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His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, , Sha’ban 14, 1446H/ February 14, 2025. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and hundreds of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. Following is summary  of his sermons:

 

 

 

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate , the Merciful

The first sermon

Allah, the Most Exalted, said in His Glorious Book: “Allah,, has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the land just as He granted it to those before them, and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has chosen for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that – then those are the defiantly disobedient.” [Surah An-Nur: 55]

 

The Hope of the Oppressed

On the fifteenth of this blessed month, the month of Sha’ban, the month of the Prophet (p.), we commemorated the honorable birth anniversary of the last Imam in the blessed series of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (a.s), the one who upholds truth and justice, the awaited Imam Muhammad bin Al-Hasan Al-Askari, may our souls be sacrificed for his advent.

This Imam, whose remembrance comes every year to bring hope to the souls of the oppressed, the downtrodden, the tortured, and the weak, and to remind them that the future will never belong to the tyrants and the arrogant, nor to those who violate people’s blood and honor, or who spread corruption on earth, but will be, even after a while, for the righteous servants of God, the advocates of truth, justice, and freedom, and for the oppressed.

This hope we speak of is a hope we believe that it is not categorized among wishful thinking, nor daydreams, but comes from our belief in the promise of God Almighty, who has promised His servants, and who does not break His promise to His servants, and which came in the verse we recited: “God has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the land just as He granted it to those before them, and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has chosen for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me.”

And in His saying: “And We have certainly written in the Psalms after the mention that the land shall be inherited by My righteous servants.” [Surah Al-Anbiya: 105], and the verse that says: “And We wanted to confer favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors.” [Surah Al-Qasas: 5].

And in what the hadiths mentioned by the Messenger of God (p.) pointed to, as it was narrated from him (p.): “The world will not come to an end until God raises up a man from my family, whose name is like my name, and whose father’s name is like my father’s name. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice as it was filled with injustice and oppression.”

In another hadith: “The Qa’im is  from my descendants, his name is my name, his kunyah(nickname) is my kunyah, his characteristics are my characteristics, and his sunnah is my sunnah. He will call people to my Book and to the path of my Lord. Whoever obeys him has obeyed me, and whoever disobeys him has disobeyed me.”

And in a hadith reported from Imam Hassan Al-Askari where he referred to Al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), he said: “My son Muhammad is the Imam and the Proof (Hujja/Argument )after me. Whoever dies without knowing him dies a death of ignorance. Indeed, he will have an occultation where the ignorant will be bewildered, the wrongdoers will perish….”

Thus, our belief in Imam Al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) stems from our belief in the truthfulness of God’s promises to us, and what was narrated from the Messenger of God (p.) whom God indicated that he speaks not from desire but from divine revelation: “Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.” [Surah An-Najm: 3-4].

And if there are those who raise questions about the possibility of his prolonged life during this period, we say to them that God is capable of sustaining him throughout this period and providing him with means of care until a time He determines based on His wisdom and judgment: “And that, for God, is not difficult.” [Surah Fatir: 17], and He who holds the command and has power over all things.

Our Responsibility in the Era of Occultation(absence)

Today, in the atmosphere of this blessed birth, we must ask ourselves: what role is required of us in the period we are living in, until God permits his advent? Should we be content with waiting for his advent, as some do, relying on him and leaving the matter to him, and considering ourselves not responsible for enjoining good and forbidding evil, establishing justice, confronting injustice, deviation, and corruption, as long as he is in occultation? Should we be content when we see corruption, injustice, deviation, and tyranny to fold our hands and pray for his hastened relief, or should we engage ourselves as many of us do in searching for a sign here or there that indicates the time of his appearance and become absorbed in it, which the Imams (a.s.) urged us not to fall into?

It has been narrated from Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.) in a conversation with one of his companions when he asked him: “Is there a time for this matter?” referring to the time of the advent. Imam Al-Baqir replied: “The predictors lied, the predictors lied, the predictors lied.”

 

And from Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.): “The forecasters lied, we have never set a time for this matter in the past, nor will we set a time for it in the future.” Therefore, any prediction of his advent has no basis, even if a sign is confirmed, it may not be for this time, but for another.

We must be aware that the advent of the Imam (may God hasten his reappearance) is in the hands of God Who has not informed anyone of it, neither in terms of time nor place, but kept it secret until the conditions for his advent are prepared, and the suitable time for it, and the nation worthy of it. We will not need a great effort to know his advent, for he will indicate himself, and the signs will be clear and evident.

Working to Achieve Justice

What we should do during this period is to continue praying for his relief, and to be prepared for his advent, so that when he appears we are among his supporters and helpers, not those lagging behind him. But this must be coupled with working to achieve the goal pointed out by the Messenger of God (p.) when he spoke about him and said he will “fill the earth with fairness and justice after it was filled with injustice and oppression,” this goal for which God sent the messengers and prophets, and for which the Imam comes to put its final brick, completing all the efforts made to achieve it, as indicated by God when He said: “We sent Our messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice.” [Surah Al-Hadid: 25], and which Islam called for, as mentioned in the verse: “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for God, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives.” [Surah An-Nisa: 135], and in the verse: “And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance That you not transgress within the balance.” [Surah Ar-Rahman: 7-8], and the balance here is the balance of justice. In the hadith: “An hour of justice is better than seventy years of worship.”

And the justice called for by God does not stop at the limits of Muslims, but it is the fundamental rule in dealing with others, with those we differ with in religion or sect, even with those we consider enemies. This is what God referred to: “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for God, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear God; indeed, God is Acquainted with what you do.” [Surah Al-Ma’idah: 8].

It has been narrated: “God revealed to a prophet from among His prophets in the kingdom of a tyrant :‘Go to this tyrant and tell him, I did not appoint you to shed blood and to take wealth, but I appointed you to keep the cries of the oppressed away from Me, for I will not leave their wrongs even if they are disbelievers.'”

Therefore, on the occasion of his birth, we are obligated to renew our pledge to our Imam by working towards what he will call for and strive to achieve, to be just with our Lord by fulfilling His rights upon us, to thank and glorify Him and not disobey Him, to be just with ourselves by protecting them from everything that harms them in this world and from the punishment of the Hereafter, to be just in our homes; and in all the arenas he wants us to be in; the arenas of truth and justice, and in confronting oppression, tyranny, and corruption. And that we always pray from the depths of our hearts to see him and be under his banner, to be among his soldiers and supporters, and defenders, and we say: “O Allah,show me the resplendent visage, and the praised moon-like face, and enlighten my vision by gazing upon him,” “Hasten his relief, ease his emergence, broaden his path, make me follow his way, execute his command, strengthen his back, populate Your lands through him, and revive Your servants through him, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.”

The Second Sermon

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

Worshippers of God, I advise you and myself with the advice that Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) sent to one of the scholars of his time, Sheikh Ibn Babawayh, and commanded him to send it to his followers. He said to him: “I advise you to seek forgiveness for sins, control anger, maintain kinship ties, assist brothers, strive to meet their needs in hardship and ease, exhibit patience in ignorance, understand religion, deliberate in matters, attend to the Quran, exhibit good character, enjoin good and forbid evil… and avoid all obscenities. You should perform the night prayer, for the Prophet (p.) advised Ali (a.s.), saying: O Ali, you must perform the night prayer, you must perform the night prayer, you must perform the night prayer. Act upon my advice and command all my followers to act upon it until they do so… and be patient, and command all my followers to be patient.

This is the advice of the Imam (may Allah hasten his reappearance). We ask Allah to grant us success in adhering to it, to express the reality of our loyalty to this Imam and our true affiliation to him… When we do this gain more strength and become able to face challenges

Waiting for Addressing the Crises

The beginning is with the birth of the government that the Lebanese were waiting for to address the crises they are suffering from, whether on the living and daily life level, or what threatens them on the political, economic, and security levels, and to return the depositors’ money, rebuild what was destroyed by the Zionist aggression, or work to confront the challenges that continue to afflict this country due to Zionist aggression, the enemy’s reluctance to fully withdraw from Lebanese territories, or what is happening on the eastern borders, or in the region and the world, which will have repercussions on this country.

We want this government to meet the aspirations and hopes of the Lebanese by fulfilling the promises .a government of reform and salvation, to be a government of real and serious reform on the political, administrative, economic, judicial, and security levels, and not to stand before sectarian and political considerations that have always stood before any desired reform, a government that saves the country from everything that threatens its sovereignty, security, and human dignity.

We are aware of the difficulties this government will face due to the heavy burden, and after the country has reached the slope it is in, but we believe it can overcome them if it works with all seriousness and responsibility as a cooperative and homogeneous team, keeping the whole nation in mind, not this sector that, or this political position or that, or be captive to foreign interests.

Our judgment on this government and our trust and the trust of the Lebanese in it will be through its actions, not its words, and what it will offer to the nation and its citizens, and through its commitment to its security, sovereignty, and independence… There are many tasks that fall on this government, but the biggest challenge before it in this stage, which it must prove its ability and presence in, is liberating the country from the Zionist enemy that continues its breaches by bombing residential buildings and infrastructure, and leveling agricultural lands in the border strip, making this strip adjacent to its entity uninhabitable, in addition to its aircraft violating Lebanese airspace, and it is delaying today in withdrawing from the occupied territories and openly declaring that it does not want to withdraw from five sites under the pretext that they pose a threat to the security of its settlements, without considering the threat that its presence poses to the security of the Lebanese villages overlooking them, and to the sovereignty of this country, which calls for the Lebanese government to mobilize its efforts to pressure the states sponsoring the agreement to play the required role and call on them not to treat this country from the position of the defeated and to rely on all the strengths it possesses and what previous and current events have proven.

A Decision Affecting the Sovereignty of the Country

We remain with what happened yesterday on the airport road, with roadblocks in more than one Lebanese area, which came on the background of the decision issued to prevent the Iranian civilian plane from landing at Beirut Airport, which did not consider that it carried Lebanese passengers stranded at Tehran Airport …

In light of what happened, we wanted the government at its inception to be more wise and aware of the repercussions of this decision, as it seemed to come in response to the threats of the Zionist enemy, which harms the image and prestige of the state, and affects the sovereignty of a vital facility within it.

The Lebanese state must take into account the sensitivity of what happened to an audience that has presented its leaders and thousands of martyrs and continues to confront this enemy, preserving the sovereignty of this country. Nevertheless, we do not recommend cutting roads as a method of protest as it affects the interests of those who want to move, especially since it is a vital facility, or that it leads to clashes with the army and security forces.

We want the state to reconsider its decision, to confirm to its loyal people who are keen on their homeland, that its decision is still in its hands, and that it is keen on sovereignty and every facility in the nation.

Conspiracy to Displace Gaza’s People

In Palestine, where the Palestinian people are facing a phase of the most dangerous stages, where the endeavor to displace them and expel them from their land, which was clearly expressed by the American president by displacing the people of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, and to Saudi Arabia and other countriess, and that he is considering taking control of it and managing it, seeking to fortify the security of the Zionist entity, and expand the base of the American economy, without considering the presence of the Palestinian people in it, who have the right to remain in their land, which calls for a serious Arab stance to confront this inhumane and illegal plan that aims to eliminate the Palestinian cause. We call for solidarity with all the countries that will face a threat if they insist on their position of not accepting the displacement of the Palestinian people to their lands.

The Arab world must not see itself as weak, for it possesses many capabilities and potentials that make it capable, if it deploys them, to prevent this plan that targets the Palestinian people and their cause. Its acceptance of what is happening and its submission to the pressures exerted on it will make it accept whatever is imposed on it in other places.

We continue to bet on the Palestinian people, who will prove again to the American president and the world, that they are clinging to their land and will not leave it, and that they will not be happy in any other land, despite all the destruction they have faced, and that they will not surrender to what the American president says no matter the pressures.

 

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