Friday speeches 26 Jumada'II 1425h/13 August 2004AD

Allah says in His Glorious Book: “Do you not see that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth? Nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them, nor (between) five but He is the sixth of them, nor less than that nor more but He is with them wheresoever they are; then He will inform them of what they did on the day of resurrection: surely Allah is Cognizant of all things.

He utters not a word but there is by him a watcher at hand.

And Allah is Watchful over all things.

He knows the stealthy looks and that which the breasts conceal”.

These Ayats, as well as others suggest that the believer ought to base his thoughts and actions on the grounds of a deep-rooted belief that Allah is aware of all of them… You might be able to hide what you are thinking about from all people, and you might withhold your secrets from some people, but you cannot hide anything on Allah, Who follows up your ideas from the moment they are born: “He knows the stealthy looks and that which the breasts conceal”.

Man ought to be constantly aware of this fact so that he will refrain from evil thoughts and intentions for he will be punished by them as soon as they turn into evil plans or actions. Thus, when people meet behind closed doors to plan to hurt a man, a nation or a country depending on who the participants are, they will feel that they are free to plot as they like, but this is not true because they are watched by Allah who knows all secrets.

This is true also with respect to any other action man does thinking that he is not being seen. And that is why Allah has told us in several Ayahs and revelations to the Prophet that He is watching our actions. This is what builds our conscience: The growing inner feeling that we will be held accountable for our actions. This is what Imam Ali meant when he said that the witness is the judge and when he reminded us in several traditions that Allah is watching over all our actions, especially when he says: “You have to watch yourself and give a part of this life to the other life”. And this is what he means when he calls man to be in control of himself, watch over his heart and preserve his tongue.

Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s) says: “Bear on yourself for yourself, if you do not, no one will bear you”. He also says that Allah told His Prophet Jesus (p.): “Be, wherever you are, knowing that Allah watches you". The Messenger (p.) said to Abu Zar: “Preserve Allah and He will preserve you”. Imam Ali says: “Blessed is he who watches Allah and fears His punishment”.

Imam Al-Sadiq says (and it is not enough to cry over the Imams but we also have to enlighten our road with their words): Everyday that comes will tell man that I am a new day that will bear witness on you. Do good in me, I will testify for you before God on the Day of Judgment, for you will never see me again".

Imam Al-Kazim says: “He who does not hold himself accountable each day does not belong to us… If he has done good he would ask God for more, and if he has done bad he would ask for forgiveness and repentance.

He have to raise and educate ourselves on the obedience of God, we have to make our only goal to please God, knowing that we will meet Him in a day where nothing would help us except our good deeds.

Once again Iraq sinks in a river of blood with the Americans using all their advanced weapons to bomb civilians and those who oppose American occupation that is concealed by an official Iraqi cover, as well as the most sacred land in Iraq, the Najaf, which embraces Imam Ali's shrine, the cemetery of Wadi Assalam and the hawza, all this under the pretense of law enforcement.

We are not with creating a state of chaos in this sacred city that is visited by believers from all the world. We are not also with a state of lawlessness that governs its relations… But we ought to study the circumstances that lead to the difficult current situation and to the American provocation that lead to a controversial security situation.

Does the current situation in Iraq allow the interim government to use violence? Does it have the means to enforce its will knowing that it will be the will of the Americans, whom the Iraqis believe that they are an occupying force, regardless of the fact that they have claimed that Iraq is sovereign.

Why does not the regime learn the lesson from what had happened to the tyrant who bombed the Najaf?

How was the occupation given the right to bomb any place in the sacred city knowing that it will spill over to the Imam's shrine whether deliberately or not?

The Muslims over the world have protested against the Jewish attempts to confiscate the Aqsa Mosque, how could they not protest against the American threat to the Imam's shrine? The Iraqi people find in this official cover to bomb the sacred places an American pressure against those who oppose occupation to boost the chance of the reelection of the American president… It is not a matter of dealing by force with those who have violated the law, but it is a matter of posing a threat to all who dare to oppose occupation. They want to force the entire people to surrender and make sure that they vote in the future for those whom the occupation nominates.

We call on the Iraqi people and the Arab and the Muslim peoples to stand with the Najaf against the American violation of its sacredness, so as to let the occupation know that it does not have the right to violate its sacred places and so that the regime would know that it does not have the right or the power to give occupation such a license… The people want it to deal with the issue with wisdom and resort to peaceful means, and objective dialogue…

We warn of a comprehensive Islamic Arab revolution if the crime extends to the sacred places.

We want the Najaf to be the city of peace. Moreover, based on our religious capacity, we deem unlawful any dealing in any way with those who are committing the crimes in Najaf, and call upon all capable to stop this bleeding… Any neutral silence is, as interpreted by an American officer to the Washington Post, “a green light for us to do what we have to”.

The newspaper goes on to comment that the official interpretation makes the American field commanders smile… How could this disgraceful silence continue?

In Palestine, the occupation forces continue their aggressions against Palestinian cities, camps and villages, killing more and more civilians everyday without any American's protest. Yet, they hastened to condemn the operation that targeted Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem. The spokesman for the Department of State said that this confirms yet again the need for the Palestinian leadership “to take immediate actions to end violence and terror." This means that there is no urgent need in Washington's view to call upon Israel to stop its brutal practices and crimes. Israel, in America's view, has the right to practice violence to cement its occupation, while the Palestinians do not have the right to defend themselves.

This is America: the champion of evil and terror in the world.

On another level, America continues to wage a campaign against Iran to hinder its development of its peaceful nuclear program, but it does not, along all who pretend to be advising Iran to give up its program, talk about Israel’s nuclear weapons, that are seen to be a legal means of self-defense.

This international community led by America does not want Iran or any other Islamic country to possess nuclear know-how even for peaceful purposes.

We refuse all this and believe that Iran has the right to own even nuclear arms, for we are in a world that respects only the powerful, and we have to be powerful even on the military level. Moreover, if Israel does not respect the International community, why should we remain committed to it even when it is against our interests?

And if America and Israel are escalating their military, political and economic offensive on Syria, then Syria has the right to use all the cards it has to disrupt the American and Israeli occupations in the region.