We celebrated on the 5^th of the month of Sha’ban the birth anniversary of the fourth Imam of Ahl El-Beit, Imam Ali Bin Al- Hussein, Zein Al-Abidien (Adornment of The Worshipers) (a.s.) and the master of prostraters … This Imam whose nicknames point out to how much he worshiped Allah, The Most Exalted… This worshiping was demonstrated in his prayers and supplications that were filled with the love of Allah, The Most Exalted, and the fear from Him.

This Imam was known for his forgiveness, forbearance generosity and giving. When the night fell he used to carry food on his back to distribute it to the poor and needy without letting them know him, as they used to call him the one who carries the bag. He was raised up and educated by his father, Imam Al-Hussein (a.s.) and helped him in preparing for the revolution against the rule of Yazid. He then suffered a lot in Karbala, where he had to witness the martyrdom of his father and his family and companions. And he had a very strong desire to fight with his father, had it not been for his illness that prevented him.

 After the battle of Karbala, the Imam played a fundamental role in keeping the revolution and the principles his father fought for alive in the minds and hearts of people, preventing Yazid from extinguishing them whether in Damascus or later in Kufa and Medina. He also supported all the revolutions that took place in Medina and then in Kufa.

Today, we are going to benefit from this blessed occasion to go over some of the stances and positions of this Imam that demonstrate the image the Muslim must exemplify in life…

Al-Zuhri, one of the Imam’s companions, narrated: “During a cold night, I saw Ali bin al-Hussein carrying a bag of flour on his back, so I asked him: ‘Son of Allah’s Apostle, what is that on your back?'”

The Imam replied: “I am making preparations for a journey. I am preparing provisions for it and carrying them to a secure place.”

“Let this boy of mine carry the flour instead of you,” explained al-Zuhri.

The Imam did not answer him. Al-Zuhri begged the Imam to let him carry the flour in stead of him, but the Imam insisted on carrying it and said: ” But I do not disdain what will save me during my journey and makes good my going to Whom I will go. I ask you before Allah to go to your need.”

So al-Zuhri left the Imam and went away. After some days he met the Imam and asked him: “Son of Allah’s Apostle, I do not see any mark of that journey which you ended?”

The Imam, peace be on him, told him about that journey for which he made preparations: “Zuhri, I think that you did not understand what I meant. I meant death. I made preparations for it through refraining from the prohibited and doing good.”

 By this stance, the Imam wanted to explain that the road to Heaven, entails, after abstaining from committing Haram, providing help and support to the poor and the needy. The Hadith says: charity extinguishes Lord’s anger and keeps away from Hell-fire…

The imam used to travel with people who did not know whom he was and ask the man in charge of the caravan to let him serve the travelers without being paid.

 Once he met with people who knew him. They were shocked and asked the others: Do you know this man and they answered: A man from Medina, who asked to serve us. When they were told that he was Ali bin Al-Hussein, they went to the Imam and said: “O son of Muhammad do you want us to go to hell, what if we had offended you”. The Imam said:   Don’t worry. It was my choice not yours not to be known so that I can serve the caravan. If I travel with those who know me, they will not let me serve them (I find my happiness in serving people) … I have travelled with some people and they gave me, as a tribute to the Messenger of Allah, what I do not deserve and I do not like to be given …what I can not give something equal to it in return”.

Another stance was the way the Imam treated his mother. Although he was very dutiful to his mother he never ate with her, but used to wait until she finished.  Asked why, he explained that it was out of fear that he might eat something that his mother had looked at to pick and then he might have been undutiful to her.

 Lastly, the   Imam (a.s.) was once asked, “How have you been today, O son of the Messenger [of God]?” He replied, “I live today under the demand of eight issues: God, the most High, demands from me to fulfill my obligations toward Him, the Holy Prophet (p.) demands me to follow his tradition (sunnah), the family demands from me their sustenance, the soul demands to have its desires met, Satan demands to follow him, the two guarding angels demand me to be truthful in deeds, the angel of death demands my spirit, and the grave demands to have the body, so I live under these demanding conditions.”

Dear loved ones.

 These are some of the stances of Imam Zein Al-Abidien(a.s.) which show his humanitarianism, for he used to see his happiness in helping the poor and the needy or in serving any man, and in being dutiful to his parents and performing his duties towards God and the people. And he saw in his relation to the Messenger as merely a responsibility he had to shoulder.   That is what the Arab poet, Al-Farazdaq, pointed out to when he praised him describing him, among other things, as being the generous and the forbearing who never said no except in prayer, when he professes that there is NO god but Allah, The Most Exalted.  

The second sermon

Worshippers of Allah, The Most Exalted, I advise you and myself with the advice of Imam Zein Al-Abidien who says: The most loved by Allah, The Most Exalted, is the one with best deeds…The most saved from Allah’s agony is the most fearful of Allah. The closest to Allah is the most well-mannered. The most accepted by Allah is the most generous to His family members. The most honorable for Allah is the most God-fearing. Let us follow the advice of the Imam and be the best in knowledge, deeds, morals, piety and seeking to help Allah, The Most Exalted’s creatures … Thus proving our loyalty and faithfulness to him and become more capable of facing challenges:

 We begin by Lebanon which is passing through one of its most difficult times in history at all levels:

 As for the living conditions, the unprecedented rise the price of the American dollar has made the Lebanese unable to secure their simplest basic needs of food, medications and other necessary things that include even the milk of their children in a country that imports 90% of what it needs.

 The Lebanese are wondering about the reason behind this swift increase. Is it economic or is it the greed of those running the financial affairs? Or is it employed in the political struggle…  The subsequent fall in the price of the dollar has proved that the political dimension played a fundamental role in the sudden rise. What made things even worse was the rise of the price of fuel with all its consequences; a rise that is expected to multiply when   the subsidization ends in the coming days…

As for the security level, we are afraid, as many others, of an emerging state of chaos as a result of the deteriorating economic conditions and the effects of road blocking which could take a confessional and sectarian dimension.

On the political level, the political class continues to maintain a state of indifference towards everything that is going on, as if they are not responsible before their own people who voted for them and installed them in their positions. They do not attempt to resolve the crises; but suffice themselves with laying the blame on others and exchanging accusations. Everyone throws the responsibility for what the country has fallen into on others and no one is responsible. And all what is being done is prescribing sedatives, while the leaderships that are supposed to form the government maintain their conditions and cling to their bets, as they are unready to lower their political ceilings or relinquish their political calculations and partisan interests.

 We say to all those concerned: Is not what is happening enough to move your consciences? What is the use if you gain a ministry and the country falls? Return to your patriotism, your humanitarianism and the religions you represent and think about those who cannot obtain their medicine and food or those who live in darkness or those who cannot afford to be admitted in a hospital or pay the tuition fees for their children …

 If there are among you who still think that the foreign powers will provide a solution, we say that they are not a welfare organization, and that they will not help you if you do not help yourselves. You are able to resolve, or at least alleviate, the country’s crises. And you are not impotent, but this will not happen if you continue to put your interests and ambitions first.

You have to stop betting on that the people have yielded as they did not take to the streets as they should have, for their pains and sufferings are surely going to explode one day. Woe unto you, when that day comes.

We bet on the glimpse of hope which is starting to be visible and we hope it will not fade soon; that those who are in charge of forming the government have become convinced that stubbornness and clinging to one’s positions will make the temple fall on the heads of us all… We reassert that the country cannot be ruled by high ceilings, dominance, or hegemony, but only through dialogue.

On another level, the health issue should remain an important priority for the Lebanese, as we are afraid that opening up the country without any controls or protection measures and supervision would lead to the aggravating of the health crisis, demanding another lockdown which the Lebanese cannot endure.

Lastly, on mother’s day, we would like to thank our mothers who fill our lives with love, care, and giving, for all their sacrifices which we cannot pay them back no matter how much we try. We salute and congratulate every mother for all what she has given and will continue to give us and we would like to appreciate all those who have cherished this giving and worked for rewarding it.