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 Ramadan 29, 1430 AH/ September 18, 2009, 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
Betrayal Destroys Society
Allah says in His Glorious Book: "O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know." (Al-Anfal 08:27).
Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.) explains this Ayah by saying that betraying Allah and the Messenger is to disobey them. As for misappropriating that which is entrusted to you, it is because every human being is entrusted with what Allah has imposed on him. Allah, the Most Exalted, also says: "Indeed, Allah defends those who have believed. Indeed, Allah does not like every treacherous and ungrateful." (Al-Hajj 22:38), and: "Indeed, Allah does not like the treacherous." (Al-Anfal 08:58).
Therefore, according to Islamic morals, betrayal is the action that leads to the destruction of the society. It generates difficult problems among people and makes them lose their trust in one another. It could also lead to the destruction of the entire nation when the traitors happen to lead the nation.
That is why Allah has underscored this issue and explained that those who betray Allah, His Messenger, and the people around them will face His Wrath, since Allah loves those who keep their promises and return the trusts to their owners and shoulder the responsibility of what they have been commissioned with.
Betrayers Are Not Muslims
The Messenger (p.) said, "He is not one of us he who betrays a Muslim in his family and money." One could be a Muslim in the sense that he professes the two testimonies and prays and fasts and performs pilgrimage, but if he betrays the Muslims in themselves, their families and their money, then he would practically move out of Islam. Islam is not merely a word or worshipping rights. It is a course we take in our public and private life and in our relationship with Allah through our devotion to Him. It is also demonstrated in our relationship with the Messenger (p.) through following his Sunnah and the model he set. It is also demonstrated in our deeds with people on the basis of goodness and dedication in all their private and public affairs.
Imam Ali (a.s.) has said, "Betrayal is backstabbing." The betrayer is the one who backstabs the one who entrusts him. He suggests to him that he would protect or preserve his money, country, family, and the like, but then he would backstab him by betraying him in all what he has entrusted him with.
The Imam (a.s.) also says, "Stay away from betrayal because it is against Islam," and, "The most evil are those who do not believe in being trustworthy and do not avoid betrayal," and, "Betrayal is the worst form of hypocrisy," and, "Betrayal is the worst sin," and, "Betrayal is an indication of the lack of piety and religiousness."
Financial Betrayal
Betrayal may be financial in the sense that you deny that someone has entrusted you with his money if the latter loses the documents that prove the transaction. This is what some people who deal with selling apartments do. He would sell an apartment to someone and take some money from him, but he would sell the same apartment to another person who pays more, although the apartment has become the property of the first person. This is a kind of betrayal to trust and money. Moreover, the one who buys an apartment that has already been sold is a usurper since the purchase is null and void.
Backstabbing
There is another form of betrayal: to betray a fellow human being; to betray someone who has put his trust in you and agreed that you would run his affairs. Then, when you collaborate with his enemies to hurt or to kill him, you would be betraying his trust in you, as well as betraying him in person.
There is also the betrayal that has to do with the family, like in the case where you commit adultery with the wives, sisters, or daughters of others, which some men might do, exploiting some of the weak points of these women.
Violating the Orphans' Rights
Then, there is also one of the worst kinds of betrayal, which is the betrayal of orphans when their father has left you their money and you would betray his trust and put your hand on that money and use it for your personal pleasures and errands. The glorious Quran says: "Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire. And they will be burned in a Blaze." (An-Nisa 04:10).
Disclosing Secrets: A Major Betrayal
There is also another type of treason, which is to disclose the secrets of your country and nation to the enemies who would use the information to hurt the nation and the homeland. This is one of the biggest and most horrible kinds of treason, because it is treason to the entire nation, country, and society; a thing that those who work in the local or foreign intelligence agencies bear the responsibility for. Therefore, disclosing the secrets that render the innocent a criminal and the criminal an innocent is considered one of the worst kinds of treason.
Political Betrayal
Moreover, another similar act of betrayal to the nation is that several leaders of this nation reach their positions by means of rigged elections that are arranged by the intelligence agencies through emergency laws, and in which the free people are not actually free to express their opinions and stances. We know that in the Arab and Islamic world several presidents have presented a kind of nominal and formal democracy, yet they prevented their people from voting freely and earnestly, because the pressures exerted on the people through the intelligence agencies are the ones rigging the elections and making these people presidents while actually, they do not represent the popular will.
Another kind of betrayal to the nation is represented by those who sell their votes to this candidate or this movement or this party or the other in return for some money whose amount differs according to the circumstances. Anyone who sells his vote in return for money is a betrayer to his nation and his country, because he would actually be supporting the one who could not be entrusted with the people's affairs, issues, and freedoms. We notice that betrayal is represented by all the officials, whether in the Arab or Islamic world, who sell their stances to the foreigner. Actually, this is clear in the stances of many kings, princes, and presidents, in some Arab and Islamic countries, who submit to the arrogant axis and the American policy, since they do not work for the issues of their people and the entire nation except with what is related to the American or European strategic interests, or sell their countries to those who oppress and aggress against them. Actually, this is also what we notice in the positions of several Arab and Muslim officials who aim at granting Israel a legal legitimacy to usurp Palestine.
We can also see, namely in this phase, how Israel that is engaged in a secret alliance with America, even at a time they try to show that they are in a disagreement, is trying to confiscate the Palestinian territories by further extending their settlements so as not to leave to the Palestinians the possibility of living freely and with dignity. The issue that is now in the forefront between the Arabs and Israel, which is supported by America, is freezing the settlement activities and not removing the settlements that have usurped the Palestinian land and entire Palestine, since the Jews enjoy no legitimate right in Palestine. Those Arabs are traitors to their nation due to the fact of offering concessions and their policies of submitting to the American demands. In this sense, those are traitors to their countries especially that America is trying to suggest to them that Iran represents the threat and not the Jews in Palestine.
Allah rejects betrayal at the individual, social, and national levels, and He ordained us not to defend the betrayers, and here comes the role of the media and the press. Allah forbids us to defend those betrayers, for He said: "Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth so you may judge between the people by that which Allah has shown you. And do not be for the deceitful an advocate. And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful. And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Indeed, Allah loves not one who is a habitually sinful deceiver." (An-Nisa 04:105-107).
We should neither be traitors nor defend those who commit treason, be they politicians or those who falsely claim to be religious men, or those who weaken the economy and incite strife among the people. All these are traitors and we should not defend any of them, for Allah says in His Glorious Book: "O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know." (Al-Anfal 08:27).
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Palestine Between Occupation and Arab Conspiracy
In Palestine, the scene remains the same, since the time it was occupied more than half a century ago.
On the one hand, the enemy continues to occupy additional Palestinian lands, and the displacement, besiegement and the radical demographical change operations continue, in addition to the violations of all the agreements and charters and the attempts to gain time through the negotiations which move from one concession to another.
On the other hand, there is the state of the official Arab unbalance that tries to circumvent the nation's victories by additional concessions, with many officials admitting in private what they are embarrassed to state in public. They are afraid that their rush to normalize with the enemy would be revealed, but they seem not to mind that they have been constantly disgraced by the enemy who has disclosed publicly that it will not freeze the settlement activities, but rather will only reduce them for a limited period of time, and that Jerusalem is not part of any negotiations… etc.
The break of fast dinner the enemy's Prime Minister was invited to by one of the Arab presidents has had its special effect. He frankly admitted that the Americans have yielded to his logic and not the other way round. This means that he has moved to stage two of his plan that eliminates the idea of the Palestinian state by annexing, through the settlements, what is left of the West Bank and turning it into a prison that is looking for means of economic sustenance. Then, we heard the International Monetary Fund (IMF) talking about a growth in the economy of the Palestinians who are imprisoned in the West Bank. We also heard the enemy boasting that the idea of economic peace for the Palestinians in return for dominating them by means of colonization and the open security war is the idea that imposes itself on all parties including the "moderate" Arabs who are getting ready to take new normalizing steps that would serve as an additional proof of their good will towards those who stole their countries.
The Jerusalem Day
Faced by this disgraceful Arab downfall, and on the Jerusalem Day, we call on the Islamic and national movements to hasten to take practical steps, not only to face normalization, but also to study how to reinitiate, anew, the resistance inside occupied Palestine. They should take a decisive stand to ensure that the logic of resistance has the upper hand over the logic of formal negotiations that are being prepared to attain a final Palestinian approval on the concession of the land and the cause.
Conceding Palestine and Jerusalem will constitute the basis for launching a popular Arab and Islamic movement that would change the reality in one way or another. We would also like to remind the religious authorities that remaining silent towards this major conspiracy, whose dangers and scope are increasing daily, represents a betrayal of their positions and a horrible fall down in this World and in the Hereafter. Did Imam Ali not say that the greatest treason is to betray the nation and the most hideous cheat is to cheat the nation?!
Impermissibility of Normalization
On this day, and in addition to the Fatwa we issued to forbid all kinds of normalization with the enemy and the concession of any inch of occupied Palestine, we, based on our religious capacity, absolutely forbid the ceding of the right of return under any circumstances and conditions, being the human, historic, Islamic, Christian and Arab right that cannot be cancelled, neither as time passes nor through the deceit of the major powers and their support of usurpation.
Confronting the Israeli – American Scheme
In addition, as we reject naturalization which is wanted to be turned into an international reality, we have to move, as religious authorities, political parties, and popular movements, to confront the American-Israeli scheme that started receiving additional Arab support for the displacement of the Palestinians and their naturalization in other countries. At the same time, we demand that the concerned states and officials should respect the civil rights of the Palestinians and not to impose any restrictions on them, especially that the plan set by several arrogant powers calls for besieging the Palestinians and persecuting them even in the Arab countries, aiming at displacing them to far away places. All parties should confront this vicious and spiteful plan in all fields and with all the available means to return the right to its rightful owners.
The Ongoing Fragmentation Project
Not far away from Palestine, we notice that the fragmentation project continues to move in many locations, especially in the wounded Yemen that everybody is watching its tragedy without offering any help in putting the fire out. The fragmentation movement is also continuing in Somalia, Sudan, and Iraq, while the arrogant offensive continues in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We feel that the nation, as a whole, is targeted in every location and that the enemies are exploiting the sectarian and ethnic divisions to achieve their imperialistic goals. Thus, the call for confronting the enemy and kicking out the occupation should also coincide with the struggle to unify the ranks of the nation and thwart all the efforts exerted to incite sectarian or political dissensions.
Lebanon: The Role of Foreign Powers
In Lebanon, foreign powers have returned to call the shots on the internal level, intensifying yet again the political polarization with some of those responsible for the problem in the first place, trying to make the crisis acquire a sectarian content in an effort to make the developments in the country be in line with the sectarian strife that is being aroused in the region as a whole.
We are afraid that the tense internal reactions towards the formation of the government are not purely Lebanese, and that the rounds of rows over the issue are part of the unfolding international and regional game that might bring forth a new stage of internal fragmentation that will not be in the interest of any internal party, but will be counter-productive with respect to all of them.
We say to all local parties who are overburdened with the international and regional advice, that if your only concern is your interests, ambitions and sectarian and political positions you have to fear Allah and care about those who were burnt by your political crises, before you yourselves are burnt with the fires of regional and international interests; the fires that would consume along with you what is left of the internal stability you wished it to be temporary and elusive, leading to successive disappointments and failures.