Friday Speeches Mosque Muharram 18, 1424h

One of the major distinguished traits of Imam Ali (a.s.) is that he used to be concerned about the culture of the nation as much as he was concerned about its general welfare and the challenges it faced. What he was actually concerned about was that the believers should adopt the true Islam so that they would not deceived by falsehood that presents itself to be a part of rightfulness…Since ignorance could make the community believe in many myths and deviations.

That is why Ali (a.s.) used to preach the nation constantly. Once he stood and delivered a small speech in which he said: "I want to teach you five of those things which deserve your greatest anxiety to acquire them"…

For they gather all the major elements that ensure the dominance of righteousness in the society: "Have hope only in Allah"… If you believe in God and that He is in charge of all your affairs as well as everything in the universe, you have to believe that He is the only source of hope... Do not lay your on any human being… For whoever he might be, for he can neither harm nor benefit himself except if Allah, the most Exalted, so wills... If you want to love and pledge alliance to those whom Allah, the most Exalted, loved and held them the responsibilities of the Imamates , you have to consider them as honored servants that obey Allah's commands and act through them…

Those who have gone to the extreme of considering that Imam Ali (a.s.) and the other Imams could give them their sustenance or could take care of their errands, thus devastating from the lie of Allah's oneness… Those people contradict the Quran, as Allah tells us to ask and pray to Him alone. He might accept the interceding of some of His servants, but sustenance , victory... etc are His alone… Such belief could board on the line of unbelief, although it might not be so if there is some misunderstanding.

Be afraid of nothing but sins"… Man, by his very nature, is afraid of things that could pose a threat to his health and interests… These, according to Imam Ali (a.s.), are not fateful. What is really fateful are sins, because what you do in this world determines your fate... If you did not repent in time your will certainly end in Hell... Yet there are many who do not understand how grave these acts are, and they will meet their doomed fate.

" If you do not know a thing never feel ashamed to admit ignorance". If somebody asks you about a jurisprudence ruling, a political or social issue…etc, do not be ashamed not to answer if you do not know... You have to be, according to the Imam(a.s.) , modest and subjective... There is not anyone who knows everything.

"And if you do not know a thing never feel ashamed to learn it" as some people do when they reach a certain age or social or scientific position. Even if it were from your our son: Did not Ibrahim say to his father, as we are told in the Holy Quran: {O my father! truly the knowledge has come to me which has not come to you, therefore follow me, I will guide you on a right path} 19:43 .

" Acquire patience and endurance because their relation with true faith is that of a head to a body, a body is of no use without a head"

Patience is the virtue that contains all social ethical, spiritual and cultural values, because no value can be attained unless you are patient…

That is why Imam Ali (a.s.) says that patience represents the heart of belief… When you are a believer and you cannot be patient when you are confronted with challenges whether from within or from the outside environment, what is the value of your belief? For this reason, Allah, the most Exalted, associated patience with doing good, for doing good requires a lot of patience since one has to go against his desires and interests.

Finally, in these difficult circumstances, we need more patience because they want to defeat us spiritually and psychologically…They want to make us loose our self –confidence so that they can defeat us on the battlefield or practice their political and economic hegemony on us.

We have to educate ourselves and our children on patience, so that we could remain firm in our places until the end of this disarray and relief us from the current gloomy situation... He is the Hearer of Prayer.

America defies the world by going to war and despises all the millions who opposed the war against Iraq . It threatens the Security Council and scolds it because it did not pass its second resolution that legitimizes its war. It was actually defeated in the Security Council with the smaller states proclaiming that it does not support the US in this resolution.

America has reached what could be considered a state of diplomatic isolation. It did not imagine that it would be threatened with the veto because it envisages itself as the leader state who is followed but never a follower… It is the mentality of an arrogant empire… Which is ironically still trying to gain the support of additional countries by means of its carrot and stick tactics.

Some American officials have stated that most Arab and Islamic countries support the American war but they do not do so in public out of fear of their own peoples… This is a negative stance that these regimes have taken: giving priority to their own interests and to their relations with the US that installed them, although they might voice some condemnation in public. This is why these regimes have grown helpless and could no more be effective.

On another level, we would like to appreciate the stance of the major powers that have said no to the war on Iraq- especially France , Russia , China and Germany . We also highly evaluate the Vatican 's position, especially their declaration that "Bush holds the responsibility before God and history…”. Such positions as well as that of the other churches have refuted the claim that there is a war between Christianity and Islam. And made all religions unite in their rejection of international arrogance that oppresses the downtrodden.

We oppose and denounce the Arrogance occupation of Iraq, especially as the American officials have announced that the war aims at changing the region in a way that best serves their interests, and not that of the wounded and wronged Iraqi people whom America failed its blessed uprising in the aftermath of the war of Kuwait, and we do not know what it is going to do now… On the other hand, we still call the Iraqi people to overthrow the Tyrant that destroyed Iraq and destabilized the region. We also call on the free people in the entire world to help the Iraqis in their coming uprising to independently and freely determine its fate.

As for Palestine , it is still witnessing one massacre after another, so much so that it has become familiar for 10 martyrs or more, mostly of children women and elderly, to fall everyday. Moreover, the Zionist enemy is still exploiting the international preoccupation in the Iraqi crisis to destroy the Palestinian infrastructure; a crime that is encouraged by the American Administration.

The latest American reward for these barbaric acts was giving the enemy 10 Billion Dollars in aid and loan guarantees, while the Palestinians are still subjected to daily massacres in an effort to force them to accept the "Road Map" which has turned, following Sharon's amendments, to an Israeli Likud project, and not a project to solve the Palestinian problem that could give the Palestinians any of their rights in freedom and independence.

With all this American and Zionist noise that is coupled with the Arab and Muslim silence, we have to keep Palestine in mind and never forget that the cause of all defeats and internal conflicts was the Jewish occupation of Palestine . Palestine is the central cause, that if we are defeated in, we will be defeated everywhere.

We have to maintain our support to the Palestinians who are writing everyday an epic of heroism in our Muslim and Arab history.

In Lebanon , everybody should cling to the right path, especially in this critical stage in which everything could change. It is the path of national unity and ending all internal differences that regardless of how important they may seem, could wait until the earthquake is over and we are able to see things more clearly.