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 16, 1426 AH/ July 22, 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
Reconciliation: A Divine Command for Social Stability
Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: "So fear Allah and amend that which is between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you should be believers." Surat Al-Anfal (08:01). And He says: "The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy." Surat Al-Hujurat (49:10).
And He also says: "There is no good in most of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right or conciliation between people. And whoever does that seeking means to the approval of Allah - then We are going to give him a great reward." Surat An-Nisa (4:114).
The theme of reconciliation is a major one, which Allah wants people to achieve in their lives for the sake of social stability and the strength of the Islamic position. For the meeting of one person with another, and one community with another, represents a force whose positive results are reflected in all major issues. This is what Allah, the Most Exalted, affirmed in His saying: "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided." Surat Al-Imran (03:103), and His saying: "And do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart." Surat Al-Anfal (08:46). For when the winds scatter, they will have no effect in confronting things, whereas if the wind moves from a single position, it leads to many results of strength.
Taking the Initiative to Unite Ranks
Therefore, Allah, the Most Exalted, wants the believers to adhere to this major theme, so that every person takes the initiative—if they see two groups of believers in dispute, whether on an individual or social level—to reconcile between these two brothers or groups. This is especially true when conflict and dispute arise, and problems erupt within a single family, be it a paternal or marital family. For disagreement between spouses, or between siblings, or between father and children, leads to many problems affecting the reality of the children, creates many complexes, ruins many positions, and leads to many psychological complications that may push children into a state of downfall or criminality.
Hence, it is incumbent upon people to take the initiative to unite the ranks within a single family, instead of what some—who do not bear responsibility—do by attempting to cause division between spouses. This is what Allah has told us about in His saying: "And they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife." Surat Al-Baqarah (02:102). Similarly, when we face social situations between one tribe and another, one party and another, or one group and another, it leads to dispute, enmity, and fighting, threatening the safety of the entire society—something we have observed in many situations in the political and social arenas.
The entire society should mobilize to prepare groups for reconciliation among people, to preserve the stability and safety of society, through a deep study of the foundations from which these or those problems emerged here and there. It has been narrated in a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (p.), giving the greatest value to the matter of reconciliation: "Shall I not inform you of what is better than the status of fasting, prayer, and charity? It is reconciliation between people. For the corruption of relations between people is the destroyer." Because corruption in relations can lead to a brother killing his brother, destroying him, and harming all his interests and affairs. Therefore, Allah, the Most Exalted, wants the believer as an individual, and the believers as groups, to take the initiative—if they wish to draw closer to Allah—in reconciling between people, for it is better than recommended prayer, recommended fasting, and recommended charity.
It has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (p.) as he addressed one of his companions: "O Abu Ayyub, shall I not inform you and guide you to a charity that Allah and His Messenger love? That you reconcile between people when they become corrupt and distant from each other." To bring them closer together when one distances from the other, and to reconcile between them when relations between them become corrupt. Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "A charity that Allah loves: reconciliation between people when they become corrupt and bringing them closer when they become distant." And Imam Ali (a.s.) says: "Persist in the reconciliation of the believers and the pious," and he (a.s.) said: "Part of perfect happiness is striving for the reconciliation of the public." For in reconciliation lies the happiness a person attains in its results, both in this world and the hereafter.
Preserving the Stability of Society
Allah, the Most Exalted, tells us about some people who may have entered into a reconciliation and suffered some hardship because of it, so they swear an oath not to enter into reconciliation again. Allah says: "And do not make [your oath by] Allah an excuse against being righteous and fearing Allah and making peace among people. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing." Surat Al-Baqarah (02:224). Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) commented on this verse: "If you are called to reconcile between two people, do not say, 'I have sworn an oath not to do so.'" Allah, the Most Exalted, has permitted the reconciler to lie. If your reconciliation between two people depends on you conveying to one of them what the other did not say, then you are not considered a liar. It has been narrated from Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.): "Speech is of three kinds: truth, falsehood, and reconciliation between people." And from the Messenger of Allah (p.): "Reconciliation is permissible among Muslims, except a reconciliation that makes lawful what is unlawful, or makes unlawful what is lawful."
We must preserve the stability and safety of society by proceeding along this ethical Islamic-social line, especially when we face the great challenges that penetrate the reality of Muslims to divide them and tear apart their conditions, as we observe now in the steps of the arrogant who work to stir up sectarian, ethnic, or regional sensitivities among Muslims, and other such matters that people adopt here and there. We must act on the basis of holding firmly to the rope of Allah all together.
In light of this, in the Islamic reality that is now trembling in more than one arena, we must take the initiative to reconcile between Muslims in sectarian matters, and stand against all who wish to stir up sectarian strife among Muslims, as may happen in insulting some of the sanctities of Muslims—something Allah, the Most Exalted, rejects from all of us, because it leads to the weakness of Islam and Muslims. He has said: "The believers are but brothers—and what is meant by 'believers' is every Muslim man and woman who believes in Islam in their heart and mind—so make settlement between your brothers." Surat Al-Hujurat (49:10).
This is what we should enjoin upon one another, for it is the truth, so that we may protect our society from all the plans of the disbelievers and the arrogant in all spheres of life: "And say, 'Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers.'" Surat At-Tawbah (09:105).
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Dragging the Palestinian People into a Maze
O servants of Allah... fear Allah and set right the matters between yourselves and confront every situation that provokes challenges in all our affairs and in all our circumstances—challenges posed by the arrogant powers who seek to bring down Islam and Muslims in all their political, economic, and security affairs. This is what we face everywhere in the world, especially from American and Zionist arrogance, and from the plots of division and fragmentation being pushed within our Islamic spheres, and so on.
And we, in our Islamic world, still face more than one problem—especially the chronic issue, which is the Palestinian cause. The Jews, backed by the arrogant powers, have moved to dominate it and its surroundings. So, what is happening?
Sharon is planning to withdraw from his settlements in Gaza to settle in his major settlements in the West Bank including Jerusalem, as well as continuing to build the racial wall that confiscates vast Palestinian lands.
In the meantime, America and Europe are welcoming these developments as a "historical progress" in the Palestinian – Israeli struggle, thus contributing in covering up Sharon's plan of keeping the settlements in the West Bank. Moreover, Sharon continues his brutal aggressions against the Palestinians, thus thwarting the pacification efforts. Then, when the Mujahideen are forced to retaliate to protect their people, he would hold them responsible and pressure the Authority to confront them and prove that it is capable of fighting "terrorism", which could lead to the fall of the Palestinian cause, and a state of frustration among the Palestinians.
Thus, the Palestinian Authority will not find any power to support him in achieving the great goals of the Palestinian states; it will only face Sharon's arrogance, as in Sharon's last meeting with Abu Mazen. Moreover, they will only receive empty promises from the Americans, since the American – Jewish alliance aims at getting the Palestinian is a maze they will not know how to get out from. This means that the Palestinians ought to resort to dialogue and uphold their unity. Internal fighting is prohibited, and all guns should be pointed towards the enemy, and all efforts should aim at liberation.
Iraq's blind hatred
Iraq is drowning in a sea of blood that is fed by the bloody fanatic and ignorant hatred of those who accuse others of disbelief, while killing innocent Muslims in masques, markets and homes, under false pretensions that no believer could see any religious of human basis for.
Such massacres cannot be legitimized, as some people outside Iraq claim, as being a necessity in the war against occupation, since they are being planned in cold blood to target innocent people with the aim of killing for killing only.
Moreover, the assassination of the Sunni members of the committee to formulate the constitution proves that there is an invisible hand that is making every effort to incite sectarian strife.
Faced by this situation, we call on all religious and political authorities whether Sunnis or Shiites to rise to the level posed by the threats that face the Muslims in Iraq that might turn into a sectarian strife that, in its turn. Might – God forbid, spread in the entire Islamic world.
On another level, the bombings in the West, and recently in London, have had a negative impact on the Muslims, their Image, and the people's perception of Islam, especially that certain Republicans leaders in America threatened the terrorists by bombing Mecca if they strike inside the US.
There is a dire need in the face of all these challenges for a unified Islamic position to protect all Muslims from the terrorist campaigns of those who accuse other Muslims of apostasy.
This should be done on the basis of the joint will of all Muslims, without any intervention from the pro-American regimes.
Justice in Lebanon
We want the new government in Lebanon to adopt a wise and carefully studied plan that addresses the economic problems and ensures a certain degree of political and security stability, especially with the operations that undermine security that are committed by certain groups in certain regions. This suggests that slogans of national reconciliation have not reached the grass root level, especially with international powers hiding behind some of these moves to interfere in forming this government.
We look forward for a state in which all citizens are equal before the law. Furthermore, we would like any amnesty to be based on a solid ground, and to be a comprehensive one, so as to provide a firm ground for building the country. The new Lebanon should be a state of institutions, and not a farm for certain individuals. The authority should be that of the state and not the sects. Would these dreams, that all Lebanese share, come true?