The Religious Authority H.E. Sayyed M. H. Fadlullah delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, 29th September 2006/ 6 Ramadan 1427 H, Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer.
The First Sermon
Examining the minds and Hearts
In this Holy month, the blessed month of Ramadan, Allah wants each one of us to examine his mind which in the course of a year might have gathered some ideas of falsehood, as a result of what he reads and hears or what he is affected by from other people.
We should also examine our hearts for they might contains feelings of love to those have antagonised Allah or feelings of hatred towards those who love Allah, since our feelings might be influenced by certain psychological conditions that might make us hate or love those who we should not. Therefore, we have to review our feelings in this month to purify them of all the dirt and deviations that might have sneaked into them.
Moreover, we have also in this Holy Month to study all our sayings and actions: We might say things that do not please Allah like backbiting, lying, and cursing believers. We might also steal or usurp the rights of others, or satisfy unlawful desires and the like.
Learning from the Quran
Allah wants us in this Holy Month to act positively by benefiting from our fasting to strengthen our will power.
Thus, fasting is the means of strengthening our will power in a way that will enable us to avoid doing in all our life what Allah has prohibited. The training we do in this Month by pressurizing our instincts and desires is meant to give us a psychological immunity that would help us in leaving what Allah has prohibited in all the other months.
We should also read the Quran in a way that would allow us to understand its meanings and rulings.
The Quran is meant to enlighten our hearts and minds and to educate us with its knowledge and values so that our Islam will be an open and aware Islam that is enriched with culture and that is a result of a very strong belief.
Insisting on reciting the Quran in the Month of Ramadan or other months is meant to make every Muslim learn Islam through the Quran, since it is, as Allah says, a "light" from Him that illuminates the mind and the heart. The Messenger(p.) advised us in his speech at the beginning of the month to ask Allah to bless us by observing fast in this Month and reciting the Holy Quran, since if you do not acquire the spiritual lessons that fasting and reciting the Quran provide you will be very unfortunate in this life and in the Hereafter. Verily the person, who may not receive the mercy and benevolence of Allah in this month must be very very unfortunate having the end as bad (in the Hereafter).
Then, the Messenger(p.) talks about the feeling of hunger and thirst. He asks the people not to indulge in their subjective issues, but to think about the Day of Judgement; that long day in which the people will feel hunger and thirst in a way they never expired. While fasting, remember the hunger and thirst of tomorrow in Qiyamat.
Social Consolidation
Then the Prophet moves to social issues: To feel that there are poor people who might not afford to eat the foods you do and that there are some needy persons who can not afford the necessities of decent living.. . Give alms to the poor and the needy,
The Messenger(p.) deals with another social problem: that of the relations between generations. God wants the younger generation to respect the elderly. They should know that they have preceded them to Islam and that they have more experience than the young. As for the elderly they should have mercy on the young, understand that they still lack experience and should therefore be advised .Pay respects to your elders. Have pity on you young.
The Prophet wants the relatives to be kind to one another regardless of the position of this other, i.e. whether he visits you and cares about you or not, “and be kind towards your relatives and kinsmen”.
This is an important Islamic virtue which Allah has promised those who adopt to bestow on them His Mercy love and blessings.
Guard your tongues: your tongue should fast on all what is prohibited or ever, just as you fast on food.
Guard your tongues against unworthy words, and your eyes from such scenes that are not worth seeing (forbidden) and your ears from such sounds that should not be heard by you.
As for the orphans, they are God's trust in every society which should be responsible to provide for their living and education .Fear Allah in matters concerning orphans. Attend to their nutrition and do not forget their interests in the middle of your own.
Imam Ali says in a tone that resembles a call for help: Be kind to orphans so that when your children become orphans they also be treated with kindness.
Repentance
The Prophet asks us to remember in this month all our past sins to repent from And He answers those who believe and do good deeds, and gives them more out of His grace; and (as for) the unbelievers, they shall have a severe punishment. God also says: Surely Allah loves those who turn much (to Him).Repentance is the feeling of remorse towards past sins, accompanied by a will of not repeating them in the future.
Do invoke that Allah may forgive your sins. Do raise your hands at the time of Prayers, as it is the best time for asking His mercy.
When we invoke at such times, we are answered by Him, when we call Him, He responds, and when we ask for anything it is accepted by Him. Thus, these are the best hours that Allah will have in Mercy on His servants and accept their repentance. Such a repentance will free your soul and purify your heart. O' People! you have made your conscience the slave of your desires, make it free by invoking Him for forgiveness... Your back is breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate before Him for long intervals and make it lighter.
The Prophet also asks us to elongate our prostration since it will make us feel our deep feeling of being Cod’s servants as well as being close to Him. And perform 'sajda' (prostration) and will guard their bodies against the Fire of Hell, on the Day of Judgment. Do understand it fully well that Allah has promised in the name of His Majesty and Honor that He will not take to task such people who offer Prayers in this month,
what prize is greater than this.
The Second Sermon
Appropriating the Palestinian Cause.
The International game led by the US is still appropriating the Palestinian cause to serve the Israeli interests.
It is demonstrated in applying a stalling plan that puts its stake on taking over the land by building entitlements and the separating racial wall, as well as trying to incite internal Palestinian strife by talking about a meeting with the head of the Palestinian Authority which will lead no positive results, as if it is some kind of charity, that the enemy's government is giving the Palestinian Authority.
Meanwhile, the Americans continue their deceit by demanding impossible demands that will lead to no solutions, since their demands are concerned with the security aspect that incite internal strife and not the political level that might lead to solutions. In the Meantime, the whole situation remains in the midst of the international mazes through the Road Map that is frozen. The international Committee is unwilling to find a solution since the American – Israeli pressure is forcing the cause to remain within the circle of its strategic interests that does not intersect with that of the Palestinians.
Arab lagging to support their Cause
Thus, we saw how the Arab states were isolated and forbidden to acquire any demands that might solve Arab – Israeli struggle. This is why the world has witnessed the Arab failure in discussing this issue in the Security Council whose members did not care to look into Arab league demands, although the League had announced the fall of its initiative by a knockout, hit by the Israeli- American maneuvers that deal with the Arab world as a defeated world, until some in this world became to look at itself in the same way.
America and Iran
America has been able to convince most Arab states that Israel is neither the problem nor the enemy and that the Palestinians, especially the Intifada factions, represent a terror state that endangers both Arabs and Israel.
That is why the American Administration feels that its duty is to coordinate with the Israeli state against them. This is demonstrated every now and then by the threats of some Arab security officials of an Israeli invasion of Gaza if Hamas does not release the Israeli prisoners instead of pressurizing Israel to release the Palestinian prisoners, especially the deputies and the ministers.
America wants the Arabs to forget the Israeli danger and ignore the Palestinian cause, and replace that with getting ready to face what it calls the Iranian threat. Iran posses a problem for America, since it opposes that American policies in the region, especially its occupation to Iraq which turned into a courtyard for daily massacres of Iraqi civilians, and its rejection of the Jewish occupation of Palestine and supporting the Palestinian struggle against it as well as supporting the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.
America is trying to dominate over the entire region whether economically or politically, which means that all peoples of the region should oppose this hegemony with all available means to maintain their freedom and interests. No matter how strong the arrogance power may be the conscious peoples are able to thwart their strategy and undermine their interests if they are able to unite their moves and future plans.
Lebanese Shiites and Nationalism
In Lebanon, we are faced by the statements of the American secretary of State that try to incite sectarian instincts, by suggesting that America supports one Lebanese party against the others, and that there are internal divisions in the Shiite sects, with one party standing with the Americans and Israelis against the Resistance and the other is committed to continue the Resistance against the occupier.
Such statements aim at destabilizing Lebanon by means of the constructive chaos that President Bush talked about although everybody knows that the Shiite Muslims represent the political unity that safeguards the entire country, and that what Rice is talking about does not reach the level of an internal division.
It is a kind of a freedom of expression even for those who adopt deviation. Yet, these statements were welcomed by some of those who represent her party in Lebanon although they are but fictions imaginations.
Rice continues to threaten Iran Syria and Hamas by various sanctions and pressures, at a time the US has sunk in the Iraqi quagmire to the extent that it is actually defeated by the Resistance.
The US wanted the Israeli aggression to destroy Lebanon but failed to do so after the Resistance succeeded in defeating it. Thus the US is now stumbling and its statements show a lot contusion, since the results of the defeat have failed several American and Israeli goals despite all the talk about tragedy that the aggression made. Such talks try to undermine the Resistance victory which shocked some of the people who do not appreciate such values as freedom and dignity and the need to sacrifice to secure them.
We urge all Lebanese to face the current difficult situation by believing in the future of Lebanon that is capable of defending the country's land and people. The homeland possesses all the elements of force to achieve this goal and does not need to beg for the protection of others. Borrowed security cannot build the country's freedom and dignity. It will, by definition, follow the interests of the country that lends it.
I call on the Lebanese people of all sects not to surrender to any kind of sectarian strife that some resort to, to promote their political interests, for religion is for all people, not for a certain party or leader. We all have to rise to the level of citizenship that unites all of us.
The Religious Authority H.E. Sayyed M. H. Fadlullah delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, 29th September 2006/ 6 Ramadan 1427 H, Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer.
The First Sermon
Examining the minds and Hearts
In this Holy month, the blessed month of Ramadan, Allah wants each one of us to examine his mind which in the course of a year might have gathered some ideas of falsehood, as a result of what he reads and hears or what he is affected by from other people.
We should also examine our hearts for they might contains feelings of love to those have antagonised Allah or feelings of hatred towards those who love Allah, since our feelings might be influenced by certain psychological conditions that might make us hate or love those who we should not. Therefore, we have to review our feelings in this month to purify them of all the dirt and deviations that might have sneaked into them.
Moreover, we have also in this Holy Month to study all our sayings and actions: We might say things that do not please Allah like backbiting, lying, and cursing believers. We might also steal or usurp the rights of others, or satisfy unlawful desires and the like.
Learning from the Quran
Allah wants us in this Holy Month to act positively by benefiting from our fasting to strengthen our will power.
Thus, fasting is the means of strengthening our will power in a way that will enable us to avoid doing in all our life what Allah has prohibited. The training we do in this Month by pressurizing our instincts and desires is meant to give us a psychological immunity that would help us in leaving what Allah has prohibited in all the other months.
We should also read the Quran in a way that would allow us to understand its meanings and rulings.
The Quran is meant to enlighten our hearts and minds and to educate us with its knowledge and values so that our Islam will be an open and aware Islam that is enriched with culture and that is a result of a very strong belief.
Insisting on reciting the Quran in the Month of Ramadan or other months is meant to make every Muslim learn Islam through the Quran, since it is, as Allah says, a "light" from Him that illuminates the mind and the heart. The Messenger(p.) advised us in his speech at the beginning of the month to ask Allah to bless us by observing fast in this Month and reciting the Holy Quran, since if you do not acquire the spiritual lessons that fasting and reciting the Quran provide you will be very unfortunate in this life and in the Hereafter. Verily the person, who may not receive the mercy and benevolence of Allah in this month must be very very unfortunate having the end as bad (in the Hereafter).
Then, the Messenger(p.) talks about the feeling of hunger and thirst. He asks the people not to indulge in their subjective issues, but to think about the Day of Judgement; that long day in which the people will feel hunger and thirst in a way they never expired. While fasting, remember the hunger and thirst of tomorrow in Qiyamat.
Social Consolidation
Then the Prophet moves to social issues: To feel that there are poor people who might not afford to eat the foods you do and that there are some needy persons who can not afford the necessities of decent living.. . Give alms to the poor and the needy,
The Messenger(p.) deals with another social problem: that of the relations between generations. God wants the younger generation to respect the elderly. They should know that they have preceded them to Islam and that they have more experience than the young. As for the elderly they should have mercy on the young, understand that they still lack experience and should therefore be advised .Pay respects to your elders. Have pity on you young.
The Prophet wants the relatives to be kind to one another regardless of the position of this other, i.e. whether he visits you and cares about you or not, “and be kind towards your relatives and kinsmen”.
This is an important Islamic virtue which Allah has promised those who adopt to bestow on them His Mercy love and blessings.
Guard your tongues: your tongue should fast on all what is prohibited or ever, just as you fast on food.
Guard your tongues against unworthy words, and your eyes from such scenes that are not worth seeing (forbidden) and your ears from such sounds that should not be heard by you.
As for the orphans, they are God's trust in every society which should be responsible to provide for their living and education .Fear Allah in matters concerning orphans. Attend to their nutrition and do not forget their interests in the middle of your own.
Imam Ali says in a tone that resembles a call for help: Be kind to orphans so that when your children become orphans they also be treated with kindness.
Repentance
The Prophet asks us to remember in this month all our past sins to repent from And He answers those who believe and do good deeds, and gives them more out of His grace; and (as for) the unbelievers, they shall have a severe punishment. God also says: Surely Allah loves those who turn much (to Him).Repentance is the feeling of remorse towards past sins, accompanied by a will of not repeating them in the future.
Do invoke that Allah may forgive your sins. Do raise your hands at the time of Prayers, as it is the best time for asking His mercy.
When we invoke at such times, we are answered by Him, when we call Him, He responds, and when we ask for anything it is accepted by Him. Thus, these are the best hours that Allah will have in Mercy on His servants and accept their repentance. Such a repentance will free your soul and purify your heart. O' People! you have made your conscience the slave of your desires, make it free by invoking Him for forgiveness... Your back is breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate before Him for long intervals and make it lighter.
The Prophet also asks us to elongate our prostration since it will make us feel our deep feeling of being Cod’s servants as well as being close to Him. And perform 'sajda' (prostration) and will guard their bodies against the Fire of Hell, on the Day of Judgment. Do understand it fully well that Allah has promised in the name of His Majesty and Honor that He will not take to task such people who offer Prayers in this month,
what prize is greater than this.
The Second Sermon
Appropriating the Palestinian Cause.
The International game led by the US is still appropriating the Palestinian cause to serve the Israeli interests.
It is demonstrated in applying a stalling plan that puts its stake on taking over the land by building entitlements and the separating racial wall, as well as trying to incite internal Palestinian strife by talking about a meeting with the head of the Palestinian Authority which will lead no positive results, as if it is some kind of charity, that the enemy's government is giving the Palestinian Authority.
Meanwhile, the Americans continue their deceit by demanding impossible demands that will lead to no solutions, since their demands are concerned with the security aspect that incite internal strife and not the political level that might lead to solutions. In the Meantime, the whole situation remains in the midst of the international mazes through the Road Map that is frozen. The international Committee is unwilling to find a solution since the American – Israeli pressure is forcing the cause to remain within the circle of its strategic interests that does not intersect with that of the Palestinians.
Arab lagging to support their Cause
Thus, we saw how the Arab states were isolated and forbidden to acquire any demands that might solve Arab – Israeli struggle. This is why the world has witnessed the Arab failure in discussing this issue in the Security Council whose members did not care to look into Arab league demands, although the League had announced the fall of its initiative by a knockout, hit by the Israeli- American maneuvers that deal with the Arab world as a defeated world, until some in this world became to look at itself in the same way.
America and Iran
America has been able to convince most Arab states that Israel is neither the problem nor the enemy and that the Palestinians, especially the Intifada factions, represent a terror state that endangers both Arabs and Israel.
That is why the American Administration feels that its duty is to coordinate with the Israeli state against them. This is demonstrated every now and then by the threats of some Arab security officials of an Israeli invasion of Gaza if Hamas does not release the Israeli prisoners instead of pressurizing Israel to release the Palestinian prisoners, especially the deputies and the ministers.
America wants the Arabs to forget the Israeli danger and ignore the Palestinian cause, and replace that with getting ready to face what it calls the Iranian threat. Iran posses a problem for America, since it opposes that American policies in the region, especially its occupation to Iraq which turned into a courtyard for daily massacres of Iraqi civilians, and its rejection of the Jewish occupation of Palestine and supporting the Palestinian struggle against it as well as supporting the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.
America is trying to dominate over the entire region whether economically or politically, which means that all peoples of the region should oppose this hegemony with all available means to maintain their freedom and interests. No matter how strong the arrogance power may be the conscious peoples are able to thwart their strategy and undermine their interests if they are able to unite their moves and future plans.
Lebanese Shiites and Nationalism
In Lebanon, we are faced by the statements of the American secretary of State that try to incite sectarian instincts, by suggesting that America supports one Lebanese party against the others, and that there are internal divisions in the Shiite sects, with one party standing with the Americans and Israelis against the Resistance and the other is committed to continue the Resistance against the occupier.
Such statements aim at destabilizing Lebanon by means of the constructive chaos that President Bush talked about although everybody knows that the Shiite Muslims represent the political unity that safeguards the entire country, and that what Rice is talking about does not reach the level of an internal division.
It is a kind of a freedom of expression even for those who adopt deviation. Yet, these statements were welcomed by some of those who represent her party in Lebanon although they are but fictions imaginations.
Rice continues to threaten Iran Syria and Hamas by various sanctions and pressures, at a time the US has sunk in the Iraqi quagmire to the extent that it is actually defeated by the Resistance.
The US wanted the Israeli aggression to destroy Lebanon but failed to do so after the Resistance succeeded in defeating it. Thus the US is now stumbling and its statements show a lot contusion, since the results of the defeat have failed several American and Israeli goals despite all the talk about tragedy that the aggression made. Such talks try to undermine the Resistance victory which shocked some of the people who do not appreciate such values as freedom and dignity and the need to sacrifice to secure them.
We urge all Lebanese to face the current difficult situation by believing in the future of Lebanon that is capable of defending the country's land and people. The homeland possesses all the elements of force to achieve this goal and does not need to beg for the protection of others. Borrowed security cannot build the country's freedom and dignity. It will, by definition, follow the interests of the country that lends it.
I call on the Lebanese people of all sects not to surrender to any kind of sectarian strife that some resort to, to promote their political interests, for religion is for all people, not for a certain party or leader. We all have to rise to the level of citizenship that unites all of us.