The First Sermon
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Meeting between Prophethood and Imamate
Two occasions have passed this month. The first is
the birth of Prophet Muhammad (p.), and the second is the birth of
Imam Jaafar bin Muhammad As-Sadiq (a.s.). The intersection of these
two occasions represents the meeting of the movement of Prophethood
with the movement of the Imamate. If Muhammad (p) has launched Islam
in the world through his message, call and Jihad, which led to the
entrance of people the religion of Allah in crowds, and Islam became a
light that guides people to peace and takes them out of darkness, the
movement of Islam opened up on the movement of Imamate that was
started by Imam Ali (a.s.) who gave Islam from his mind, knowledge and
jihad what paved the way for all people to join in building the
civilization . And the entire world has become, and still is, a
student of his, whether in his Nahj al Balaghah or in all his actions,
morals and struggle for the cause of Allah.
A School of openness
Then the
Imamate went to Al-Hasan and Hussein, Imam Zien Al-Abideen , Imam Al-Baqir,
and reached Imam As-Sadiq(a.s.) whose stage was characterized by
opening up on all branches of knowledge. His school was open to all
Muslims of all sects whether those who believe in his Imamate or those
who don't.
In this
respect, we know that some of the Imams of the four Sunni
jurisprudence schools, like Abn Hanifa and Malik were among his
students. He even taught physical sciences, and he did not leave any
issue that has to do with Islam whether in theology, Islamic laws,
morals, politics sociology … etc he did not touch upon, always giving
answers to whatever the Muslim scholars were unable to reach a
conclusive Islamic opinion in. His biographers relate that one of that
people who talked about him said:
I entered the
K'ufa Mosque and found nine handered Sheikhs (teachers of theology
students) each saying: Imam Jaafar bin Muhammad As-Sadiq(a.s.) told
me, suggesting that all schools of Islamic thought were actually
attending classes in Imam Jaafar's "school".
The Imam
opened up on all people, and even non-Muslims. And he used to meet
during the pilgrimage season with some atheists and listen to all
their ideas and provoking questions and doubts, and then he used to
answer in way that they had to be silent finding no reply whatsoever.
One of them even said pointing at all the pilgrims: I have never found
anybody deserving to be called a human being except Ja'afar bin
Muhammad.
His Teachings
Let us now listen to some of his teachings and
recommendations to his followers, who are the followers of the
truthful Islam of Ahl el-Beit:
I enjoin you
to fear Almighty Allah, be pious, work hard for the sake of Allah, be
truthful in speech, trustworthy in handling trusts, prolong the
prostration (sajda) and be good neighbours. This is What Muhammad (p.)
came with. Return things trusted to your custody, whether they belong
to a pious person or a sinner because the Messenger of Allah (p.) used
to enjoin the returning of even [small items like] a thread and a
needle. Maintain relationship with your kinfolk, participate in their
funerals, visit their sick, and fulfil their right If a man of you is
pious in his religion, return the trusts, truthful in speech and they
his a Jaa'fari, that will please me…
But if he was not then I will
affected by his disgrace.
Muhammad ibn Ajlan narrated that once when he was with Imam Sadiq
(a.s) a man came in and greeted them. Imam Sadiq (a.s) asked him: "How
are the believing brothers with whom you were?" He admired them. Imam
Sadiq (a.s) asked: "How much do the rich attend to the poor?" He said:
"Little." Imam Sadiq (a.s) asked: "How often do the rich visit the
poor?" He said: "Not often." The Imam (a.s) asked: "How much do the
rich help the poor?" He said: "You are talking about such behavior
that is rare among us." Then Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: "How do you then
consider yourselves to be our followers
In another occasion, the Imam said in a speech
which was heard by who followers from all over the Islamic world: O'
followers of the household be aware that he is not of us the one who
can not control himself when angry, or those who do not know how to be
good their to be good their friends… O followers of the household, be
pious as much as you can...
”
He also told
his followers to do everything for the sake of Allah and not the
people." For what is for Allah is for Allah and what is for the people
does not ascend to Allah”… He also taught us the morals of Islam ,and
called on us to help others, making such a virtue one of the traits a
believer should possess :The believer is a good helper who kindly
assists the others. He is not a heavy load on others. He is a good
manger of his way of living, he can’t be easily deceived, and he
learns from his experience
The Imam emphasized the issue
of freedom, for many oppressors try to pressurize people in their
sustenance and social conditions so that they will forego their
principles. If you are a free man, do not fall down no matter how much
the oppressors try to deprive you. Endure and stand with your
principles. The Imam believed that people ought to be free and not
yield to pressures, or relinquish their ideas when confronted by the
oppressors. He used to say: A free man is always free, If he is faced
by trouble, he would be patient, And if catastrophes hit him he will
not be defeated or broken even if he was imprisoned and tortured.
In his
interpretation of Allah's saying "Honour belongs
to Allah and His Messenger and to the believers”, the Imam
pointed out the Allah has given the Muslim the authority to run all
his affairs, but he did not authorize him to be disgraced. Be strong
and honourable in every situation and in the face of all challenges
and oppressors. Be patient and withstand all pressures and
difficulties . And this what Allah stressed in His Holy Quran :
and bear
patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage;
In another saying, Imam Al-Sadiq
maintained that the believer is tougher than the mountain. We can take
a portion of the mountain, but we cannot reduce the belief of a true
believer, regardless of how much he is being tried with problems and
pressures
He then asked
the believers to live fear of Allah in all their affairs, he says: .
Fear Allah as if you see Him. If you do not see Him, He sees you. If
you believe that He does not see you, you are an infidel. If you know
that He sees you, and display your disobedience of Allah away from the
public eyes, you have considered Him to be the worst of those who see
you
Thus, we should be enlightened by
the Imam's knowledge, the knowledge of civilized Islam, in all aspects
of life, for what he and the other Imams told us and all the knowledge
they possess have been transmitted to them by Allah's Messenger. The
Imams are not Islamic scholars who pass judgements that could be
either right or wrong. They are infallible, and they convey all what
Allah and the Messenger(p.) has said
. he says
:I heard the
traditions I communicate to you from my father. My father heard them
from my grandfather. My grandfather heard them from his father. His
father heard them from Ali bin Abi-Talib. Ali bin Abi-Talib heard them
from the Apostle of Allah. And what traditions the Apostle of Allah
had conveyed are the exact words of Allah, the Almighty and Most High.
We ask Allah, the all-Mighty to makes us firm in
our belief in their Imamate and in following their course and Message.
We pray that He will grant us their intercession on the Day of
Judgement.
The Second Sermon
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
American covering of the Qana Massacre
The Lebanese are reliving these days
the memory of the Massacre of Qana in which the Israeli warplanes
killed more than a hundred civilians, including children women and the
elderly, of those who took refuge in one of the UN peace tents.
They also remember the other
massacres Israel committed in other Lebanese villages… At that time,
the US defended its ally in the Security Council and prevented the UN
from condemning Israel and punished the UN Secretary General for
insisting to submit his report that condemned the massacre, for
America finds justifications for all Zionist massacres against
Lebanon, Palestine and the Arab world.
The Independence of
Lebanon
It is tragicomic that the American
President praises Lebanon's freedom and independence and expresses
hope that Lebanon would regain its role in region as if the US helped
the country gain its independence, which Israel undermined in the 1982
invasion that was covered by the US, until it was regained by the
Islamic and national Lebanese resistance that made huge sacrifices to
regain Lebanon's sovereignty.
But despite all this nicely worded
phrases the American president did not offer any security or economic
support for Lebanon. He did not talk about the Israeli daily
aggressions on Lebanon sea, land and airspace. He did not offer any
financial aid that might contribute in solving Lebanon's economic
problem, while he provides Israel each year with billions of dollars
to enhance its military force including the nuclear one, to commit its
aggressions against the region and enable Israel to remain stronger
than the Arab and Islamic worlds. At the same time, he continues to
threaten and tries to intimidate Iran to forego its peaceful nuclear
projects.
America did not grant Lebanon its democracy
The U.S. did not contribute in the
implementation of democracy in Lebanon, which has been the only
democratic country in the region since the 1940s.
If it suffered certain setbacks,
America has taken advantage of the country's problems to suit its
ambitions in the region, and transform it to resemble the image of its
occupation of Iraq that has been plagued as a result of the American
policies by a state of security chaos, political crisis, economic
exploitation and lack of services. Moreover, brutal massacres are
taking place everyday and they are facilitated the American
intelligence that coordinates with the Mosad. In sum, the situation in
this wounded country is worrying and unstable, and whenever it tries
to liberate itself, it would be hit by a big blow that will return it
to its complicated problem.
Condemning the
Resistance and rewarding the occupier
Then there is the American Israeli –
European plan that declares war on the Palestinian people to punish it
politically and economically, and encourages the enemy to punish it
militarily by rocket shelling, arbitrary killing and continuous
detentions. The so-called international community does not condemn any
of these actions. It justifies the Israeli occupation, and denounces
the Palestinian confrontation, describing resistance operations as
acts of terror, including the last martyr, operation in Tel Aviv. We
have heard international and even Arabs protests against this
operation. Although such operations are a reaction of the enemy's
terrorism, since this is the only option left for the martyrs: to turn
themselves into bombs against the occupier.
We are also following the Western
plan of pressurizing the Arab countries to prevent them from aiding
the Palestinian government. Some Arabs have even refused to receive
the Palestinian Foreign Minister presenting unrealistic excuses. They
have all demanded that the Palestinian Government should recognize the
state of Israel, but they do not demand that the enemy should
recognize the rights of the Palestinian people, and the need to
withdraw from Palestinian territory and execute what has been agreed
upon in the negotiations. This suggests that the Arab world has become
committed to the Israeli cause, in submission to the American demands
that pressurize the rulers who are ruling their countries on behalf of
America.
We want the Lebanese to know that
the United States, which supported Israel in perpetrating massacres in
Lebanon and Palestine, is not honest in its calls to abide by the
international resolution except that which promote its interests and
that of Israel, as in some of the resolutions if imposed on the UN
such as resolution 1559 which many Lebanese politicians have
supported, while Israel has refused to adhere to several international
resolutions including 194, 242 and 338.
We ask the Lebanese not to believe
the American nice talk about Lebanon.
They ought to strengthen their
national unity and their sovereignty by enhancing their power to
confront their enemy and focus on solving their political and economic
problems. They should be aware of the international games that aim at
destabilizing relations between the Arab countries, and incite
internal sectarian strife within each people. That is why we would
like the dialogue to remain aloof from promoting personal and partisan
interests and study the issue in a rational and objective way that
takes the interests of the country and that of all Lebanese into
account.
An attempt to drown Lebanon
The issue is that there is an
attempt to tamper with the entire nation in its politics, security and
economy. The plot is for Lebanon to be overwhelmed by the differences
America is trying to create to make the Lebanese preoccupied with a
lot of futile debates, and consider the problem to be Syria and Iran
and not Israel. They are, on the one hand, trying to underestimate the
Israeli threat and stressing the significance of what they call the
resistance threat on the other hand, for there are some who refuse the
realistic internal force and prefer the one that is imposed on them
from the outside, by a variety of conditions that transfer the country
from one tutelage to another under certain slogans that have nothing
to do with freedom and sovereignty.
We have to stay with our good people
who have made a lot of effort and sacrifices to maintain their active
human presence that takes its civilized place among nations.