The First Sermon

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful  

O God, make him the caller for your Book. Make him your Caliph in this earth as you made those before him. Consolidate for him Your religion, the one You chose for him. Change his concern into tranquility … O God, support him… and support others by him… Give him a remarkable victory.

Al-Mahdi’s Universal Authority

Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of Imam Al-Mahdi the achiever of truth, who was prepared by Allah, the most Exalted, to be the savior and the renewer of Islam in its movement and concepts… He would lay the foundation for universal justice on the entire earth. He is the twelfth Imam whom Allah has occulted in a miracle that Allah alone knows its secret... For he was prepared to fill the earth with fairness and justice having been filled with tyranny and oppression.

In this respect, it is obvious that the Imam will not come up with a new religion or a new book; he will only renovate the movement, and let the people gain a feeling of the originality and spirituality of this religion. As for the Quran, it is a Book which no falsehood can approach it from before or behind. Hence the Imam will only explain to the people how to understand the Quran in a way that suits their needs at all levels.

Therefore, when Allah establishes justice, it is the justice of Islam being the only justice of Allah which was contained in all previous messages. And this is also demonstrated by what the traditions tell as of Jesus Christ descending with the Imam. Since the Message of Muhammad is his Message.

In the light of all this, we ask ourselves: are we loyal to him? Are we honest when we ask God to be of his supporters and soldiers?

His supporters are the supporters of Islam, for his message is the message of Islam; that of the oneness of God, the belief in the Allah's Message that was carried by all Messengers. It is also the belief in the Quran as the Book that we ought to follow and the light that illuminates our minds and hearts. Thus, we ought to educate ourselves on Islam, for it is meaningless to claim that we are among his supporters while we keep a distance from his line and religion.

Calling to obey God

Celebrating the birth of Imam Al-Mahdi is not a matter of sentiments or wishes. It is adopting the straight path that Allah, the most Exalted, has called on us to follow.

This means that we ought to educate ourselves to become of his followers and practice what he called for. The best expression for this is probably what we recite in the supplication known as the opening: O God, we ask you for an honorable state, that gives Islam and Muslims the upper hand and disgraces hypocrisy and its supporters… And make us of those who call for obeying you, and those who lead to your path….

We should bear the responsibility of this call for obeying Allah, by calling our household and the people around us to obey Allah, and by becoming each and every one of us a potential leader… For Allah, the most Exalted, wants each Muslim and believer to educate his mind and heart to become a leading mind and a leading heart, so that if one leader falls on the battleground others will follow… We have to create Islamic leaders on every level be it jurisprudent, political, ideological or economical.

This is a trust and a responsibility Allah has held us responsible for, so that we could assume the position of leading the world. Why do we let others in the East and the West assume leadership, and accept to be followers of unjust or infidel leadership? If Imam Al-Mahdi is prepared to fill the earth with justice, we too have to be just to ourselves, to our families and to our society. We should all be just persons with Muslims and non-Muslims alike and with the weak and strong alike.

Positive Waiting:

The anniversary we are celebrating holds us responsible of looking forward to the appearance of the Imam, so as to know what our role is when he comes.

Will we be among his enemies or among his supporters? It is not enough to love him to become one of his followers. Imam Al-Hussein (a.s.) asked the Arab poet Al-Farazdak about the people in Koufa.

He replied: “Their hearts are with you but their swords are against you" since their swords do not serve their cause but their ambitions and interests.

Therefore, we have to be ready and become positive waiters... by sitting and asking ourselves: Are we with the Message of the Imam or not? Are we with justice or against it?

If we find any weakness in our commitment to the message or to justice we should work on strengthening it, so that when he comes, we will find ourselves among his supporters.

The anniversary of the Imam's birth is an occasion to contemplate and to practice self-accountability: "Judge yourselves, before you are judged… ". O God! Let us become among his supporters and those who will be martyred for his cause. 

The Second Sermon

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The Intifada: The will of freedom

As the Intifada begins its fifth year, it has offered thousands of martyrs and tens of thousands of injured and detainees, as well as the demolition of thousands of houses and the bulldozing of countless farms

All these aggressions were carried out with the use of the most advanced American weapons. They also benefited from the American political support that has even accepted the on-going eradication of the Palestinian people… as well as denouncing the elected Palestinian Authority while talking about democracy and human rights.

The American Secretary of State has called for ending the Intifada on the basis that it has failed to accomplish anything for the Palestinian people. But we would like to ask him: What has America and the International Quartet Committee done for the Palestinians? Did it support them as it has supported Israel? Why did it not give the negotiations a chance enabling the Palestinians to gain their legitimate rights? Why did it consider the problem as one of security, although every one knows that it is a political problem and that the Intifada was a reaction to occupation, and although the Mujahideen have announced they will not fire a single shot if the occupiers withdraw?

President Bush is lying when he talks about the Palestinian state. He did not put any pressure on Israel to stop building the racial wall or enlarge the existing settlements and found new ones.

The Intifada might have not been able to defeat Israel and establish a Palestinian state, but it has asserted the Palestinian quest for freedom and their incredible steadfastness. It has driven Israel, along with America, into several political impasses and created several political and economic crises for the enemy, just as all the nations that fight for their freedom have done…

The Intifada has unveiled the ugly face of America and the falsehood of American calls for freedom and human rights, leading to the decisive answer for their question of why they hate us: We hate your administration and its allies, for killing freedom like the kidnappers kill their victims.

In this atmosphere, we notice that the Americans are attacking Iran on its nuclear peaceful project without hearing any protest against the Israeli threat regarding the bombing of the Iranian nuclear reactor. If Israel has the right to possess the bomb, why does not Iran?

The problem is that the major powers provide immunity for Israel regardless of its crimes. Therefore, we do not believe Britain’s Prime Minister when he says that he intends to interfere to solve the Palestinian problem, for both America and Israel will not allow him.

The only course is to consolidate the steadfastness of the Palestinian people that face an Israeli American war of eradication. And we call on all free nations to support it, before facing a similar fate.

Vague future in Iraq

The future in Iraq is still vague in the midst of all these moving massacres in which civilians are killed whether in the capital or in all parts of the country. The American Army in the name of fighting terrorism is killing those civilians, although everybody knows that it is the civilians that are being killed and their houses are being destroyed due to the lies of its army intelligence.

Moreover, the vicious and dubious assassinations that target innocent civilians are inciting sectarian strife as a result of the probable reactions they might lead to.

As to the talk about a conference on Iraq called for by the US and supported by Europe and some of the Arabs, the only agenda to this conference is ridding America of its Iraqi impasse.

But since the problem in this country is that of occupation that turned Iraq into a political and security mess what is needed is an international conference supported by the UN to withdraw occupation forces, and conduct free elections so that the Iraqis will feel that they are in full command of their future to create a free and unified Iraq, and one that has a big future.

Lebanon: A need for a salvation Government

In Lebanon, there are many unrealistic accusations whose raising serves the Americans and provide them with free cards. There is also some talk about a quartet committee to monitor Syria withdrawal and disarm the Resistance which of course runs against the Lebanese interests since the occupation has not fully withdrawn. Moreover, the Lebanese are suffering from the severity of the economic crisis with all the corruption and theft that have been talking place. Then, there is the debate between the opposition and the ruling parties concerning the formation of a new government, and the budget which some say that it was meant a shock to punish the political club that has gone too far in oppressing the people and stealing public money.

On another level, we warn against the night bats who strive through their tough talk to create a state of instability that might be exploited by the enemies to incite sectarian strife.

Each Lebanese should guard the security of the country for as it sinks in its economic crisis and as its people begin to live under the poverty line, Lebanon cannot withstand these political and security crises that are being initiated.

Lebanon needs a salvation government; it needs officials that do not fight over the spoils of the country. It has timed into a ship in the midst of roaring storm, and it needs the efforts of all to make it reach the safe shore before it is sunk by fanaticism, sectarianism and the growing polarization that leaves no room for a dialogue on the basis of establishing a free, sovereign and independent Lebanon, that protects its citizens and that is protected by them… a country that builds the security and prosperity of all its citizens.