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 Rabi’ Alawal 25, 1420 AH/ July 9, 1999 AD. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, officials and thousands of believers attended it. (Edited version of the Sermons)
The First Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
We Must Counsel Our Minds before Taking Actions
If you plan for an action, think about its consequences
In a tradition by Al Imam al-Sadiq (A.S.), a man came to the Prophet (p.) and asked him for advice. He (p.) told him: “Will you take my advice into consideration?” (That is: will you put it into action or will it just be a word that enters one ear and leaves from the other?). The man replied: “Yes, Messenger of Allah, I will.” Then he (p.) told him: “I advise you…If you plan or intend to embark in an affair then reflect on its consequences. If it makes sense then go forward, but if it is evil, then abstain from it.” The Messenger of Allah (p.) used to repeat this advice on different occasions. It is narrated that a man approached the Prophet of Islam and asked him to teach him something. He (p.) said: “You have to despair of what is possessed by others since it is a temporary wealth.” (i.e. instead of looking at the wealth possessed by others, think how to acquire sustenance through your imploring to Allah (S.W.). If a human is satisfied with his possessions then he is in a state of self-content). The man asked the Prophet to give him more advice. The Prophet then said: “Be aware of greed, since it makes live in poverty (i.e. because if a person is greedy and is deprived from self-contentment with what Allah has given him, then he is always poor, though he may possess vast wealth.) When the man asked again for more advice, he (p.) told him: “If you intend to do something, take into consideration its consequences. If it is good and makes sense to you then follow it, and if it is evil or motivated by passions or temptations, then neglect it.” This advice was narrated by Al Sheikh Al Tusee on the authority of Al Sheikh al Mufid.
Whoever looks at the consequences will be saved from suffering.
In Al Bihar, quoting from “Al Durra al Bahira”, Adam advised his son, Sheeth: “Act upon what I am telling you, and transmit it to your children after you. If you all decide to do something, ponder on its consequences, surely, if I pondered on my action (i.e. eating from the tree) I would not have met what I am afflicted with”. In an advice to his son Muhammad Ibn Al Hanafiyya, Imam Ali (A.S.) said: “Whosoever gets involved in affairs without paying attention to their consequences, surely will face unbearable hardships. If you observe the safety measures required before your action, you will be saved from incurred repentance… The wise man learns from his and others’ experiences, for there is always new knowledge that is promoted in experiences. …Whosoever ponders on consequences will be saved from hardships. If we ponder on these precious advises, we would find that it is necessary for man to adopt and act upon them in every aspect of life and on the occasions when he has the option of selecting a position, since for everything there is a beginning and an end. Sometimes the beginning is good but the end is bitter. How many people became happy when they fulfilled their wishes, but the consequence was grief and tears? Surely, the one who adheres to these types of advises will avoid many of the negative outcomes in this life and in the Hereafter. Therefore, it is necessary for the human to ponder upon this. For example If you want to engage in a personal affair such as a marriage, do not look at things that attract you in your partner, such as beauty, wealth, etc., but think about the consequences and the outcome you may get from this human relationship. Seek also to investigate the character and personality of your partner and ask yourself: will these elements lead me to a happy marital life or will it impair me into misery? Do not make hasty decisions and move forward sentimentally or due to peer, social or family pressures. Why? Because harmful consequences may destroy your life as well as that of the others.”
Resort to Public Interest
When we try to examine our social status, especially, regarding issues related to taking a stand with or against a distinguished social personality, where the outcome of this stand could be either harmful or good, we have to reflect upon the outcome and ask ourselves: “If this person is elected as a president of a club, a head of a family… what will happen? Will he reform the affairs of the family or the club or will he make things worse? Therefore, make your decisions based on weighing the advantages and disadvantages of your choice…Do not take into consideration your relation to the candidate, (he might be a relative, a friend or belongs to your close family or a political figure. So, take into consideration, how much your decision plays a role for the benefit of the society…transforming it into a clean and integrated society. The same thing should be done upon intending to support or reject a political figure, like voting for a parliamentary candidate or rejecting a second one…Do not make up your mind just to fulfill your personal interests…i.e. how much you benefit yourself or your family. …But rather ask yourself whether the whole society would benefit politically when this candidate succeeds or fails. You bear the responsibility in this world before the Muslim Nation whom you betrayed because you elected someone who does not deserve the merit to become a parliamentary member or you betrayed the Nation because you did not vote for someone who deserves.
Pleasing Allah (S.W.) is the Most Important
It is necessary for all of us to think about how much we gain or lose on the Day of Judgement, and not confine our calculations to the limits of this perishing life…Do not limit your scope to the profit you gain from your business in this life alone while losing that of the Hereafter! Like those who sell alcohol or unlawful meat or like those who run casinos or nightclubs…Yes, you will be wealthy, but you will be losing in the hereafter. Accordingly, it is a duty on every one (who believes in Allah, His messenger and in the Hereafter) to know that Allah (S.W.) is the Ultimate Provider. If so, then this will prevent you from making unlawful business transactions so as to avoid the wrath of Allah (S.W). But the result would be tragic not only in the Hereafter but in this world as well. You would face losses in your possessions and health that all your wealth would not be enough to cover for.
Therefore, when Satan tries to tempt you, and remind you of the profits made in selling alcohol, unlawful or dead meats and gambling, remember the answer of Al Hur ibn Yazid Al Riyahee, when he was offered the highest positions if he turns against Imam Hussein (A.S.): “Surely, I am giving myself a choice between paradise and hell, but I swear to Allah, I will never choose over paradise anything, even when it comes to chopping or burning me”. Take the same stance (as Al Hur did) when the others call you to be with the oppressors. Because, you will be one of them. Think not about your short-term profit, but about how much you will lose on the Day of Judgement. That loss is the greatest loss, as Allah (S.W.) says: “So the losers are the ones who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Unquestionably, that is the manifest loss.” Surah Az-Zumar (39: 15). What is the value of gaining a handful of unlawful wealth while losing you, and ending up in hell?
Advises to Build a Balanced Man
Surely those Messenger’s advises make the human balanced in all his life, personal or general…This means that when you utter any word out of anger or in happiness and joy, it is your duty to ponder on its consequences if you care to keep yourself, the society, and its affairs faultless. Be the wise person who weighs the words before saying them, and do not be like the idiot who reflects on his words after they are said. Accordingly, it is narrated by Imam Ali (A.S.) that: “The tongue of the wise is behind his heart, and the heart of the fool is behind his tongue”. This sentence has a strange and beautiful meaning. It means that the wise man does not speak with his tongue except after consulting his mind and exercising his imagination, but the fool quickly utters what comes to his tongue without thinking. In this way, the tongue of the wise man follows his heart while the heart of the fool follows his tongue. On the other hand, when something hits the idiot’s mind, he says it right away. Then, when it creates a problem in the society he starts reflecting on its consequences.
Surely, this kind of behavior that does not take the consequences into consideration creates too many problems, especially in the marital life. For example, the moment a quarrel occurs between the husband and his wife, she says (out of emotion): “I want you to divorce me”, or he says in a similar tone, the same thing to his wife. They act in this way because they do not ponder on the consequences of the divorce and its impacts on them personally or on their family in general. The same thing happens in the domain of our social affairs. Irresponsible words will eventually lead to turmoil and destroy the social fabric. And we must remember that we bear full responsibility for all the negative consequences.
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters
Let us learn from the Messenger of Allah and what he said which we quoted in the beginning of this sermon. “If you plan an affair then reflect on its consequences. If it makes sense then go forward, but if it is evil, then abstain from it.” In other words, we should ponder upon the consequences of our affairs on both personal and general levels, before we put them into action. Since we are living the celebration of the prophet’s birthday, we have to align all our actions and sayings to be adherent to his teachings “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern (example) for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and who remembers Allah often.” Surah Al-Ahzab (33:21).
Moreover, the Messenger of Allah, who does not need the advice of anyone else, used to teach the Muslims not to take any step forward or decide on any stance unless they exchange views among themselves, studying it very well until they infer its consequences and its impacts on this life and on the Hereafter. "And say, 'Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do." Surah At-Tawbah (09:105)
The Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Worshippers of Allah…
Be pious, and study the consequences of every action before deciding to go on with it...
This is true with respect to your personal decisions, as well as those that affect your nation...
In this context, you ought to be pious towards your political relations on the local, regional and international levels... Since we know that all the Muslims’ alliances in this century (with France, Britain or America) have led to the dominance of the International Arrogance over all the economic and political resources of the region.
This is also true with respect to the Palestinian cause, where the Arabs relied on various international powers, the last of which was America, which proved to be more Israeli than the Israeli themselves.
Which Peace Is Barak Talking about?
The Arab welcoming of Barak reveals how politically naive is this stand that is influenced by the American propaganda that portrayed Barak as "man of peace" who will conclude the settlement deals as soon as possible. Nevertheless, there are many obstacles that lead us to wonder about the kind of settlement or peace they mean. Barak's electoral platform says: "Our main goals would be the national and personal security ... in the context of a fierce battle against terrorism". That is: the Resistance fighters in Palestine and Lebanon. This suggests that he is following the footsteps of his predecessor.
According to Israeli newspapers Barak seeks to pursue the settlement with a "commando knife in his teeth”, so as to secure a victory for Israel, and a defeat for the Arabs....
It is obvious that this man (Barak) is the most dangerous among all the Israeli entity heads of state, especially if we recall his history as chief of staff of the Israeli Army and as a commando and a professional terrorist.
But he uses a conciliatory language to hide his iron fist. We warn the Arabs against being optimistic and against yielding to American pressure. There is no honeymoon coming, and the future, could be dim especially after what happened in the Balkan.
Which Terrorism Is America Talking about
In the Same context, the spokesman for the state department commented on President Assad’s visit to Russia saying: "any deal to sell Russian arms to Syria or any other country that supports terrorism would be a source of concern to us". What is this terrorism that America is talking about? It is the Syrian support to the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon.
The Arab Fall Conference
The normalization conference that was held in Cairo called for a brave decision that recognizes the Zionist right in Jerusalem. It also called for being "realistic" - offering concessions - and discarding violence as a mean to liberate the occupied lands…
We consider this conference as the conference of the Arab fall that aims at pressurizing the Arab and force them to accept the normalization process.
We Await for Freeing the Rest of the Detainees in Bahrain
On another level, we welcome the pardon that was issued to free Sheikh Abdilamir al-Jambari, one of the pious religious men that are devoted to the cause of their people, and one of those who seek a peaceful solution to the crisis in their country. We look forward for freeing all the other detainees, for it is the best way to serve the interest of both the government and the people.