Before we start with the sermons, we would like to confirm that on the basis of our investigation with several experts in astronomy all over the world, we assert that the first of Shawal (The Eid) is on Tuesday the 25th of November. May Allah return it with Good, Blessing, victory and success.

Renewing Faith

Today is the last Friday of the Month of Ramadan. And Friday is the day the Allah wished that Muslims should meet in and perform their prayers. They would remember God and repent from their sins. Every Muslim would stand before God and renew his faith… He should be aware of what God pleases in every idea he adopts, every emotion he feels and every action (Personal, social, or otherwise) he does.

But this Friday in particular drives its significance from the fact that it is last Friday in the month of Ramadan, and thus it embodies the spirit of this month. Each of us should on this day dedicate some time to sit with himself to asses what he has done since the beginning of the month and what he should to do to accomplish what he has not accomplished yet. This is what one of the supplications of the Members of the House says: “O God the days of the Month of Ramadan are about to pass…

And I have reached (a stage) that you know about more than I do… I ask you what Your close angels, Your sent Prophet, and Your pious worshippers have asked: If you are pleased with (my actions) in this month I ask You to be more pleased. And if you aren’t then please grant me Your satisfaction starting from this moment.

There is also another advantage of this particular Friday, The 27th of the month of Ramadan, in that it might be one of the blessed nights of Al-Qadr, since some traditions say that it should be sought in the odd nights of the last ten days of the Month of Ramadan… Thus one ought to prepare himself to receive this night and dedicate some time to think about God and feel the love of God in his soul, heart and mind and not just perform the traditional rituals, associated with the celebration.

Jerusalem: The Unity of Messages and Messengers

The last Friday of the Month of Ramadan is also the day that was meant to be the day all Muslims all over the world remember Jerusalem... But it is not merely a festival in which people feel that they have fulfilled their duty with the end of the day... What Imam Khomieni had in mind when he chose this day is to ensure that Jerusalem stays in the conscience of the Muslims since it represents a spiritual meaning that opens up on all the history of messengers and the evolvement of the messages.

The day also represents a political meaning since it recalls the historical injustice that befell on the Holy City since the time of the Crusades.

The issue of Jerusalem should remain the main concern of Muslims, and the Palestinians in particular, so that they will not be distracted by details such as the separating wall or settlements. The Americans and Israelis want to postpone the issue of Jerusalem until the final status, that is until The Zionists create new facts on the ground that will not leave anything to negotiate about.

The Night Journey

The Messengers miraculous night journey to Jerusalem suggests, as it says in the Glorious Quran: Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless, - in order that We might show him some of Our Signs, (17:1) that the Prophet was sent to all humans, since to live the history of all heavenly messages is a clear indication that Islam contains all of these messages. That is why the Quran stresses the belief in all messengers (we do not differentiate between any of His Messengers).

Thus, the journey from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem indicates that there is an interrelation between what is revealed in both mosques, especially that the Sacred Mosque was built by Ibrahim (a.s.) while the prophets of Al-Aqsu Mosque are his grandsons… Thus it is Ibrahim who constitutes the link between both mosques, by means of God’s Message.

In addition to the Islamic teachings that suggest that all Muslims should be united and refer any dispute among them to God and His Messenger, the following Ayats also suggest that we also should resort to dialogue with all people irrespective of their religion: do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, (29:46), Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him)(3:64).
Thus, as Muslims, we should open up on all those who adhere to other religions even if we differ with them upon certain doctrines of faith or historical accounts, and resort to dialogue to reach mutual understandings, and continue to discuss what we differ on.

Why was Jerusalem lost?

As for the political sphere which is also a matter of faith, since Islam calls for the freedom of man in all respects, when we think about Jerusalem we have, especially the research centers, to think about why and how we lost the Holy City…

What were the circumstances that led to the state of political and military weakness that contributed to this outcome? What were the circumstances that led to the loss of Jerusalem in1967?

Were the Arabs that took part in this war prepared? Did they plan ahead? What about the international conditions and plots that were masterminded by the US and which even the Soviets took part in ?

Then there are the emotions and excitement with which the war was looked forward to. Did they play a part in the Arab’s defeat, since they lacked any planning?

We have to study all this, as well as the current Arab and Muslim state of the nation, in addition to the international environment that made the Palestinian cause a part of the war against terrorism and no longer a fight for freedom… The nation has to understand the reasons of their defeats to be able to achieve more victories, for we live in a world that no longer respects principles and values in its political or security relations.

We have to step out of the state of indifference and end the attitude some of us have sunk into by saying :“What is happening in Palestine and Jerusalem has nothing to do with us”

Our arrogant enemies consider us to be united and that if they defeat us in one front they will impose defeat on all of us and if we achieve victory in one front they will turn this victory into a defeat like they did in the 1973 war.

Jerusalem is the road of unity

Allah wants us to be one nation for no one could feel free and dignified if his nation is neither free nor dignified… The first condition to hold the Jerusalem day is to be unified by the cause of Jerusalem… for it is not merely a mosque or a city, it rather represents every cause that is associated with Islam whether religiously or politically.

The division of the Jews into various sects does not deter their unity against us. So why do not we stand united to defend ourselves, and isolate all those who wish to preoccupy us with marginal disputes for they represent the fifth column for Zionism and international arrogance?

The Second Sermon

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Bush’s speech: An apologetic missionary discourse.

The discourse of the American Administration as it was reflected by President Bush is still an apologetic and missionary one; that seeks to justify their wars that move from one place to another. They claim that they want to liberate Afghanistan and Iraq and establish democracy and human rights to fulfill the “Divine mission” Bush was commissioned with.

He also added that we “support the human rights of others and respect the dignity God has bestowed on every human being”. “Thus we are fighting oppression, starvation and diseases”.

But Bush ignored the real motive: the monopoly of the American and coalition companies over the reconstruction contracts without leaving anything to the Iraqis or the neighboring countries… In addition to their strive to change the whole region starting from the Iraqi base, and this is what explains why they insist on staying in Iraq for an indefinite time.

It is funny and even satirical that the Americans claim that the new Iraqi government demands that they should stay, as if the Iraqis are free to choose under occupation.

A deceiving logic concerning Palestine

The American Administration talks about the problem in Palestine as if it is one of security. Bush even claims that Israel has been living for a long period in “the shadow of death”. He Totally ignores that Israel, with the help of America and some its allies, is the one that made the entire region enter into the stage of eradication, by using military weapons against civilians.

The American President also ignored the fact the problem in Palestine is not the problem of the resistance that seeks to obtain freedom for the Palestinian people, but that it is the problem of the occupation, which is considered by Bush to be in a state of self-defense. In his view, the Palestinians do not have a right to defend themselves against the Zionist war of devastation and eradication.

He also asks the Europeans to stop their support to the Palestinian leaders who have” betrayed the cause of their people”... He does not want the EU to take a balanced stand towards the region, but rather to remain marginal and subdued... He also calls on the Europeans to fight anti-Semitism that is any criticism to Israel policies… even if they commit massacres like those of Kana and Sabra and Shatila

American one-sidedness will escalate violence.

The President then resorts to political hypocrisy that aims at drugging the region and the world… He asks Israel to halt settlement activity in unauthorized places… as if the settlements approved by the Israeli authorities are legitimate. He also asks Israel not to threaten the final status negotiations by building walls and fences. But he does not exert any pressure to halt these measures, and he even hesitates before decreasing the loan guarantees that are used for this purpose. Moreover, when he talks about the Palestinian state, he does so very vaguely without defining its nature.

The decisive stance the Arab and Muslim world has to convey to the American Administration is to explain that the American position that totally sides with Israel will increase the opposition to all American policies and projects. For Palestine is still an open wound that bleeds in the heart of every Arab and Muslim. All this pressure will certainly generate more terror that will take various forms. Continuous and mounting pressures will lead to an explosion of unknown and surrealistic consequences.

Condemning operations that target civilians

On the other hand, we have always condemned operations that target civilians whether Muslims on non-Muslims except in the case of a hot war. The recent explosions like those in Istanbul will not serve any Islamic or Arabic cause. On the contrary, they might hurt them in one way or another… Thus, we call on everybody to study the means of struggle against the occupation and arrogant policies in a thorough manner that takes into account the Islamic principles if they are Muslims, as well as the political consequences of such actions.

The bleeding wound in Iraq with more and more Iraqis dying everyday by American bullets, will lead to an escalation that will drive the whole people to resort to violence in resisting occupation... We call on our people in Iraq to open their eyes on what is going around them and is being plotted against them and to be weary of statements that makes rosy promises, but conceal additional sufferings.

The Jerusalem Day: A Day for freedom.

In Lebanon, that lives with the Arab World the celebration of the Jerusalem day that represents the freedom of man and resistance against occupation, as well as celebrating the anniversary of its Independence Day that represents the liberation of the country from occupation and all those who indirectly execute its plans by planting corruption and protecting thieves…

Reproducing independence

We want independence to be complete and yield a strong country whose people have a free will in determining their fate; a country that is not run by sectarian sensitivities or vulnerable to external pressures... We ought to reproduce our independence for it is not merely a signature made by an occupying force.

It is the ability to say “yes” or “no” without any pressures. It is the state of law in which everybody is under this law… It is a country for all from the top -if there is going to be a top left-to the bottom…

On independence day we should also remember what is left from our occupied lands, which impels us to confront the Israeli threats with a firm stand in which the Army and the Resistance complement one another, and the people are united and free under the sun.