His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Rabi II 12, 1445 /October 27, 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: “Do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, ‘When is the help of Allah?’ Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near.” Allah, The Most Exalted speaks the Truth.

 

This verse was revealed during the Battle of the Trench, a time when the Muslims, led by the Messenger of Allah (p.), were facing a coalition of opposition forces seeking to eradicate Islam from Medina.

God intended, through this verse, to remind the believers, not just of that particular time, but of timeless facts.

Firstly, it emphasizes that Paradise, which they were promised with and which they aspire to, cannot be achieved merely through wishes and dreams. Attaining it requires efforts, perseverance, endurance, and sacrifices similar to those made by the prophets, messengers, and righteous individuals.

 

The verse highlights that Allah knows those who strive for His cause and recognizes those who demonstrate patience. It emphasizes that God has bought from the believers their lives and wealth in exchange for Paradise and that He rewards them for their patience.

 

The Hadith further emphasizes that Paradise is surrounded by difficulties and patience. It asserts that whoever endures hardships in this worldly life will enter Paradise.

 

Imam Ali (a.s.) addressed those who believed that they could attain Paradise with minimal effort, without hardship or sacrifice, stating that it’s not by this means that one can reach Allah’s Paradise or gain His satisfaction. Instead, nearness to God and His favor are achieved through obedience, sincerity, and unwavering efforts in His path.

 The second reality is that victory is the promise of God to the believers, as indicated by several verses in the Quran. For instance, “And victory is not but from Allah for the believers and “Indeed, we will support Our messengers and those who believe during the life of this world “Indeed, Allah will defend those who believe”. This promise is not fulfilled merely by professing faith. It’s attained when believers demonstrate the truth of their faith, especially during challenging times and intense pressures. These pressures could be financial constraints, desires, siege, or a shortage of wealth, souls, or fruits. This is what Allah referred to when He said, “Alif, Lam, Meem. Do people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.”

                                              

The trial that Allah refers to here is the severe test that shakes a person to their core. The term “trial” originates from the idea of smelting gold with fire to refine it. When a person faces a trial, it either brings out their purity and authenticity or exposes their weaknesses, succumbing to their desires, and instincts…

 

Allah was clear when He indicated the aspects of this adversity, saying, “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits. But give good tidings to the patient.”  And He said, “And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you and the patient.”

 

 

Therefore, dear ones, Allah will not grant victory freely to the believers just because they profess belief. Instead, victory is for the believers who express their faith in times of challenge and in the face of pressure, demonstrating resilience when facing trials. Allah intended to establish this reality through His talk about the prophets, saints, and the righteous, illustrating how He surrounded them with His support when they faced struggles and challenges and remained steadfast without retreat.

 

This is what the Quran emphasized when it spoke of the care given to Prophet Noah (a.s) after his long struggle with his people for 950 years.

His support for the Prophet Musa (a.s.) and his people was evident when Pharaoh and his army pursued them to bring them back under his control after they decided to leave his oppression. This Divine care for the Prophet Muhammad (p.) was evident in all stages of his mission. God’s clear support became apparent when the polytheists pursued him to the cave of Thawr with his companion. They reached the mouth of the cave, where God says: ‘{When those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquility upon him and supported him with soldiers you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah – that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.

 

This care was evident in every battle he (p.) engaged in, such as Badr, Uhud, the Confederates, and Khaybar, where he achieved victory, culminating in the conquest of Mecca and the submission of the Arabian Peninsula to him, despite the disparities in capabilities between him and  Quraysh, the Jewish fortresses, and their resources, as indicated by the verse: ‘{Indeed, we have given you a clear conquest, that Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path and [that] Allah may aid you with a mighty victory}’.

 

This divine care will not cease; it will extend and be present for all those who remain steadfast in facing challenges and dedicate themselves to God in all their steps

In this phase, we are in dire need of this Divine care and trust in Allah’s promise of relief, victory, and support to confront the challenges that confront and threaten us. We should not be defeated psychologically by threats and intimidation, maintaining our trust in Allah, without falling into despair and exhaustion.

 

To achieve that, we should echo the words of the believers during the Battle of the Confederates when they saw the enemy’s massing around them, saying, ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth.’ Their confidence that Allah would support, aid, and honor them led to the frustration of the disbelievers and the Muslims’ response to the Quraysh’s attempt to enter the city after the Battle of Uhud, mentioned by Allah: ‘{Those to whom hypocrites said, “Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.” But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, “Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.” So they returned with favor from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them}’.

 

The Second Sermon

Worshippers of God, I advise you and I advise myself with what Imam Al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) advised one of his companions: ‘I advise you to fear God, establish prayers, give alms. Prayer is not accepted by those who deny alms. I advise you to seek forgiveness, control your anger, maintain family ties, support fellow believers, help them in ease and hardship, be patient in ignorance, seek knowledge in religion, be steadfast in matters, adhere to the Quran, have good manners, enjoin good, and forbid evil.’ Allah says: ‘{There is no good in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right or conciliation between people. And whoever does that seeking Allah’s approval, then We are going to give him a great reward}.’ Avoid all forms of obscenity and perform the night prayer. The Prophet (p.) advised Ali (a.s.) three times to perform the night prayer, stating that those who neglect it are not among us. Follow my advice and command my followers to do so.’

 

This is the advice of Imam Al-Hasan al-Askari(a.s.) to us. He intended it to be a guide for his followers in conduct, and our loyalty to him is affirmed by our implementation of it, to be truly faithful to him and more capable of facing challenges…

 

The beginning is from Gaza, where the Zionist enemy relentlessly commits atrocities and massacres against civilians, systematically destroying the Strip. This has resulted in thousands of innocent civilians, mostly women, children, and the elderly. Thousands of residential buildings have been razed, including hospitals, refugee shelters, mosques, and churches.

 

The enemy seeks revenge for its humiliating defeat and aims to regain its reputation as being invincible by inflicting terror upon Gaza, believing this will weaken the Palestinian resistance and break the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.

 

Unfortunately, this occurs in the background of unwavering Western support, granting absolute freedom for the enemy’s actions, surpassing international norms, human values, and Divine laws under the pretext of self-defense. They fail to consider the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people, denying their right to live on their land, and enjoying freedom and dignified life, while prisoners are to be freed.

 

Amidst this, we admire the resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian people, proving their endurance and commitment to their land despite the wounds and pain they endure, refusing to face the tragedy of displacement again. We acknowledge the heroic stances of defenders of this land the sacrifices of medical professionals treating the wounded, and those working in media striving to expose the truth about the enemy’s atrocities, making sacrifices for their cause.

And we appreciate all stances and voices standing with these people today, raising their voices for their plight and defending their legitimate rights, whether in international or non-international forums. Simultaneously, we reiterate our call to Western countries supporting this entity not to disregard their slogans in respecting the laws of human rights and the right of peoples to self-determination, avoiding harming civilians. These countries were once the ones establishing and waging wars when these rights were claimed to be violated. They should refrain from seeing through the eyes of this enemy and consider justice regarding the tragedy of the Palestinian people, exposed every day on television screens and social media, countering the enemy’s falsehoods of who suffers and whose civilians are under attack.

 

Here, we must acknowledge all the free voices that have risen in these countries to expose the enemy’s crimes, despite all the measures taken to prevent them from expressing their views. They were not misled by Zionist media propaganda. They came out to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza, rejecting their governments’ support for this entity and its crimes. We hope that these stances expand, and the pressure intensifies to bring about changes in their countries’ policies to stop this ongoing massacre.

 

It has become increasingly clear that there is a need for resolute stances from Arab and Islamic countries, as well as freedom-loving individuals globally, with a sense of humanity and faith, against the Zionist war machine that persists in killing and destroying after diplomatic efforts have failed, both regionally and internationally. Recently, we witnessed the blatant rejection by the Western powers in the Security Council to issue an international resolution to stop the bloodshed and destruction. The UN Secretary-General faced negative reactions and was even pressured to resign because he called for the bloodshed in Gaza to stop, forcing him to slightly modify his statements.

 

Returning to Lebanon, which proves day after day its support for the suffering of the Palestinian people through its viable forces… It doesn’t settle with mere statements of support and condemnation; rather, it offers sacrifices in this path based on its awareness of the risks of the enemy’s success in the war of extermination and its repercussions on Lebanon’s strength. With full awareness and responsibility for the country’s reality and the circumstances, it faces.

 

Here, we must highly appreciate the sacrifices made, indicated by the number of martyrs who have fallen and what the residents of the border strip in their lands and properties are enduring. Some are forced to leave their villages and homes to more secure places. Here, we call for societal support and solidarity with them and ensure all forms of support. We also appreciate the positions of some responsible Lebanese leaders who have called for opening doors to all those displaced by the enemy or who may face displacement.

 

Unfortunately, some speak negatively, undermining the spirit of national solidarity, while others exploit the situation of those forced to leave their homes by raising rents without considering their circumstances or the reasons that compelled them to leave. Meanwhile, we call on the Lebanese government to fulfill its responsibilities on all fronts, studying every way to enhance the resilience of the locals and address any crisis arising from the continued Zionist aggression on Lebanon and the repercussions of what is happening in Gaza.

 

We emphasize that the government and parliament should work to overcome all considerations that prevent the full convening of the cabinet or the parliamentary council to keep pace with all developments and address any consequences. We believe that the time is becoming more urgent to expedite the election of a president for the Republic and secure all the requirements, whether in terms of the government or the vacancy in the leadership of the army. This is to safeguard the strength and stability of this country and make it capable of facing challenges and addressing the crises…

 

We appreciate every stance and voice standing with this population, raising awareness about their plight and defending their legitimate rights, whether in international or non-international forums.

 

We simultaneously renew our call to Western nations supporting this entity, reminding them not to disregard their slogans about respecting human rights, self-determination, and protection of civilians. They were once the ones establishing and waging wars in the name of humanity. But they seem to act differently when it comes to themselves or the Zionist entity.

 

It’s imperative for them to refrain from seeing through the eyes of this enemy and reevaluate their unconditional support, considering the appalling situation and innocent lives lost in the conflict.”