His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Muharram 24, 1445, August 11, 2023. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, and hundreds of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. Following is a summary of the sermons.

The First Sermon

Allah, The Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book:  “And We made them leaders, guiding (mankind) by Our Command, and We inspired in them the doing of good deeds, performing Salat, and the giving of Zakat and of Us (Alone) they were worshippers. Allah, the Most Exalted, says the truth.

 On the 25^th of Muharram we observe a sad occasion, the death of Imam Ali bin Al-Hussein, Zein Al- Abidein, and the Master of Prostrators.

 This Imam was distinguished like all the other Imams of Ahl el-Beit, with piety, knowledge, sublime morals, courage, generosity, forbearance, and giving in charity. His biography records that he used to go at night carrying food on his back to distribute it among the poor of Medina without letting them know him.

 

The battle of Karbala demonstrated how patient and tolerant he was, as he had to witness the martyrdom of his father, and his family and companions. He was eager to fight with them, had it been not for the sickness that forced him to lie in bed.  He then demonstrated his courage when he stood before Ubaidallah bin Ziyad and told him that he cannot threaten him with death as being killed was a habit of Ahl el-Beit and martyrdom was what God has distinguished them with…

 He was able, with his aunt Zainab, to prevent Yazid from wiping out the evidence and the memory of his crime in Karbala and continuing the march to achieve the goals of his father’s revolution of fighting corruption and injustice and defending the right path of Islam that was embodied in his sayings, stances, and supplications that he transformed from asking for personal needs to  safeguarding the faith and clarifying the responsibilities the believer has to shoulder. Thus, he reached the hearts and minds of the people, including those who were against him…

 

 

 Today, we are going to benefit from this occasion to recall some of his stances that provide us with what enhances the role of Islam in our lives:

One of his relatives who used to envy and hate the Imam (a.s.)  came one day and started to insult the Imam in front of his companions. When he left, the Imam told his companions: “You have heard what the man had said and I would like you to come with me to hear what I have to say to him!” The companions thought that he was going to reciprocate. But on their way, they heard him say, “Who restrain their anger, and forgive others. Allah loves such good-doers.” When the Imam (a.s.) reached the man’s house, the man came out expecting trouble and thought that the Imam came to hold him responsible for what he said. But the Imam calmed him down and told him: “We didn’t come for this, but to tell you ‘You approached me and said what you said, and if you had stated anything true about me, then I ask Allah for forgiveness, and if you had stated anything false about me, may Allah forgive you'”. The man then said, “What I stated was far from true, and I am mistaken and a sinner, and I hope you forgive me and ask God to forgive me”. Afterward, the man became one of the Imam’s most loyal followers.

 

A maid-servant of the Imam began to pour water for him so that he might perform the ritual ablutions for prayer. The maid-servant became faint and the jug dropped from her hand and struck him. He raised his head towards her and then she said: “Allah, the Most High, says: Those who restrain their anger.”

 

“I have restrained my anger,” he said.

 

“And those who forgive the people,” she went on.

 

“May Allah forgive you,” he said.

 

“Allah loves those who do good,” she said.

 

“Go, you are a free woman before the face of Allah, the Almighty, and High”.

 

The third stance:  This stance exemplifies forgiveness and charity at their topmost: Marwan bin Al-Hakam, who was known for his animosity toward Ahl el-Beit, and who fought in Al-Jamal and Siffien…to the extent that he advised that Imam Hussein should be killed if he did not pledge allegiance to Yazid. This man did not find anyone to resort to, and provide shelter to his big family when the people of Medina revolted against the Umayyad except the Imam…

Dear loved ones: All these stances are practical manifestations of the Ayat in which Allah told His servants:   And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better, and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend. This Ayat pointed out the way the believer should deal with those who hurt him whether a relative, a neighbor, a friend, or an enemy. It called on the believer not to act impulsively and hit back with a similar offense. Instead, he should react to an evil deed by which is better… This might not be easy, but its results would be great since by charity one will win the hearts of people in this world, as well as being greatly rewarded in the Hereafter…

Dear loved ones: We are now in dire need to adopt this virtue as the basis of building ourselves and dealing with others…

 

Some people believe that this behavior could lead the wrongdoers, who consider forgiveness an act of weakness, to take advantage of the weak. But these people are few, and even considered exceptions. Of course, one should face these people and react to a bad offense with a similar one and we should not forgo our rights when they are concerned…

Dear Loved ones: By such an attitude Imam Zein Al-Abidien won the hearts of people and by adopting it we express our loyalty to him which could not be achieved except by  the practice that follows his lead and that of the other Imams.

The second sermon

Worshippers of Allah: I advise you and myself with what Imam Al-Hussien advised his son: My son! I advise you to do what my father advised me to do at the time of his death, O my son! I advise you not to oppress anyone who has no helper but God.’” By this will, the Imam is guiding us not to use our authority, wealth, and position to wrong others or not give them their rights.  The employer should not be unjust towards his/her employees, nor should the teacher towards his/her students, the parents towards one another or their children…etc.

By following this, we express our love and loyalty to the Imam and become more just, righteous, and able to confront the challenges…

We begin with the dangerous incident in Kahaale that reminded the Lebanese of the images of the civil war, and which could have undermined the civil peace as the result of the provocative and irrational hate speech that arouses sectarian instincts…

  In light of what happened, we would like to praise the wise role of the army, which put an end to the strife and its potentially dangerous consequences. Furthermore, we call for dealing swiftly with the reasons that led to this incident to prevent its recurrence. At the same time,   we call on all parties to consider the consequences of continuing to target a  Lebanese group that has and still is making a lot of sacrifices to ensure the integrity, sovereignty, and freedom of this country. 

Any opinion regarding the arms of the Resistance should not be dealt with with such rhetoric or practices. The Lebanese should resort to internal dialogue and adopt a responsible position that takes into consideration the interest of the country and its need for a deterring force against the enemy. If some are afraid that these arms will no longer aim to protect the country but rather play an internal role, such fears are dealt with through a national dialogue…

In this respect, we welcome all the stances that practiced restraint and acted wisely and nationally away from any political or other exploitation.

 In the meantime, the office of the presidency continues to be vacant with seemingly no hope for a solution to this impasse with all its economic and living consequences.  On the contrary, things might even get worse due to regional and international tensions, which might further complicate the already critical situation. 

 In view of these difficulties, we renew our call to the political parties to shoulder their responsibility and not wait for foreign developments, as the country can no longer endure further delay and stalling. 

In this respect, we commend any dialogue between the active political parties and call for extending it to include all parties being the easiest and the soundest way to get the country out of the current impasse.

On the financial level, we call for a quick solution that secures the salaries of the public sector and other public expenses and does not lead to the impasse everybody is afraid of. This means that we should take into consideration the conditions the Central Bank laid for lending money including the Parliament’s endorsement of using the mandatory reserve and ensuring that the Government will return the money it borrowed and is committed to the reforms that guarantee, among other things, preserving the savings of the depositors…

On the internal level too, we call for speeding  up the investigation of the Ain Ibl incident  to clear its mysteries… In this respect, we commend the stances of those who did not jump immediately to political accusations … and called for a thorough investigation to allow justice to prevail…And thwart all the attempts of those who want to undermine the peaceful and mutual coexistence…