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 Dhu al-Hijjah 10, 1427 AH / December 01, 2006, 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
Fairness: The Path to Allah's Mercy
Fairness and Sublime Morals
How does Islam establish the basis for humane interaction among people in a way that draws them closer to Allah, wins His pleasure, and earns them a place in Heaven? Several traditions of the Prophet and the Imams of Ahl el-Beit address these issues, explaining how to deal with close relatives and the broader community.
Imam Zein Al-Abidien (a.s.) relates a saying by the Prophet in his final sermon. It was as if the Prophet concluded this speech with these words so they would be remembered. He (p.) says: "Blessed is he who has good manners" – the word "blessed" could mean a place in Heaven or a high station near Allah.
But who are the blessed ones? They are those who apply good morals in their social life. They are the honest—truthful and trustworthy—who open themselves to the grief of others to share in it and let happiness enter their hearts—a pure soul, free from all vices and psychological illnesses—one who holds good intentions toward all fellow beings, filled with love and concern for others’ well-being. Such intentions leave no room for hatred, malice, deceit, or wrongdoing… he who spends on others from his surplus wealth—he spends all that he does not need for his sustenance and pays all due alms, taxes, khums, and the like—he who refrains from unnecessary speech, lies, backbiting, falsehood, and similar faults. Lastly, the Prophet considered blessed the man who is fair toward others, holding himself accountable in a way that leaves no need for others to demand their rights.
Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) says: "The best deeds are three. They are the three deeds that are the best in the moral system Allah wants us to follow: to treat people fairly so that you wish for them what you wish for yourself—what do you wish? You wish for people to respect you, give you your rights, and not offend you. This is what you should commit to in dealing with others… to support your brother with wealth. To give your brother the wealth you do not need when he is in need of it." (In some other traditions: "the wealth you do need.") "The third deed is the remembrance of Allah in all situations, so that whatever you are about to do, Allah is there with you, preventing you from wrongdoing and guiding you to what is best." Imam Ali (a.s.) says that remembering Allah is not only saying "Subhanallah" or "La ilaha illallah." To remember Allah is to follow His commands and abide by His prohibitions. Allah should be present within you; when you fulfill your religious duties, you remember Allah and thus perform what He ordered. And if you are about to commit a prohibited act, you remember His wrath and refrain from it.
Establishing a Humanistic Concept
Imam Ali (a.s.) says: "Whoever is fair to others, Allah will elevate his honor." Opening up to others, trying to help them, and seeking to preserve their dignity will make you more dignified. Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) says: "Three are closest to Allah on the Day of Judgment: a man whose rage did not lead him to wrong those weaker than him—like a husband toward his wife and children, or an employer toward his employees—a man who is absolutely just when judging between two partners, and a man who always speaks the truth even when it is against himself."
Worshipping Allah Through Justice
Once a Bedouin asked the Messenger (p.) to teach him something that would enter him into Heaven. The Prophet said: "Do unto people as you would have them do unto you, and abstain from doing what you hate them to do to you." Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said that Allah revealed to Adam: "I will gather all good in four words: one is for Me, one is for you, one is between you and Me, and one is between people and you. The word that is for Me is that you worship only Me without associating partners with Me or obeying others. The word that is for you is that I will reward you in your most critical need (the Day of Judgment). The word that is between you and Me is that you should supplicate, and I will answer. The word that is between people and you is that you should accept for others what you accept for yourself and hate for them what you hate for yourself."
Imam Baqir (a.s.) quotes the Messenger as saying: "The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: 'Whoever has three qualities, or one of them, will be in the shade of the Throne of Allah, the Great and Almighty, on the Day of Judgment—the day when there will be no shade except His shade. (These qualities are): He treats people with justice. He does nothing until he knows whether his deed pleases or angers Allah. He finds no fault with his Muslim brother until he frees himself from that fault, for when he frees himself from one fault, he finds another. It is enough for a person that his own soul distracts him from people.'"
This is the path of Islam, and this is what the Prophet (P.) and the Imams (a.s.) have guided us to. We should strive to adopt this Islamic moral and humanistic course so that we may draw closer to Allah and to people, and thus earn Allah's love.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
American Stumbling
To contain the major failure of its policies in the region, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US Administration sent its vice president to Saudi Arabia in an effort to form an alliance of so-called "moderate" states. This alliance would provide political cover for a potential American or perhaps Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, which Washington views as a threat to its current hegemony over the Gulf region, which holds a third of the world's oil reserves.
President Bush, during his trip, also asserted the need for American troops to remain in Iraq until the "strategic mission" of achieving victory and preserving American interests in the region is accomplished. He repeatedly pointed to Syrian and Iranian roles in complicating his occupation of Iraq by inciting violence. In Jordan, he sought a solution to his impasse in Iraq, first with the Jordanian king and then with the Iraqi prime minister, by trying to devise a way to confront Al-Qaeda, which has plunged Iraq into a sea of sectarian blood.
At the same time, the American Administration pressures Iran through its influence in the Security Council and EU states to impose sanctions if Iran does not halt nuclear enrichment. It also continues to pressure Syria, besieging it politically and economically and isolating it on the international stage.
The Americans have failed across the entire region, including Afghanistan, despite NATO's deployment of troops there. Nevertheless, the Afghan problem remains unsolved and has become intertwined with Pakistan's instability, which also lacks a solution ensuring peace and stability.
Constructive Chaos is Behind the Violence
We believe President Bush will not succeed in his efforts because he is not dealing realistically with the critical political and security situation in the region, which leaves it in a volatile state. If the American President claims that "extremists" are behind the violence in Lebanon, we believe the reports from his envoys, especially from his embassy in Lebanon, are not giving him an accurate picture. He is viewing only one side of the story, based on the perspectives of those who follow his policies, and not all the Lebanese who still remember the Israeli aggression in which America participated through its arms and cluster bombs that destroyed Lebanon's infrastructure. They feel America is more an enemy than a friend, and that the violence it foresees is a product of its policy of "constructive chaos," planned by top officials, not by those protecting Lebanon's freedom and integrity and rejecting American tutelage.
America Authorizes Israel to Kill Palestinians
On another level, the American President has authorized Israel to do as it pleases in Palestine, giving it complete freedom to kill and bomb Palestinians. He considers Palestinian self-defense as terrorism, denying them the right to liberation. Although he occasionally speaks of a two-state solution or the Road Map, he is merely buying time while Zionist policies of building the separation wall, establishing new settlements, and displacing Palestinians are executed.
It is the same deceitful stance he has maintained since taking office, relying on full support from both Democrats and Republicans. He is also certain that some Muslim countries support these policies, as well as EU states that may seek a solution to the conflict but lack the power to impose it.
Occupation is the Cause of the Iraqi Tragedy
As a result of this political and security confusion created by this failing administration and this faltering president, Iraq continues to suffer from occupation policies that have spawned chaos across the country. It is regrettable that Iraqi politicians remain preoccupied with sectarian complications and power-sharing, leaving little hope for peace or a realistic solution.
Moreover, everyone knows that prolonging the occupation is the root cause of the tragedy across the region. It will lead to America's downfall in a political and security quagmire. This is what we urge the Iraqis to work toward, so they may decide their own destiny.
As we face these strong winds in the region, we call on our Muslim and Arab peoples to recognize the critical nature of the current stage and its challenges. They must unify their positions, avoiding strife or civil war that some of America's followers are anticipating. They should stand against American plots of political, security, and economic subversion to secure a future of victory for the entire nation.
We urge the Palestinians to be aware of the American-Israeli conspiracy against their future, which exploits political differences and sabotages the national unity government. If they do not plan for the future, the temple will collapse upon all of them. No regional or international axis will help, for all they consider are Israeli interests.
How to Save Lebanon
The Lebanese have lost the unity of position that once united them and their state, turning into conflicting groups due to sectarian and partisan incitement and accusatory speeches branding others as traitors. As a result, the country has lost its reason, and base instincts have begun to dominate. Meanwhile, certain religious scholars, who are supposed to be spiritual guides, have turned to supporting this or that leader, resorting to deceitful calls for people to follow them.
We believe the current crisis could lead to multiple political, security, and economic whirlpools, especially as some leaders have failed to express their positions in a civil manner. We say to the officials: The country and its people will not be saved by aligning with a regional or international axis. Each axis seeks to promote its own interests by exploiting Lebanon's complications, which have opened the door for all who wish to dominate the country—particularly as there is an American-Israeli plan to use the Lebanese front to further complicate the region's crisis and draw several Lebanese political parties under the influence of dangerous foreign directives.