The Religious Authority, Ayatullah Al Ozma Sayyed M. H. Fadlullah delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Zu El-Hujja 18 1425 H, January 28 2005 A.D. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer.
The First Sermon
God says in His Glorious Book: "O Apostle Deliver what has been sent to you from your Lord, and if you do not you have not delivered his Message and Allah will protect you from the people”. In the Prophet's last days and during his last pilgrimage, Allah, the most Exalted, told His Messenger(p.) that he was about to depart. In this context, the Ayah was revealed to tell the Prophet (p.) that he has performed his duty in conveying Islam and fighting for its cause, enduring what no prophet before has endured. And now the time has come to meet his God where He will reward him for his great service. But there remains the issue of the future of Islam, which needs a leader who has Islam in his heart, mind and soul.
This leader is Ali (a.s.), who has lived Islam since his early childhood, having been raised and educated by the Prophet (p.). He is the only one who never kneeled before an idol; he has lived the oneness of Allah since he was two years old, and grew up with the concept of oneness in his mind, soul and feelings.
Dedication to Islam
Then as a young man, Ali (a.s.) fought as no Muslim did in all the battles of Islam. In Bader, a voice was heard saying what could be paraphrased as Ali is the bravest fighter. Then, when Amr bin Abd Wid asked for someone to fight him in a dual at the Ahzab battle no one would answer the Prophet’s call to fight him except Ali.
The Prophet (p.) repeated his call three times saying that he would guarantees heaven for the fighter. In the third time, he gave Ali (a.s.) the permission saying: faith in its entirety has risen to idolatry in its entirety.
On the battlefield, Amr told Ali (a.s.): your father was a friend of mine, and I hate to kill you.
But Ali (a.s.), filled with the youthful pride of Islam said: “But you are an enemy of Islam and I like to kill you". Ali (a.s.) then proposed that Amr should adopt Islam. When Amr refused he told him: “take the army back to where it came from”. When Amr refused, Ali told him that the only option left was fighting.
Amr was surprised and said: “No Arab before you has made this suggestion”, for they all knew how strong he were.
The two fought and Ali (a.s.) gained the upper hand. Defeated, Amr cursed the Imam, who waited for several seconds before he killed him. When asked why he did so, the Imam (a.s.) said, I was nervous, and I did not want to kill him for self-vengeance, I waited until I calmed down and killed him for the sake of God. This is why Ali (a.s.) fought and prayed; for the sake of God, and this is why the Messenger (p.) described what Ali (a.s.) did in the Khandak battle as equal to the worshipping of all humans and jinn.
Why did the Prophet use these words? Is it because of his love for Ali; Knowing that all what he says is revealed to him by Allah, the most Exalted. No, it is because Ali’s killing of Amr prevented the total devastation of the Islamic society the unbelievers were set on realizing.
The scholar
The Messenger (p.) said: I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate. And Ali also said: The Messenger taught me one thousands fields of knowledge of each a thousand doors are opened to me. Ali was the man who lived in poverty and in austerity; to the extent that when he wanted to marry Fatima he had only his sword and Shield. The Prophet told him to sell his shield as dowry for al-Zahra (a.s.).
Now, we would like to ask in an objective and cold way that is not influenced by emotions: Why Ali and only Ali (a.s.)? It is simply because there is no one else. There is nobody who possesses Ali's knowledge, his history in Jihad and his dedication for the cause of Islam. There was no one among Muslims who had all these traits and virtues other than Ali. Some might had certain knowledge or played an important role in Jihad. We are not here trying to deny the virtues of Muslims, both Mahajireen and Ansar, having been praised in the Holy Quran. But no one but Ali had all of these traits together. Moreover, Islam after Muhammad (p.) needed someone to continue the movement as it was expanding. That is why the Messenger (p.) did not find anyone else. It was not a personal decision, but because he knew that Ali (a.s.) has what Islam needed. They all acknowledge that Muhammad (p.) said "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate". “The right is with Ali and Ali is with the Right". “Ali and the Quran will always be together until they come to Heaven'. “Aren't you satisfied to be with respect to me like Haroon was to Moses? A partner in every thing with the exception of not being a prophet”.
That is why Allah, the most Exalted, told His Messenger(p.) that if he did not tell the Muslims that Ali (a.s.) was the appointed leader he would not have delivered Allah's Message. He added that he had not to worry about any accusations of favoring his cousin, for he was delivering God's Message and Allah, the most Exalted, will protect him.
Thus, the Messenger (p.) stood at high noon, in the heat of the desert, and called on the Muslims to gather and listen to him, before they head to their homes having finished the rituals of pilgrimage. He then raised Ali's hands and said: Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?" People cried and answered: "Yes, O' Messenger of God.” Then the Prophet (p.) held up the hand of Ali and said: "Whoever I am his leader (Mawla), Ali is his leader (Mawla). O' God love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him”. Immediately after the Prophet finished his speech, the following verse of Holy Quran was revealed: "Today I have perfected your religion and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion."(5:3). Upon hearing this, some of the serious companions said: Well done Ibn Abi Talib, you became the leader (Mawla) of all believing men and women."
The days passed, and the Messenger passed to Heaven. And as Ali was preparing to bury Muhammad (p.), the Muslims were arguing about whom to be a caliph… Then, they deviated from the right line. And Ali's house was attacked, and they threatened to burn his house if he does not pledge his alliance… Yet Ali (a.s.) was not thinking about the injustice inflicted on him and on his wife when she was denied her right in fadak.. He saw that there are negative developments, with people diverging from Islam, and felt that it was his duty to act helping those who preceded him and providing them with the guidance they needed: I was greatly distressed that the people ran to a certain person and swore allegiance to him. So I withdrew myself until I saw that a group of people diverged from Islam and intended to destroy Islam. Then I feared that if I did not help Islam and the Muslims, Islam would suffer such destruction as would be more painful to me that the snatching away of the caliphate. Of course political power cannot last long. It must dissipate like the clouds. It was under these conditions that I have to rise, so that paganism would become weak and Islam become firm."
He also used to say: I will maintain peace as long as the affairs of Muslims are secured; the only injustice falls on me…
What is important is that Islam should not be wronged or weakened..
He also used to say to some of those around him: your goals are different than mine: you want me for yourselves and I want you for Allah, the most Exalted. And he used to call people to criticize him and hold him accountable although he was above all criticism and questioning.
When we study Ali's life, from the day he was born in Kaa'ba and until the day he was hit on the head in the mosque; we find that he dedicated his life in its entirety to God. He ended his life by asserting that he was won: In the name of Allah… and on the religion of his Messenger, I swear by the Lord of Kaaba that I have won.
Champion of Islamic unity
The Imam was the champion of Islamic unity. He did not forgo his right of Imamate, but only postponed or froze any demand for the sake of the general interests and unity of Muslims. He did not want his followers even when the struggle was in its toughest phases to resort to cursing, advising them to limit their discourse to describing the actions of their opponents, adding that this would be more convincing… We too, and as we live in a time where Muslims kill each other, have to follow Ali's lead, and say to those who believe that it is permissible to kill fellow Muslims in Iraq, that Islam need the efforts of all Muslims. And that Muslims should solve their differences by means of dialogue, as Allah commanded them to do. We need to unite all Muslims and the downtrodden nations against all unbelievers and arrogant powers.
On this day, the Day of Ghadir, we ask God to strengthen our belief in Islam, and thank Him for guiding us to believe in the Imamate of Ali (a.s.).
The Second Sermon
Trying to finish off the Palestinian Cause
The American-Israeli alliance is trying to reshuffle the cards in the region to further suit its interests. It is also extending to various parts of the world to widen the Zionist entity sphere of influence, by exploiting the slogan of anti-Semitism to fail any media movement that attempts to reveal the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people whether in confiscating its properties, as the stealing of Palestinian homes of those who were expelled from Jerusalem under the pretense of confiscating the houses of those who are absent, or the lands that are being usurped as a result of building the racial wall … In short, they are talking about peace while actually continuing their killings and devastations.
In this respect, their last crime was the killing of the 3 years old Palestinian girl at home, and holding the Palestinians responsible for such an act. So far hundreds of Palestinian children have been brutally murdered without any American, European or even Arab denouncement.
They are preoccupied with the talk about the promised peace that asks the Palestinians to offer one concession after another, and provide total security for Israel, without anything in return, all within the framework of the Road Map which aims as a result of American leadership to legalize the abandonment of the right of return, the existing settlements and the return to Jerusalem making the proposed Palestinian state meaningless, especially with regard to freedom and self-determination.
The American-Israeli alliance has sought, since the establishment of the Jewish state, to circumvent all UN resolutions to allow Israel to dominate over the Palestinian lands and people, as well as the lands neighboring Palestine in Syria and Lebanon. All this talk about temporary and conditional solutions is but a tool to absorb the international condemnationt for its massacres, and impose new conditions on the Palestinian leadership… It wants the Palestinians to step in a minefield that distract them away from any demand of their rights on building their political future.
This is what the Palestinians, the government and the militant factions should be aware, especially when they receive American envoys who tend to resort to deceit and offer sweet words that mean nothing while actually implementing the Israeli plot. They ought to continue their dialogue to reveal the American-Israeli plots, and seek to maintain their national unity so as not to sacrifice all the years of Jihad and endurance, for this is what the Americans and Israelis want, and no believer is supposed to fall in the same trap twice.
American Democracy
The American President's new policy in his second term is the international war for democracy.
But the question is: Did this man come with a heavenly message to liberate the world? Or is he really aiming at promoting American economic, security and political interests to the detriment of the security of the downtrodden nations, by his preemptive wars that destroy the lands and their peoples…
The rationale of the current administration is to make the world dominated by a sole power; that of the American empire. What kind of democracy and human right in the US building? Could democracy mean the interference of military power in the life of the nations, and crash them by means of tanks in the name of freedom?
The Americans took a unilateral decision to enter Iraq under the pretense of destroying WMDs, which they now discovered that they are not there. Yet, Bush has not been able to establish security in Iraq, which suggests that what he aims at is to perpetuate his occupation in Iraq, but with the consent of the new government which is being created in a way that serves the occupation purposes…
Iraq is about to hold elections in a couple of days, but are the Iraqis free to elect those who represent them? Are the political and security conditions that create the free atmosphere that is necessary for the elections available…?
Suspicious goals
We call on the Iraqi people to be aware of all what is being plotted against them. They should keep their eyes wide open with a view that focuses on future developments especially that the road America has to cover to establish its interests is quite long. Since their goal is to turn Iraq into a major diplomatic and military base that would enable it to pressurize the states of the region, especially Syria and Iraq, with the help and coordination with Israel that is considered one of the American aircraft carrier in the region.
The region is about to enter one of the most dangerous security and political situation.
Its states and peoples should be very vigilant, for the coming developments will have a severe impact on their freedom, independence, integrity and economic development.
Lebanon and the withdrawals
Those in authority in Lebanon have forgotten every thing that has to do in its present and future, and became preoccupied with the electoral law that is supposed to serve certain sectarian and personal interests in an overview that tries to calculate how much would the opposition or those in power win. But no one is thinking about the general situation in Lebanon that is surrounded by threats from all sides.
It is Ironic that according to some parties, the Israeli withdrawal is no longer important. And it has been replaced by the Syrian withdrawal. The problem according to them is not the American intervention but the Syrian one.
We say to all: Let us all unite our stand in seeking to maintain the free Lebanese decision, the refusal of Israeli occupation, our crucial relations with Lebanon’s Arab environment, especially with the Syrians, on the basis of mutual respect and common future in the face of all the political and security earthquakes that are hitting the region.