Friday speeches 25 Rajab 1425h/10 September 2004AD

Three occasions occur in this last week of Rajab, the first, according to most Shiite Scholars, is the anniversary of the revelation of the Message to Muhammad (p.). It is also the day of Muhammad (p.)’s night journey to the Aqsa mosque followed by his ascension to heavens, to see the world of paradise and hell and the other signs Allah wanted him to see.

In these three occasions we are inspired by several Islamic themes.

The First one returns us to that stage in history in which Muhammad (p.) was alone, when he was commanded to commence his role.

He was alone and he was ordered to carry the burden: “Read in the name of your Lord Who created.

He created man from a clot.

Read and your Lord is Most Honorable,

Who taught (to write) with the pen

Taught man what he knew not.

Surely We will make to light upon you a weighty Word”; which was meant to be to all humans

And We have not sent you but to all the men as a bearer of good news and as a warner, but most men do not know, using humane and civilized means {Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner; surely your Lord best knows those who go astray from His path, and He knows best those who follow the right way}.

God did not send His Messenger to force them to believe, rather, He called on them to open their hearts and minds for the truth of Islam.

That is why Allah says:

{There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error}. Right and wrong were both clear and people have to choose to determine their position in both worlds, either to heaven or hell. And this is why Allah kept reminding His Messenger that he only had to convey the Messenger and that he cannot compel them to accept it.

Allah also wanted His Messenger to live in the places of previous messages so that he would confirm through the unity of revelation, being of the same source, the unity of messages. People are thus asked by all heavenly messages to submit to the will of God in everything one encounters, or wishes.

This is what Islam means (to submit) and this is what Ibrahim said

{When his Lord said to him: Be a Muslim, he said: I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds}.

Therefore, Islam at the time of Ibrahim was to follow the message of Ibrahim.

It is also following the messages of Musa and Christ in their times. Thus, the value of Islam is probably that it embodies the essence of all religions. Islam calls for believing in God as well as all His books and messengers without any distinction.

This is why Muhammad (p.) visited Al-Aqsa Mosque where he met, according to some traditions, with all prophets to tell them that this is the prophet who embodies all the living elements of your messages.

Then in his ascension to heaven, Allah wanted him to attain all the spiritual knowledge that transcends the environment of Mecca. Nevertheless, all scholars agree that the ascension was not only spiritual but was also physical.

On this anniversary, that of the birth of the Message, we remember how Muhammad (p.) faced the entire world all alone calling them to believe in Allah's oneness.

In this respect, Islam did not tolerate polytheism.

It tolerated only the People of the Book and called for a dialogue with them. As for the infidels, it did not tolerate them, considering polytheism a backward and mythical phenomenon.

Facing the entire world, Muhammad (p.) had a unique spiritual power that enabled him to endure all what the unbelievers did to him. He was then accompanied by Ahl el-Beit and the companions, with Ali (a.s.) in their forefront. Thus, Islam reached us through the call of the callers and struggles of the Mujahideen, throughout the various generations.

Thus, it is a trust that we were entrusted with by Allah, the most Exalted.

And we have to uphold our responsibility in teaching our children our religion, especially at a time of great challenges of unbelief.

We have to be patient and enduring in confronting all challenges. And we have to promote our unity and keep away from anything that incites strife and fragmentation. Allah, the most Exalted, has sent His Messenger as a warner and as bearer of good news. And we too have to carry Islam in our hearts, minds and tongues and convey it to the entire world.

We say to all our Muslim immigrants who live in Africa, Europe, Asia and America that they have to be representatives of the shining image of Islam and Muslims in their actions, and not only in their sayings. We have to strengthen the position of Islam in this world as others are trying to weaken Islam and defeat Muslims politically, economically and psychologically. If we look at the entire world, we find that most victims of war and violence are falling in the Islamic region: in Iraq, Chechnya, Palestine and Afghanistan. We have even reached the stage where Muslims kill one another.

Therefore, we have to uphold the responsibility of Islam by becoming, each and everyone of us, a caller to this religion and by trying to gain the qualities of leadership.

The Third occasion is the anniversary of the death of Imam Al-Kazim who enjoyed the confidence of the people at his age as a result of his knowledge, ethics and fighting injustice.

This made the Abbasid caliph, Al-Rashid, jail him, sending him from one prison to another and torturing him. But this did not hurt the Imam one bit as his reaction was to thank Allah for making him dedicate his life to worship.

To demonstrate this fact, it is enough to recall the following story: Asked by the people around him of why he used to treat Imam (a.s.) Al-Rida with such respect, he said that he had learned this from his father who used to treat Imam Musa Al-Kazim in a similar way. Al-Mamoun goes on to say that when he asked his father about what made him show all this respect he said: If people know who this man is and what his virtues were they would not let us retain our position.

Then, why don't you give him your place? Al-Mamoun asked. Al-Rushid answered: I would even kill you, you my own fresh and blood, if you try to take my authority from me. Therefore, it is a question of power and nothing else.

Ahl al-Beit were respected and held sacred in the eyes of the people. And that is why they are haunted by most caliphs.

In the anniversary of the death of Imam Al-Kazim, we declare our commitment to their line, being the line of the Messenger Muhammad. May God bless him and bless the members of his household.

On the anniversary of 9-11, the world is following the repercussions of the devastating war the American Administration has waged under the pretense of fighting terrorism. It aimed at restoring its pride by reverting to preemptive wars that started in Afghanistan and continued in Iraq, which led to the killing of tens of thousands of largely civilians, and destabilizing the Arab and Muslim world, based on the rationale that prohibits any kind of dialogue since it considers all those who are not with America to be with the terrorists.

It is a policy that is hostile to the interests of nations of the region, especially the Palestinians, and aims at gaining full domination of the Middle East, under the pretense of preventing Weapons of mass destruction, which means preventing any country from acquiring nuclear energy even for peaceful purposes, and allowing Israel to keep its nuclear arsenal…

America is spreading anxiousness in the world to spread an atmosphere favorable to its plan to conquer it. This is why Iran was added to the axis of evil, and this is why it is being said in Washington that the preventive war could target new countries, if Bush is reelected. In this context, the axis of evil could include even Syria.

If we look at the devastation President Bush has inflicted in the region and the confusion and instability his alliance with Israel has created in international politics, we will conclude that the axis of evil is composed of America and Israel who are threatening the security of the World…

The Israeli war against the Palestinians has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians as well as the American war on Iraq are but examples… America and Israel are the threats the world faces nowadays, and not Syria or Iraq.

In Palestine, daily massacres continue to unfold, the last of which was in Gaza, where a scout camping site was bombed, killing and wounding scores of civilians in an atmosphere of American blessing. Arab silence and internal disputes within the ranks of the Palestinian Authority have further distanced them from the strategic goal of liberation.

In addition, the enemy is expanding the area around Jerusalem annexed by the racial wall and is planning to do so in other access as well, without any condemnation that ought to be voiced by the International Quartet committee.

The problem of Palestine and the Arab World lies in that strategic alliance between America and Israel and its hegemony over the UN Security Council which was demonstrated of late by resolution 1559 concerning Syria and Lebanon.

This resolution gives Israel a favorable political and security climate to escalate its aggressions and pressures on Lebanon and Syria.

It further discusses an internal problem and not an international one.

It seems that America could get a way with what nobody else can.

In Iraq, the prominent picture is that of the American massacres that are moving from one place to another and that are killing more civilians than the freedom fighters who are defending their country against occupation that declares it is going to stay for more than ten years. Moreover, the association between what is happening in Iraq and the American presidential elections is making things worse.

Therefore, we would like to warn our dear Iraqis against taking part in any small internal conflicts here and there, which could only serve the occupation.

In this context, we have been hearing in the news about certain local problems in Najaf, and call upon all parties there to keep up the peace that the city enjoys, and make every effort to maintain the solution that has been reached… We also wish that Iraq as a whole would face the challenges with a solid national unity that secures the future and that acts as a basis for joining hands against those who distort the image of Iraq by arbitrary abductions and by the assassinations of the country scientists and political leader, especially those who were opposed to the tyrant regimes.

In Lebanon, we believe that it is the right of every Lebanese to express his opinion about any political, economic or security issues.

Nevertheless, no one has the right to undermine national unity and plant hatred at a time the country is facing external Israeli threats and American or Israeli pressures such as the Security Council resolution that tries to make Lebanon undermine its relations with Syria or the Palestinians.

In this atmosphere, certain parties may try to turn the political instability into a security one.

There is no realistic chance to undo the extension of the President's term, whether it was a right or wrong decision. Therefore, we ought to engage into an objective national dialogue to study the situation, and we ought to remind all parties that absolute negativity has been tried in the past and did not produce any results. Such attitude might relief certain parties, but Lebanon would suffer tremendously. We are afraid that it might result in the fall of the temple on the heads of all who are in it, and then it will be useless to try to find out who was responsible, for it would be, to say that least, too late.