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 Jumada al-Thani 9, 1426 AH / July 15, 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
Man is Responsible for Everything He Does in This Life
Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: "Then We will surely question those to whom [a message] was sent, and We will surely question the messengers." Surat al-A'raf (7:6)
Allah’s questioning will include all His creatures, each according to his responsibilities. Just as He will ask the people to whom He sent the Messengers, He would ask the Messengers about their messages, the way they conveyed them, and the spirit and atmosphere they created.
Allah tells us about the Hereafter, reminding us that those who were unjust and worshiped others beside Allah, the Most Exalted, will be stopped and questioned. They will be asked: "What is [wrong] with you? Why do you not help each other?" Surat as-Saffat (37:25) Why do not these whom you used to worship help you?
On that day, the Day of Judgment, Allah tells us that they shall be submissive, for they will be helpless and there is nothing they can do for themselves.
Thus, we understand from His saying: "Then by your Lord, We will surely question them all." Surat al-Hijr (15:92-93) that everyone will be responsible for any action, whether personal, social, political, economic, or any other.
The Messenger himself, the master of all beings and Allah's most loved human being, says: "I am responsible, and so are you." Allah will ask His Messenger about how he conveyed the Message, how he faced the challenges, how he made peace and how he went to war. It is as if Muhammad (p.) wants to say to us: Each and every one of us is responsible for all that he says and does. He should have an answer when Allah asks him about how he acted with his wife, his family, his neighbors, his community…
Responsibility for People and the Land
Imam Ali (a.s.) says: "Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained." Surat al-Muddaththir (74:38) In another saying, the Imam (a.s.) says: "Fear Allah in His servants… Do not wrong them or deny them their rights…" Whether at home or in the society at large. Fear Allah in your country… It is your responsibility to protect your country from any internal or external enemy or instability.
You are even responsible for the lands and the animals.
The Prophet (p.) tells the people: "Each of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock. An Imam is a shepherd and he is responsible for those in his care. A man is a shepherd in his family and is responsible for those in his care. The woman is a shepherd in her husband's house and is responsible for those in her care. The servant is a shepherd of his master's property and is responsible for what is in his care."
Allah, the Most Exalted, said too that He will also ask the sight, the hearing and the heart (the mind). But one should make sure that when he testifies, he should be sure that he has seen it with his own eyes, and not merely relying on what he has heard from a third party.
Responsibility Towards Personal and Public Issues
All the previous Ayahs and sayings teach us that man should be responsible for what Allah has given him; his mind, his abilities, etc., which should all serve the needs of fellow human beings.
Moreover, you should never take any action before you learn all that there is to learn about it. If, for example, you want to join a political group, you should be certain first that their political agenda serves the nation, and that, most importantly, it pleases Allah, the Most Exalted. Your eyes—those of your heart before those of your head—should be wide open.
As for the personal level, we would be asked on the Day of Judgment for four things: how we spent our life in obeying Allah or in disobeying Him, how we earned our money, and how we spent it; and we should have an answer to each question.
On turning to the public field, there is one issue that must be emphasized: that of voting. Voting for the members of the board of any society would be crucial in ensuring that it continues to follow the straight line and does not deviate.
It is the same with the general elections. When you vote for somebody and he turns out to work for the good of the nation, you would be contributing to this good; but if he turns out to be corrupt, then you are a partner to him.
Elections, therefore, are not a game, and when you vote, you are holding yourself accountable for everything good or bad those you elected will do.
The problem is not that of the MP or the minister. It is of the voter who elevated them to their position. Your vote is your responsibility; your stand, your relations, your actions, your talks—all these are your responsibility for which you will be questioned on the Day of Judgment, when no one can help you except your good deeds.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Israeli Deceit
In occupied Palestine, the Jews continue to execute their security provocation plan. They are pursuing a policy of collective punishment, erecting barriers, assassinating the youth, killing the children, and arresting the Mujahideen. Then, when the Palestinians retaliate, as in the martyr operation in Netanya, they would be accused of so-called terrorism.
America, Europe and the UN have issued communiqués to condemn the operation, but they did not protest against the Israeli brutal aggressions, especially the building of the separation wall that will isolate 55 thousand Jerusalemites. Meanwhile, the enemy was able to convince the arrogant world that withdrawing from Gaza is a political development that should be supported, even if the cost is two billion Dollars. It is irrelevant in their view that the enemy is planning to establish its domination over the West Bank and Jerusalem through the major settlements and the separating wall, which would undermine the project of founding any viable Palestinian state, which Bush had promised to help establish but did not take any concrete step in that direction. On the contrary, he legitimized the annexation of the major settlements to Israel, annulled the right of return and did not protest against the separating wall. He is also pressuring the Palestinians by accusing the Palestinian militant organizations of terror, and not offering the Palestinian Authority anything except empty words.
The Arab states—along with most Islamic states—are disengaging themselves from the Palestinian cause, as a result of the American pressure that makes the rulers from the Ocean to the Gulf tremble, and talk only about fighting terrorism.
We appreciate and salute the Palestinian steadfastness that did not succumb to the Israeli and international pressures, and that was not conned by the Arab moves that aim at besieging them. We want the Palestinians to preserve their national unity, and not to fall into the trap of internal strife that Israel and the US are preparing for them. We also want them to adhere to the line of resistance, being the only line that keeps the cause alive, and creates a political and security impasse for the enemy and its allies.
Condemning Terrorism
Iraq is still in the midst of an awful and bloody tragedy as a result of the repercussions that were triggered by the Occupation.
The Iraqis move from one massacre to another, the latest of which murdered 33 children and wounded more than 130 others as a result of a suicidal operation by a barbaric madman. Such operations are carried out by those who accuse the Shiites in many countries of apostasy.
They exploit the slogan of resistance, but they target fellow Muslims. Moreover, they do not target the occupation forces, but rather innocent civilians.
Thus, those people do not aim at liberating the country, but rather at killing innocent civilians, under the influence of a sectarian hatred and a backward mentality that fails to understand both Islam and nationalism.
Furthermore, their operations are counterproductive, to say the least, since they prolong the security chaos that allows the enemy to keep its occupation, and hinder the building of an Iraqi army and security forces that could replace the occupation forces.
There is nothing that could be compared to such a barbaric act, except the American raids that target wedding parties and other civilian meetings in Afghani villages, proving that the two terrorist schools share the same mentality of killing and barbarianism.
Based on our Islamic position, we condemn terrorism, whether in the Muslim countries or in any place in the world. That is why we condemned the explosions in London. Terrorist acts against civilians are not Islamic practices. On the contrary, they are against Islam, which respects all nations.
On this occasion, we would like to welcome what the British Prime Minister said regarding the innocence of Islam and the Muslims as a nation. We also appreciate his analysis of terrorism and his call to deal with root causes such as poverty, deprivation and the Middle East conflict.
This shows a profound understanding of the issue, and we hope that President Bush will learn this lesson from his British ally.
Lebanese Freedom
The explosions that have afflicted the country in recent months have triggered political and security speculations that have led to increased bickering in the political market, and delayed the formulation of the new government.
Conflicts to secure privileges and positions within certain confessions are disrupting a state that is already wracked by economic, financial and security burdens.
Little of this bickering had any positive impact on the reform programs where the promise of a bright future resides.
Intervention, particularly U.S. interference, aimed to put pressure on several parts of the region via Lebanon… Some wanted Israel's agents to gain their freedom from the new Lebanon, despite having served as soldiers of the Hebrew State in occupying their land and killing their citizens.
We want the new Lebanon to be a land of freedom that embraces free men. Lebanon should not be subject to any international intervention, or any U.S. or European pressures.
That is the message of the Lebanese people to all those racing to get a piece of the pie, in distributing personal, party and sectarian spoils.