The First Sermon

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful  

Truth is one of the pillars of faith

God says in His Holy Book: O you who believe! why do you say that which you do not do?

It is most hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do.

In this Holy Ayah, Allah makes it clear to the believers that truthfulness is one of the basics of belief.. You have to be truthful in what you say, since what you say expresses what you believe in and act in accordance with. If you go back on your promises, you would be cheating the people and counterfeiting their feelings and ideas.

Then, there is the truthfulness in your stands. For example, when you promise something you have to honor your promise, if you give someone an appointment promising to meet him at a certain time, and you are either later or you do not show at all, then you will be wasting his time. If you promise to give someone something or to help him in doing it , if you do not, you will be harming the causes your represent and making him take a negative attitude towards you or towards your cause.

Then there is what is more dangerous:

When you are a responsible person in the society, that is when you decisions or planning have a direct impact upon the society, whether in a religious or political or security field , breaking your promises will destroy the peoples hopes and lead them to despair and frustration.

The Hypocrites

Such attitude is noticed in the conduct of many officials, regardless, of how high ranking they might be. This attitude is most hateful to Allah, the most Exalted. Then Allah, the most Exalted, gives us examples of the attitude of the hypocrites who used to come to Muhammad(p.) and pledge their alliance and obedience , but as soon as they leave , they will act in a treacherous way: And they say: Obedience. But when they go out from your presence, a party of them decide by night upon doing otherwise than what you say; and Allah writes down what they decide by night, therefore turn aside from them and trust in Allah, and Allah is sufficient as a protector.

When the hypocrites come to you, they say: We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Messenger; and Allah knows that you are most surely His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars. They make their oaths a shelter, and thus turn away from Allah's way; surely evil is that which they do. Surely those people will end up in hell.

He also gives us some examples of whom we might meet today in the political social and even religious circles :And among men is he whose speech about the life of this world causes you to wonder, and he calls on Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the most violent of adversaries And when he turns back, he runs along in the land that he may cause mischief in it and destroy the tilth and the stock, and Allah does not love mischief-making. And when it is said to him, guard against (the punishment of) Allah; pride carries him off to sin, therefore hell is sufficient for him; and certainly it is an evil resting place.

Those who talk about reform and change, and swear that they are faithful, but when they are followed and supported by the people, whether by electing him or by other means, they would be corrupt and cause mischief. Nevertheless, they would not accept any criticism saying. That they are the ones who give advice, and not the other way round. Although those people prove to be deviators, they would act in an arrogant way that does not accept any criticism. Those people will end up in hell.

This is what Islam wants from us: to be truthful in our words, promises, stands, for being truthful is opening up on the Truth and the Right and ultimately God. Allah, the most Exalted, says: O ye who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are true (in word and deed).

The Organization of the Islamic Conference that convened in Sanaa' talked about the "enlightened Islamic moderation; promoting moderate Islamic discourse" and “enhancing democracy” in the Islamic states. It also talked about the challenges in Palestine, Iraq and other places.

We notice in this kind of language a yielding to the American arrogant calls to stay aloof from the logic that stands against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, at a time Sharon is humiliating the Palestinian Authority, whether in the way he conducted his meeting with Abu Mazen, or through the continued assassinations, and detentions, as well as the besiege that prevents the Palestinian people from moving freely. This means that all Muslims should face these developments by a firm stand that will make Israel and America feel that its threatening and devastating position will cost them a lot.

On another level, the talk about the freedoms, and the authority of the people should not remain merely ink on paper. It should be realized in abolishing the state of emergency and the domination of the intelligence agencies, as well as the policies that respond that respond favorably to the American plans of hegemony and exploiting the war on terrorism to impose thier hostile and hegemony polices.

The Islamic Conference: Liberation from the Palestinian Cause

The problem is that the Organization of the Islamic Conference has liberated itself from considering the Palestinian cause as a universal Islamic cause, and turned it into a regional one that concerns the Palestinians only. It is interesting that the Bush Administration is planning to give Israel a financial aid of one Billion Dollars to develop the Negev desert and the Galilee.

On the other hand, the regional states did not offer any aid to develop the regions that were destroyed by the Jews despite all the oil wealth they possess, which, in fact, is the wealth of the entire nation.

Sinking in the Iraq Quagmire

Iraq is still suffering from the American occupation, which Bush says that it will remain for a long time, and refuses to set a date for withdrawal. He also claims that continuing to occupy Iraq protects America, just as he falsely claimed before that Iraq possess WMDs.

The problem with Bush is that he lies to the entire world and to his own public opinion that began to discover as a result of the growing casualties that America has sunk in the Iraqi quagmire. Moreover, the occupation was not able to provide security to Iraq. The Iraqi people are sinking in blood, they are living a state of anarchy on the security level, with democracy still not achieved and the Iraqis are only nominally in power.

Such a status impels us along with the Arabs, Muslims and free peoples in the world to voice a demand for the end of occupation and let the Iraqis run their own affairs with the help of the United Nations.

In another development America continues to criticize the Iranian elections in which the Iranian people freely chose its leader.

Nevertheless, America is not ready to accept the free will of the people, if it runs against its arrogant polices.

Lebanon: The deterring force.

In Lebanon, every now and then, Israelis commit an additional aggression, proving that Israel is still a threat to Lebanon. On the other hand, I believe that the resistance has reached a level that would allow it to confront Israel. Those politicians who hold a negative view of the resistance should be aware that the resistance knows how to retaliate to aggression while taking into consideration the internal and external political situation. The new parliament should remain loyal to the slogans of reform and change in order to build a country of strong institutions, thereby preventing any foreign interference, so that one tutelage does not replace another and so that decisions are Lebanese, not American nor European.

All decision-makers, face the challenge of trying to produce a Lebanon that knows how to hold accountable those corrupters and squanderers who sold their country to the near and far devil.