His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Shawal 6, 1441H/ May 29, 2020. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. Following is an edited text of the sermons

The first  sermon

Allah, The Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew. Allah, The Most Exalted, says the Truth.

Praise be to Allah, The Most Exalted, Who made us reach this day in good health. He has protected us in the past days, and we pray to Him to continue to protect us in the coming days from this pandemic and all its repercussions.  We invoke Him to maintain this blessing on us and to relief the world from this catastrophe which we hope that we have learned its multiple lessons… We also thank Him, for enabling us to return to the mosque to answer the call of Allah, The Most Exalted, Who urged us to perform this prayers :  O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew. Allah, The Most Exalted, says the Truth. And attain the rewards of this prayers, which the Messenger(p.) has pointed out to when he said: Whoever attends the Friday prayer faithfully and contentedly is able to resume his work [immediately thereafter] . And when he told one of his companions who complained from being deprived from Hajj that the “Friday [prayer] is the Hajj of the poor.”

When we called to the return to this prayer, we did not do that to risk our life or yours, nor to neglect the fear that is still overwhelming as a result of the daily increase in the number of the Coronavirus victims. We took this decision after taking all the safety , in addition to yours , such as wearing masks , not gathering in one place and abiding by  the required distance whether in the same row or between the rows and not shaking hands. There are also other measures which although  we did not take today, we will do that next time , such as bringing your own prayer mat ,Turbah and rosary, as well  as performing Wudu before coming to the Mosque. We also call all those who suffer from chronic diseases, have a fever or suffer from a sickness they are afraid to transmit to others to stay at home.

Abiding by the measures of safety the doctors recommend, which we have repeatedly called for, is not an option. It is a religious duty, which we will be held accountable for in the Hereafter, since not abiding by them will harm not only ourselves but also all those around us. But the first and the most fundamental thing we should not forget is Allah, the Most Exalted, Who can relief us from all calamities. We ought to pray to Him from our hearts to protect us and all those whom we care about or come in contact with, from all harm, and remember that He has promised to answer our prayers. And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant

Let us pray to Allah, the Most Exalted, to bestow on us  on us His care , love and protection .And let our prayer be:  O Allah, the Most Exalted, I beseech You about a grief that none can relieve save You. And for mercy that cannot be attained except through You. And about hardship from which none can rescue except You. And for desire that cannot be obtained except by You… O the All-generous: I beseech you in the name of Your Noble Face that You bless Muhammad(p.) and his Household. And that You relieve my grief. And release me from my hardship and agony. And have mercy upon me by Your mercy. And confer on me with Your favor. You are the Hearer of prayers, the Nigh and the Responding.

The second sermon

Worshipers of Allah, the Most Exalted, I advise you and myself to be pious and fear Allah for He is our refuge and the way to safety in this world and the Hereafter. And whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out And will provide for him from where he does not expect . And this will enable us to face all trials and calamities…

We begin by Lebanon, where new victims of Covid-19 are recorded every day. It has become clear that this is not due to the opening of the country and returning to work, as much as it is the result of not abiding by the safety measures whether by those living in the country or those coming back to it, which makes us renew our call, to abide by the instructions, especially the latest decisions in this respect.

Meanwhile, the living crisis continues to escalate as a result of the rise of prices and the dollar and the increase in unemployment that reached a million persons losing their jobs and this number is still on the rise… This might culminate in a social crisis whose repercussions might affect not only the living conditions of the Lebanese, but also their safety and security … which calls for making every effort to resolve this problem,  first by the government who is mainly responsible for the Lebanese, and also  the associations and NGOs which should coordinate their efforts to participate in easing the burdens of this catastrophe.

We would like to welcome  the government’s decision to subsidize the prices of some food items to lessen their prices, although we had hoped that we would buy them at the official price of the dollar and not twice as much, and that the list would have included some other vital food  items.

On the economic level, the government continues, based on its economic plan, to negotiate with the IMF to lessen its deficit and acquire some loans… Although we stand  with every move that  aims at taking Lebanon out of the dark tunnel, we fear, along with many others, that these negotiations will not reach the desired results,  due  to  the political mentality  that still hesitates  to carry out any real reform , as well as the repercussions  of the political divisions, or because  the IMF is imposing certain conditions Lebanon cannot withstand.

Thus, we renew our call to find alternatives that would secure the government’s economic plan, either to enhance the official negotiation position or in anticipation of their failure.

 In this respect, we renew our call to the political parties represented in the government not to lag in initiating the reforms and to be aware that it is not the time to make profits or enhance hegemony. Rather it is the time to save and rescue the country.

Lastly, the bills that were approved by the parliament could, if they find their way to be executed, participate in confronting corruption and easing the burdens of the crisis, such as  the lifting of bank secrecy , administrative  appointments  and  allocating 120 billion LBP to the most improvised

sectors.  We had hoped that the amnesty law would have been approved to include only those who deserve it; those who did not violate the security of the country and that it would not have ben aborted as a result of sectarian sensitivities and petty politics.

Lastly, we stop at what happened in the town of Lasa as a result of a difference on land ownership. We would like to call for a calm resolution of this issue away from political exploitation and sectarian tensions; so that the treatment will be  founded on the basis of coexistence and living together that this region has long observed and should continue to do so.