His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Zul Hijja 29, 1445/July 5, 2024. 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: Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion. Allah, the Most Exalted, speaks the Truth

As the first day of the month of Muharram approaches, we mark the beginning of a new year based on the Hijri calendar, which is now the year 1446 AH. We are in great need of reminding ourselves and future generations of this calendar, as many people, unfortunately, are unaware of the Hijri calendar or do not feel or care about the start of the Hijri year as much as they do for the Gregorian New Year. Some may attribute this lack of attention to the association of Muharram with the season of Ashura, which evokes sorrow that may not seem appropriate for celebrating a new year. However, this is not a valid reason, as celebrating a new year, any new year, does not necessarily need to be accompanied by joy. Instead, it can be about reflecting on the past year’s achievements and failures, and preparing for the responsibilities and challenges of the upcoming year.

 

Our interest in the Hijri calendar is significant because it includes the lunar months that Allah has commanded us to follow, as mentioned in the Ayat we recited. These months are linked to many Islamic obligations and recommended practices, such as fasting the month of  Ramadan, Hajj, and Ashura. It also includes the four sacred months during which fighting and disputes should cease. Moreover, this calendar is deeply connected to our Islamic history, which Muslims established based on a suggestion from Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn Abi Talib) when they agreed that the calendar should start from the day Prophet Muhammad (p.) migrated from Mecca to Medina. Some scholars have also pointed out that the Prophet (p.) dated his correspondences based on this event after his migration to Medina.

 

The decision to migrate was made by the Prophet and he prepared for it, but the execution of this plan came after he learned about a meeting in Dar al-Nadwa. In this meeting, the leaders of Quraish discussed how to confront the Prophet (p.) after his message had spread, and all their efforts to stop him had failed. Their decision was to assassinate him while he was sleeping in his bed. To avoid retribution from Banu Hashim, they decided that each tribe would select a man to participate in the act, so his blood would be on multiple tribes, making it difficult for Banu Hashim to seek revenge, and they would be forced to accept blood money. When we speak about the Hijra (migration), we must mention two important points:

 

Firstly, the role of Amir al-Mu’minin:

 On the night of the Hijra, Prophet Muhammad asked Ali(a.s.) to sleep in his bed to facilitate his escape and keep his departure a secret. Despite knowing that the house was surrounded by forty warriors waiting for dawn to attack and kill the Prophet, Ali did not hesitate. He simply asked the Prophet, “Will you be safe if I stay in your place, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “Yes, that is what my Lord has promised me.” Ali then said to him, “Proceed as you have been commanded… By Allah, I do not care whether I fall upon death or death falls upon me.”

 

On that night, the verse was revealed that highlighted Ali’s character throughout his life, showing that he sold himself to Allah alone: “And among the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the approval of Allah. And Allah is kind to [His] servants.”

Secondly: The divine protection provided to Prophet Muhammad (p.) during his migration.

When Quraish pursued him, they almost reached him if it weren’t for Allah’s support and protection: “If you do not aid him, Allah has already aided him 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 [angels] 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 divine support can be repeated for anyone who calls upon Allah and is ready to sacrifice for His cause.

 

Dear loved ones, as we stand on the threshold of a new Hijri year, we are invited to draw several lessons:

 

Firstly, we need to highlight the importance of the Hijri year and strengthen its presence in our communities and among our generations in mosques, celebrations, and seminars. We should date all our events and transactions according to it to elevate our reality from ignorance about the Hijri year and its significant place in Islamic history. This does not mean we reject the Gregorian calendar, which has its place due to its association with the birth of Jesus Christ (a.s.), or any other calendar that has become a reality. What we call for is to pair the Gregorian calendar or any other calendar with the Hijri calendar.

 

Secondly, the beginning of the year should be one of the most prominent stations for reviewing and correcting our course in light of the responsibilities Allah has placed upon us, as embodied by the Prophet (p.) and his family in their journey, words, and actions, which we are invited to follow every day and every year. The Prophet also said, “Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account, weigh your deeds before they are weighed, and prepare for the greatest presentation.” This ensures that as we leave one year, we have fulfilled our duties towards Allah, ourselves, and the people we care about. We should praise Allah for the duties we have fulfilled and seek forgiveness for our shortcomings, preparing ourselves to undertake the responsibilities of the new year and to face the temptations of the devils among jinn and humans, and to prevent our souls from leading us to what displeases Allah.

 

Thirdly, the Hijra teaches us not to accept the status quo or live in humiliation, or in a place where we lose our faith or cannot fulfill our responsibilities called for by Allah. One should not stay in a place where their religion or dignity is not preserved, but should migrate to where circumstances allow them to be free from pressures. Allah says: “O My servants who have believed, indeed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me.” . It is interpreted that if Allah is disobeyed in a land where you reside and you cannot resist or fear for yourself, then leave for another land.

 

There is also a warning for those who succumb to oppression and deviation because they are weak. Allah says: “Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves – [the angels] will say, ‘In what [condition] were you?’ They will say, ‘We were oppressed in the land.’ The angels will say, ‘Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?’ For those, their refuge will be Hell – and evil it is as a destination.”

 

Migration should not be limited to physical migration but should go beyond that. We can migrate while staying in our land. The Prophet said, “The best migration is to abandon what Allah has forbidden,” and “The emigrant is the one who abandons sins and mistakes.”

 

Therefore, dear ones, as we begin a new Hijri year, we are called to migrate, not necessarily from our place, but from every bad reality we live in, from division and fragmentation to communication and unity, from hatred and rejection to reconciliation, love, and mercy, from corruption, injustice, and occupation to reform, justice, and freedom, from fanaticism to openness, and from selfishness to caring for others as we care for ourselves…

  The  Second Sermon

Worshippers of Allah, I advise you and myself  to follow the example of the Messenger(p.).

At the beginning of the new year, it is mentioned that the Prophet (p.) used to turn to Allah after praying two rak’ahs, invoking: “O Allah, this is a new year, so I ask You in it for protection from Satan and his allies, and for help against this soul that commands evil, and to occupy myself with what draws me closer to You…”

 

Let us strive, beloved ones, to end the Hijri year that has passed over us without any liabilities to Allah or to people, and Allah has accepted our deeds, to embark on a new year with purity, clarity, and determination to fulfill our responsibilities and confront those who seek to undermine our faith. Thus, we will be more aware, responsible, and capable of facing challenges…

 

We begin from Gaza, where the enemy continues its policy of genocide, siege, and starvation …

 

Unfortunately, this happens in plain sight of the world without witnessing any condemnation for what is happening to this enemy, but we find those who still provide this entity with all means of support and cover-up for its crimes.

 

At this time, the Palestinian resistance continues to confront this enemy and prevent it from achieving its goals in this war other than the goal of destroying the Strip and preventing any aspect of life in it, so much so that this enemy admits and on the lips of its military leaders that it is facing a war of attrition in which it pays a heavy price that it can no longer bear…

 In this respect, we renew our pride in this sacrificing people on which the resistance is based and which is expanding day by day and achieving accomplishments despite the blockade imposed on it and the size of the pressures it is exposed to…

In this atmosphere, the talk has returned about returning to negotiations leading to ceasefire and prisoner exchange, after the enemy admitted that it has no choice but to regain its prisoners except through negotiations, after the steadfastness and resilience shown by the resistance and the external and internal pressures on its entity.

 

Here, we must highlight the positivity shown by the resistance in Palestine and from a position of strength towards the initiatives presented to it, which we hope will lead to what the Palestinian people want to end the bloodshed, destruction, lift the blockade on them, and return the people of the Strip to their homes.

 

We reach Lebanon, where the attacks by this enemy continue, whether in the operations of destruction of homes in the villages adjacent to the border strip or in the assassination operations of the field leaders of the resistance, which seem to be a policy adopted by the enemy to pressure the resistance in order to weaken it and prevent it from fulfilling the role it has taken upon itself to support Gaza and prevent the enemy from monopolizing it.

 

But we are confident that all of this will not deter it from fulfilling its duty towards the Palestinian people and supporting them, and will not weaken the spark of resistance and defending this homeland.

 

The enemy’s policy of intimidation, carried out by its political and security leaders and accompanied by media outlets and social media platforms, continues unabated. This intimidation is further amplified by the daily sonic booms caused by its aircraft over most Lebanese regions, including the capital. This ongoing aggression aims to weaken the morale of the Lebanese people and pressure them into making concessions at the expense of their own interests

In the face of this, we renew our call to the Lebanese to trust in Allah first and in their capabilities and not to be affected by this exaggeration and psychological warfare practiced by this enemy.

 

Simultaneously, we appeal to all parties internally to adhere to national unity and the slogans of dignity and sovereignty spoken by everyone, and not to give the enemy any means or pretext to continue its aggression or weaken Lebanon’s position against this usurping entity and may initiate aggression when it feels that the domestic arena has become fragile, weak, and divided in the face of its ambitions and dreams.

 

Let the political leaderships rid the Lebanese from all that threatens national immunity at a time when we are in need of this opportunity to confront this challenge and all the challenges facing us politically, economically, and in our daily lives, which cannot be addressed by this slackness.

 

Finally, we renew our thanks to you for your participation in commemorating the passing of Sayyed Fadlallah, whether through your presence, your feelings, your writings, or your messages…

 

 

 

 

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