FRIDAY SPEECH Ramadan 15 1422,November 30 2001

The First is the anniversary of the battle of Badr, the first between the Muslims and the pagans.

The Muslims who were in Madina having left Mecca after suffering from all kinds of torture and persecution, were eager to fight the pagans. And this was the battle, which they were able to win despite that they were few in number and very ill equipped.

Allah (s.w.t) bestowed the blessings of victory on the Muslims, by the panic He filled the hearts of the pagans with, and by the Angels that were sent to help the Muslims.

The Quran has dedicated many verses to talk about this battle focusing on the points of weakness the Muslims exhibited.

For He, the Most Exalted, wants us to know that is not unnatural to feel weak while confronting a major threat, but the nation ought to change its weak points to strong ones.

The second occasion is the birth of Imam Hassan bin Ali Bin Abi Talib(A.S.) the Firstborn to Ali and Fatima(A.S).

The battle started when the pagans deployed their troops after the Muslims attacked a Qarashi trade convoy, that was on route from Syria to Mecca, to show that the Muslims were controlling the strategic road of Quraish’s trade, and that they have become a force to reckon with.

The convoy was able to flee into another road. Yet the pagans decided to attack Medina. And marched until they reached a place called Badr.

Meanwhile, the messenger was trying to encourage the Muslims to fight. But fighting Quraish was no simple matter, so some of the Muslims were afraid and told him that this is a very strong army. But others from the Ansar (Muslims of Madina) said: We will not tell you as Musa’s people told him: you go and fight along with your Lord, we are waiting for you. We say: you go with your Lord to fight and we will go with you …

Thus the Messenger went to fight with but a few men who were neither well equipped now well armed.

The best and most truthful way to tell you what happened is to recite the Quranic account: “Just as your Lord ordered you out of your house in truth”. For God wanted you to gain strength and to start to struggle “even though a party among the believes disliked it” being afraid of Quraish, the economic and military superpower, of that age.

Disputing with you concerning the truth after it was made manifest, if they should fight or not –behold, Allah promised you one of the two parties, that it should be yours-either the war or the booty, the Quraishi caravan coming from Syria with all the resources of Quraish, and that is what you have chosen: To get the booty without having to fight” but Allah willed to establish the truth according to His words”. Here you have chosen a way other than Allah’s, thinking about your safety and greedy interests while Allah wants the Muslims to fight the pagans and become the dominant force, that will create a favorable atmosphere for the people to embrace Islam: that He might establish Truth and prove falsehood false, distasteful though it be to those in guilt”.

“When you sought help from your God and he answered you: I will help you with a thousand of the angels. rank on rank. Allah appointed it only as good tidings” since they did not fight with you but to help you boast your moral and feel ease at heart, and that your hearts might be at rest. Victory only by the help of Allah (who provided all its causes, lo Allah is mighty-wise.

He made you psychologically stable to the extent that you were able to sleep and get rid of all the worries and anguish you had had .Remember He covered you with drowsiness, to give you calm as from himself, and he caused rain to descend on you from Heaven, to clean you therewith, to remove from you the stain of Satan, to strengthen your hearts, and to plant your feel firmly therewith.

Remember your Lord inspired the angels(with the message):”I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.

This because they contented against Allah and His Messenger: If any contend against Allah and His Messenger. Allah is strict in punishment. Thus (will it be said): “Taste ye then of the (Punishment):”For those who reject is the chastisement of the fire”}.

This is the lesson that the Muslims should learn, to have faith in God and in themselves, and be always sure that Allah will let victory be on the side of the believes. ”Allah had already given you victory at Badr when you were helpless,” “How oft by Allah’s will has a small force vanquished a big one”.

This is what we have noticed and witnessed in Badr, as well as in the victory of the Mujahideen in Lebanon, although they were a small force compared with the Zionist occupiers, but they were able to make a new Badr

This is the lesson of Badr: Muslims should have confidence in Allah and in Islam, and that they should fight for the cause of Allah and the right without taking their own interests into account.

As we face several Arrogant forces in our age, we should keep the lessons of Badr in mind”Allah will certainly aid those who did His(cause); for verily Allah is full of Strength, exalted in Might, (able) to able to enforce His Will”.

The second occasion is the birth of Imam Al-Hassan on the 15th of Ramadan. He is one of the two grandsons of the Prophet whom the Messenger (P.) told God that he loved them and asked Him to love those who love them.

They were also described by the Prophet as the masters of the Heaven’s youth. The Messenger used to play and chat with them teaching us through them how we should deal with children with love and kindness acting, as if we were of their age. Try to talk to your child in his language without imposing your age or thought. Talk to him at the level he understands and then gradually lift him up to your level.

The Imam was raised first by his grandfather and then with his mother Fatima and his father Imam Ali- But he lost both his grandfather and mother very early in his life. He then lived his father’s experience whether before or after the latter became a caliph learning how they put mines in his road. Imam Ali used to send his son to solve the difficult problems, and he also used to refer those who has jurisprudent questions to his son. This shows how much he was qualified to be a leader after his father.

But when Imam Ali died Muawiyah conspired and used all means including money to topple the rule of Al-Hassan, who had to stop the war, not because he believed in the legitimacy of Mauiyah’s rule, but because he wanted to spare the Muslims more blood shedding and because he knew that continuing the battle will lead to the killing of the Muslim vanguard opposition. Thus the Imam made a truce without having to recognize the Umayyad rule.

He then went back to Al-Madina, and lived there as a great and respectable personality. Then, when he was dying of poison, he learned that they might not agree to burry him near his grandfather, He asked his brother not to enter in a war over the issue because he wanted to spare the Muslims any blood shedding , after his death, just as he did in his life.

In this occasion we would like to learn some of his teachings and be guided by them.

First of all the Imam was a firm believer in the necessity of consult, believing that every man should consult those who have experience and Knowledge before making up his mind.

He also called to learn all about someone before befriending him, because friends are bound to know your secrets and interfere in your life.

In one of his speeches, the Imam says what could be considered as an outline for being a good and pious Muslim. He says: ”The Good that is not mixed with any evil is to be thankful when something good is bestowed on you” For every good is from Allah. ”And to be patient and tolerant in times of hardship” so as to be able to plan to change. He also adds “Disgrace is easier than hellfire”, meaning those who kill their wives or daughters without going back to the proper authorities.

Those will be in hell whose torture is far more disgraceful than the feeling of disgrace you feel in this life.

The Imam concludes by saying: If you want to be a worshipper keep away from what Allah has forbidden” Because it means that you will have to fight your instincts to earn Allah’s satisfaction.

He then adds: “Be content with what Allah has given you, you become rich, and he good to your neighbor you become a Muslim”.

Such equating between becoming a Muslim and being good to your neighbor shows how much Islam wants the Muslims to hold their social responsibilities.

The Imam goes on to say “Treat people in the way you like them to treat you, you become just… You begin to die from the moment you are born”. Therefore take with you what might help you in the hereafter, just as a traveler takes with him all he needs in his journey. This is the lesson the Imam as well as all the other Imams wanted us to learn: to be pious and to think about the hereafter and what each of us has done to meet his God with on the Day of Judgment.

America has once again sent it envoys to the region to freeze the Intifada, in an effort to find an Israeli solution to the Palestinian problem by providing some cosmetic moves that might attract the Arabs and drug the Palestinians, but which in reality tries to secure the Israeli economy and security, especially as all the Arab regimes are impotent and cannot oppose any arrogant pressures.

In a few days America will receive its strategic ally, Sharon, in a process that aims to pressurize the Palestinians.

It will start by the uttering of this butcher of some vague words that are meant to polish his image so that the Americans could conduct the political negotiations under the slogan of the necessity of providing painful concessions. Then the Americans will once again be able to say just as they said when Barak was the prime minister that the Palestinians are the ones to blame because they refuse to offer concessions regarding Jerusalem, the return of the refugees, the settlements, and a viable and real Palestinian state. Since these demands are not compatible with real politics, in view of the fact that Israel holds all the cards: The land, the weapons and the American support.

This means that the Palestinians should be thankful for what Israel is giving them regardless of how much trivial it is.

We do not trust America, or its president who refused to receive to president of the Palestinian Authority (P.A.), as he should have, being an honest broker… Thus we hope that the Palestinians would consolidate there internal unity, as it was demonstrated in the martyrdom operation of Afoula...

They should be fully aware of the importance of this unity as the major source of force they possess. The P.A. should study the concessions which are more fatal than painful in a way responsible way so as not to lose its people. In their turn, the Arabs and Muslims should hold their national and Islamic responsibilities and rise to the level of challenge, for this stage that could have a considerable impact on the future and on the nation as a whole.

In Afghanistan, the international powers are trying to install an interim government without a popular referendum to find out the opinion of the Afghani Muslim people who had experienced the rule of unpopular governments that were imposed on them as a result of the interference of America and some of its allies in the region…

Now once again America is imposing its will on the this devastated country which it took part in aggravating its tragedy and killing its poor people under the pretense of fighting terrorism which America itself helped in creating the conditions for its emergence and spreading.

As for the United Nation, it has turned into a tool in the hands of the US, as well as an exchange center, in which the major power make their deals at the expense of the Third World.

In addition to all the atrocities of the war, the Afghani people was a victim of a new massacre in which hundreds of chained prisoners were killed because they were said to have “rebelled”.

The truth of the matter is that all Quaida fighters regardless of their nationality (Arabs, Palestinian, Chechens… and others) should be liquidated…

These prisoners, should have been presented to court if they had committed any crimes, but they were executed in old blood because the U.S. administration wants to appear victorious in the eyes of the American people even if it meant violating all human values and international laws.

We feel worried about the future of the Afghanis which seems very dim, for the war is not over, and America intends to stay for several years, under the cover of a multi-national force… We are afraid that Afghanistan will turn to an American military and political base to besiege several countries in the region, especially Iraq which was threatened recently by the American president.

We ask all the oppressed nations to learn the Afghanis lesson and be prepared to face these new threats.

As Lebanon watches the dark screen in the region, it was to live in the dark itself as a result of a power blackout… We hope that this power problem which is really a minor detail of the economic and political crisis is not a prelude for much bigger problems. We also hope that these smaller problems, will not make us shift our attention from the bigger issues of the region. Because by doing so , we would have lost the first battle in the war of freedom and justice.