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 Rajab 8, 1429 AH/ July 11, 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 Power of a Good Word
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "And tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy." Surat al-Isra’ (17:53). In this verse, Allah, the Most Exalted, wants to set out the basis of relations between the Muslim and the other, whether he is a family member, a relative or a social or business acquaintance. Allah, the Most Exalted, advises the believers to use the best words that open the mind to the right, the heart to love and the relations to cooperation, integration and unity with the other, since when a word reaches the other it will have its impact on the one who receives it; if it is a good word its effect is positive, while such an effect will be negative if it is a bad word, since man's feelings and emotions are affected by words in any communication he might have with the other.
That is why one has to think about the effect of his words before saying them. Imam Ali (a.s.) says: "The tongue of the believer is behind his heart and the heart of a hypocrite is behind his tongue."
Imam Ali (a.s.) further explained that this is because the believer will think about what he is going to say. If it is good he will go ahead and say it. And if it is bad he will refrain from saying it.
As for the hypocrite, whose heart is behind his tongue, he is expected to say anything that comes up to his mind without weighing it. And when it leads to negative results, he will then go back to the mind to try to solve the problem. It is evident that in this case, the tongue is the leader and the mind works for it.
Allah, the Most Exalted, has emphasized this meaning when He said: "And tell My servants to say that which is best." Just as man chooses what he eats or drinks carefully, he has to choose in the same way the words he says, since they have a big impact on those who receive them – "Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them" – through the words – "Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy", whom we have to deal with utmost vigilance and prepare every means to protect ourselves from.
Argue with Them in the Way that is Best
In another verse, Allah, the Most Exalted, guides us to use the best method: to call in the method that makes the other inclined to be convinced by the idea the caller wants him to be convinced by, which means that you have to study the other, to choose the best words you are going to use: "Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom", which means acting in the way the situation demands, "and good instruction", using the words that open up the hearts and the minds – "and argue with them in a way that is best" – since your task is to guide them and teach them, thus you have to enter their minds to open it to yours – "Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided." Surat an-Nahl (16:125).
This also includes the dialogue between the parents and their children or between the husband and the wife. The father should not be tyrannical in his family relations, especially if the wife is educated.
Allah also says: "And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend." Surat Fussilat (41:34). Allah, the Most Exalted, is telling us that we have to win the friendship of the other by turning him from an enemy to a friend, by means of the way we run our differences. Islam also teaches us to befriend all others even if we differ with them on the political, religious, cultural and social levels. Nevertheless, we have always said to our brothers and sisters that you are always searching for new friends, but there is a friendship we should always seek to develop and strengthen its ties. It is friendship with Allah. We have to befriend Allah, talking to Him about our pains and problems, so that He would relieve us.
The Prophet's Kindness
In this context, Allah tells us about the morals of the Prophet (p.) saying: "So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]." Surat Al ‘Imran (3:159) to teach them how to deal with leadership.
In another story it is related when Aisha started to respond to a Jew who greeted the Prophet by saying "as-samu 'alaykum", meaning death on you, in the same way, he told her: "Mercy in anything confers beauty on it. Mercy removed from anything can only make it vile." He also said: "Allah rewards mercy with so much more than violence can be rewarded with."
These are the morals of Islam and the Prophet (p.) … It is the morals that make one rise to the level of being humanitarian with others. It draws people closer to one another. It also ensures cooperation between all members of society to achieve all good and to embrace piety.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Japan Summit: A Summit of Starvation
The last few days witnessed the convention of two international summits. The first was held in Japan and attended by the G8 countries, while the second was held in Malaysia and attended by the D8 Muslims (the group of eight developing Muslim countries).
The first, that was attended by the big powers and the rich countries, was marked by the G8 attempt to evade their responsibility towards the social, security and economic destruction they caused all over the world, and in the Third World and the Muslim and Arab states in particular.
Although the G8 countries are responsible for 62% of the global warming emissions, they avoided taking any practical step to stop this aggression against humanity and planet earth. They postponed the problem to the year 2050, and tried to hold the poor and developing countries responsible for the rise in the prices of food and oil, to avoid playing any role towards the crisis that is threatening the lives of hundreds of millions of the poor in this world.
The Muslim states summit set out a ten-year plan of cooperating together in the fields of investment, agriculture, energy, tourism… in an attempt to contain the offensive launched by the big powers whose only concern is to keep our countries as a consumer market for their goods and as a source of prosperity at the expense of our misery.
We notice that the world has entered into real competition to dominate the markets and the resources of the world, while our countries merely look for a way to continue to exist, faced by the barbaric aggravation of globalization… and the continuous economic, political and military attacks on our countries.
As we welcome the results of the Muslim States’ Summit, we would like this movement to be reflected in practice and act actively in the Muslim and Arab world breaking the barriers of ignorance, starvation and occupation, in a world that has become a prey for the arrogant political and economic forces that have started to consume it on all levels.
The American Offensive
We also notice that the American aggressive attack on our world has accelerated: air raids are bombing civilians daily with the American air force lately killing and wounding scores of civilians at a wedding party in Afghanistan, coupled with the clandestine American political and military penetration of Pakistan, that is putting the country on the verge of political and security collapse.
In Iraq, the picture is becoming clearer to more and more Iraqis as the Americans insist that the occupation is there to stay.
The Iraqi people of all sects and political trends began to feel how big the American threat is to the future of their children and their country, as the Americans continue to exert pressure to achieve their goals of putting their hands on the Iraqi resources and political decision.
As we welcome the recent Iraqi rejection of the occupation conditions to sign a humiliating treaty, we encourage the Iraqi government's national attempt to reject the American pressures. We believe that this rejection should be reinforced by an Iraqi national unity that aims at confronting occupation, and ultimately driving it out. This is the line that makes Iraq return to play its role in defending the nation's major issues.
In occupied Palestine, the occupation is waging a vicious campaign against the charity and civil organizations in the West Bank to strengthen its social security and food siege on the Palestinians. This campaign is similar to the siege of Gaza that continues to be imposed in one way or another… In the meantime, the occupation continues to build its separating wall, in defiance of the International Court of Justice Resolution. It wants to fragment the West Bank and prevent the possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state in the future which would allow it to continue to persecute and besiege the Palestinians amidst an Arab complete silence, western consent and a continuous cover of the International Quartet Committee.
Lebanon Needs a Solution Plan
A few remarks on what is going on in Lebanon must be stated:
Firstly: Those who are conducting the battle for the portfolios do not think about experience or qualifications, but rather the sectarian and partisan affiliations of those who are to become ministers, which means that the proposed ministers will not have the ability to run their ministries in a way that serves the general interests of the country.
Secondly: Those ministers who will enter the Cabinet do not represent national unity whether from the point of view of safeguarding the people’s general interests or defending their vital rights and issues… What we hear in their statements by which they attack one another, in addition to their loyalty to regional and international powers, and their talk about the pressures on freedom in the countries they are at odds with, while remaining silent on even more significant pressures and persecutions in the countries they agree with whether out of their own free will or out of fear… All these factors prevent the establishment of a national unity government, since it will gather all contradictions, as well as diverse sectarian and electoral interests in the same government.
Thirdly: We call some of the rich countries in the region, that talk about their concern over the future of Lebanon, and ask the Lebanese to adopt a balanced regime, and to solve their problems on their own, by means of rallying to support a strong and capable state…
We ask all these countries whose income has increased enormously as a result of the soar in oil prices, we ask them to help Lebanon to overcome its economic deficit, that is accumulating, especially with the need of more funds to provide electricity and water, as well as its debts that have reached several billions and whose interests alone are consuming all its production, whether by reducing this debt or even by cancelling it all together.
To be loyal to Lebanon is to help in getting it out of economic deficits and security problems. It is to provide the army with the heavy and advanced weapons that are able to confront the Israeli enemy at any stage.
How would the rich Arab world solve the Lebanese problem? This question needs a response on the practical level and not the emotional one.