear this responsibility towards reform and the call to Allah, the Most Exalted: "Let there be from you a nation that invites to goodness, enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong. And those are the successful." Surat Al 'Imran (3:104)
They are the ones to attain felicity because they do what Allah, the Most Exalted, has asked them to. "And do not be like those who became divided and differed after the clear proofs had come to them. And those will have a great punishment." Surat Al 'Imran (3:105)
"On the Day [some] faces will turn white and [some] faces will turn black. As for those whose faces turn black, [to them it will be said], 'Did you disbelieve after your belief? Then taste the punishment for what you used to reject.'" Surat Al 'Imran (3:106)
The faces of those who lived piety and belief will be whitened, while the faces of those who lived unbelief and deviation will be blackened. "These are the verses of Allah. We recite them to you, [O Muhammad], in truth; and Allah wants no injustice to the worlds." Surat Al 'Imran (3:108) Allah, the Most Exalted, does not want any injustice to man. He wants to bestow His Mercy on him.
This is the straight line that Allah wants us to follow, and for that let the aspirers aspire.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Appropriating the Palestinian Rights:
How do the leaders of the enemy express their attitude towards the Palestinian rights? The minister of war declares that the Palestinians will not be given the responsibility of the security in any Palestinian city, which means that these cities will stay under occupation. On his part, Sharon has declared that the participation of Hamas "will be impossible," as a result of the Israeli systematic campaign to detain its leaders and members, without any American objection. Yet the Americans constantly object to what they claim to be a Syrian interference in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine against "peace" and "democracy," but they do not talk about Sharon's attempts to prevent the Palestinians from practicing their own democracy.
They contend that Sharon has a right to do that since Hamas is a "terrorist" organization. In the meantime, both the Israelis and the Americans continue to demand the dismantling of the Intifada's infrastructure as a condition to resume the negotiations. They want the Palestinian Authority to do that, meaning that they want to incite a Palestinian civil war that makes the temple fall on the heads of all parties, leaving nothing in Palestine except what Israel appropriates to serve its strategy of cementing its political and economic dominance over the Palestinian land and people.
We noticed for that Sharon refuses to meet Abbas, although the meeting has been set, since he does not have anything to offer to the Palestinians, since in Sharon's view the Palestinians have no other option but to surrender.
On its part, the International Quartet Committee remains silent, since it does not have any freedom of movement, being controlled by the American-Israeli hegemony over its very slow moves, as part of the plans that aim to let Israel take advantage of time to turn its settling and occupation moves into hard realities.
The American "Democracy"
We ask the International Community, that the Americans talk on its behalf: why is it enthusiastic about the Iraqi referendum while it does not show such eagerness when it comes to the Palestinians, preventing them, especially the militant factions that believe in liberation and independence, from taking part in determining their fate?
This is the American democracy that claims to advocate democracy albeit verbally when it suits its interests, as in Iraq, and stands against and prevents the Palestinians from choosing their representatives under the pretense of fighting terrorism.
They want the Palestinians to engage in internal fighting so that they will kill one another and relieve Israel, which America commits itself to safeguard its security at the expense of the security of all nations. This is the general goal of the American policy in the region, and this is why America is hated in the region.
We say to the Palestinians: The current stage is dangerous in that it threatens to appropriate your national goals, since the American-Israeli alliance is still pressurizing your political status. The visit of the PA president to America will not change the American policies that support the Israeli strategy.
And you will face additional pressures represented by impossible conditions that are based on the assumption that the Palestinian problem is one of security and not a political problem. Israel and America refuse to engage in any political negotiations concerning your national rights unless you destroy your security by an internal war whose course will not lead to a free and independent country.
Iraq and the Continued Silence
As Iraq waits for the result of the referendum, which is causing a lot of debate that is taking a sectarian dimension, coupled with the American Ambassador’s rude interference in changing certain articles… All this is accompanied by the deadly and merciless blasts that target civilians and that replace the need to confront occupation by killing Muslims after accusing them of unbelief.
We are following up the Iraqi tragedy of this people who has been left, regionally and internationally, all alone to endure their daily sufferings without any help...
It is interesting that the religious officials authorized to issue Fatwas in the Islamic countries, like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have kept silent and did not issue any Fatwa against those who consider some Muslims of a certain sect as unbelievers and consequently legitimize killing them. We appeal to the religious scholars all over the world to rise to the level of the responsibility of saving Iraq and the entire Muslim world from this ignorant trend that will not remain restricted to Shiites but will extend to all Muslims. We are not calling for issuing a Fatwa for the sake of one Muslim sect. Such a Fatwa is in the interest of all Islam, against those who accuse Muslims of unbelief and consider killing as the way to settle differences of opinion.
We want the Iraqis to cling to their Islamic and national unity and reject any sectarian division or fragmentation, for this is the way that ensures the deliverance of the entire nation.
Bush Fails in Running His Occupation Wars:
On another level, we are also following the statements and actions of the American officials, whether that of the President, whose popularity is declining as a result of his failure in running his occupation wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, or his envoys, who interfere in the affairs of the region, and especially Lebanon. They issue statements that attack the states that oppose them and that target the interests of the peoples in the name of rejecting Syrian interference in Lebanon and the region, and threaten Syria with political isolation and attack the Iranian peaceful nuclear program. At the same time, the American Administration interferes in all the affairs of the region and demands that all its states should follow the orders it gives to them and that serve its strategic plans.
Lebanon in the Maze of the Report
Lebanon is still captured by the whirlpool of the Report that has swept all other issues and began to influence the ongoing debate and force it to be conducted along sectarian lines. The people are now waiting for the report to solve their problems and spending their period of waiting with fears, accusations and hopes.
Our problem in this country is that the officials cannot face all the problems when they come together. They would become preoccupied in one relatively small problem and forget about the other problems. Meanwhile, the country remains in the maze, receiving international and American envoys while the economy is in a catastrophic condition.
Lastly, we sympathize with the victims of the earthquakes in India and Pakistan, and call on the Muslims to support them. We also ask Allah, the Most Exalted and the Merciful, to have mercy on the dead and heal the wounded.