FRIDAY SPEECH March 29, 2002

Peace and Blessings upon our Master, Muhammad, his purified progeny, his chosen companions and all of God’s messengers.

Why do we, the Muslim believers, act in any individual and social act ,in addition to our political life, as if there were no religion that tell us what to do and what not to do… Why do we let our desires and moods motivate our actions, to the extent that we might incite strife or support the unjust tyrant if we benefit of and oppose the just if we do not profit of?

Why is backbiting so common in our community? Why does not a brother Muslim feel safe if he differs in opinion with a fellow Muslim? Why would be afraid that he would be either harmed or his image will be distorted? Why is all that? May be it is because Allah’s greatness is not felt enough in our hearts and those with worldly power have a bigger impact in our minds. We are afraid of Human beings and not of Allah, yet we ask Allah to reward us in Heaven!! The Glorious Quran had repeated in several Ayats that a Muslim is the one who fears Allah :{They only are the true believers whose hearts feel fear when Allah is mentioned, and when the revelations of Allah are recited unto them they increase their faith, and who trust in their Lord}

To fear Allah towards yourself is to avoid all what He told you not to do… while fearing Him when you deal with your family means that you should not disobey Him in your actions and behavior towards them… Fearing Allah in your trade relations means, that you should not cheat in price or in quality… Fearing Allah in your social and political life means that you should never support an oppressor or a tyrant … it means that all your actions and sayings should confirm with what He has ordained and that your heart should be full of love, while your mind should be full of good and righteousness.

And this is, my loved ones, what we should educate ourselves on, to feel the greatness of Allah who is capable of everything and who bestows His grace on whom He wills and takes it away from whom He wills. He is the all-mighty sustainer who controls everything that run in accordance to His wishes. He knows what you hide inside your hearts {There is not a secret consultation between three, but He makes the fourth among them, No, between four but He makes the fifth… nor between fewer nor more, but He is in their midst whosoever they be. In the end, will He tell them the truth of their conduct}. {We verily created a man and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein}

Thus, my loved ones, He is the One who gives life and takes it away, and He is the One whom all men will stand before, to be judged at the Day of Judgment, the day nobody can do anything for others the day you will come {Unto Us as we created you at the first. But ye thought that We had set no tryst for you} {And they esteem not Allah as He hath the right to be esteemed, when the whole earth is His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens are rolled in His right hand, Glorified is He and High Exalted from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)}.

Let us, dear beloved, go back to the Quran, the Messenger and the Imams to see ourselves in their clear mirror. Allah, the most Exalted, tells us about some of the scenes of the Day of Judgment. The Day when you have to remember all what you have done, even if you try to forget all about it. On that day, when you stand before God you will be told with Hell in front of you with all its flames:{And unto the evil-doer it is said: You were in heedlessness of this. Now We have removed from you your covering and piercing is your sight this day}{Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely}{On him I shall impose a fearful doom}

Those who transgress their limits in political, economic, and social relations, those who do not fear their Lord, but listen to the demands of their desire and to the appeals of Satan, Those whose only concern is the pleasures of this world whether in a lawful or unlawful manner… those will reside in Hell.

In contrast, those who feel the greatness and glory of Allah inside them... Those who feel that their own greatness pride and honor is nothing if compared to Allah’s…Those who fear Allah and refrain from doing anything He deemed unlawful …Those who know that his promise to judge them is true, and those whose love to Allah fills their hearts… Those who are pious will go to heaven.

Thus, Heaven was made for the pious. But who are the pious? {Those who spend (of that which Allah has given and are forgiving toward mankind, Allah loves the good}.

In explaining the meaning of this fear of God, Imam Jaa’far Al-Sadiq(a.s.) teaches us that they are those who know that Allah sees them and hears what they say and knows the good and evil they do. And this would make him refrain from doing evil.

Allah,(S.W.T.) says: {Is he who pays adoration in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, bewaring of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord,)to be accounted equal with a disbeliever)? Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know not But only men of understanding will pay heed} Imam Al-Sadiq (A.s) says: “My father used to say: All believers have two lights in their heart a light of fear and a light of hope which are virtually equal in weight”. The Imam adds: Fear Allah as if you see him”.

That is why the problems that might occur between Muslims are more complicated than those occurring with non-Muslims, because Satan would make man live with his hatred and forget his God and humanitarianism although the line of Islam is one of humanity, justice good and hope in God. Fear God as if you see him. If you do not see him, he sees you. If you believe that he does not see you than you turned into a non-believer and if you believe that He sees you and yet you disobey Him then you act as if His watching over you is not important.

Lastly, Dear beloved, If you fear Allah in this life and have hope in Him, then {Lo! verily the friends of Allah are (those) on whom fear (comes) not, nor do they grieve}{Lo! those who say: Our Lord is Allah, and thereafter walk aright, there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve

Dear beloved, we live in a temporary world, not knowing when we are going to die. We should be wise, love our God, fear Him and have hope in Him, for today is a day of action with no account, but tomorrow is a day of account but no action {O, mankind! Fear your lord! The earthquake of the Hour (of Doom) is a tremendous thing. On the day when ye behold it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling and every pregnant one will be delivered of her burden, and thou (Muhammad) will see mankind as drunken, yet they will not be drunken, but the Doom of Allah will be strong (upon them) }.

The Arab Summit in which the Arabs, or at least most of them, agreed to leave the Palestinians to their destiny has ended, and it was followed right away by the second phase of Sharon’s terrorist war, with a new brutal invasion to the 1967 occupied lands in a mad and outrage way in front of the eyes of the whole world.

The Arabs have decided to wash their hand from the blood of the Palestinians, and decided to leave them alone to face the barbarism of Israel. But the Palestinian people proved though their militant heroes and their martyrs who have performed highly exceptional operations ( the last of which was in Natanya) that neither the security barriers nor the Zionist barbarianism could conquer their will and strive for freedom.

Thus, the summit ended, and many have talked about its success in agreeing on the initiative as well as easing the Arab differences between Iraq and Kuwait… and the support for the Intifada… But the issue is not the success of the summit but rather the future and the well being of the nation. In this respect, Israel declared its absolute rejection of the return of the refuges, as well as the withdrawal from the 1967 occupied territories, considering that the implantation of such UN resolutions could destroy the Zionist entity. On its part, America welcomed the part of initiative that concerns the peace with Israel, and expressed reservation on all its major points, considering that all the details will be worked out through negotiations, which mean that the Americans are not ready to exert any pressure on Israel.

Throughout its history in the Arab Israeli struggle, America has proven that it always takes the side of Israel. This also applies to the Madrid conference that talks about “the land for peace” formula, because America does not recognize that the territories are occupied lands, but rather disputed lands, which makes this principle and all UN resolutions irrelevant.

Thus, America tries to change the established principles and not to implement them. This is what we have noticed in America’s role through General Zinni who is trying to pressurize the Palestinians to force them to accept the Israeli changes of the Tenet project. Up till now, all what America wants is a limited settlement that would allow Israel to regain its strength. It does want any peace for the region unless this peace serves the Israeli interests. America has taken the security of the Arabian region out of its consideration, and forced its officials to help Sharon to succeed in his project having accepted to give him a chance...to destroy the Palestinian infrastructure... in that barbaric manner... The Arab officials did not say a word because they do not want to anger America, especially after intimidating, blackmailing and even extorting the Arab and Islamic worlds with its accusations of terrorism and making mass destruction weapons... The question now is : what should the position be after Israel’s rejection of the political content of the initiative... Furthermore, I would like to explain to those officials who say that America and Europe have supported the initiative that their appreciation was for the so called “peace” and not for that content of this imitative because the view it as prelude for negotiation and not for implementation.

We had hoped that the Summit would have lived the spirit of the speeches of presidents Emile Lahoud and Bashar Al-Assad who expressed the wishes and aspirations of the Arab nation in strengthening the Intifada and providing an Arab support for it, and not only saluting it... For this what is really needed in this stage of Palestinian struggle for national independence.

The Arab peoples are quite aware that Israel will not accept any Arab initiative even if it were limited to the 1967 occupied territories and that the West will not exert any pressure. They are thus sure that the Intifada is the only pressure element, even though the price might be too heavy on the Palestinian people. The Arab people do not to wait until the last Palestinian dies … they want to support this wounded people by all possible moral, military, political and physical means.

The Arab people feel that the Arab regimes are about to offer additional concessions, to prove that they want “peace”, at a time we all know that they want us to accept the Israeli peace.

Lastly, if the Arab Summit is sure that its concessions will succeed let it on its own, but it should not pressurize the Intifada both politically and on the ground to weaken it or entering it into the circle of the fight against “terrorism” which the US and the European Union have made it include Hamas, Jihad and Al-aksa Martyrs.

We say to the Arab and Muslim peoples that they have to accept the challenge, and organize a comprehensive donation campaign, while the political organizations should find openings to provide the Intifada with arms and enable it to stay in the “street” in a carefully studied way so as to avoid the internal persecution that many parties are planning for… We say to the Palestinians that no one will pave the way in front of you, because they are afraid that they will burn their hands… You have already removed a lot of these barriers that hinder your march and you have to carry on until you achieve your final goal of independence.

We are not teaching you any lesson, for you are now in a position, with your resolve and sacrifices, to teach nations… and you certainly know that your unity is your strongest and most effective weapon…

To the Lebanese people and officials we say, do not make an issue out of some of the incidents that happened during the Summit, so as not to create additional differences that might heighten the crisis, the country already suffers from.

O people, fear Allah towards Lebanon and towards the fate of the nation as a whole.