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 Jumada al-Oula 25, 1429 AH / May 30, 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
Faith is the Basis of Success
When a believer tackles the issue of success, he thinks about success in both lives. This call for success is repeated by the calls of prayers he hears everyday, telling the believer to hasten to all that achieves success, and leave all that leads to loss and failure.
How is Success Achieved?
Allah talks about success in several verses of the Holy Quran. He says, for example, "Certainly will the believers have succeeded." Surat al-Mu'minun (23:01). Thus, suggesting that belief is the basis of success, for it implies that Allah would be satisfied with the believer and would send him to heaven. Faith or belief in this sense is not merely an idea in the mind, but it is a practice as wide as life, including all actions and sayings. We have to think about Allah when we love or hate; when we do something good or when we do not watch or listen except to what Allah has deemed permissible; when we do not say except what we know pleases Allah… when we do not eat or drink except what is lawful…
The Surah that Allah has begun with the above-mentioned verse (Al-Mu'minun) indicates that belief is not only in the heart of those who are humble in their prayers, who think about the greatness of Allah when they stand before Him in prayers and feel how humble they are in His Presence. It also involves "avoiding vain talk". A believer does not open up except on talk that is beneficial to him and to other Muslims. A believer only talks about what is beneficial to him, to others, or to life in general. He does not say falsehood, nor does he listen to falsehood said by others – who are active indeed in charity. Charity is one of the traits Allah will reward with success. Traditions have clarified that Allah has ordained a sufficient part of the money of the rich for the poor, and if He knew it was not enough He would have increased it. Another tradition says: Allah has made the poor partners in the money of the rich. Imam Ali says: "No poor is hungry except with what the rich have enjoyed." Thus, the money the human being spends from is not his own; it is Allah's money which He entrusted him with and wanted him to spend in the rightful way.
"And they who guard their private parts, Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed." Surat al-Mu'minun (23:5-6).
Chastity too is one of the believers’ qualities. And it could be attained by not practicing the sexual acts that Allah has prohibited, such as adultery and homosexuality. The believers are "those who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges; and those who carefully maintain their prayers – These are the inheritors, Who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally."
Repentance and Purification
We also read Allah's saying: "He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself." Surat al-A'la (87:14). and educates it on serving Allah and obeying Him – "And mentions the name of his Lord and prays." Surat al-A'la (87:15).
In Surat ash-Shams, we read His saying: "And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it. And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness. He has succeeded who purifies it, And he has failed who instills it [with corruption]." Surat ash-Shams (91:7-10).
Allah also calls everyone who has sinned to repent. This repentance is one of the ways that makes the believer nearer to Allah, leading him to obey Him and ultimately to success.
He also says: "And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed." Surat an-Nur (24:31).
"O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed." Surat al-Ma'idah (5:35).
"And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie or denies His verses? Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed." Surat al-An'am (6:21).
"So fear Allah as much as you are able and listen and obey and spend [in the way of Allah]; it is better for your souls. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful." Surat at-Taghabun (64:16).
Therefore, one has to be generous in giving to achieve success.
Moreover, man should not be pre-occupied with his desires. He should not consider success as the money he gains or the position he attains… etc. Success lies in achieving Allah's satisfaction by educating oneself on what pleases Allah and what leads to His Mercy and pleasure. One has to know that this life is not the eternal life, but is rather a limited one, while the other life is the eternal one, and that one should take that into consideration in all his affairs.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Proposed American-Iraqi Agreement
Human rights organizations and Amnesty International continuously highlight the American Administration's violations of international resolutions and laws, which have reached an unprecedented level. Yet President Bush calls on the Lebanese to respect international resolutions and does not ask himself about the violations of his Administration of these resolutions, especially those that have to do with his ally, Israel, such as Resolution 194 that asserts the Palestinian right of return, or those that describe the settlements or the separating wall as illegitimate. In addition, there is the invasion of Iraq, which the former UN Secretary General has also declared as illegitimate, as well as the continuous blocking of passing any resolution that condemns the Zionist enemy, even if it were concerned with humanitarian matters. The Security Council is meant to stay as a weapon that is pointed at the downtrodden and the poor, while the strong and arrogant control its resolutions, which always side with the interests of the arrogant countries at the expense of the poor ones.
The absence of logic and justice in international politics means that we, as peoples and as nations, should not be intimidated by any international resolution, since the war the arrogant powers wage against the nation and its causes takes several forms.
In the context of the on-going arrogant campaigns on our nation, the American Administration seeks to impose a security agreement with the Iraqi government. This agreement, which ought to be signed in the beginning of June, gives the US the right to establish permanent military bases in Iraq. It also gives the Americans immunity against persecution and gives the American soldiers the right to detain any Iraqi citizen without having to go back to the Iraqi government.
We have warned against this agreement weeks ago, and we emphasize that this agreement, or any other agreement for that matter, except one of unconditional withdrawal, cannot be legitimate, because it is conditioned by the freedom of the occupied country. Thus, no agreement is legitimate except after the liberation of Iraq. Thus, the agreement is null and void and the Iraqi Government has to reject it, and the people have to protest against it, since it justifies American hegemony over the security and economy of Iraq, as well as its strategic position, which is religiously prohibited by all standards.
The Nuclear Issue
America, along with other countries, continues to pressurize Iran, claiming that the latter's nuclear project is a threat to the whole world. At the same time, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency said that the Agency did not monitor any use of nuclear materials for non-peaceful purposes, as the Western states maintain. Nevertheless, the Agency had demanded answers for certain questions that aim at revealing the secrets of the peaceful Iranian nuclear project, which could hurt the Iranian goal of advancing its scientific experience that the West is afraid of. In this respect, the world is asking: Why are restrictions not imposed on the Israeli nuclear project, which Britain, France, and the US helped in executing, and why do they not talk about the threat it represents to the Arab and Muslim region? America did not even respect its allies, especially those it calls the Arab moderates, who are demanding a nuclear-free region.
The security of the region is worthless in America's view when it comes to its commitment to Israel's security and supremacy, knowing that, as former American President Jimmy Carter said, Israel owns 150 nuclear weapons, while the US and Russia each have 12 thousand, and Britain and France have a big arsenal of such weapons. The question is: Is it logical that in case the Iranian nuclear project was actually aiming at making the bomb, although the Iranians deny that even from a jurisprudent point of view… Is it logical that such a project threatens the world while the nuclear arsenal of the superpowers does not?
We are underlining this point to remind the world, especially the Third World, that America seeks to dominate, for this barbaric empire whose current administration threatens those who oppose its policies with wars that move from one place to another, and with local strife that devastate countries.
In the Palestinian scene, President Carter has described the blockade imposed on Gaza as "the biggest crime on human rights, since it means the imprisonment of one million and 600 thousand Palestinians." He called on the EU to have a separate stand from the US regarding this issue. We had hoped that such a humanitarian statement would have been from the Arab League or the Islamic Conference, who did not take any step of pressurizing to lift the blockade at a time when sick people and children are dying daily as a result of lack of food and medication.
The Culture of Resistance and Change
The problem is that most of these states are afraid of the American anger that does not allow them to condemn Israel, which continues to liquidate the Palestinian people, as they are sure that the Arabs will not hasten to defend Palestinians. On the contrary, they would besiege the heroes of Resistance and the Intifada who are confronting the Zionist enemy to liberate the land and the people.
The critical situation the Arab world has reached demands that the Arab peoples should produce the culture of resistance and the dynamics of change of those who turned their countries into a big jail for their peoples, by means of the emergency laws that are renewed annually by the parliaments that are actually appointed by the intelligence agencies, although everyone knows such laws are only passed in case there are big dangers, and not as in the case of the Arab world and some of the Third World countries where they serve to protect the thrones of the rulers.
On another level, we continue to monitor the civil wars in the Muslim World that are planned by the arrogant powers and move from one place to another. In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, they have been transported to Sudan and Somalia, where America wishes to avenge its defeat, as well as benefiting from the strategic location of the country.
The problem in the Muslim world lies in that the Muslims are preoccupied with their sectarian issues and historical differences, which are exploited by the enemies of Islam to weaken the nation. Such religious backwardness and fanaticism that are employed by the enemy demands that the Islamic scholars should face it with cultural awareness that opens the eyes of the Muslims to all the schemes that are being drawn to increase their backwardness and weakness in the present and the future.
The Necessity of Reconciling in Lebanon
After the regional and international powers have felt that their schemes are about to collapse, things in Lebanon began to move towards a solution, since these powers are afraid that such a collapse will extend to their plans and positions, especially the Americans who sought to create chaos in Lebanon and the region. The Lebanese should conserve the realistic solutions they have produced, as they would lead them to be optimistic about a future where security and economic crises will be resolved. They have to repel all those who incite strife among them, and not to listen to the media that incites hatred and that does not want the people to triumph against the states of arrogance in the world.
Ban on Gunfire
Lastly, I would like to remind you of the religious fatwa I have issued to ban gunfire and fireworks on political occasions, since it has negative consequences and has been transformed lately into crime, leading to the death and wounding of innocent people for whom the criminals hold the legal and religious responsibility. The relevant authorities should assume the responsibility of preventing such practice with all legitimate means.
We would also like to warn against all provocative actions that incite political and sectarian sensitivities, since this represents a crime against civil peace and Islamic coexistence. We also condemn all those who try to incite strife among Muslims, saying that what we have reached is a truce and not a solution, since this could provide a window of opportunity to those who want Lebanon to return to the state of crisis that serves the outside powers who do not want good for Lebanon.
O Allah, the Most Exalted, have I conveyed? May Allah be my witness.