In The Name of Allah,   the Compassionate, The Merciful.

The First Sermon

His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Rajab 26, 1444/February 17, 2023. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, and hundreds of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. Following is an edited text of the sermons.

 Allah, The Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And one who invites to Allah , by His permission, and an illuminating lamp. Allah the Most Exalted, speaks the truth.

We meet on the 27^th of the month of Rajab with a very dear anniversary to us and to all humanity,  which is the  day  the Message of The Prophet commenced…

 It is the day the first revelation descended to the 

Messenger telling him to:

Recite in the name of your Lord who created – Created man from a clinging substance.

Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous –

Who taught by the pen –

Taught man that which he knew not.

Since then, Muhammad (p.) made all efforts to shoulder this responsibility, although he was well aware of the difficulties and challenges of those who saw in his message a threat to their interests and positions he was going to face. He did not yield to the pressures nor was he allured by all the seductions of power and money offered to him, and endured all the pains, siege   and wars that were waged against him. This was exemplified most clearly when he replied to his uncle who carried to him the threats of Quraish: “O my uncle! By God, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, on condition that I abandon this course, until God has made me victorious, or I perish therein, I would not abandon it.

In a short period that did not exceed 23 years, the Prophet was able to convey his message to all people and realize God’s promise that said: It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it.

As we recall this anniversary, we ask this question:  What were the means the Prophet resorted to   change the society from a backward one that worships stones and is dominated by myths and illusions, a society fragmented by conflicts and wars whose tribes live on their spoils to a united society that carried civilization to the world?

There are many elements that contributed to the spread of this religion which we would not be able to cover all of them in this speech. Thus , we are going to talk  today about the ethical and humanitarian content of this religion only, which of course contributed to  the spread of  Islam and made people believe that  that it will solve their problems and relief them from their pains…

This religion came to enhance the ethical and humanitarian values, by calling for honesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness justice to all people, be they friends or enemies, dealing kindly and charitably to parents, relatives , the poor and all people in general. This is what the Messenger meant when he said: I was sent in order to complete and consolidate good manners”. This was demonstrated by Allah’s presentation of the personality of the Messenger. He did  not present him as a worshipper, despite the fact that he prayed  until his feet were swollen.
He did not also present him as a man of knowledge despite being as he described himself the city of knowledge.  Nor was he presented as a courageous man … but as one of sublime manners: And indeed, you are of a great moral character And So by mercy from Allah , [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. And :There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.

Today, we are going to shed light on one of the significant incidents that demonstrated the humanitarian and ethical content of Islam as well as the Messenger’s role to spread it to the entire world : It is narrated that Assad Bin Zararah

And Zaqwan Bin Abd Qaish, two of the prominent leaders of the Khazraj tribe came to Mecca to establish an alliance with Quraish against their rival tribe of Aws. They met Ataba bin Rabia , one of the leaders of Quraish who declined,  maintaining that Quraish was  preoccupied with a man who claims to be a messenger  of Allah and advised them  not to meet him or listen to what he had to say , as he would capture  them with his magic . But when they saw Muhammad in The Kabah, they  decided  that  not listening to him would be an act of ignorance, since his speech might contain what would fill their hearts and minds. They went to the Messenger  and asked him  in a direct  and simple manner: What do you call for? .The Prophet said : I call for bearing witness that there is no god save Allah, The Most Exalted, and that I am messenger of Allah, The Most Exalted, and to what was revealed in the Book of Allah, The Most Exalted, . He then recited the following Ayats ” Say :Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason.  And do not approach the orphan’s property except in a way that is best until he reaches maturity. And give full measure and weight in justice. We do not charge any soul except [with that within] its capacity. And when you testify, be just, even if [it concerns] a near relative. And the covenant of Allah fulfill. This has He instructed you that you may remember.

Hearing this they professed Islam right away, and asked the Messenger to send to Yethrib  one of his companions to teach Islam to them,  The people of Yethrib embraced Islam   thus changing its face and the face of the entire world

Dear loved ones: By the moral virtues that Muhammad came up with, changing a society filled with hatred, cruelty and deviation to one of love, mercy and righteousness, since these values provide solutions to the problems and sufferings of the word, we will be able to establish a life that enjoys security, tranquility, internal  peace and happiness both as individuals and nations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Second Sermon

Worshippers of Allah, The Most Exalted, I advise you and myself, to embrace the virtues which God said that the companions of the Messenger are adorned with when He said: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure. Their sign is in their faces from the effect of prostration [i.e., prayer]. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is as a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so they grow firm and stand upon their stalks, delighting the sowers – so that He [i.e., Allah] may enrage by them the disbelievers. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.

Allah pointed in this Ayat that the Prophet’s companions were forceful when they faced challenges, but they were merciful with one another. They love and obey their God and they help and support each other. Thus, they would continue to grow and develop and occupy the forefront positions of any society they live in. By these people the Messenger was able to spread his message and make Islam grow and become stronger and able to confront challenges.

We begin by the absurd rise in the price of the dollar and the resulting increase in the price of food, medication, water, electricity, transport…  It has begun to threaten the continuity and regularity of the work of hospitals and academic institutions, without any signs in the horizon of any endeavor to limit or reduce these effects of this rise. Instead the Lebanese, who can no longer endure these tragic conditions, are being told that this collapse will even get worse, as there are no fiscal solutions, since the Central Bank has ceased  to  perform its role and the prosecuting of the exchangers has proved  inefficient with the political reality continuing to deteriorate and inflict all governmental institutions , as well as the foreign pressures that appear to wish that Lebanon would fall in this impasse.

Faced by all this we warn the political parties from the consequences of continuing to be indifferent towards what is going on, and call on them to hasten to reach an agreement among them that would facilitate the election of a new president who is able to unite the Lebanese and form a new government whose priorities would include the management of these crises and  the implementation of  the recovery  plan… Moreover, they should stop putting their stakes on the foreign powers which have proved to be divided over this issue.

As for the protests of the depositors and the accompanying acts of violence , and from the point of view of  our  concern for the banking sector and civil peace, we call on the banks to hasten to solve this issue and establish the means to return to the depositors their money …  If they claim to be not responsible since all what they still have is not equal to more than one sixth of the deposits, having  deposited the rest in the Central Bank as bonds, this makes the state also responsible but does  exempt them from the responsibility of  giving the depositors all the money they entrusted them with…

 As for the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria which are still suffering from its huge consequences we call for continuing to support them…

In this respect , we welcome   the freezing of sanctions against Syria, although it was late and limited, and  we would like the states that froze the sanctions to be aware of the grave effect of  these sanctions that made Syria unable to shoulder its responsibility towards any such catastrophe…

Lastly as we observe the anniversary of the Messenger’s night journey from the Haram to the Aqsa mosques… This anniversary comes to remind the Muslims of the importance of the Aqsa Mosque and the role they ought to play to free it from    occupation and its horrendous aggressions .