His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Shaban 1,  1446/January 31, 2025. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, and hundreds of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. Following is a summary of the sermons

The First Sermon

Sha’ban: Preparing  for the Holy Month of Allah

 

Allah  says in His Glorious Book:  It is He who made the sun a radiant light and the moon a light, and determined for it phases—that you may know the number of years and calculation.

He also says: 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.

Allah created time for humans, and from His mercy, He placed within it spiritual, faith-based, and educational stations. These are stations that Allah prepared for us and invited us to seize and benefit from. 

Today, we have entered a new station among these, which is the month of Sha’ban, a month that gained its significance by being attributed to the Messenger of Allah (p.) among all the months of the year, indicating its virtue, blessing, and importance.

 

The Messenger of Allah) used to command a caller in Medina to call out in its alleys and streets in his name: “O people of Yathrib, I am the Messenger of Allah to you. Verily, Sha’ban is my month. May Allah have mercy on those who aid me in my month.”

 

 

Imam Zain al-Abidin (a.s.) pointed to what the Messenger of Allah (p.) used to do in this month in his supplication, which is recommended to be recited at noon every day of it: *”O Allah, this is the month of Your Prophet, the leader of Your messengers, Sha’ban, which You have surrounded with mercy and pleasure. The Messenger of Allah (p.) used to strive in fasting and praying in its nights and days, out of reverence and honor for it until his passing.” After that, he calls us to turn to Allah, the Exalted, so that He may help us follow the Sunnah in it and benefit from this month’s resources. He says: *”O Allah, help us to follow his Sunnah in it so that I may meet You on the Day of Judgment while You are pleased with me, and You have forgiven my sins, granted me Your mercy and pleasure, and settled me in the abode of permanence and the abode of the righteous.”

 

Many traditions recommend various acts in this month, which should be observed. 

Among these are the traditions urging fasting in it, specifically voluntary fasting; fasting the entire month or some of its days, the beginning, middle, or end, or the white days (13th, 14th, and 15th), or fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, which the Messenger of Allah used to observe. He used to fast the entire month of Sha’ban and connect it to Ramadan, saying: “Fasting two consecutive months is repentance from Allah.”

 

This month is also a time for seeking forgiveness from Allah for sins and shortcomings in fulfilling duties and responsibilities decreed by Allah on His servants, whether concerning the relationship with Him or with people, near or far. It is reported that a person should seek forgiveness seventy times each day of this month, saying: “I seek forgiveness from Allah, there is no god but He, the Most Merciful, the Ever-Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him.”

 

The traditions also urge giving charity in this month. Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: “Whoever gives charity in Sha’ban, Allah will cultivate it for him as you grow your young camel until it(charity) meets him on the Day of Judgment as a mountain like Uhud.”

 

Charity, dear ones, does not stop at giving money to the poor, the needy, the orphans, the disabled, and the elderly, although that is one of its prominent manifestations. It goes beyond that to what the Messenger of Allah (p.) said to his companions: “Every good deed is charity. Removing harm from the road is charity, visiting the sick is charity, smiling in your brother’s face is charity, enjoining good is charity, forbidding evil is charity, returning greetings is charity, kind words are charity, every step you take towards prayer is charity, and repaying evil with kindness is charity.”

 

Among the acts of this month is to remember Allah abundantly, to be among those who frequently mention Allah. The best remembrance reported in this month is: “Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.” and “There is no god but Allah, and we worship none but Him, sincerely devoted to Him in religion, even if the polytheists hate it.”

 

One of the most emphasized acts in this month is supplication to Allah and conversing with Him. This includes the Sha’ban supplication of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s. which the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt used to transmit from one to another due to its importance. In this supplication, feelings of love for Allah, a sense of His grace, mercy, and bounty overflow, extending beyond life to what comes after death. In a section of it, he says: “O my God, Your kindness to me has continued during my lifetime, so do not cut off your kindness from me in my death. O my God, how can I despair of Your kind consideration for me after my death when You have only shown me goodness during my life.”

 

The traditions emphasize the importance of reviving the night of the 15th of Sha’ban. This night gains additional honor as it is the night in which the awaited Imam al-Mahdi was born. Numerous acts are reported for this night; it is said Hadith : “It is the best night after the Night of Decree. In it, Allah grants His servants His favor and forgives them by His grace. So, strive to draw near to Allah in it, for it is a night Allah has taken an oath upon Himself not to reject a supplicant’s plea unless they ask for something sinful.”

 

What further enhances the spiritual and educational atmosphere are the numerous occasions blessed upon this month. On the 3rd of this blessed month, we commemorate the birth of Imam al-Husain (a.s.), the grandson of the Messenger of Allah and the master of the youth of Paradise, whose pride and dignity we recall. Imam al-Husain expressed it when he said to those who wanted him to surrender and submit to their will: “By Allah, I will never give you… like a humiliated man, nor will I flee like a slave.”

 

To those who threatened him with death if he did not comply with what they wanted, he said: “Indeed, I see death as happiness, and living with the oppressors as distress”. Indeed, the son of a deceitful man has given me two choices between the sword and humiliation, and far be it from us to accept humiliation. Allah, His Messenger, and the believers reject it.” He preferred martyrdom over compromising the value of his principles, honor, and dignity.

 

On the 4th of this month, we commemorate the birth of al-Abbas (a.s.) whose loyalty to his brother al-Husain (A.S.) and dedication to his religion were revealed in Karbala. He said: 

 I will always defend my religion,

By God, even if you cut off my right hand.

The son of the pure and trustworthy Prophet,

And the Imam of true certainty

 

On the 5th, we commemorate the birth of Imam Zain al-Abidin (a.s.) the master of the worshipers, whose biography indicated the strength of his character. He said to Ibn Ziyad when he wanted to kill him: “Do you not know that being killed is our habit and our honor from Allah is martyrdom?” His sermon in front of Yazid exposed the goals of the Umayyad project  . He worked to preserve the aims and results of the Karbala revolution, and was characterized by   his forgiveness and love, even for those who wronged him.

 

On the 15th, we commemorate the birth of Imam al-Mahdi, the Imam of our time, with whom we live in hope that the earth will be filled with justice and equity after being filled with oppression and tyranny.

 

Dear loved ones, we must take advantage of the spiritual and faith-based atmosphere of this month and have a program for each of us in it, so that we may attain piety, strengthen our relationship with Allah, purify our thoughts from all evil, and our hearts from all hatred and enmity. Let us ascend by following Here is the translation:

 

May Allah grant us success in this, and our last prayer is praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

The Second Sermon

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

 

Servants of Allah, I advise you and myself with what Imam Hussein advised one of his companions when he wrote to him saying: “O my master, inform me of the best of this world and the hereafter.” The Imam wrote:”… Whoever seeks Allah’s pleasure by displeasing people, Allah will suffice him against the people. And whoever seeks people’s pleasure by displeasing Allah, Allah will leave him to the people. “

 

This is what Imam Hussein (a.s.) expressed when he used to say: “What has befallen me is made easier by the fact that it is in the sight of Allah and for His sake.”

 

Let us be keen on this advice, that Allah is the one we seek and strive to please, even if people are not pleased, for He is the one who holds the hearts of people and their affairs, and they have no power without Him. 

When we practice this, we will attain the best of this world and the hereafter, and we will be more aware and capable of facing challenges that can only be faced with Allah’s support and guidance.

 

Starting with the scenes of heroism and dignity expressed by our people in the south, with their youth, elders, men, women, and children, along with all those keen on the sovereignty of this country, in standing up to the Israeli enemy army and its military machine with their bare chests, insisting on its withdrawal from their land, despite their full awareness of the sacrifices they will make because of this stance. They were ready to make these sacrifices, and they have made them and continue to do so, as it has become clear to them through all their previous experiences that this enemy will not withdraw from any land it entered willingly, and it does not adhere to the agreements made with it or international resolutions. This is evidenced by its continuous attacks and violations, which have not stopped at the borders of south of Litani but have reached all of Lebanon.

 

They were able, with their determination and free will, far from any imposition, to liberate part of it, and they insist on liberating the rest until this enemy is expelled from their land, defeated and humiliated. They will continue without imposing security or political conditions that affect the sovereignty of this country. They have thus presented a pioneering experience in confronting this enemy and proved that they are capable of reclaiming their rights in their land with their own hands and liberating it, continuing the efforts and sacrifices of the resistance fighters.

 

In this regard, we must commend the stance of the Lebanese army, which stood with its people and made sacrifices on this path from its soldiers, proving that it is from them and carries the aspirations and hopes of this people for dignity and honor.

 

We have said it and we say it: Today, the Lebanese should be proud that there are such people in the homeland, who are ready to defend it and make sacrifices for its sake, and they do not make these sacrifices for any other account. These are the strength of this nation, and they are its shield when it is subjected to any aggression or violation of its sovereignty from any party, based on their belief that this country should remain free, independent, and sovereign over itself, and not be tampered with by any covetous or invading force, as proven by the facts of the past and present.

 

We call for extending a hand to these people and standing together in facing this enemy and all those who do not wish well for this nation.

 

 

Meanwhile, work continues on forming the Lebanese government amid the complications it faces due to the demands and counter-demands posed by parliamentary blocs, and in light of external pressures that have begun to loom on the horizon.

 

Here, we hope that the political forces will rise to the level of the dangers facing Lebanon, whether internally or from what is happening in the south, or the developments sweeping the region, which necessitate the speedy formation of a national unity government.

 

Here, we call on the political forces to adopt a new mentality in forming the government and to present the best they have in terms of competence, integrity, cleanliness of hand and history, and the ability to perform their role in the position they will manage, taking into account the interest and sovereignty of the nation, not the interest of this or that group, after the mentality of quotas and favoritism has failed.

 

Finally, we salute the free and proud Palestinian people who, despite 15 months of massacres, destruction, suffering, and tragedies, and the martyrdom of their leaders, have confirmed that they are still clinging to their land, insisting on staying in it, even if it is destroyed and uninhabitable, proving that they are a people worthy of life.

 

This was clearly seen in the huge numbers of returnees to northern and central Gaza after they had left it to the south, despite the dangers and barriers placed to prevent this return. By doing so, they thwarted the opportunity that the Israeli enemy leaders were waiting for to declare victory, and they will prevent, with their steadfastness and resilience in their land despite the absence of all living conditions, all attempts to displace them from it.