FRIDAY SPEECH July 13, 2001

One of the main issues the Glorious Quran is the true meaning of being a Muslim and a believer. Does it mean that you could testify that there is no God (SWT) but Allah (SWT), and that Muhammad is His Messenger (P), and perform all your religious duties, but when it comes to social and financial relations, you act according to what serves your interests or reflects your mood or fanaticism?

Belief implies that all your life should be subjected to your belief, meaning that you would not embark on any action unless you are sure it pleases God. To support or oppose any party, you should learn what the judgment of Allah (SWT) regarding this issue is. Moreover love hate, friendship, or rivalry should also be based on what God (SWT) has revealed. Islam means obeying God (SWT) in everything. It is not a word, it is a commitment. The Glorious Quran has given us several examples of those who say that they obey God (SWT) and His Messenger (P), but when they differ about anything whether a business, an opinion or any other thing, they will not accept God (SWT)’s ruling if it is not in agreement with their own way of thinking.

Such an attitude is common in our communities where fanaticism whether to the family, sect or party is the major determining force of the stands people take. Let us read these verses and use them as a mirror that reflects where we stand: Are we true believers? Or do we obey God (SWT) and His commands only when they are in our favor? God (SWT) says:

” They declare: We believe in Allah and His Apostle and obey them both”. But a party of them would turn away afterwards.

Surely those are not believers, and when they are called to Allah and His Apostle to judge between them, a party of them turn away” (24:47,48).

They will not accept the rule of God (SWT), and they will chose the rule of another party like the civil law or the laws of their tribe or party But

” Had justice been on their side they would come to it in all obedience”. (S24,v47,49)

They do not follow Islam; they follow their own interests. Were they true believers they would have followed God (SWT)’s commands in all cases in compliance with God (SWT)’s saying:

“It is not for true believers, Men and women, to take their choice in their affair if God and His Apostle decree otherwise” (S33,v36).

God (SWT) considers those who follow their own interests and not the right path of justice that he had shown them not only to be sick in their hearts, but also wrong doers.

Is there a sickness in their hearts, or are they in doubt? Do they fear that Allah and his Apostle may deny them justice? Surely these are wrongdoers. But when true believers are called to Allah and His apostle so that he can pass judgment upon them, their only reply is: “We hear and obey” such men shall surely prosper. Those who obey Allah and His apostle, those that revere Allah and fear Him, shall surely triumph.

Then God (SWT) tells about those who had lived with the Prophet and did not keep their promises. Needless to say, there are many like them in our time. He says:

” They solemnly swear by Allah (SWT) that if you order them, they would certainly go forth. Say: “Do not swear: true obedience (will count). Allah knows of all your actions. Say: “Obey Allah and obey His Apostle, if you turn away, he is still bound to fulfill his duty, and you yourselves are bound to fulfill yours. If you obey him, you shall be guided. The duty of an apostle is only to give a clear message”. (S24,v53-54).

If these verses talk about abiding by the judgment of God and His Messenger (P) after having been called upon to solve a dispute, the issue is not restricted to such judgments. No father could run the affairs of his family except by the rules and commands of the Islamic law. The wife and children too ought to abide by God (SWT)’s commands, and seek always to please God (SWT).

Moreover, since this attitude extends by its very nature, to all our actions in life, it also extends to our political and party life. A party might ask you to boycott certain believers because of their political opinions that might be different from that of the party. It is unlawful to boycott them, since God (SWT), the Prophet and the Imams have commanded us to preserve our relations with them.

Furthermore, the party may ban praying behind a just Imam, or you might be asked to inflame others against a believer, or distort his image and accuse him with false accusations. In such cases, it is unlawful to do so, because being a Muslim means that all your actions and sayings should be judged by Islam in accordance with God (SWT)’s saying:

“They will not be true believers until they seek your arbitration in their disputes... Then they will not doubt the justice of your verdicts and will submit to you entirely” (S4,v55).

A believer cannot follow God and something else at the same time. Being a Muslim means that you abide by all the rulings of Islam, even in minute details.

We are returning to God (SWT), and we have to make sure that we have done our best to prepare for this meeting. We have to hold ourselves accountable before God (SWT) judges us. For then, nothing will save us except our good deeds.

Worshippers of God (SWT):

Be pious and fear God (SWT) in all you do, observe all His commands and do not be like those who forgot God (SWT) and who He made forget themselves.

Fear God (SWT) in confronting all the oppressors and unjust.

We also have to be pious and obey God (SWT) in standing with Muslims against oppressors. There can be no neutrality between right and wrong or between the oppressed and the oppressors.

In spite of all Sharon’s terrorist activities towards the Palestinian people, the Intifada is still haunting Sharon and deepening his impasse.

The enemy has started to make many tours in Europe to convince the Europeans that the Intifada is not a liberation and independence movement, but one of violence lead by the Palestinians who are waging an open and racial war against the Israelis, in the hope that the Europeans will exert pressure on the Palestinian Authority to stop the Intifada.

But Sharon’s mission has failed, for the world is watching daily the crimes he is committing… Destroying houses and leaving its dwellers homeless, building more settlements… economic siege, assassination… etc.

Even the Americans have began to protest the Israeli actions every now and then, either because they feel embarrassed or because” Israel” violates the provisions of the Mitchell plan...

I am sure that the Palestinian people will maintain their steadfast and firm uprising despite all the difficult conditions that surround them and all the pressures they have to repel. The Palestinians have crossed the barrier of fear, and they have now to learn how to come up with tactics that do not play against their strategy. They also have to know that nobody is going to remove the mines and obstacles for them, if they themselves do not remove them.

As the fireball in Palestine gets bigger and bigger by the day, the ball of humiliation continues to run in the Arab and Muslim worlds. The regimes have succumbed to the American hegemony that does not allow them to take any firm stand.

I am very concerned about the recent developments in the Israeli –Turkish alliance. The Zionist minister of war has announced that is directed in the first place against Iran because of its potential nuclear capabilities. Israel is trying to intimidate Turkey, so as to become a major market of its weapon industry, and an air space from which it could launch its attacks on Iran and Iraq. It wants Turkey to become a military base for Israel in addition to being a military base for NATO.

The Arab and Muslim states should take this turn of events into consideration We should not forget that Turkey was the first Muslim country to recognize Israel as a result, of course, of American pressure.