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-Awwal 7, 1427 AH / May 5, 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
Forgiveness: A Pillar of Islamic Ethics
The Virtue of Forgiveness
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation - his reward is [due] from Allah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers." Surat ash-Shura (42:40)
He also says: "And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous. Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good." Surat Al ‘Imran (3:133-134)
Thus, there are several verses that deal with this aspect of people's life, especially with their relations with one another. When someone hurts another or violates his rights or even commits an aggression against him, he not only hurts their relationship but also affects the stability of the society. Thus Allah wanted to solve this issue by two means. The first is to give the man who was transgressed against the right to transgress back but in an equal way. This is the legal right to retain one's dignity, and that is why the Holy verse says: "And if you punish [an enemy, O believers], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed." Surat an-Nahl (16:126)
You have the right to transgress back but it should be equal, because when you transgress more you would be wronging the other, thus deviating from the line of justice.
The second way is forgiveness and tolerance. One would forego his rights and would not retaliate, but would rather do good to those who hurt him. This method, that of foregoing personal rights for the sake of positive reactions and peace, is the method that Allah wants man to adopt. That is why we read in the Quran: "But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation - his reward is [due] from Allah." Surat ash-Shura (42:40)
Allah is saying to you: if you forgive those who hurt you, then Allah will reward you with a limitless reward, especially because such an action requires patience: "Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account." Surat az-Zumar (39:10)
In this respect, the Messenger (p.) says: "Should I tell you of the best virtue in this life and in the Hereafter? It is to forgive those who wrong you, visit those who boycott you, to be charitable with those who hurt you and to give those who denied you."
This prophetic saying suggests that the morals Islam calls for are not a matter of trade: to give you because you have given me. This is in no way sublime manners. It is rather more like a trade deal. But if you forgive those who wrong you and react to those who offended you by being good to them, then your manners are sublime and you are greater than those who fall under the influence of negative reaction.
The Messenger (p.) also says: "When Allah's servants are summoned, someone will call: 'Let those whose reward is due from Allah enter Paradise.' When asked who are those, he said: those who forgive."
They also said: "Forgive one another, for this ends any bad feelings among you," since forgiving emanates from a pure and good spirit.
If we pray to Allah to forgive our sins, we ought to forgive one another. The du'a of al-Thimali states: "O my Lord! You have revealed in Your (holy) book for us to forgive those who committed injustice toward us, and we have committed injustice (by sinning) toward ourselves so pardon our conduct, for You are more worthy of pardoning than we are."
The Messenger says: "I saw the night I was taken in my night journey some places that overlook paradise. I asked Gabriel: whom are these for and he said: They are for those who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men; for Allah loves those who do good."
He also says: "Whoever forgives when capable (of punishing), Allah will forgive him." Imam al-Hussein said: "The most forgiving among people are those who forgive when they are capable (of punishing)." Imam Ali says: "If you have the power to punish your enemy, then make your forgiveness to him a way of thanking for that power."
Yet there are those whom if you forgive they will become more aggressive and wrong others. Imam Zain al-Abideen says: "The right of those who offend you is to forgive them but if you see that forgiving harms them you should take your rights." Thus you should study each case to see if forgiving does good or aggravates the evil. Imam Ali says: "Reward the good deeds and forgo bad ones, unless they hurt the religion or weaken the power of Islam."
He also said when he was stabbed by Ibn Muljam: "If I stay (alive) then I have the right to decide what to do… And if I forgive then this will get me closer to Allah and this is a good deed to do. Therefore, forgive, do you not like to be forgiven by Allah?"
Imam Ali says to Malik al-Ashtar, and through him to all those who yield power in the society: "Do not behave like a ferocious beast toward them, snatching away their sustenance, for the people are of two categories: they are your brothers in religion and/or your fellow human beings." "Let good works be your true assets. Discipline yourself, and covet not that which is not rightfully yours. Train your heart to feel compassion for the people, to love them and be kind to them."
These are the Islamic morals that Allah focused on in the Glorious Quran, and that He wanted man to live in his house, at home and in the society. Allah wants justice on the one hand and charity on the other. This is the ethic that eliminates all bad feelings in our hearts and that establishes peace and tranquillity in our souls, and in every aspect of life.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
An American War on the Arab and Muslim World
America is trying to wage a political, economic, and military war against Iran, on the pretext of accusing it of trying to produce nuclear weapons. It is coordinating with Britain and France that have yielded to the American demands to pressurize the Arab and Muslim worlds, especially Iran, Syria, and Palestine. Thus a new alliance is formed to help Israel in the pressures on the Palestinians, and its siege of the Palestinian people and its war against the Arabs and the Muslims, which turns the EU into a new axis of hostility against the Arab and Muslim worlds, having previously been rather more balanced and moderate in its relations with the region.
One of the moves America has resorted to, to implement its plan, was to submit to the Security Council a French-formulated resolution that serves the American policies and goals. The resolution interferes in the Lebanese-Syrian relations to demarcate the Lebanese-Syrian borders, including that of the Shibaa Farms, as a prelude to ending the role of the Islamic Resistance, claiming that in this way it helps in strengthening the Lebanese state, although America has not provided any help for the Lebanese Army to protect the country against Israeli aggressions. In fact, America’s only condition to provide arms is not to be used against Israel. At the same time, America provides Israel with all the aid it needs to remain the strongest force in the region, since the Zionist-American alliance targets the Arab and the Muslim worlds, represented at this stage by the American occupation that coordinates with the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as using the NATO facilities to serve the Israeli security needs…
The resolution also pressurizes Syria to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon, although this resolution, like the previous one, represents an interference in the internal affairs of the two countries.
The second resolution is related to Iran and its project to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. It is in essence an Israeli resolution, even if it was submitted by the US, Britain, and France. It aims at weakening any state in the region that seeks to acquire a force that enables it to protect its independence and vital interests, thus allowing the Western States to continue to exploit the wealth and national resources of the downtrodden countries.
The Colonial Plan in Lebanon
The arrogant states try to use Lebanon, through certain Lebanese parties that meet with the Americans, to be hostile to Syria. They, the Lebanese parties, want to revenge, but they cover this desire by their talk about distinguished relations with Syria, while in actual fact they are playing the American game of pressurizing Syria as a bridge to pressurize the new Palestinian government and strengthen the foundation of the American occupation of Iraq, as well as besieging Iran not only in its nuclear project but also in its policies of supporting freedom and confronting arrogance.
Thus, Lebanon has become a tool to preoccupy Syria politically and even militarily if need be, while the real target is Iran, Palestine, and Iraq.
The question is: what is the interest of Lebanon in this American-Israeli-European plan? Can this small country act as a bridge for the arrogant to accomplish its project of the "Greater Middle East" and constructive anarchy, and for exploiting the region's potentials and national resources?
We warn the Lebanese of the motives of this devious plan that makes Lebanon a passage for colonialism and a virtual base for realizing its plans, despite the denial of the Lebanese government. We have constantly asserted that we are not against international aid, but we do not want it attached to thousands of strings that turn Lebanon into a pressure card against the peoples of the region… All Lebanese should study the history of the arrogant plans to understand that they only create chaos and war.
The Massacres in Iraq
In this American atmosphere of chaos, Iraq still suffers from daily massacres that kill innocent civilians and that are indirectly protected by the American occupation forces and facilitated by the Mossad operations that undermine Iraqi security by all criminal means, including inciting sectarian and racial strife and assassinating Iraqi scientists who play a significant role in advancing the Iraqi universities.
In addition, the political confusion, supervised by the American Embassy in Baghdad and the envoys who visit the country every now and then, interferes even in forming the government, so as to prevent the establishment of a national unity government that plans for the withdrawal of the occupation from Iraq.
As for Palestine, it lives in the shadow of the daily assassinations of the Mujahideen and the besieging and starving of the entire population to prevent them from establishing their free independent state. They are also pressurizing, under American, European, and Arab covers, the Palestinian democratically elected government, because it does not conform with the American-Israeli, and perhaps Arab, plan to rein in the Palestinian Authority and keep it under a political environment that does not allow an Islamic popular democratic movement to lead the process of reform and change.
Lastly, we notice that the entire region, with Lebanon in the forefront, is moving from one state of political turmoil into another, because we are not allowed to stabilize our general situation. We have to know how to stand on firm ground to study the future in a careful way that could define the dangerous threats, so that we can solve our problems through our free will that emphasizes the freedom, independence, strength, and development of our peoples… And that creates a favourable environment for a dialogue that discusses how to have a future in which every person lives his humanity, and that joins between the diverse political and cultural sects on a common basis to ensure that our nation turns out to be a unified, strong nation that has its shining place under the sun.