Allah, The Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases – that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know Allah, the Most Exalted, speaks the truth.

 Tomorrow marks the beginning of a great month, the month of Rajab, which Allah, The Most Exalted, has distinguished with several virtues and blessings.

 This month is one of the four Hurom (sacred) months which Allah specifically mentioned in the Quran when He said:

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; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. They are Rajab, Zulhijja, Zulqida and Muharram. In this context, being sacred means that God has prohibited fighting in them.  That is why this month was described as Asam (deaf). It was called as such because no call for war is heard in this month nor the clashing of swords, since it is impermissible to start a war or engage in a fight in it, except in self-defense. The Holy Quran says:  They ask you about the sacred month – about fighting therein. Say, “Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him…

Allah, The Most Exalted, wanted this month, as well as the other sacred months, to be months of peace among individuals and communities, allowing the fighters to return to the language of peace and dialogue and finding solutions to end conflicts or at least to lessen their consequences …The legislation of the sacred months clearly indicates that the principle in Islam is peace and that war is an exception. The virtues of this month are not restricted to this dimension. It is also a month in which God bestows His mercy on His servants. When Rajab was in, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his household) used to assemble the Muslims and address them, ‘O Muslims, you are endowed with a blessed, great month; it is the pouring month during which God pours His mercy on him who worships Him, excluding him who is a polytheist or a heretic.'” But this mercy is not for free. It is given to those who fast, pray, supplicate, mention , glorify Allah, The Most Exalted, ask for forgiveness…

The Messenger says: Allah, The Most Exalted, the Most High, has placed an Angel in the seventh heaven who is referred to as ‘Da’ee’ (caller ). When the Month of Rajab approaches, this Angel repeats the following prayer every night until the morning time, ‘Congratulations to those who are busy in the glorification of Allah. Congratulations to those who are obeying the commands of Allah, the Most Exalted.. , the month is mine and the human is mine, and the mercy is my mercy, so the person who supplicated to me in this month, I will respond him, and the one who asked me to give him, I will give him, and the one who asks to be rightly guided, I will guide him, and I will let this month a way between the human and me, and the one who adheres with it will reach me.

That is why, dear loved ones, we have to provide ourselves with the spiritual provisions of this month. The Honorable Hadiths urge us to fast the entire month, or the first, middle and last days, or the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of it or other days indicated by the Hadith.

Those who cannot fast can give in charity, and if this also is not affordable they can say a hundred times subhana al-ilahi aljalili

Glory be to the All-majestic God.

subhana man la yanbaghi alttasbihu illa lahu

Glory be to Him other than Whom none should be glorified.

subhana al-a`azzi al-akrami

Glory be to the All-honorable and All-dignified.

subhana man labisa al`izza wa huwa lahu ahlun

Glory be to Him Who has dressed Himself with grandeur that fits none but Him.

 There are also many other recommended prayers in this month that one can go back to in the supplication books. We will mention here one of them only: praying two Rak`at each night in which Surah al-Fatiha  is recited once followed by Surah al-Kafirun  three times and then Surah al-Ikhlas one time and then after the prayer is finished, lift your hands up and say:

There is no creature or entity worthy of worship except for Allah, the One who has no partners. To Him belongs the Dominion and to Him is all Praise, He gives live and to Him is all Praise, He gives live and He causes to die and he is the Everliving and will never die. and He causes to die and he is the Everliving and will never die. In His hands is all goodness and He has power over all things and to Him return all things and there is no strength or power except with Allah, the High, the Grand. O’ Allah! Send your prayers upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad the Prophet, the Unlettered.”

It is also urged that one should in this month mention Allah, The Most Exalted, a lot and recite the Quran. The Hadith says : Say ‘Subhanallahi walhumdulillahi wa la illa ha illa allahu wallahu akbar wa la hawla wala quwata illa billahi al’aliyul azimi

All glory be to Allah; all praise be to Allah;there is no god save Allah; Allah is the Greatest; and there is no might and no strength save with Allah, the All-high the All-great. It is also urged to read certain specific Surahs of the Quran such as Atawhid, Alkafiroun, Alfalaq. Annas and the Kursi Ayat.

 This month was also distinguished by the supplications that could be recited every day and after every prayer. One of them is this supplication which Imam As-Sadiq used to recite every day in Rajab :

Run to a dead end the hoodwinked passengers who looked for the “Ghayrallah” (other than You),

Lost their way, lured and swindled, those who hanged onto and held fast anything that offers itself, not linked with You,

Cried in anguish, frightened and agitated, were those who stayed and took shelter anywhere other than with You,

Went to waste the efforts of those who tried to profit from that which they came across instead of having the wholesome benefits from You.

 Your door is wide open for those who call humbly and fervently on You,

Success, high – mindedness, and piety are freely available to those who pray and request You,

, the daily bread (from You) is openly spread out for one and all, even the transgressors,

 Thus God’s  good are bestowed on everybody , even his enemies by usual disposition is to do favor (even) to those who stir up mischief,

 Your system looks after and keeps alive (even) those who are hostile to You. urge to strive like those who exert themselves fully in  Your way, 

and do not let me be among the negligent who have gone far in their forgetfulness, forgive me on the Day of Judgment.

  In addition, there are many occasions in this month that remind us of those who are role models for Muslims to emulate, as well as certain events that influenced the personality   of the believers… Imam Al-Baqir was born on the first day of Rajab and Imam Al-Hadi on the third and Imam Ali on the thirteenth and Lady Zainab on the fifteenth…  In this month also the human kind was blessed with the messengership of Muhammad …And on the 27^th was the night journey and ascension of the Messenger…

Dear loved ones; we should benefit from the opportunity of the arrival of this month to be blessed with its spiritual and educational atmospheres and to provide ourselves with what can enable us to defeat our souls that are certainly prone to evil as well as Satan, and to draw nearer to Allah and receive His blessings.

The second sermon

Worshippers of Allah, The Most Exalted, I advise you and myself with the advice of Imam Al-Baqir whose birthday is on the first of Rajab. He said:  Does it suffice for one who claims to be our follower to just express loyalty to the members of the Holy Household? I swear by God that no one is our true follower unless he fears God and obeys Him. Our followers are known for their humbleness and frequent remembrance of God; fasting; praying; helping the orphans, the needy, the ones in debt, and needy neighbors; reading the Quran; and talking properly with the people. They have always been trustwor Your in their tribes. O’ Jabir! Do not let the various sects affect you. Do you think that it suffices for one to say that he likes Imam Ali and he is his follower, but does not do anything to support his claim? Or he says that he likes the Prophet, who is better than Imam Ali, but does not take his example and follow his deeds and act according to the Prophet’s tradition? Just having love for the Prophet is of no use for him. Therefore, fear God, and act in such a way as to attain what is near God, since there is no relation of kin between God and anyone. The one most loved by God is the one who is the most pious, and the noblest one is the one who fears God and obeys Him. I swear by God that it is not possible to get close to God unless by His obedience, and we do not hold the key to relief from the Fire of Hell, and no one has any authority over God. Whoever is obedient to God is our friend, and whoever disobeys God is our enemy. No one can attain our friendship unless by having nobility and piety.

By this advice, the Imam wanted to correct the view that some held that being a Shia is to love Ahl El-Beit by visiting them and organizing festivals at their birthday or commemorating their death anniversaries…  This love has to be demonstrated in one’s behavior so that the Shiite would be the one who obeys Allah, The Most Exalted, who is truthful, trustworthy, and help the poor… leave a good effect wherever he goes, and thus becomes more responsible, giving and capable of confronting challenges.

 We begin by Lebanon, where those who hold political power are still wasting time as they wait for a foreign solution to all domestic crises at a time it has been absolutely clear that the solution is in their hands. The foreign powers that have their own problems to attend to, will not help a country whose government is still overwhelmed by personal interests and private calculations, and whose parties would not offer any concession to the others or show any inclination towards reform or curbing corruption and waste, despite their awareness of the intensifying threats that engulf the country. Thus, we renew our call to all those in charge to have some pity on this country and its citizens.

You have a duty to find solitons which will not take shape unless you forsake your private calculations and selfishness and think only about the citizens of this country and their future. When this happens, the Lebanese would not be in need for the United Nations or the pressures from foreign countries or the Security Council resolutions, which will not materialize to solve their problems.

 On another level, we would like to remind the government of the crisis of the Lebanese students studying abroad and call on it not to let their parents be humiliated any longer and to exert pressure on the banks to transfer the fees, especially after the relevant law was passed by the Parliament.

Meanwhile, the price of essential commodities continues to increase.  We call on the ministry of economy to be stricter in supervising the merchants and prevent any monopoly and speedup the aid to the poor families whose number are increasing daily.

 We would like also to warn against the inflammatory talk and the accusations in the media that are not based on any evidence and which if they continue will widen the rift among the Lebanese and increase the tension that would provide an opportunity to those who wish to tamper with the security and stability of the country.

We believe that everybody is entitled to have his opinion, since the country is and should remain a country of freedom, provided that this opinion is objective, calm and rational and does not incite or increase the tensions.

As for the agreement between the Palestinian factions,     

 we welcome any agreement that promotes Palestinian unity and believe that it is the best way to face the Enemy’s plots to liquidate the Palestinian cause. 

In Yemen where the destructive war continues, we join all those who call to end this war and support all goodwill initiatives to resolve it.

 Lastly we congratulate the Iranian people and leadership on the advent of the anniversary of the Islamic revolution led by Imam Khomeini that enabled the Iranians to pursue their freedom, independence and   development and that supported the downtrodden nations and ensured them and that they are able to make their own decisions and take hold of their own wealth, and be free from the hegemony of the arrogant states… supporting all their causes, especially those of  the Lebanese and the Palestinians.