The First Sermon

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

"Hussein is part of me and I am a part of Hussein". This saying by the Messenger (p.) tells us how the Messenger viewed Al-Hussein (a.s.) as one whose soul was Muslim and not as his grandson. It is true that he was his grandson, but this is not in particular what the Messenger was talking about. What Muhammad (p.) was saying is rather that his grandson who has lived with him in his childhood was intelligent enough to understand what the Messenger was saying and compassionate enough to share him his feelings and faithful and dedicated enough to look at the eyes of the Messenger (p.) to inspire how to elevate through the light that shone in the eyes of the Messenger to the realm of Allah, the Most Excellent.

The Imam also lived with his purified infallible mother and learned with her how to open on Allah, and how to live the ultimate depth of spirituality… How to convey the Message to the believers and how to confront the difficult situation, like the time she stood in her father's mosque to defend the Imamate and said: know that I am Fatima and my father is the Messenger of Allah.

Thus the Imam and his brother Imam Al-Hassan lived with their mother who taught them how to confront any deviation in the path of Muslims, since all her life after the death of the Messenger (p.) was dedicated to defend the right of Ali (a.s.) in the Imamate. She wanted all men and women to know who Imam Ali (a.s.) was, the man whom the Prophet (p.) told that you are to me like Haroun is to Musa and the man whom the Messenger (p.) said about that whoever Muhammad (p.) was his Mawla (leader-Imam) than Ali (a.s.) is his Mawla.

Al-Hussein also lived his father all the difficult times when he was denied his rights and was patient like a free man. And how he even elevated in his spirituality and responsibility to the level of not caring about his personal right and rose to protect Islam, for it was his responsibility whether he was a caliph or not. The caliphate to the Imam was only a means to enjoin good and fight falsehood. It is was not worth a shoe if it was not meant to do that, just like He told Ibn Abbass when he asked him what do you think will be the price of this shoe. When Ibn Abbass told him that it was practically worthless the Imam said: To my mind this torn those is more valuable than ruling over you, if I do not enjoin the right or stop an evil.

In this story, Ibn Abbas said: "Once when I visited Imam Ali, he was mending his shoes. The Holy Imam asked me, 'What do you think will be the price of this shoe?' I said, 'It has no value at all'. The Holy Imam then said, 'By Allah! To my mind this torn shoe is more valuable than my ruling over the people provided I enforce the right and eradicate falsehood".

Imam Hussein (a.s.) lived with his father, learning from his knowledge and gaining his spirituality, firmness and courage… Thus, all the characteristics of the Messenger(p.), Fatima (a.s.), Ali (a.s.) and Al-Hassan(a.s.) were concentrated in his personality. That is why his sister said - if the story is true, when he was martyred that: "Today the Messenger (p.) died, today my mother Fatima (a.s.) died. Today my father Ali (a.s.) died, today my brother Al-Hassan(a.s.) died". For she lived with him as if she was living with the Messenger(p.) – Fatima (a.s.) Ali(a.s.) and Al-Hassan(a.s.) .

In this occasion, I would like, dear loved ones, to emphasize certain points:

Did the Imam rise to be killed or to lead the nation?

The narrators of Ashoura recite a story that is not that authentic that says that when the rose he said: Death is attached to every member of the progeny of Adam as a necklace is attached to a young woman. I am as eager to meet my ancestors as Jacob was to meet Joseph. The place where I shall fall has already been selected for me, and I must go to that place. I see wild leopards killing me, tearing apart my body, between Nawawi's and Karbala; which means that he was leading them to get killed. How could that be true when we know that he raised us a leader and an Imam and an enjoiner of good? But then when he had to choose between accepting the legitimacy of the Umayyads and entering in a battle that will lead to his death, he chose the battle.

The martyrdom was a reaction to what he was asked to do. It was not an option he chose when he left Makkah.

I even have my reservations towards the verse it is said that Al-Hussein (a.s.) has recited according to some of the narrators: If the religion of Muhammad (p.) can not survive save by my death, O swords! Come and get me.”

The religion of Muhammad (p.) would have survived if he had won in his attempt to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Getting killed was only a result of the people's refusal to conduct dialogue and asked him to pledge allegiance to the Umayyads.

Al-Hussein (a.s.) did not rise as a martyr; he rose as an Imam and reformer: I rose to seek reform in my grandfather's nation, whoever accepts me –not for myself but-by accepting the truth, then Allah is higher than the truth. And whosoever rejects me then I will bear patiently until Allah judges between me and them, and He is the best Judge. He even rose in peace as the citation indicates.

Imam Hussein (a.s.) studied then Muslims state and saw that it was dominated by corruption he says: These people have taken to obey Satan… They have made lawful what Allah has prohibited… They have monopolized all the revenues. They have prohibited what Allah has deemed lawful and deemed lawful what Allah has prohibited.

That they, the Umayyads, have usurped Allah's money and taken His servants as slaves. History tells us that when Muawiyah wanted the people to pledge allegiance to his son he used both the sword to those who refused and tempted those who were inclined to accept with lots of money.

But we know that men are born free and that Allah wanted them to be free. Imam Ali (a.s.) says: Do not be a slave of others while Allah has made you free. That is why Imam Hussein (a.s.) wanted to protect the Muslim's money from being stolen and their freedom from slavery.

The Imam (a.s.) held the trust of his grandfather’s Shariah. He says: "I rose to seek reform in my grandfather’s nation". Thus, as an Imam, he wanted to shoulder the responsibility of the Muslims in all their affairs and make sure that they fellow the right path of Islam.

In the light of this, we have to remember Al-Hussein as a role model in his revolution and reform. We should learn from him how to be patient in the face of challenges and how to confront them, how to be free and how to preserve our dignity.

Dear loved ones, when we live Karbala, we live a tragedy as grief as one might be. We cannot but feel sad and cry. But we should turn our grief into a calm but deep one, so that it will lead us to feel sad for every tragedy the Muslims fall in. It should be the sadness of strength that will make us open up on all the meanings Al-Hussein rose for… a sadness that will make us hit with our swords all the heads of our enemies.

The Imam held his sword against the enemies of God, but we hold our swords to hit our heads and say that we are offering our condolences to the Imam.

I have said a long time ago that those who offer condolences to the Imam are the youth of the Islamic Resistance who are fighting the enemies of Allah, The Most Exalted, and His Messenger (p.). This is the right way to condole the Imam, but what some people are doing whether in Iraq, Iran or Lebanon is but a deviation to what the Revolution of Imam Hussein aspired.

Thus, celebrating the memory of Imam Hussein is by applying his sermons, advices and stands. It is to rise up to his level, for that is what makes Karbala a movement that transcends time. And we will have at every stage another Hussein (a.s.) and another Zeinab, even at a rule of 10 percent, for we want to stay with those who strove for the cause of Islam and nation.

Peace be on Al-Hussein (a.s.) Ali bin Al-Hussein (a.s.), His companions and his supporters.

The American President left the region as he came in, with the Israeli daily massacres inflicting more dead and wounded civilians in Palestine, a new Karbala which seems to have a little effect if any on the Arab conscience.

Despite the threats he made while in the region he left carrying medals and dancing with Arab swords in a scene of Arab submission before the person who has become to be despised in the entire world, even in the US where the polls show an unprecedented deterioration in his popularity. Yet, he is still respected and welcomed among the Arab leaders, although his administration has killed in Iraq, Palestine and other places more than the butchers were able to throughout history.

The American President bid farewell to the Arab leaders, with additional threats to Syria and Iran, accusing the former of hindering the election of a Lebanese president and the latter by being a threat to its neighbors, although the entire world knows that the American Administration is the one complicating things in Lebanon and torpedoing one initiative after the other. Moreover, the world also knows that Iran does not represent a danger to any country in the universe and has never committed any aggression. On the contrary, it has always been endangered by the West and the East, as in the war the previous Iraqi regime waged on it and was supported by the Eastern and Western countries in the world, on all levels; the political, economic and the military.

America has represented, and still is, a danger on the entire region. It occupied Iraq on the pretence of possessing weapons of mass destruction, which proved to be a false accusation. It also occupied Afghanistan with the help of the NATO forces.

In addition, it stirred up military conflicts in Sudan and Somalia, with tens of thousands being killed here and there. It also destroyed the economy of both countries and created chaos in many parts of the world to protect its strategic invests and topple those who oppose its policies. It is still threatening to destabilize any country it wishes to without caring in the least for the international stability.

As for sponsoring terrorism, it is evident in its support of Israeli terrorism that has committed massacres by American weapons. It also gave Israel the power to attack the Lebanese people. It also used to support the terrorists when the Soviets used to occupy Afghanistan, and forcing the oil countries to aid them financially.

As for Iran constituting a danger on its neighbor, this is a silly joke, because Iran's relations with its neighbors, especially in the Gulf have always been one of friendship and political and economic cooperation… If President Bush is calling the Iranian people to revolt, he knows that his management of the Iranian peaceful nuclear dossier was one of aggression, especially after the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic announced through his religious capacity that making the bomb is prohibited.

The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency has heard this Fatwa as well as the clear answers from the Iranian officials, regarding the peacefulness of the Iranian nuclear project. Nevertheless, America insists on its false accusations.

We call in the American people to topple this unjust leadership that is hostile to downtrodden nations and that creates problems between the American people and the rest of the world, thus hurting the world's security.

Bush's suggestion to cancel the right of return of the refugees and substitute it with financial compensations in an effort to make them settle where they are living now is one of the goals of his visit to the Hebrew state.

He has suggested that this is one of the means that will enable Israel to help create the Palestinian state, which is planned to be a distorted stated that confiscates the rights of the Palestinian people.

The American Administration is not seriously concerned with the crises in the region, since it runs the struggle in a way that intensifies these crises, especially in Syria and Lebanon, in spite of the fact the Americans have not succeeded in pressurizing them. Although the American President has became a lame duck… he is still trying to create chaos in Lebanon and complicate its relations in Syria, as well make false accusations to Syria and Iran, and creating chaos in many parts of the world a policy that have lead to the hatred of the nations, and made the crisis reach the American public opinion who started to reject the wars the Administration have imposed on him.

In this context, it was interesting that Bush kneeled for the symbol of the claimed holocaust in Germany, while he did not visit the grave of Yasir Arafat who was a symbol of the Palestinian people for he has a grudge on him since he wanted to liberate his country.

Lebanon continues to await the Arab miracle that will not be born, since the age of miracles has ended, especially that the American Administration is the one running the crisis to promote its own interests of pressurizing this or that country, while the American envoys as well as the Ambassador are forbidding the Lebanese politicians from meeting with one another, and trying to thwart the Arab initiatives, thus elongating the crisis.

As for the Lebanese people, they are living these days a severe economic crisis between not being able to find bread, the electricity black out and the rise in the prices of fuel…

They are also watching the foreign political games which make them afraid that things will get worse in the future… This people that has became a prey of hunger and poverty that has made it unable to be more patient and loose its trust with the proposed solutions and with the regional and international reality and even the Arab reality that provides sermons and warns of the dangers but does not provide any practical step to protect them from the Israeli and American beast.