Friday speeches Shawwal 2 1426 H, November 04 2005 A.D

In the context of describing some of His Prophets, God says in His Glorious Book: And remember Our servants Ibrahim and Ishaq and Yaqoub, men of power and insight Surely We purified them by a pure quality, the keeping mind of the (final) abode. And most surely they were with Us, of the elect, the best And commemorate Isma'il, Elisha, and Zul-Kifl: Each of them was of the Company of the Good.

God considers them the best because they lived all their life seeking good to all people, and because they sought to call for Allah and practice piety in all what raises the intellectual and practical lives. The Messenger (p.) believes in one of his sayings that the best of you is the pious who fears God in all his actions the pure, in heart, spirit and dealings with all people, whether close to him on not, the generous, who gives from what Allah has given him and does not become mean when it has to do with the needs of others, the pure whose conduct does not contain any malice, hatred or deviation, the good to his parents, as Allah, the most exalted, has ordered, which also means that one has to be tolerant to any harm they could inflict on him, the one who does not let his family need others.

Imam Ali (a.s) was asked: Who are the best among Allah's servants? and he answered: Those who fear Allah the most – those who are always aware that Allah knows all about them and those who do not do anything except after they are sure that is gains Allah's satisfaction, and those who abide by their piety – those who do not commit any unlawful acts and those who strive to do all what Allah has ordained, and those who care the least about this world. Those who care about this world in as much as their natural needs, and do not sell their religion for all the pleasers of this world, considering it merely as a phase that prepares them to meet God in the Hereafter.

Imam As-Sadiq (a.s) says: The best of you are the most tolerant, and the worst are the most mean. The Messenger said in response to question about who the best man is: "The best among you is the one who benefits others, so be useful to them". If you want to be the best, study all your potentials in all fields and study how you can deploy them in the service of others.

Allah, the most high, has given us certain potentials and capabilities and made us responsible of putting them in the service of those who need them.

Moreover, we know that these capabilities are divided among individuals. Hadith has even talked about the financial level: Allah has made the rich and poor partners.

Imam Al- Rida (a.s) says: "The best in their living among you are those whom the living of others benefits of his resources".

This means that every man having any resource, whether money, power experience or knowledge should strive to spend it on the people.

Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s) says: "God has not bestowed a grace on any of His servants, without asking him to do something in return".

Those whom Allah bestowed money are asked to give the poor.

Those whom Allah bestowed a well built and strong body are responsible to what is requested from them, and to be tolerant to those who are weaker than them.

And those who were made dignified in their community and beautiful in their looks have to observe the rights of the weak in their honour and beauty. Allah has given the Right in His Book the meaning of what is beneficial. He says: He sends down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure: But the torrent bears away to foam that mounts up to the surface. Even so, from that (ore) which they heat in the fire, to make ornaments or utensils therewith, there is a scum likewise. Thus doth Allah (by parables) show forth Truth and Vanity. For the scum disappears like forth cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on the earth. Thus doth Allah set forth parables.

Therefore, man has to take advantage of his time to make use of all his resources and powers to serve the people and address their needs. It has been narrated that if any of Adam's children (human being) dies, his actions are creased except for three: a continuous charity, like building a mosque or a hospital, which runs continuously like a river – knowledge which benefits others – in any fields of benefit to people, and a righteous son supplicating for him, when he educates his son on fearing Allah and try to please him, this will remain after his death. Jesus Christ passed once near a grave whose owner was being tortured, then he passed by the same place a year later and found that he was no longer tortured. He was astonished, but Allah told him that he had raised a good sun who sponsored an orphan and renovated a road, thus I have forgiven him for the sake of his son.

These are the deeds that ensure that one is rewarded after his death, but since not all people could build hospitals or mosques , they can nevertheless participate in them.

Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) says: "The best worshipper is he who possesses five traits: If he does well he will be hopeful and delighted, if he commits a sin he would ask for forgiveness, if given he would be thankful, If tried he would be tolerant and if he is wronged he would forgive". Imam Ali (a.s.) says: The best men are those whom if wealthy world be generous and thankful. He also said: The best man is he who parts himself from the desires, who oppresses his anger and pleases his God.

This is what Allah wants from us in this life: To uphold our responsibilities towards the resources that were given to us; even religious scholars should give their knowledge to the people, especially at times of deviation. The Messenger (p.) says:” If innovations appear, the religious scholars should show their knowledge. Those who do not may Allah's curse be on them". We ask Allah to help us on ourselves with what he helps the good on themselves.

The Palestinian people face systemized daily killings, and barbaric invasions that prevent people from any feeling of settlement to celebrate the Eid. These acts terrorize the children and the women, and appropriate the freedom of the youth. The Jews are also demanding the annexation of some parts of the West Bank including those on which the major settlements and the racist wall are built.

All this is happening amidst a complete silence from the international powers; especially the US…

As for the United Nations, it is busy preparing for commemorating the anniversary of the Holocaust that was committed by the Nazis against Jews who multiplied the number of the victims to reach millions without any precise data, claming that they are doing so, so that such acts will not reoccur in the future. But at the same time nobody is talking about Israel's gradual eradication of the Palestinians, using the American most sophisticated weapons that enable them to kill the people and destroy the infrastructure , as well as hurting those who demand freedom and the removal of occupation, and calling those who do so as terrorists, as if national freedom is a terrorist demand.

The Massacres of Qana, Sabra and Shatila Ginien, and Gaza were all committed without any condemnation any condemnation to Israel's terrorism from the international community.

We ask the European Community if you persecuted the Jews why should be pay the price, knowing that the Arab and Islamic worlds have always been tolerant with the Jews, giving them economic religious and security privileges. The Jews used to live with us freely because Islam has taught us to respect the religious freedoms of minorities.

As for Iraq, America is still pressurizing the Iraqis by its occupation that has so far led to the death of 30 thousand Iraqis. It did not seek to establish any economic or security stabilization.

On the contrary, it created favourable circumstances to encourage the apostating groups to blow up people in their shrines, streets and working places, paying not attention to the United Nations resolutions that make the occupying power responsible for the security of the occupied country.

In this respect, we should note the statement made by an American official who said that the occupation in Iraq provides "a protection to Israel that could face some danger if the American forces withdraw".

America has started to lose the war in Iraq whether on the economic level by paying tens of billions of Dollars that exhaust its economy, or on the military level having so far lost more than two thousands who were killed and about 20 thousands wounded. Furthermore, its sinking in the Iraqi quicksand has made the American President lose the confidence of the public opinions in the polls and has led many Americans to call for a pull of the American forces from Iraq.

The current Administration may be trying to run forward by pressurizing the EU and other states to issue UN resolutions against the states in the region that still oppose the American policies, especially Syria that is expected to yield to the US political and security demands.

It is exploiting the brutal crime of assassinating the late premier Rafic Harriri to impose impossible demands in a process that aims at humiliating and subjugating Damascus.

It is also – along with the EU – pressurizing Iran to halt its peaceful nuclear program, and accuse it of planning to make nuclear weapons. At the same time, it does not let the UN pressurize Israel, which not only has the bomb but also other mass destruction weapons, for it does not wasn’t the Arabs and Muslims to possess any sources of scientific advancement whether for developing their resources or for protecting themselves.

America is planning to incite Chaos in the rejoin in the name of democracy which should promote its own interests and not that of the peoples of the region.

Therefore, the region ought to confront this plan to protect its peoples and resources from the project of economic globalization, which wants to increase the poverty of the world so that the rich can get richer.

We could sense how dangerous the American project is, since it wants to spread the dominance of its empire over the entire world. We want the world to reject it because it will destroy its security and economy. We are not against the Americans or the Europeans, but we are against their administrations that spread corruption on earth and plan for wars and devastation to the benefit of the monopolizing companies.

There is a lot of talk about international legitimacy concerning the imposing of its resolutions on Lebanon or Syria and the region, but where is this legitimacy when it comes to Israel, especially the resolution 194 concerning the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes, knowing that Bush himself has stood against it in his letter to Sharon.

As for Lebanon, that is still suffering from its economic crisis, political turmoil and sectarian slogans to the extent that the Lebanese citizen feels that those in charge of the affairs of the sects are acting on the basis of a sectarian federation in which each sect elects its own representatives to one of the three presidencies and imposes it on the entire country. It also elects it government ministers, and plan for an electoral law in which each sect elects its MPs. Nevertheless they still talk about national unity.

The Lebanese feel that there is no way out except by adopting citizenship as a basis for running the country and the institutions. This is the only way one can find himself in this country or even find the country itself.