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 15, 1429 AH/ February 22, 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 Road to Heaven is Paved with Piety
The Responsibility of Faith
Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book:
"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; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. For those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers." Surat Al ‘Imran (3:133-136).
As Muslims and believers, who among us does not hope to be rewarded with Heaven when he meets his Lord? Allah, the Most Exalted, has explained to us in His Book what we must do to attain this goal. He has told us of the necessity of building our character and shouldering our responsibility in being moral and committed to performing all our religious and social duties. Allah, the Most Exalted, does not want the believer to delay his quest to enter Heaven, like some who think they can commit as many sins as they wish, and then in their old age—in their fifties or sixties—begin preparing for the Hereafter by performing religious duties and going for Hajj.
Allah, the Most Exalted, wants a person to begin his journey to Heaven when he reaches the age of puberty, whether male or female.
He has made man responsible for the consequences of his actions. We are even encouraged to start performing our religious duties before this age, as a training stage in which a person builds a character that loves Allah and is aware of His ever-watchful presence. Then, when he becomes an adult, he will be ready to fulfill his responsibilities.
Allah says: "And hasten to forgiveness" meaning: do not postpone your duties to later years, and be quick in attaining Allah's forgiveness, knowing that no sin is too great if one sincerely seeks forgiveness. This forgiveness is accompanied by repentance, which one should perform daily. When a person goes to sleep, he ought to review all he has done to determine if he has done anything that angers his Lord. If so, he should repent and promise Allah, the Most Exalted, that he will never commit those sins again. He can then sleep assured that Allah has forgiven his sins and that he will not repeat them in the future.
"And a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth," meaning in capacity, not merely width. Allah, the Most Exalted, will grant His believing servant the freedom to dwell anywhere in Heaven and enjoy all its pleasures. It is true that there are various levels, but there are no boundaries in Heaven, for Allah gives those who deserve Paradise the freedom to enjoy all its blessings.
Restraining Anger
Who is rewarded with Heaven? They are the righteous "who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship." They live the spirit of giving, whether rich or poor. These are the people who will dwell in Heaven, since Allah considers one who is reluctant to give to others as being reluctant to give to himself, while those who are generous are the ones who will succeed in this life and the Hereafter.
"Who restrain anger." This is the second characteristic. The righteous person is not one who gets angry when provoked or rages at the slightest incitement. He is the one who restrains his anger and does not react. The hadiths of the Ahl al-Bayt teach us that the best characteristic of a believer is tolerance and forbearance. "I have not experienced a surge of rage that I did not overcome with forbearance, or a wave of sadness that I did not meet with patience."
One of our Imams was so known for his ability to restrain anger that he was called al-Kazim (the one who suppresses his anger).
The righteous are also those who "pardon the people," those who, when offended or hurt, do not retaliate and may even repel evil with good. As Allah says: "And those who are patient, seeking the countenance of their Lord, and establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them secretly and publicly, and repel evil with good; those will have the good consequence of [this] home." Surat al-Ra‘d (13:22). They are those who forgive even when they have the right to demand justice, because "it is nearer to righteousness." The righteous are those who, "when they commit an immorality"— which is not only a matter of honor, as the Arabic word "fahisha" came to mean, but any impermissible act—"or wrong themselves" by committing sins—for when they sin and disobey Allah, they subject themselves to His wrath—"remember Allah," asking themselves, "How could we have wronged ourselves while Allah is watching us?" And they "seek forgiveness for their sins—and who can forgive sins except Allah?"—since He alone forgives those whom He finds truthful in their repentance. And they "do not persist in what they have done," unlike some who become so accustomed to a sin that they can no longer abandon the habit, like those addicted to drugs or wine, or even those who smoke knowing it is harmful. We believe, by the way, that smoking is prohibited (haram), yet those who do so continue to commit this sin. It is said in our traditions that there is no minor sin if one persists in it; it then becomes a major sin. Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) describes persistence as committing a sin without seeking Allah's forgiveness or considering repentance.
Another saying of Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) tells us: "Allah does not accept any of the acts of obedience from one who persists in committing certain sins."
What is the Reward of the Righteous?
The reward of the righteous, whose traits Allah has described in the verses above, is the great prize of Heaven.
Thus, dear loved ones, Allah promises the righteous with His forgiveness and Paradise. It is a prize for which all should compete. That is why people must cultivate these qualities that bring them closer to Allah and nearer to Heaven, so that all "who spend during ease and hardship, and who restrain anger and pardon the people…" will be called to enter Heaven in peace.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Judaization of Palestine
In occupied Palestine, the enemy's Prime Minister has outlined the broad lines of his strategy towards the Palestinians: to continue the siege of Gaza as a form of collective punishment, along with the ongoing series of murders and massacres committed by the occupation army, in which innocents and children are killed…
In addition, there is stalling regarding Jerusalem, as evident from the postponement of negotiations over the holy city with the Palestinian Authority.
Although Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and declared it would stop launching rockets in return for Israel ceasing its shelling, siege, and assassinations, Israel did not accept, because it pursues a strategy of continuing aggression that serves its occupation. Israel wants to continue its assaults and humiliate the Palestinian people at crossings, while demanding that the Palestinians unilaterally stop their shelling and armed confrontation, so it can continue confiscating more land through settlements and the separation wall, before any talk of a two-state solution, which the international community still mentions.
The Palestinians in the Authority might be pleased by what they hear from major powers, but they see no pressure on Israel to end the siege and halt settlement construction, as the French Foreign Minister demanded.
On the contrary, the French President stated he would stand firmly with Israel to the extent of refusing to shake hands with any head of state that does not recognize Israel, even if that runs counter to his country's interests. This shows the depth of his commitment to Israeli interests at the expense of Arab and Muslim rights and interests. It is regrettable that some Arab states did not take similarly firm positions, such as the insistence on imposing further sanctions on Iran under the pretext of its nuclear program.
We demand that the Arab and Muslim world base their policy of dealing with other states on the vital interests of Arabs and Muslims, just as the states that pressure us do. They view us as nations under their hegemony, which threatens our vital interests.
How Will the American President End His Term?
In Wellington, New Zealand, a conference was held to discuss a treaty banning the use, stockpiling, and trade of cluster bombs, in which the US did not participate. The New Zealand minister declared that most states were horrified by the extent of the spread of cluster bombs that Israel used in the final days of its war against Lebanon in the summer of 2006. It is well known that these bombs were provided by the USA, leading to the deaths of a large number of civilians in Lebanon, particularly in the South.
Thus, we hold America responsible for every martyr or wounded civilian, especially in the South, as it is the source of these cluster bombs that killed many civilians—a "gift" to Lebanon and the Lebanese. America's allies did not condemn Israel's ongoing war on Lebanese civilians because they are unwilling to hold America and Israel accountable for these Israeli crimes.
Moreover, we do not understand the security necessity of sending senior American military officials to Lebanon, or even senior diplomats, if not to incite strife and destabilize security, thereby expanding the "constructive chaos" the American President has announced. He does not want the Arab region to enjoy any stability—political, social, or military—since his imperial strategy demands that all who oppose American policies must fall, all in the name of fighting terrorism.
People in the region wonder if President Bush will crown all this with an act of military madness and terror, having faced military failure in Iraq and Afghanistan, and political failure in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran….
Does this have anything to do with why some Arab and European countries are advising their citizens not to travel to Lebanon? Is this mad emperor thinking of ending his second term by leading the entire world into a state of collapse and destruction?
The Lebanese Crisis Worsens
Lebanon has entered a stage of frenzied struggle, with several political leaders further inflaming the situation through fiery words and sectarian incitement, turning the Lebanese "street" and sectarian sentiments into a form of political violence.
Discourse has begun about who leads whom between Muslims and Christians, and between Shiites and Sunnis. These talks aim to revive historical enmities, as if we are now reliving the problem of the Imamate in a society that does not even know what actually happened and does not rise to the level of Islamic unity in the face of threats that challenge Islam as a whole.
All this noise has led to a state of anarchy in the "street," where the downtrodden fight one another without cause or aim.
The only motive driving them to such fighting is the sectarian incitement of sectarian leaders who exploit ordinary people to promote their own interests, only to later deny any responsibility for their actions.
We say to all those driven by the fanaticism of the Age of Ignorance and those behind it: This chaos, which has terrified all citizens fearing it is the start of a civil war… Such anarchy serves only the enemies of the country, especially Israel, and it will not raise the popularity of any leader or party.
We plead with all Lebanese not to become fuel for the plans of others in a war that will burn the entire country and all its people. They must all, especially the downtrodden who wait at embassy doors for emigration visas, raise a united cry: We want Lebanon to be a nation of citizenship, not of sectarianism or the ambitions of hateful leaders.