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 Safar 29, 1429 AH / March 07, 2008, 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
The Prophet of Mercy: The Light of Minds and Lives
The Mortal Prophet
Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: "And Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful." Surah Al 'Imran (03:144)
He also says, addressing His Messenger: "Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die." Surah Az-Zumar (39:30) And: "And We did not grant to any man before you eternity [on earth]; so if you die - would they be eternal?" Surah Al-Anbiya (21:34).
On the 28th of this month of Safar, we commemorate the passing of the Prophet (p.) who lived all his life as a warner, a bringer of glad tidings, and a Messenger (p.) for mankind. He suffered all his life for the sake of the message to the extent that he said, "No prophet was hurt as much as I was."
The first verse ("Muhammad is not but a messenger...") was revealed during the battle of Uhud, when Muhammad (p.) was wounded, and someone said: Muhammad has been killed. Let us go to Abu Sufyan to reconcile with him and join his ranks. But another voice said: If Muhammad (p.) is dead, his Lord is not. Let us live for what he lived for and die for what he died for.
This verse affirms that Allah did not make the Prophet (p.) immortal. He (p.) is a human being like all others who will live for a certain period and then die. He would get sick and be hurt like any other, but he conveyed the revelation: "Say, 'I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.'" Surah Al-Kahf (18:110).
He was the light that enlightened minds with the Message, filled lives with the Shariah, and opened the hearts of the people to Allah.
He suffered in Makkah, before the emigration and after it, when Quraysh forced him into war and tried to end Islam by allying with the Jews. This is what we read in Surat al-Ahzab: "When they came at you from above you and from below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats and you assumed about Allah [various] assumptions. There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking. And [remember] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was disease said, 'Allah and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion.'" Surah Al-Ahzab (33:10-12). But Allah decreed that victory should be on the Muslims' side.
Allah also says: "And Allah repelled those who disbelieved, in their rage, not having obtained any good. And sufficient was Allah for the believers in battle..." Surah Al-Ahzab (33:25). This verse was interpreted to refer to Imam Ali (a.s.) in the battle of al-Ahzab. When 'Amr bin 'Abd Wudd challenged the Muslims to fight him, the Prophet (p.) asked: "Who will fight 'Amr? I guarantee that Allah will admit him to Paradise." He repeated the question three times, and each time only Ali (a.s.) said, "I will." Deciding reluctantly to send him, the Prophet (p.) then recited this prayer aloud: "My Lord, do not leave me alone, and You are the best of inheritors."
And when Ali (a.s.) went out to fight 'Amr, the Messenger (p.) said: "The entirety of faith has gone forth to fight the entirety of disbelief."
And when Ali (a.s.) killed him, the Messenger (p.) said: "The strike of Ali ibn Abi Talib on the Day of the Trench is superior to the worship of all humans and jinn."
Thus, Allah wanted in this verse to emphasize that the Messenger dies, but the Message remains, and that they have to shoulder the responsibility of believing in the Message, practicing its Shariah, and calling others to believe in it.
The Good Deeds
During his last days, the Messenger (p.) was very sick. He went to the mosque with a band on his head, helped by Imam Ali (a.s.), who held his right hand, and al-Fadl ibn al-'Abbas, who held his left. He then made a speech in which he told the people he was about to die and asked them to claim their trusts or debts, if there were any. Then he said: "O People, there is nothing between anyone and Allah that would cause Him to bestow His grace or keep evil away, except one's own actions." Meaning that there are no special advantages for anyone; no lineage or social and economic position will bring one nearer to Allah. Such a statement, when the Messenger is the one saying it, means everyone without exception— "No one should claim or wish so, for by Him who sent me as a prophet with truth, nothing saves except deeds accompanied by mercy. You should act in doing good and ask Allah to forgive your sins. If I were to sin, I would have fallen. O Allah, have I conveyed?"
It is as if the Prophet were repeating two verses in the Holy Quran: "It will not be in accordance with your desires or the desires of the People of the Scripture. Whoever does a wrong will be recompensed for it, and he will not find besides Allah any protector or helper." Surah An-Nisa (04:123)
The lesson the Messenger wanted to give the Muslims was that they have to rely on their relationship with Allah and draw nearer to Him through good deeds.
The Messenger then led the people in prayer and went to his house. Before he died, he told one of his companions (Abu Muwayhibah) that he was ordered to seek forgiveness for the inhabitants of al-Baqi'. Then he went to al-Baqi', asked for forgiveness for its people, and said that a time of strife would come, growing darker and darker in its evil.
The Recommendation
During the Farewell Pilgrimage, after emphasizing the need to advise Muslims and support them, he asked those who heard his sermon to convey it to those who did not. Among his advice in this sermon was the following:
"O People, just as you regard this month, this day, and this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one, so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. Know that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not become after me unbelievers who kill one another. I leave behind me two things: the Quran and my progeny. They shall not separate from each other until they meet me at the Pond. If you adhere to them, you will never go astray. All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab; a white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white, except by piety and good action. Know that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves."
In his sickness, he was attended by his uncle al-'Abbas and his aunt Safiyyah. To them and to all the people close to him, he had this advice: "O Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib! You should act in such a way that Allah may not punish you, and you should know that I cannot help you in the matter. O Banu Murrah ibn Ka'b! O Banu Hashim! O Banu 'Abd Shams! Deliver yourselves from the punishment for polytheism by worshipping Allah alone, for I cannot do anything for you in this regard. O 'Abbas, (uncle of the Prophet)! You too should free yourself from Divine punishment. O Safiyyah, (aunt of Muhammad)! You too should think of your freedom and deliverance, for I cannot do anything for you. Neither your profit in this world nor your share in the Hereafter is in my hands. So you must believe in Allah and say: 'There is no deity but Allah.' O Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad! You must also endeavor to save yourself from Divine punishment, because your father cannot help you in the matter and has no control over your gain and loss." The Messenger (p.) wanted to tell all the people that what connects them to Allah is not their wealth or lineage, but rather their actions.
In this last pilgrimage, the Prophet wanted the people to know who the leader was after him, the one they should support and obey. He stood at Ghadir Khum on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah, took the hand of Imam Ali, and raised it, saying: "Do I not have more right over the believers than they have over themselves?"
People cried and answered: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
He then said: "For whoever I am his master (mawla), 'Ali is his master. O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him, be hostile to whoever is hostile to him, support whoever supports him, and forsake whoever forsakes him."
But things changed, and the Imam was denied his right. Yet, since he was concerned about the affairs of Muslims, he kept the peace as long as the affairs of Muslims were secure. When the Prophet died, Imam Ali washed him, and then he went with the Muslims to pray over him. But before he died, his daughter Fatimah came to him. He kissed her and whispered some words in her ear. She wept. Then again, he whispered in her ear, and she smiled. When asked about it, she said she would not disclose a secret of the Messenger in his lifetime. Asked again after his death, she said: "He first told me that he would meet his Lord after a short while, so I cried. Then he said to me: 'Do not cry, for you will be the first of my household to join me.' So I smiled."
This is how the Muslims bid farewell to the Messenger, and this is how they differed after him.
Dear loved ones:
When we commemorate the Messenger, we must be committed to Islam in its entirety, for it is the Message of Allah and the trust of His Messenger.
We have to strengthen Islam in compliance with Allah's saying: "And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged." Surah Al-Anfal (08:60). Allah wanted us to be fearless of all who deploy against us: "Those to whom people said, 'Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.' But it [only] increased them in faith, and they said, 'Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.' So they returned with favor from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty. That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers." Surah Al 'Imran (03:173-175).
Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, the day he was born, the day he passed away, and the day he will be resurrected. May Allah grant us success in following his path and his traditions. And may we gain his intercession on the Day when nothing will be of any benefit except good deeds.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
America: An International Hegemony
The United States continues its endeavor to impose its hegemony over the entire world, ignoring all the rules and norms that ought to govern the movement of nations and underplaying the dangers that could involve destroying the whole world.
Since the Second World War, the United States has continued to produce nuclear and advanced weapons. Thus, the world entered an arms race, especially in nuclear arms, in which the Soviet Union, France, Britain, and other countries participated. The US was the first country to use the atomic bomb in Japan, where tens of thousands of civilian victims were killed, and it still deploys its advanced military machine to threaten those who oppose its policies.
At the same time, it is still developing its nuclear weapons. Moreover, it pressures Iran over its peaceful nuclear project, while it supports, along with France, Britain, and other countries, the Israeli nuclear arsenal—since, according to them, Israel is being threatened by its neighbors, who do not possess what the West is giving this usurping and aggressive state.
On the other hand, the West has imposed an international embargo, even at the level of the United Nations, on any country that tries to obtain the technical know-how to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes, by accusing it of planning to produce the atomic bomb without any real evidence. This is what we are witnessing with Iran, although it is cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Faced with all this, the director of the Agency has asked the major powers, especially the US and Russia, to reduce their nuclear arsenals to lessen the future danger to humanity. But his cry was in vain, since the major powers only care about maintaining their hegemony over Third World countries and promoting their strategic military and economic interests.
Although the International Atomic Energy Agency has affirmed that there is no proof Iran is planning to make the bomb, the arrogant states continue to use the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran to pressure it to stop enriching uranium.
They claim that Iran constitutes a threat to the entire world, but Iran, as everyone knows, does not pose a threat even to its neighbors, with whom it seeks to live peacefully and cooperate. The danger is from the usurping entity and from the US, which is deploying its military bases in the Middle East and elsewhere, including Europe. It also moves its fleets and aircraft carriers in the Gulf, the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea in a show of force, to threaten whom it wants to threaten and subjugate whom it wants to subjugate. It also pressures several opposing states and supports its agents and those who have yielded to its policies in the region, to create political and economic instability and a state of security chaos, in an effort to create favorable conditions to realize its plan in the Arab and Muslim region.
This is what we have seen in the American warships deployed off the Lebanese coast in an attempt to cover up America's political and security failure in pressuring the Resistance in Lebanon and Palestine, and in a show of support to the Zionist enemy in his barbaric carnages against civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, including children and infants. All this is under the slogan of Israel's right to defend itself and that the Resistance represents terror.
But civilized logic positively emphasizes the right of any nation whose lands are occupied to defend itself. Yet the US Administration does not take this humanitarian and civilized logic into consideration when it concerns Palestine. That is why it pressures the UN Security Council to equate the victim with the murderer and fights any resolution that condemns the barbaric Israeli massacres, which resemble its own massacres in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other nations, as well as its history in eradicating the Native Americans.
Palestinian Heroism Disrupts the International Equation
On this occasion, the heroic operation in Jerusalem has proven that the mujahideen in Palestine are capable of hitting the Zionists hard, despite all the Israeli complicated security measures.
This operation was a natural reaction to the barbaric Israeli violence in the Gaza Strip. It also confirms that any Israeli reaction will attract another equal reaction.
Unfortunately, Western countries and others, including even the Palestinian Authority, voiced their condemnation of this operation, especially the American President, who described it as a "terrorist action," while all these arrogant powers consider the Zionist massacres against children, infants, women, and the elderly an act of self-defense.
Besieging the Arab Initiative
The United States, which considers itself a worldwide empire and the strongest nation, has become a danger that threatens the entire world, including its allies and friends in the West. Therefore, all nations must stand firmly to defend their freedom against this barbaric state that does not believe in human principles, does not respect international law, nor does it care about the welfare of nations. It has become a racist state that only looks for an opportunity for a war here and there.
This has made many weak persons yield to its strength, fearing they will lose their official positions, acting against the will of their peoples and turning their countries into big prisons for the free.
It is regrettable that most Arabs are still betting on the Arab Peace Initiative, which Israel has crushed underfoot and did not respect any of its points. It has left it to the American Administration to preoccupy the Arabs with what it calls the states of moderation and extremism and all that consuming talk about a viable Palestinian state, which was only a means to mark time for Israel to benefit from, pursuing its goal of Judaizing Jerusalem, building settlements, and exploiting the internal Palestinian division to strengthen the blockade and continue killing civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
We are used to the fact that Arab summits or the meetings of their foreign ministers do not come with any effective stands or resolutions that could save the Palestinians from the brutality of Israel, the ally of some Arab countries.
At the same time, we hear some Arab statements that suggest they will not attend the summit due to some complication regarding its place.
The American Warships: A Means of Threat
As for the Arab initiative to resolve the Lebanese crisis, some Arabs have taken part in the internal debate, supporting one Lebanese party against another.
This, in addition to what the American media has reported about American-Arab consultation before sending the warship to the Lebanese coast—which suggests a return to the Arabs' traditional way of threatening one another by Israel, America, and France—suggests that the Arabs are divided and that there is no Arab world.
The Arabs have fallen since the Madrid Conference when Israel—supported by America—refused to negotiate with the Arabs as one party, since it aimed, and still does, to play one Arab party against another, exploiting Arab weakness and division.
Lastly, we call on the Lebanese people not to be afraid of the American warship. We call on them to remain steadfast, strong, and believing in Allah and His ability to support His servants against those who want Lebanon to remain in a state of political or security instability, to be drowned in sectarian and political differences, and to remain attracted to those who care only for their personal advantages and not for the people and the homeland.