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 Thul-Qi‘dah 23, 1429 AH/ November 21, 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
Intellectual Stagnation Hinders Messages of Allah
Rejecting Intellectual Stagnation
Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: "And similarly, We did not send before you any warner into a city except that its affluent said, 'Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are, in their footsteps, following.' Say, [O Muhammad], 'Even if I should bring you better guidance than that [religion] upon which you found your fathers?' They said, 'Indeed we, in that with which you were sent, are disbelievers.'" Surat al-Zukhruf (43:23-24).
Allah, the Most Exalted, speaks in these verses about the mindset of intellectual falsehood and stagnation that was followed by the nations to which He sent prophets.
The prophets would convey Allah's messages to their people and ask them to understand their truths and accept them.
But they had closed minds that refused to contemplate the principles and doctrines presented to them, seeing themselves as a mere cultural extension of their forefathers, just as they were a biological one. They conflated the emotional bond with their fathers with doctrinal loyalty, believing that rejecting their ancestors' beliefs would dishonor their history and their relationship with them—even when the new thought was a divine revelation. This was the problem of these nations: a problem of intellectual stagnation and a lack of independence in the cultural struggle to determine what to believe.
That is why the Messengers would say to them: "Come to what Allah has revealed," and provide proof that what they were called to was the truth. But they shut their minds and ears, refusing to open themselves to others' words, even if it was a Heavenly Message—to the extent that they undermined their own humanity through this intellectual and psychological paralysis.
Thus, they did not debate with the messengers about what they conveyed or decreed. They had only one answer: "Enough for us is the way we found our fathers following." And the Messengers would reply: "Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?" Surat al-Baqarah (2:170).
What was the intellectual level of their fathers? What knowledge and experience did they possess? What was the basis of their worship of idols that could neither benefit nor harm them?
For man should follow those who adopt the path of guidance and rely on knowledge. As for the ignorant who do not comprehend what they follow, or those who are misguided, how can a man who respects his own mind follow them?
The Prophets' Cultural Struggle
This was the prophets' challenge with their nations. They wanted their people to reflect upon and discuss what was brought to them, and to compare the inherited beliefs of their fathers with the new revelation. The prophets wanted people to respect their minds and use them to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil. But the people considered falsehood truth, evil good, and wrong right.
This was the result of their ignorance and their lack of a criterion by which to weigh matters of doctrine and ideology.
Blind Following Without Proof
Addressing the people, the Messenger (p.) said: "Do not be an 'Imma'a' (one who blindly follows others without personal conviction). Do not say, 'If people treat us well, we will treat them well; and if they oppress us, we will oppress them.' Instead, resolve that if people do good, you will do good to them; and if they oppress, you will not oppress them in return."
The Messenger is speaking of a group we see in our societies: those who are not independent in thought and lack freedom of opinion. Instead, they follow their families or tribes. If those people do good, they do good; if they oppress, they oppress likewise. This is what we witness when sectarian and partisan fanaticism prevails: if members of their group wrong someone, the others side with the wrongdoer against the victim, simply because the oppressors belong to their party.
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said to one of his companions: "Do not be an 'Imma'a' who says, 'I am with the people.' When asked whom you support or oppose, you would say, 'I am with my party or family,' even if they are clearly in the wrong—'I am just like everyone else.'"
Linguists explain 'Imma'a' as a follower with no personal opinion. It is also said he is one who tells everyone: "I am with you."
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) also said: "Do not endorse a man without proof"—believing everything he says—"and call people to his words." This tradition deals with supporting someone as a leader or president, whether in a political or religious position, without any evidence.
Therefore, never do such a thing, and do not support someone you cannot defend before Allah.
Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s.) said: "Convey what is good, speak what is good, and do not be an 'Imma'a,' who says, 'I am with the people; I am just like any of them.'" He added: "The Messenger said there are two spheres: that of good and that of evil. Do not let the realm of evil be more appealing to you than that of good."
In explaining the meaning of the verse: "They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah…" Surat al-Tawbah (9:31), the Messenger (p.) said: "They did not worship them, but rather when they declared something lawful, they treated it as lawful, and when they declared something unlawful, they considered it unlawful."
Commenting on the same verse, Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "They did not call on them to worship them, and they would not have responded if they had. But they made the lawful unlawful and prohibited what was lawful, thus obeying them in disobedience to Allah, without realizing it."
This is because worship entails total surrender and submission to others. This also applies to those who blindly follow tribes and parties.
The Intellect
Allah also says: "And every one of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection." Surat Maryam (19:95).
"Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained." Surat al-Muddaththir (74:38).
Thus, each of us will be held accountable individually. Therefore, Allah wants us to develop our intellect and follow them, for they are the basis upon which we are held accountable.
A divine narration states that when Allah created the intellect, He said to it, "Come," and it came; then He said, "Go," and it went. Then the Almighty said: "By My glory and majesty, I have not created a creature more beloved to Me than you. It is you I command and forbid; it is for you I reward and punish."
Therefore, do not sell your intellect to anyone, and do not let it be subjugated by anyone.
Develop it through thought, reading, consultation, and everything that strengthens it and enables it to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Allah wants our nation to be rational, unified, and independent. Those who follow leaders not armed with intellect and faith are like a herd of sheep led to the slaughterhouse, for ignorant and irrational leadership leads its followers to ruin and Hellfire.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Barbaric Siege of Gaza and Regional Complicity
On the Zionist front, the enemy, assured of Arab silence and complicity, continues its raids on Gaza, killing more civilians while accusing resistance factions of violating the truce—even though it is the one that has been killing, assassinating, and detaining Palestinians for the past two weeks, in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Meanwhile, the barbaric siege of Gaza continues as a form of collective punishment, unacceptable even under the most lenient laws. Yet the suffering of over one and a half million Palestinians counts for nothing in the calculations of international politics or in the decisions of EU and Western states, which only raise the issue of human rights when a handmade rocket falls near the Zionist settlement of Sderot—now a wailing wall visited by every Western official who comes to the usurping entity.
As for the Arabs, they maintain their usual, expected silence. Their largest state participates in the siege of the Palestinians… and rejects an Egyptian court ruling to stop supplying Israel with gas. The Arab League remains in a deep slumber, preoccupied with trivialities.
They listened to [Shimon] Peres, who rejected the Arab Peace Initiative, offering only more empty and hypocritical words, leaving them mired in a negotiation drama stretching from one generation to the next.
The Palestinian front remains dominated by various American–Israeli–Arab plans that seek to force the Palestinian people to recognize Israel as a legitimate state without conditions—just as some Arab states have done, directly or indirectly. Meanwhile, the world has not been shown the borders of this state, which refuses to withdraw to the 1967 lines. On the contrary, it seeks to annex West Bank settlements and all of Jerusalem, executing its historical plan that regards all of Palestine as the land of the Jews.
The Arabs' Misplaced Priorities
Israel, a state imposed on the region to divide the Arab world, is no longer seen as a problem by the Arabs. Due to American, European, and Arab strategies, it has become a fait accompli that cannot be denied—despite its refusal to define its own borders.
The problem occupying the Arab and Western mind now is Iran, which has been portrayed by intimidating media as a threat to the Arabs, especially the Gulf States. They point to its nuclear program, even though Iran has consistently emphasized its peaceful nature and that it does not seek to build a bomb.
But they do not accept this, because America does not allow them to verify Iran's claims. On the other hand, Israel's massive nuclear arsenal poses no problem to them, since, according to the West, Israel is a "threatened" state in the region—even though everyone knows it is Israel that constitutes the danger, with its history of continuous aggression, brutality, and occupation of Arab lands.
Iraq: A Security Agreement to Perpetuate Occupation
On another level, American and Iraqi officials prepare to sign a security agreement presented as paving the way for a U.S. withdrawal after three years—effectively granting the occupation legitimacy for three more years. We have seen how the American Administration planned to occupy Iraq and use it as a bridgehead into the heart of the Arab and Muslim world, to seize its wealth and pressure industrial states dependent on oil and energy, like China, Japan, and Europe. But America, which benefited from Iraq's tyrant until his purpose was served, has failed in its occupation due to Iraqi resistance and the people's refusal to accept it, insisting on its unconditional withdrawal.
We know well that Iraqi authorities have been given a choice between two bitter options: anarchy or occupation. But we say to the Iraqis:
You must not accept three more years of occupation, for it will mean three more years of anarchy. Independence will fall prey to separatist forces and those who do not distinguish between their people and the occupier. This will also enable the occupation to exploit the complicated internal situation—which it has expressed its intention to leverage, as the U.S. Chief of Staff stated, linking withdrawal to "conditions on the ground."
We call on Iraqis to unite in demanding the unconditional withdrawal of the occupation, to solidify internal unity, and to prevent any political or security penetration of their ranks—which the occupation will seize every opportunity to create, as it enables it to remain in Iraq and threaten its security and that of the entire region.
Lebanon: A Stage for Local and Foreign Players
Lebanon has recently been visited by several European officials, some of whom shamelessly describe the Resistance as terrorists. They then proceed to the Zionist terrorist entity to condemn the firing of handmade Palestinian rockets, while saying nothing about Israel's barbaric aggression evident in the siege of Gaza, the starvation of its people, and the killing of its youth and elderly.
We want the Lebanese to view their issues, their country, and their nation from the perspective of their own internal and national interests—not through the lens of these visitors, who care only for Israeli security and interests, in addition to their own.
We look forward to a Lebanon whose officials do not prioritize sectarian, partisan, and personal interests or seek new privileges after exhausting old ones. But reality shows they are engrossed in calculations for the coming elections, treating the homeland as a football to score goals. Meanwhile, the country remains a stage for local and foreign players, while the poor, deprived, and hungry wait for political handouts to pay for food and school fees.
The so-called national dialogue debates continue to create problems here and there, and security remains an obsession due to terrorist attacks and rising criminal activity.
Discussions about a national defense strategy reach the enemy's ears, though everyone knows they should be confined to closed rooms, known only to those responsible for protecting the country. Yet all of Lebanon's secrets and conditions remain an open book, exploited by intelligence agencies to undermine the country and its people.