The first sermon

Allah, The Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book:  And We made them leaders guiding by Our command. And We inspired to them the doing of good deeds, establishment of prayer, and giving of Zakat; and they were worshippers of Us.

Yesterday, the 11^th of Zil-Qida, was the birth anniversary of the 8^th Imam of Ahl Al-Beit , Imam Ali Al-Rida(a.s.)  .

He is one of the Imams whom the Holy Quran described as leaders guiding by Allah, The Most Exalted’s command, who  obeyed what  He  inspired  them to do of good deeds , praying , fasting and worshipping Him.

 This is what the Imam’s name indicate , for the word al-Rida in Arabic means the one whom Allah, The Most Exalted, was pleased with and the one whom the people loved and followed, including those whom he differed with, who used to respect him and praise his good manners and modesty.

Ibrahim Bin Al-Abbass says : I never saw Abul-Hassan al-Rida(a.s.) angering anyone by something he said, nor did I see him interrupting anyone, or refusing to  do someone a favor he was able to do, nor did he ever stretch his legs before an audience, nor leaned upon something while his companion did not, nor did he ever call any of his servants or attendants a bad name, nor did I ever see him spit or burst into laughter;  rather, his laughter was just a smile. When he was ready to eat and he sat to be served, he seated with him all his attendants, including the doorman and the groom. When he was asked why he did that he used to answer that we have one god and one father and one mother. Al-Ma’mun sent Raja b. Abu al-Dahhak to Medina to bring the Imam to to Marw (Khorasan) . He describes the Holy Imam’s piety and worship saying: I accompanied him from Medina to Marw I swear by Allah! I have never seen a man who remembered Allah all the time like him, nor have I seen a man more fearing Allah, the Mighty and High, than he. At day break, he would say his morning-prayers. Finishing his prayer, he would stay in his place glorifying Allah, and reciting these phrases repeatedly, ‹Praise is to Allah›, ‹Allah is Great›, ‹There is no god but Allah›, «O Lord, Bless Muhammad and his progeny» till sunrise.. Then he would go down in prostration till forenoon. Then he would see the people, asking about their concerns and enjoining them to do good. This would last till noon. In every town he stopped, people used to come and ask him about their affairs and religion. And he used to answer each of them with love and modesty. When I saw Al- Mamoun he asked me about what I saw and I told him and he said: Do not you know that he is the best man on earth and the most knowledgeable and the most pious.

 In this blessed anniversary, we are going to recall a story that shows us some of his virtues to enlighten us and guide us as to how to behave with our fellow Muslims and human beings:

Yessa bin Hamza narrated that a man once came to the Imam and said that he is a rich man in his country, but he has lost his money and he does not have enough to go back. And he asked for some money to enable him to return to his country back, and promised that he would give it back in charity on behalf of the Imam once he is back  .The Imam went to another room and gave him  the money he asked for from behind the door and told him not to give it in charity. Asked why he did that since the money was not a little sum that he would be ashamed to give. He said that he did not want see the look of humbleness on the man’s face as he takes the money

Dear loved ones:

This attitude of the Imam demonstrates the Islamic principle that calls for preserving the   dignity of man in all situations.  It considered the defending of this dignity a religious duty and called for preserving the dignity of others whatever their race, color, social status  and beliefs are.. .

It is impermissible to violate the dignity of a fellow human being, by mocking or disgracing him or even revealing his defects in his absence .Islam even nullified the reward of charity if it demeans the one whom it is given to.

We are in a dire need to enhance the feeling of dignity in this life, defend it and not allow anyone to undermine or abuse it in return for money, social position or power…

By this, we preserve our human identity, for we stop being human once we lose our dignity. Allah, The Most Exalted, has coupled between being human and being dignified when He said:   And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.

It is by dignity that we build societies and protect homelands, and not by those who accept insult and what is being imposed on them.  

The second sermon

Worshippers of Allah, The Most Exalted: I advise you and myself  with what Imam Al-Rida told one of his companions when he asked him about the best of people: they are those that when they perform a good deed they become glad and when they perform a bad deed they ask the forgiveness (of Allah) and when they are given  they  are thankful. And when

 they get afflicted , they exercise patience. And when they get enraged they forgive.

Thus, according to the Imam, the  best of people are those who are happy when they give and they repent and ask Allah, The Most Exalted , for forgiveness, when they commit  anything wrong . They are the ones who are thankful when given, patient when inflicted, and forgiving when they are wronged.

 These are the best of people whom the society are built with and that makes them stronger and more capable of facing challenges.

We begin by Lebanon, where the issue of sustaining one’s daily needs is the main concern of the people to the extent that they no longer worry about the coronavirus, despite the fact that it is still dangerous and the number of those infected is increasing. Moreover, it is expected to aggravate with the opening of the airport, especially if the necessary measures are not strictly abided by.

Meanwhile, the price of the dollar continues to soar and it has reached about ten thousand Lebanese pounds in the black market. The price of the food commodities has also increased and reached the price of the bread, which is the main food of the poor, as well as the airline tickets, thus preventing the Lebanese abroad from returning to their country.

In addition, the power rationing is also increasing and there is even some talk about reaching a total blackout, as a result of the unavailability of fuel.

Faced by all this, we renew our call to the government, which has shouldered the responsibility of resolving the crises of the country, to stop its hesitation and execute all the decisions that would end  the collapse of the country, especially after its indecisiveness has taken its toll on its cohesion, and the trust of the political powers that supported it and the people who put their stakes on it.

We have always said that the rasion d’etre of this government or any government is its ability to fulfill the needs of people and protect the country from the dangers that it might face. And since the economic threat is the most prominent danger and the government cannot put the blame on the domestic or foreign parties, the government should either perform its duty or leave.

We are fully aware of how big are the internal pressures from those who do not want the government to succeed and the external pressures from those who are imposing their conditions. But this does not mean that the government cannot face these pressures. It can surely confront them if it decides to engage in the battle of economic and financial reform, retrieving the looted money and practicing good governess. For there are some  external powers who are waiting to see that the government is serious in administering reform to help it in solving its crises, and they have actually declared so. On the internal front, it is enough for the government to enjoy the trust of the citizens who will support and be patient with it if they see that it is moving towards fulfilling their aspirations that they have made them take to the street, on the 17th of October.

The government should not rely on the assumption that it is the only option. For such an alternative will eventually become feasible if people start to starve.

At the same time, we have to be aware and cautious of all the external forces that wish to stir strife in the country by laying the blame on one party only, at a time we all know that the main cause of what is happening is the corruption of the political class that governs the country, in addition to the  pressures they are exerting.

 Meanwhile, the enemy gave certain companies the permission to explore for oil near the Lebanese blocks. This comes as an additional threat to the enemy’s latest threats of destroying Lebanon. In this respect, we would like to appreciate the Lebanese unified stand that refuses any violation of Lebanese rights, sovereignty and resources. And we call for enhancing the national unity which is our main weapon in facing the enemy.

On another level, the enemy has begun to prepare to execute its decision to annex some parts of the West bank.  In this respect, we would like to emphasize that all Arab and Muslim peoples and states should support the Palestinian people whose roll remains the fundamental one in confronting this project. We are sure that the unity among the Palestinians, which has begun to be realized will lead to the failure of the enemy’s project.

Lastly, we meet tomorrow with the tenth anniversary of the demise of the Religious Authority, H.E. Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah (r.a.)…This anniversary which brings back all the memories that we  had lived with him… enjoying his thought , spirituality ,love , and concern  for the strength and unity  of the nation ,despite all political and ideological diversities…

But despite his heavy absence, we feel hopeful, as his thought  and methodology expand, and as the new generation he  had nourished begins to give the nation an awareness and vividness and presence in all  fields , and as the institutions he had built to serve the poor and the orphans and  the thought and awareness inside and outside Lebanon will  continue to blossom  and give despite all difficulties. May Allah, The Most Exalted, reward him for all the good he gave us and the entire  nation.