Wronging others

Then there is the wronging of others especially if the wronged was among the downtrodden, like wronging man's wife, especially in the East, when the man feels that the woman has no right while he has every right. Then the man might wrong his children by interfering in their affairs in what is against their interest.

Allah has warned us against all kinds of injustice. Imam Ali (a.s.) divides injustice into three categories. One that is not forgiven which is ascribing partners to Allah, and one that is forgiven, which the wronging of the servant to himself by committing trivial sins. The third kind is the wronging that could not be left unpunished, which is the wronging of others. The punishment of this kind of wronging is severe. It is not, according to the Imam, stubbing with knives or whipping with lashes, but it is something these kinds of punishments would look minor compared to them, because the wronged will stand in front of Allah and say: O God take my right from this person, for he has wronged me.

The Messenger asks us to refrain from wronging since it is the darkness of the Day of Judgement. Imam Ali explains to us the negative consequences of wronging when he says that it hastens Allah's avengement, for Allah answers the call of the wronged and lies in wait for the unjust. Some narrations tell us that Allah told one of the Prophets to go to a tyrant and tell him. "I have appointed you to respond to the cries of the wronged, for I will no ignore their wronging even if they were pagans.

In this respect Imam Ali deals with the issue in the following way:

‘by Allah if i am given the seven continents and what there is under their horizons to disobey Allah just by extorting a shell of a barleycorn from an ant, i will never do.’ 

He also said : By Allah, I would rather pass a night in wakefulness on the thorns of as-sa`dan (a plant having sharp prickles) or be driven in chains as a prisoner than meet Allah and His Messenger on the Day of Judgment as an oppressor over any person or a usurper of anything out of worldly wealth. And how can I oppress any one for (the sake of a life) that is fast moving towards destruction and is to remain under the earth for a long time.

Imam Ali (a.s.) singles one kind of injustice as the most serve which is the wronging of the weak. Muhammad (p) says: Allah's wrath is severe against those who wrong these who do not find anybody to support them except God.

Then there is this thought that Allah wants man to think about when he finds himself strong and others weak and when he is tempted to wrong the weak.

The sacred tradition says: "If you are tempted to wrong others when you are able to, remember that Allah is capable of punishing you, and that your punishments will go while what you have brought on yourself will stay".

The fate of the unjust

On supporting the oppressors and the unjust, whether a state, a party, a tribe … etc, the Messenger(p.) Says: "The oppressors and their supporters are in hell". He also says: "Avoid the prayer of the wronged, for he would be asking Allah for his rights", and Allah always gives everyone his right. Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) says: that those who know about injustice and those who accept it and those who support it are partners with those who commit it .

Therefore, when we are tempted to wrong others, we have to remember that Allah does not leave the wronging of anyone.

One tradition: talks about a man who would come on the Day of Judgment with his good deeds as big as mountains. Then those who have rights would come and claim them. Allah will tell the angels to take from his good deeds and give them to the wronged.

When they finish Allah will say take from the sins of the wronged and add them to the unjust.

When we are tempted to wrong others, we are thinking about this world, but we have to base our calculations on the Hereafter, for the slogan of the Day of Judgment is "No wronging today". How can we avoid such a tough situation when everyone will only have his deeds to defend him?

The Second Sermon

An American Project for Israeli Security

The Russian President Putin has described America as the "Fox that eats and does not listen to anybody, and does not wish to listen to anybody. How does all this talk about democracy and human rights disappear when it has to do with its own interests? Everything in this case becomes possible, and there are no limitations”.

On another level, the American Administration continues to talk about the diplomatic option to deal with the Iranian nuclear project, but it continues to threaten to resort to the military option at the end, in coordination within the EU whose states, especially Britain and France, lie under the American influence, in their policies concerning the region… In addition to pressurizing Syria and Lebanon and interfering in their internal affairs and relations, through a new resolution of the Security Council that has turned into a tool for America and its allies to wage a political and military war against the peoples of the region to promote the arrogant interests.

The world might wonder about why America pressurizes Iran and wages a psychological economic political and military war on Iran, while it does not pressurize North Korea that has announced that it possesses the bomb? Is America fighting its war against Iran on behalf of Israel that is afraid of the Islamic power in Iran and the region, since America is under the influence of the Jewish Lobby in addition to the neo-conservatives? This puts America in the position of the strategic enemy of Arab and Muslim interests. At the same time America is developing the nuclear weapons and the weapons of mass destruction to intimidate the free world and the Third World in particular.

We warn the downtrodden peoples from this American imminent threats on their security and independence, which means that they should devise plan to protect their vital interests, since America does not instigate confidence even among its allies who live in fear of its plan and pressures.

In the light of this, Iran has to consolidate its strategic defence positions and insist on its plan of strategic scientific and peaceful challenge. It should prepare to defend itself against the American and Israeli war threats. We also warn the Iranian Muslim people of all the intelligence attempts to create internal strife so that it would win in peace what it cannot win in war.

Internal Palestinian Fighting is a Major crime

In Palestine we meet with the 58th anniversary of the Jewish occupation to the country supported by the West that gave them all what they needed to establish their state that was founded on dislocating the Palestinians and preventing then from coming back. It also relied on using the most powerful American weapons to commit daily massacres, staging an economic blockade detaining tens and thousands ...etc

In all this, the Jews relied on the American and European support who played a game of stalling and foot-dragging, as well as practicing hypocrisy with all that empty sweet talk about the Palestinian state.

The Quartet committee that always talks about this state is doing nothing to implement its decisions. And if it decided in its last meeting to commission the EU to create a provisional mechanism to send the aid directly to the Palestinians, we believe that it will be postponed until after the Palestinians yield to the pressures of starvation.

In such circumstances there could be nothing more dangerous then the fighting between Hamas and Fatah. Such a development might give the Israelis a chance to exploit the struggle on power between the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas cabinet and consolidate its control over the entire Palestinian reality.

We believe that such an internal fighting represents a major crime and a grand treason. And we call on all parties to try to break this deadly impasse and return to the line of unity that preserves the resistance.

As for Iraq, it continues to live in the spectre of daily massacres that are planned and executed by the Israeli Mosad and supported by the American British occupation. Moreover, they are still destabilizing the political sphere by the partisan differences that hinder the formation of a national unity government, thus elongating the occupation and undermining national liberation.

The Lebanese Maze

The majority of Lebanese still live under the line of poverty, while at the political level they are living a tragicomedy of the struggle between the majority and the minority with both parties accusing each other or treason and loyalty to a foreign power whether Syria or America and Israel. Their dialogue is becoming more and more like the row regarding the sex of the angels. Although, they all know that the economic situation is the major problem that is suffocating the people.

The dialogue participants should start discussing the economic conditions and find solutions that do not raise additional taxes that target the poor only. They do not touch the privileges of the wealthy or the officials who used to steel public money claiming loyalty to the former tutelage power, yet they now talk about reform, but they do not accept accountability for the national debt that put the country on the brink of collapse.

Moreover, what about the national defence strategy? Is Israel the problem of the Resistance?