Allah says in His Holy Book:
Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from
you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.
Our love to Ahl el-Beit, is a love based on reason. We love
them because they gave us a new Islamic mind in every thing they said.
And we love them by our hearts because they made these hearts open on
good.
We also love them the love of life,
because they have drawn to us the straight path that Allah wanted us
to follow.
In this month, the month of Rajab, we meet
with two occasions concerning Ahl el-Beit. The first one is the
commemoration of the death of the great hereon and religious scholar,
the purified lady, Zeinb bint Ali, (a.s.) who lived with her mother
Fatima Az-Zahra, father, Imam Ali, and her brothers Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein(a.s.),
which made her reach a level in her knowledge, courage, dedication and
struggle for the cause of God, that no one had reached before except
her mother, Fatima Al-Zahra(a.s.).
Some might wonder why Imam Hussein (a.s.)
chose her to be with him, and why she chose to be with him leaving her
husband Abdullah bin Jaa'far (who is also her cousin) and her
children.
The answer is that Imam Al-Hussein (a.s.)
wanted to be accompanied in his grand march by Zeinab's heart and
mind.
That is why she used to sit with him and
ask him, while he used to listen to her views. They used to talk about
the future of the movement. Off course the meetings were filled with
emotion for her love of Imam Hussein was incomparable not only because
of being her brother but also he embodied the Message.
She used to move from one tent to the
other, and stay with her brother with every new tragedy he suffered
from. Then when he was martyred, she led who were left, and showed how
courageous she was when Ibn Ziad wanted to kill Imam Ali bin Al-Hussein(a.s.),
and then when she stood before Yazid and scolded him.
Lady Zeinab (a.s.) was a role model of the
spiritual and human struggle for the Muslim men and women. It is very
painful that all we have for this courageous heroic lady is the tears.
What do we know about her heroism and
boldness in Karbla? They only talk about the tragic side, but she was
stronger than the tragedy. If you want to visit her, do not just
circumambulate around her shrine, but think about her attitude, the
attitude of the student of Ali, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein (a.s.), the
attitude of the courageous fighter for the cause of God and the
scholar who knows everything about her religion. Let us learn about
this role model for the Muslim women, and introduce her to the world
who knows nothing about her, and to the Muslim world who knows only a
little bit about her.
The Temple-prison
In this month too, we meet with the death
anniversary of one of the Imams of Ahl el-Beit, Imam Musa bin Jaafar
Al-Kazim (a.s.). This Imam who was recognized throughout the Islamic
world, for people used to send him the money that was due on them, and
who Haroun Ar-Rashid was afraid that he might overthrow him seeing how
much people trust him, and that he represents the great virtues of
Prophet Muhammad…
Ar-Rashid, thus, could not leave the Imam
educating people freely, telling them what true Islam is… In addition,
he was angered by the defiance the Imam showed when Ar-Rashid stood by
the Prophet's grave to say "Assalumum Alaika my cousin", the Imam
said: Assalum Alaika my father.
As if he was saying that if you are trying
to say that you are privileged to be a cousin of the Prophet, I am his
son.
Ar-Rashid decided to imprison the Imam and
kept moving him from one prison to the other.
But the Imam was thankful to God and said:
"O God, I have asked you to dedicate me to Thy worship, and You have
done that… I praise Thee". He made his jail the mosque he prays in
until he was killed by poison in his last jail, upon the orders of
Haroun Ar-Rashid .
In commemorating his memory, we would like
to go over some of the Imam's heritage, starting by some of his
supplications to learn how to supplicate when we are being unjustly
treated. Although the Imam did not wrong any body he asks God to give
back the people's rights if he was not able to do it out of shortage
in strength or in wealth. He even asks God to give them some of his
own rewards. Then he associates this supplication by reaffirming his
belief in God the Messenger, Islam and the Book, teaching the others,
for he is an infallible, that Islam is associated with justice and
good morals.
Human Values
In one of the stories one of the
companions of the Imam says that he saw another companion praying in
Arafa, who was extending opening his hands to the shy with his tears
running over his check. When he finished the former asked him
expressing his admiration to what he saw. The latter told him that he
was praying for his brothers, because the Imam told him that whoever
does so, will be rewarded by 100 thousand times more than if he was
praying for himself.
The Imam was the best in reciting the
Quran, making everybody listening to him cry. He used to cry himself
while reading the Quran being fearful of God. He also used to
encourage people to resort to the judgment of the mind when they want
to decide about any issue in their lives. He says: Allah has two
arguments to hold the people responsible: a visible one and an inner
one. The visible one is the Messengers and the Imams, while the inner
one is the mind". He also used to ask his companions to hold
themselves accountable for everything they said or did: "He is not one
of us that who does not hold himself accountable everyday. If he finds
that he has done good he would ask Allah for more and thanks God for
guiding him to do so and it that he did was evil, he would ask Allah
to forgive him and repent.
He said to one of his friends who
complained from the accusations of some of those he argued with about
certain theological issues, because they accused him of being heretic,
just as some have accused me of being misguided and one who misguides
others. He told him to be lenient on them, even if they accuse him of
such accusations. If you have a pearl in your hand and people keep
saying it is a nut it will not harm you; just as it will not do you
any good if you have a nut in your hand and people say it is a pearl.
Moreover, the Imam used to direct his
companions to call for the good: Convey what is good and say what is
good and do not be an Umaa, which is to say I am with the people and I
am like any of them. He added: the Messenger said that there are two
spheres that of Good and that of evil. Don't make the realm of evil be
more to your likening than that of the good.
Thus, do not be like those Imam Ali
Described as "mindless insects followers of every crier, they bend
with every mind, they neither illuminated themselves with the light of
knowledge nor did they return to a firm corner.
We end the talk about the Imam with the
following story:
There was a man in Medina who used to
curse Imam al-Kazim , and distort his image, to the extent that the
companions of the Imam asked for permission to kill him, but the Imam
used to forbid them from hurting him. Then one day the Imam (a.s) went
to the man’s garden. When the man saw him, he said: Do not step on my
plants, for he was so hateful that he did not even have the courtesy
of welcoming him. The Imam continued to move towards him. And when he
reached the man the Imam asked him: How much did you pay for your
plants, and how much do you expect to gain? Adding the two sums
together the Imam gave him the money and said:
Take this money and you still can sell
your corps, and he started talking to him in a very pleasant and kind
manner. The man felt guilty and changed his attitude towards the Imam.
The next day the man went to the mosque. When he saw the Imam (a.s)
coming he said: “God knows where he puts His Message". Allah has given
you a mind, which you should not sell or rent to anybody. Let us learn
to use our minds and not our fanaticism. Even parents should educate
their children on the need to think and develop their minds as he
takes care of their physical development. When you let others think
for you, they will think of their own good.
These are our Imams whom Allah has ordered us to follow.
May He accept their intercession on the day when neither money nor
children will do any good.
May Allah bless Imam Musa bin Jafaar al-Kazim, the day he
was born, the day he was martyred and the day will be brought back to
life.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
The American President, George Bush, has decided to
increase the US aid by over 35% percent – standing at 70 billion US
dollars over the next 10 years- to preserve Israel qualitative
military superiority over all the Arab states put together. The US
wishes to enable Israel to launch aggressions against the Arabs and
Muslims who oppose its policies, ensuring that they remain weak while
Israel remains strong.
At the same time, Washington decided to provide the Arab
"moderate" states who are committed to their direct or indirect
relations with Israel, with 20 billions worth of advanced weapons to
confront the so-called "extremist" forces such as Iran, Syria, Hamas,
and Hiszbullah, in a bid to protect the US interests in the region.
These weapons that America sold to the Arabs have been
provided under the strict condition that they are to be used against
the Arabs and Muslims only. They are not to be used against Israel
even if the Arab relations with it witness drastic changes. On the
other hand, everybody knows that the weapons the US gave to Israel
have been used in the Zionist wars against the Arab including the July
war on Lebanon which was an American – Israeli war against Lebanon and
the Resistance.
On another level, the visit of the American State and
defence secretaries to the region aimed at renewing America's
commitment to the security of its main strategic partners in the
region, especially in the face of the Iranian "threat"…
But we all know that the visit aimed at finding a serious
security crisis in the region, although there are no real security
threats there whether to Egypt Jordan or the Gulf states. On the
contrary, Iran has been trying to assure the regional states that it
is an element of peace that seeks security and cooperation that
protect the Gulf States.
The Iranian nuclear power will not be used to make the
bomb. It will be used in the peaceful fields, which is a right that
the Arab states are also seeking to claim.
But America, whose occupation of Iraq was a failure, is
trying to cover up this failure by creating chaos and political and
military strife in the entire region. The US Administration is trying,
for example, to turn Lebanon into a base for its New Middle East
project, by benefiting of the Lebanese special features of
multidimensional freedoms and the sectarian system that links all
parties who wish to solidify their internal position to foreign
powers.
Such American failing policies, whether in Iraq
Afghanistan, Pakistan Lebanon and elsewhere, of killing innocent
civilians as a result of a state of an arrogant hysteria has made the
US a hated country in several states in the Middle East and in the
entire world, and even in America itself where the public opinion has
started to voice its demands for withdrawal from Iraq whose cost in
lives and resources have become too grave to be tolerated.
On the Arab level, the foreign ministers conference that
convened in Cairo, welcomed the positive elements about the Middle
East in Bush's speech, and found an opportunity to build on them,
especially on the two states solution and the call for a peace
conference attended by all concerned parties and leading to direct
negotiations on all tracks… etc.
But these are empty sugar-coated promises.
The American President has talked often about a
Palestinian state, but he has never made one step forward in this
direction whether through the international Quartet Committee, the
Road Map or by pressurizing Israel to dismantle the settlements and
the separating wall, or the return of the refugees, as well as other
vital issues. Such as the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and
finding a political opportunity to discuss the final status solution,
especially with the American – Israeli condition to stop the Intifada,
thus, undermining any serious dialogue about a possible solution.
Furthermore, the American – Zionist Arab position that
confronts Hamas to the benefit of Fateh undermines any possibility of
creating a national unity the coming state could be founded on. This
proves that this position aims at eliminating any Palestinian movement
that wishes to continue the resistance, at a time the Palestinian
President could not achieve anything even at the level of easing the
Palestinian sufferings. He is only given empty promises and encouraged
to stand against Hamas and make impossible conditions to resume the
dialogue with it.
The question is: Are there any positive elements in
Bush's speech? No, because the promises he has given are empty ones,
since the American Administration can not put any pressure on Israel.
It makes fun of the resolutions of the Arab summits, giving Israel
concrete positions, and only words to the Arabs.
The Illusion of Peace:
As for the last Arab conference that called for a just
and comprehensive peace, ending the Arab –Israeli struggle on the
basis of the Arab peace imitative and the political framework defined
by the ministerial Arab Imitative Committee... Are the Arab Foreign
Ministers fooling their peoples when they make such decisions that
have proved to be worthless, since it has been confronted by the
American position that considers their initiative inapplicable, and
the Israeli position that considered it worthless? It is interesting
that the Arab delegation said that they came to Israel to explain the
initiative and not to negotiate, as if Israel does not know it yet.
Israel on its part, wanted the Arab ministers to come and
beg it for peace that is completely in the hands of Israel, especially
after the Arabs have ruled out the option of military confrontation,
and some of them have even stood against the Resistance victory in
Lebanon being afraid even from a victory against Israel, having lived
the culture of defeatism.
Lebanon: The crisis deepens
Lebanon has moved from a national crisis into a smaller
one, but one that arouses hatred within the same sect, leads to the
making of statements that incite strife, using methods that do not
respect the mind, and that further a drives the citizens away from
understanding themselves as such : citizens of equal rights and
duties; thus, facing their pluralism by increasing sectarianism, and
leading to international statements that warns the Lebanese of a civil
war and adds to hunger and deprivation a new war of intimidation.
We say to them, that the Lebanese refuse any sectarian
war. They want a national peace for the entire country and for all
Lebanese citizens. They will kick out all those who plan for wars, and
re-institute the state of love that Lebanon seeks to establish among
all Lebanese citizens; Christians and Muslims.