Friday speeches Sha'ban 12 1426 H, September 16 2005 A.D

Allah says in His Glorious Book :And We desired to bestow a favor upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the Imams, and to make them the heirs To establish a firm place for them in the land, and to show Pharaoh, Haman, and their hosts, at their hands, the very things against which they were taking precautions (28:5-6).

God talks in these two Ayahs about one of the laws he has stipulated regarding the movement of man in the universe: The arrogant might oppress the people, kill their children and plunder their wealth, but this is not how Allah wished things to be. He has ordained that He will bestow His grace upon the oppressed and make them the Imams and the heirs. It has also been noticed in our books of tradition that this Ayat: “We bring these days to men by turns”, might suggest the reappearance of Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.) whose birthday anniversary is next Monday the 15th of Sha'ban.

The Messenger (p.) has talked about this issue in general saying: I am leaving among you two things- The book of God and my progeny- that if you follow them you will no be led astray, Furthermore They will not separate until they come back to me [On the Day of Judgment

That is as long as the Book is present there would be an Imam from the Prophet’s progeny. He also said: “If there would be just one day in the life of this world, Allah will send a man whose name is the same as mine and whose looks and manners are like mine”. “The end of the world will not come until a man from my house will come to full it with justice as it had been filled with oppression.”

All Muslims, whether Shiites or Sunnis believe in Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.), but the difference is that the Shiites say that he was born, and that Allah's wisdom ordained that he we should disappear for a long time until Allah's wishes that he reappears. Some might be amazed by the long time of his life. But we know that it is Allah Who determines the life of human being. Allah says that Prophet Noah stayed with his people trying to guide them for 950 years, and we do not know how much he lived among them after the flood.

Therefore, it is a matter of Allah's ability and there is no limit for this ability, but if it has to do, as some would wonder, with the wisdom of Imam (a.s.), we believe that there are two facets of the Imamates role: the first is the visible Imam, that lives with the people to clarify the Messenger’s message and tell the people all they need to know about their religion in all its aspects .This is what all the Imams did from Imam Ali (a.s.) to Imam al-Mahdi (a.s.) in his first absence

It is said that the Shiite used at the time of the smaller absence to correspond with the Imam through the four ambassadors.

And when the greater absence occurred, he was sent some inquires, he answered that they have to go back to the narrators of his hadith.

The traditions also say that the religious scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets (p.). Moreover, the Prophet (p.) said: “The religious scholars are the trustees of Messengers as long as they do not enter this world”. And when Asked how is that, the Prophet said: "By following the rulers" to take the money of the tyrant rulers and give them, in return, a ruling for war if that is what they want or a ruling of peace if they so ask, "…If they do this, beware, on you religion, of them” you have to know whether he loves God more than his desires to the extent that he will sell the religion in exchange of these desires.

Thus the role of Imams was characterized by giving the Message all the clarity it needs and the people all they need from the Message.

Yet, there is One Imam did not have the same role as the previous Imams; he was being prepared to rule the world on the basis of the Right, so that Islam will be victorious as the only religion all over the world. Some of the traditions of Ahl el-Beit (a.s.) say that Jesus Christ (a.s.) will rise with him and support him.

The Prophet (p.) was able due to the circumstances he lived in to spread the Message of Allah, the most exalted, in a certain region, then, those who followed spread Islam until its followers became over a billion but when the Imam (a.s.) appears, Islam will expand to the entire world leaving no place for unbelief.

The second mission of the Imamate is establishing universal justice filling the earth with fairness and justice having been filled with injustice and oppression .Justice will dominate all the aspects of human life whether in their homes, markets, places of work …etc, so that there will be no wronging. These two tasks spreading Islam in the entire world and establishing justice are two missions God, the most exalted, prepared the Imam for.

We read in our supplications: O God, we ask you for an honourable state, that glorifies Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate unbelief and its people, and make us among of those who call for your obedience, and who lead for your cause ...

In the light of this, we believe that it is not enough to celebrate his birthday or ask God to hasten his return, for only Allah, the most exalted knows when will this be.

But there are two goals we have to achieve…

First: since the absence of the Imam (a.s.) does not mean that we can forego our Islamic reasonability, every Muslims should carry the Message of Islam in war and peace, just as the Messenger (p.) did, until people entered the religion of Islam in big groups. Each Muslim should spread Islam and call for it whether in his country or abroad. Islam is Allah's trust that we ought to carry to our children and grandchildren, as our fathers carried it for us: It is the practice of those who preach the Messages of Allah, and fear Him, and fear none but Allah. And enough is Allah to call (men) to account. (33:39).

The second goal is to be with justice in every place, with the just in every position for this is the essence of religions : We sent foretime our messengers with Clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of Right and Wrong), that men may stand forth in justice (57-25).

Justice should apply to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In the Hadith (tradition) I always recite to you, Allah , the most exalted, sends a message, through one of His prophets, to one of the tyrants saying that He will accept no wronging even against non-believers.

In the light of this, and in the face of the arrogant practices all over the world, we stand with every oppressed people, every oppressed man, whether a believer or not. If God has prepared His Imam to establish universal justice we have to believe in justice in every place in the world. This is the last will of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.), when he told Imams Hassan and Hussein (a.s.) “Be a foe to the unjust and a supporter to the wronged”.

On the anniversary of his birth, we ask Allah to hasten his return and to make us among his supporters and fighters for his cause.

We ask Him to let us become the nation of Islamic justice, for Islam in all its rulings is based on justice and seeks in all its moves to establish justice. “and when you speak, then be just though it be (against) a relative, and fulfil Allah's covenant; this He has enjoined you with that you may be mindful” and

“ O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do. “

We wait for him with all our hearts, minds and actions. O God, make us of those who support and assist him and of those who will become martyrs for his cause.

A few days ago was the fourth anniversary of 9-11 that changed the entire world politically and militarily. It gave the American Administration several opportunities to interfere in the affairs of the Arab and Islamic world, and dominate some its vital points under the pretense of "fighting terrorism" which turned in our region into "Islamic terrorism". The Administration created security chaos in many parts of this world and outlawed Islamic charity organizations that support the poor and deprived.

It even wanted to change Islamic education claiming that it promotes violence. It pressurized several Islamic countries to close Quranic schools.

It planned to occupy Afghanistan and Iraq. It still encourages the Israeli war against the Palestinians calling them terrorists because they are fighting to liberate their country. It also supports the enlargement of the major settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem. It also supports the racial wall that was built on Palestinian lands, besieged the people and displaced the poor… It even supported the freezing of the negotiations to find a solution until the Intifada infrastructure is dismantled…

But America that was able to deploy the world under the slogan of fighting terrorism and pressurize the UN to legitimize this war, did not allow the Security Council or any country to discuss what is meant by terrorism, which became an excuse to fight those who are fighting to liberate their countries from occupation whether in Palestine or in Iraq. The Americans and the Zionists have made a strategic alliance to undermine human rights and thwart the downtrodden nations’ demands for self-determination.

This is what we find in its political talks that accuse the resistance in Iraq and Palestine of terrorism, which is accompanied by pressurizing the Arab and Islamic countries to normalize relations with Israel. “The only condition to befriend America is to establish relations with Israel”, this is what we have noticed in the world summit where the Americans exerted pressure on the Arabs and the Muslims to end their political and economic boycott of Israel and to meet Sharon or shake hands with him.

The problem with America lies in the fact that its policies in the region and the world are concerned only with promoting the Israeli interests to the detriment of those of other nations. America might even forego some of its interests to promote the Israeli ones, and this has led the hatred of the Arab and Muslim people as a result of its hostile policies to these peoples and their countries.

I was the first to condemn the violence acts in America, Spain, Britain and other countries. We seek, as Islam taught us, to become the friends of all the nations of the world based on mutual respect and friendship. We are the nation of peace and justice, and not that of war and injustice, but not on the basis of oppression that is practiced by certain western administrations.

On another level, we have been following up the apostates' brutal crimes against the poor workers in Kazmiah and in the other cities of Iraq, killing or wounding in one day about 800 Iraqis. Those people are killing the civilians to avenge what the occupier is doing against them. The declaration of war made by Zarqawi against the Shiites, that shows "no mercy or pity" aims at creating a civil war among the sects of Iraq which could then expand to the entire Islamic world.

We call on the Islamic scholars and officials of all sects to take a decisive stand of condemnation to these acts and impose an Islamic isolation on them.

They should differentiable between those who fight occupation and those who kill innocent civilians out of sectarian hatred, so that people will not be confused.

We also call on the Iraqis to unite against those who kill civilians in the name of religion.

They have to know that they are subjected to a multilateral conspiracy, that leaves Iraq in a state of internal war, security chaos and economic bankruptcy

As Lebanon is preoccupied by destabilizing altitudes that dominate its media and politics as a result of the various analyses, interpretations, and comments regarding the investigation, while not trying to solve the economic problems the country faces especially in the beginning of the new academic year where people do not find the money to enroll their children in schools… And as politicians visit Europe and US are trying to get advice from new tutelage that intervenes in the lines of domestic policy and presidential affairs…

And as they are competing against each other in way that each of them cancels the others and accuses them on a sectarian and partisan basis to the extent that politicians have turned into magistrates who launch accusations and issue court rulings before the United Nations investigators submit their report. Such prejudiced accusations, based on sectarian principles, could lead to many negative results on many levels.

In addition, calls on every Lebanese to kill Palestinians, confiscate their lands and take Lebanon out of the Arab league since for those people, Arabism implies backwardness…

These calls that want to isolate Lebanon by standing against Syria and allying with Israel returns the Lebanese to the atmosphere of war. This should be confronted with firm and loyal stances.

Lebanon is at a crossroads and everybody should make a move to prevent a larger mode of tutelage and prevent intervention and overlapping between sects.

Or else ,we will move to a stage of political instability that paves the way for security, economic and social destabilization.

The region is destabilized due to a United States plan of chaos. This plan is trying to make Lebanon live in the circle of this destabilization to pressure the Arab world, especially Syria, and we should know how to avoid this.