His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered in the context of the Friday Talk, a religious speech on   Ramadan 15, 1441 H. /May 8, 2020. Following is an edited text of his talk: And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.

Allah, the Most Exalted says the truth.

One of the favors, Allah, The Most Exalted, has bestowed on His servants, and one, which we should thank Him for (like all others), is when He permitted   them to call and pray to Him.  He permitted them to ask Him for their needs and tell Him about their concerns and problems without any intercession or berries . He  also promised that He would  respond to them, irrespective  of whether the caller is young or old, rich or poor and  pious or dissolute .

It is a big favor that the servants would find a refuge help and response  by  their Creator. Imam Zein Al-Abidien pointed out to this blessing when he said: All Praise is for Allah Whom I call upon with my needs then He answers me, even though I was slow when He calls upon me. All Praise is for Allah Whom I supplicate and He grants me (what I plead for) even though I was stingy when He asked me for a favor.

All Praise is for Allah Whom I call upon with my needs whenever I wish, and I entrust Him with my secrets without an intercessor, and He grants me my wishes. All Praise is for Allah Whom I do not plead to anyone but Him, for if I pleaded to others, they would not grant me. All Praise is for Allah Who dignified me by becoming the Disposer of my affairs, instead of making me rely on others who then would humiliate me. All Praise is for Allah Who endeared me even though He is not in need of me. All Praise is for Allah Who treats me with clemency, just as if I have no sin. So my Lord is the most praised by me of all, and most worthy of my praise.

Imam Ali (a.s.) ,too, pointed out to the significance of this favor in his will to his son , Imam Al-Hassan. He said : Know that He Who owns the treasuries of the heavens and of the earth has permitted you to pray to Him and has promised you acceptance of the prayer. He has commanded you to beg from Him in order that He may give you and to seek His mercy in order that He may have mercy on you. He has not placed anything between you and Him that may veil Him from you. He has not required you to get a mediator for you to Him, He does not disappoint you of His mercy .He has opened for you the door of repentance.. Then He has placed the keys of His treasuries in your hands in the sense that He has shown you the way to ask Him…

 Hadiths, too, have talked about the effects of the Due . The Messenger (p.) says: Shall I show you a weapon, which will save you from your enemies and cause God’s providence to flow upon you?’ Those who were present said: ‘Yes!’ He said: ‘To call upon your Lord day and night, for the weapon of the believer is supplication. The Messenger (p.) also says: “There is no Muslim who offers a dua in which there is no sin or severing of family ties but Allah will give him one of three things in return: either He will answer his du’aa soon, or he will store it up for him in the Hereafter, or He will divert an equivalent evil away from him because of it.

The significance of supplication is not restricted to attaining needs or warding off a distress. It is also considered a worshipping rite and even one of the best forms of worship. The noble Quran says: Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible, which, according to Imam Al-Baqir, is Dua , the  best  form of worship.

But When Allah, The Most Exalted , urges the believers to ask Him , it does not mean that they should make no effort to  achieve what they are asking for  . Dua is not a substitute for work. Answering it takes place when man does all he can to attain what he is supplicating for. That is why the Hadith  says:  the prayers of these four are not answered: 1) the one who sits at home and expects that Allah will give him sustenance, Allah, The Most Exalted, would say to him  ,didn’t I ask you to go out in the search of sustenance, 2) the one who would ask for the  punishment  of his wife, Allah, The Most Exalted would say to him  Didn’t I give you the right to divorce her, 3) the one who would spend his resources in  an inappropriate way and ask Allah for sustenance, he would be told by Allah, didn’t I ask you to observe moderation and correct your ways, 4) the one who has given out loan without a witness, Allah, The Most Exalted, would say to him : Didn’t I command you to have witnesses?

Thus, Allah, The Most Exalted, will not respond to the Dua of the people who sit in their homes,  waiting for Allah, The Most Exalted, to sustain or support them . He will say to them: do your part and I will help you to achieve what you are asking for.

As for how we should pray to Allah, The Most Exalted ,One should ask Allah, The Most Exalted , wholeheartedly . We should also have trust in Him, and believe that He is the only one Who can solve our problems and improve our conditions.

We should believe that Allah, The Most Exalted, Who does not hasten to punish, for a certain reason might also delay His given for a certain wise reason too. Thus, if He answers our prayers it will be for our good, and if He does not it will be for our good.

Let us seize the opportunity of this noble month to ask Allah, The Most Exalted, with all our hearts, to give us all what we need in this life and in the Hereafter, and to guide and help us in doing all what pleases Him. Let us also not forget the poor, the needy and the orphans since this month is the month of giving to them and supporting them. May Allah, the Most Exalted, help us to contribute in feeding those who are hungry, treating those who are sick and supporting those who are wronged.

The Sayyed talked in the beginning about the blessing of supplication and what it can  realize provided that  one has done all he can do in this respect.

He then talked about the spread of the Coronavirus in Lebanon and said that its decline does not mean that we have completely ended it. Therefore, we ought to continue to abide by the prevention measures so that the return of the virus will not lead to a disaster. He called on the government to be strict in implementing the measures, especially with the Lebanese who are returning home, for there is a big number of infections among them.

The Sayyed considered that the citizens cannot   endure all the consequences of the living crisis that has aggravated as a result of the tampering with the price of the dollar in the black market and the big rise in the price of consumer goods. He warned of   the dangerous consequences of this crisis, including the increase of violence, which would have a big effect on the country’s security and stability.

He also called on the government to make the living crisis one of its top priorities, demanding that the government should control the price of the dollar in the black market and step up the implementation of consumer protection measures to prevent tampering with the prices of consumer goods.

The Sayyed touched upon the government’s economic plan considering it one of its most important achievements. Nevertheless, he expressed his doubt that this plan would be able to achieve what the Lebanese are looking forward to, considering that, it relies on the financing of the International Monetary Fund.

He warned of the dangers that would result from accepting its conditions on the social level , which  the Lebanese can neither bear  nor can they  bear the political conditions that hide behind the economic ones.

The Sayyed added that he  appreciates the financial and economic  impasse that forced the government to  resort to this option , and called on it to find other means of financing this plan to strengthen the government’s negotiating position vis a vis the IMF .

He considered that the policies of the ruling class  in the last  few decades that is based on borrowing money to solve the economic and financial problems  has  led the country to this crisis, and  called on the Lebanese to rely  fundamentally on their own capabilities  to save  the country . However, such an option will not succeed unless the bold and serious decision to fight waste and corruption is taken. Furthermore, reform in the government bureaucracy, the independence of the judiciary    and the retrieving of looted money should also be realized… The political powers should also forgo their sectarian and partisan calculations and their settling of accounts.  

 Sayyed Fadlallah warned from the dangerousness of the continuous violations of the Lebanese skies, in a daily effort of surveillance, considering that they come as part of the enemy’s efforts to prepare for the success of any future aggression. He added that this calls for diplomatic condemnation and taking all the precautionary steps to confront it.

In Iraq, the Sayyed hoped that the new Iraqi government would ease the internal political tension, enhance the Iraqi national unity and unify the efforts of all Iraqi parties to confront ISIS that has reemerged, taking advantage of political and security polarization.

 The Sayyed joined His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church and His Eminence Dr Ahmad At-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif in the call of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity to religious leaders and faithful around the world to a day of fasting, prayers and supplications for an end to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

He ended by saying : We  look forward for a world  that is untied against all pandemics ,as well  as all oppression and aggressions;  A world  that reproduces human relations  on the basis of tolerance that all  heavenly religions called for, and the values of good that all positive laws  have sanctioned.