Allah says in His Glorious Book: Allah, intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet’s] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification. Allah, the Most Exalted, speaks the truth.

On the tenth of this month, the month of Rajab, we meet with the birthday of the ninth Imam of Ahl Al-Bait whom Allah, The Most Exalted, intended to remove from them the impurity of sin and purify them. He is Muhammad bin Ali Al-Jawad (The Generous). He was nicknamed as such, for he used to give much and leave only a little for himself. He did not wait for the poor to ask him, for he used to search for them and give them. He was raised and educated by his father who described his status when asked by one of his companions about him: there has never been born in Islam a child whose blessings on our Shiites are more than his. Imam Al-Jawad became Imam after his father died at a very young age. As expected, this led to the rise of many questions about assuming such a role in this age. The Holy Quran itself gave the answer when it talked about Yahia, the prophet who was given “wisdom while yet a child,” at an age similar to that of the Imam…  As well as his highly distinguished scholarship in theology, jurisprudence, hadith and all Islamic sciences that surpassed all his contemporary scholars. This knowledge and wisdom of the Imam earned him the respect and admiration of Al-Ma’moun who even gave him his daughter in marriage. Moreover, although the period he spent as an Imam was short, for he only lived 25 years, he was admired and respected  among both the public and the religious scholars, with students of Islamic silences  coming to him from all over the lands of Islam.

 Today we are going to benefit from this blessed occasion to cite some quotes  of the Imam  to  learn more about his vast knowledge and profound faith:            

 The first quote:  Bakr bin Salih said, “One of my kin wrote a letter to Abu Ja’far the second saying, ‘My father is an enemy to Ahlul Bayt (a.s) having a malicious thought towards them. I met distresses and difficulties from him. Would you please pray Allah for me? What do you see I shall do, may I die for you? Shall I talk to him openly or I shall humor him?’

Imam al-Jawad (a.s) replied to him after mentioning the name of Allah, The Most Exalted,:

I understood your letter and what you mentioned about the case of your father. I shall not stop praying Allah for you inshallah. To humor your father is better to you than talking to him openly. Surely with difficulty there is ease. Be patient for the end is to the pious. May Allah fix you on the guardianship of those whom you follow. We and you are the deposit of Allah Who does not waste His deposits.

The Imam wanted the young man to remain kind to his father even if he was hostile to Ahl el-Bait .  The young man took the advice of the Imam, and treated his father with kindness , until the father reviewed the wqay he acted towards his son  and later became a follower of Ahl el- Beit.

The second quote: Abu-Hashim al-Hamwi reported that he heard Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) saying,“In Paradise, there is a door known as ma‛ruf (favor), none can enter Paradise from that door except those who do favors to others.”

Abu-Hashim continued: Upon hearing these words, I praised Allah the Almighty secretly and felt happy, because I used to grant people their needs. Immediately, the Imam (as) looked at me and said, “Yes, keep on doing so, because the people of favour in this world will be the people of favor in the hereafter. May Allah include you, Abu-Hashim, with them and show you mercy!

The third quote: Imam al-Jawad told a man who was telling about the importance of what happened to him on a certain day, saying that the blessings of that day were great that he should not attribute the blessings, or anything else, to the day for it is Allah, The Most Exalted, that gives and withholds.

 The fourth quote: In this quote he pointed out to three traits that should adorn the personality of the believer: Every believer needs three qualities: grace from Allah Almighty, a preacher inside himself, and acceptance of the advice of others.

Lastly, Imam Al-Jawad was concerned with keeping the spirit of rejection to tyranny and corruption alive in the souls of the believers. He called for fighting tyrants and the corrupted and not offering them any sort of help , considering whoever does that to be their “partner”.

Dear loved ones:  this is Imam Al-Jawad , with his vast and great knowledge , his generosity  , guidance and advice, which we should follow to become purer, better and more faithful , as well being among his followers and loyalists.  

The second sermon

Worshippers of Allah, The Most Exalted, I advise you and myself with advice of Imam Al-Jawad, when he said to one of his companions: The day of justice on the oppressor is severer than the day of injustice on the oppressed. This is the advice of the Imam to each and every one of us so as not be driven to oppress anybody whether a parent, a wife, a child, a relative, an employee or any person, even if he were an enemy. We should fear the inevitable day, when the wronged will ask Allah, The Most Exalted, for justice to be done. Let us make sure that we leave this world without wronging anybody, so that we would be closer to God and to the people’s hearts, and more capable of confronting challenges.

 We begin by the elections, which all the political parties have begun to prepare for, whether at the level of candidates or alliances, seeking either to enhance or preserve its position or to induce a change that will change the image of the parliament in a partial if not a radical way.

As we reemphasize the importance of holding these elections, for they renew the political life, and enable the people to chose their representatives, we call on these parties to chose the most qualified and those of clean history whose hands were not stained with the dirt of corruption and those who are able to play their role in oversight and legislation, as well as carrying the concerns and hopes of the people. Their only weapon in this battle should be their agendas that ought to focus on the necessary reforms and stand firm against any foreign interference that weakens Lebanon’s strength and independence.

The political parties should be aware that the people who have been suffering from the difficult economic crisis and who are still suffering will not repeat failed experiments…

The Lebanese in these circumstances, continue to suffer from their living conditions, and they are afraid that things will become even worse, as the dollar’s stability did not lead to a decrease in the price of the basic commodities, due to the monopoly of the big merchants of food. medicines, fuel and other basics.

Based on this, we renew our call to the government to take more serious and effective measures to stop this drain of the limited income of most of the people. At the same time, we join all those calling for not giving exclusive rights of import for certain people and companies only, to put an end to this monopoly and open the way for free completion , which we believe that it will lower the prices.

It is regretful that this demand has been associated with sectarian dimensions, while the national interest it is based on will benefit all the Lebanese of all confessions and sects.

 As for the opinions that have to do with the current status of the country or its future that are being issued by clerical or political authorities, we believe   that all political or clerical responsibles have the right to express their views, provided that   they do not lead destabilizing the internal front and create a rift among the Lebanese…

We are in a dire need for internal stability that cannot be achieved except through a serious dialogue among the Lebanese, and not by exchanging accusations and neglecting the fears of all the other components.

      As for the marking of the borders, and as we call for the necessity of reaching a solution that enables Lebanon to benefit from its oil and gas, especially in these tough times.  we do not want the solution to be at the expense of the Lebanese and their rights in their wealth, since Lebanon is not weak and has to accept the conditions to would be imposed on it. It is fortified by the force of law, its army and resistance.

As for the budget, we had hoped that the government would have been more merciful with the Lebanese and took into consideration their inability to withstand any new burdens. The government has the right to secure resources but they should not be at the expense of the Lebanese. They should be taken from those who became rich on their account and by plundering the state’s resources, in addition to retrieving the plundered money and closing the spouts of waste and corruption.  The parliament ought to rebalance this budget   if it wishes to represent those who voted for its members.

In Palestine, we condemn the abominable crime of killing three freedom fighters that we hope it will form an incentive for the Palestinians to unify their efforts, for the enemy does not differentiate between one faction and another. At the same time, we call for the stoppage of the normalization continuing process as it gives the Zionists the legitimacy to continue its crimes in Palestine and aggressions on the Arab countries.

Lastly, on the occasion of the victory of the Islamic revolution in Iran, we believe that the Iran’s achievements of scientific progress and self sufficiency in several fields as well as building its own forces despite the sanctions and the siege represent a role model for the peoples of the region to enhance their freedom and political and economic independence