Friday speeches 13 Shawwal 1425h/26 November 2004 AD

Leniency means to be sensitive to the feelings of others, so as to convey your ideas to them in a kind and peaceful way that opens their hearts, and minds, without resorting to any harsh words that might turn them away or even become aggressive.

Similarly, when you deal with others, even within your own family, whether your wife children, or parents, you ought to respect their feelings and be kind to them, for this is the way that makes your ideas enter the mind of the others, and make them emotionally ready to be understanding and compassionate.

As for violence, which in this case might be demonstrated by cursing the other, or the of use harsh words that drives him to feel that you are despising or challenging him, or talking to him in a conceited manner that humiliates him, just because you feel that you are in a position of power...

This idea, the need to be kind in your relations with others, whether at home, at work or in any other social dealing has been asserted in several verses in the Glorious Quran. We read" say to My servants that they speak that which is best". If you want to speak to others say the best worlds word, that unite and not disperse words that endears them and not provoke hatred. Words that takes into consideration the intellectual level of those who are hearing them… Just as you choose the best house, the best clothes and the best food, you have to chose the best words for they are for more significant than food or clothes… They might make you enter in a war or drive you into a contict :surely the Shaitan sows dissensions among them; surely the Shaitan is an open enemy to man.

If you want to engage in a dialogue with others, with whom you are of different religious political and social affiliations them , you should Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner; surely your Lord best knows those who go astray from His path, and He knows best those who follow the right way.

Even with the people of the Book, we are commanded to adhere to this method of dialogue, Enemies too should be turned into friends through this manner (_And not alike are the good and the evil. Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo! He between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend).

But there are those who are not ready to enter in a dialogue with you. They depended on the flexing their muscles in a show of force. That is why Allah has excluded those who are unjust among the People of the Book an asked us to treat them as they treat us {If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you transgress ye likewise against him}. This is also what Allah taught His prophet, Noah, to do when his people made fun of him.

If you ridicule us now we can look down on you with ridicule likewise.

As for those who would have a dialogue with you treat them with good exhortation. For Allah puts everything in its place.

How did the Messenger(p.) call for Allah, the most Exalted,? How did he treat fellow Muslims? This is very important since the Messenger represents the religious, social, political and Military leadership. God says: It was thanks to Allah’s Mercy that you dealt so leniently with them. Had you been cruel and hard-hearted they would have surely deserted you”.

What enslaves man is respecting his mind, feelings and dignity… When you became violent with people they will not follow you. In another Ayah, He tells His Messenger: "Lower your wings to the believers" Do not act in arrogance, but in humbleness.

Treat them with lenience and kindness. Allah describes His servants as those" who walk on earth with humility and then when the ignorant address them, they say: "peace".

A Jew insulted the Messenger(p.) once by wishing him death, but the Messenger only replied “same to you”. His wife. Aisha, could not tolerate the man's rudeness , and began to curse him. The Messenger(p.) looked at his wife and told her that this was a bad thing to do for whenever lenience is added to anything it will give it extra weight.

He added that Allah is lenient and gives in leniency what He would never give in violence.

The Prophet(p.) also said: "Whenever two people became friends, the one who will be more rewarded and more loved by Allah in the one who is kinder to his friend." He also said: "We, The prophets, have been commanded to be kind to people as we were commanded to perform religious duties." Being kind does not mean being hypocrite it means to take their feelings into consideration and not treat them in a way that insults them.

It is also narrated that in the course of describing Islam the Prophet said: This religion is solid. Therefore be moderate in practicing it and do not make the servants of Allah hate the worshipping of Allah.

We ought to be lenient in human relations. Allah, the most Exalted, ,forbids violence when it turns into an aggression against the weak whether women children or employees ….

Allah is Kind and Merciful and we ought to be kind and merciful with his servants because that is how we like them to treat us.

Thus, in our household, as well as in our work placed and the society at large, we should always live in peace, so as to live peace itself in our inner soul.

The Palestinian problem is still in the hands of the American European and Arab games, with several visits and statement making vague promises concerning the linking of the withdrawal from Gaza to the Road Map, and facilitating the coming elections… Yet they have all failed to talk about the strategic principle of the Zionist withdrawal from the occupied lands.. as the various players do not have the courage to raise this issue, while Israel does not want to be presented as an occupying state with all the atrocities it is committing.

We are afraid that all these political moves serve the Israeli strategic goal of refusing to withdraw. If it has talked about the absence of a Palestinian partner, it is because the historical leadership has shown resolve in adhering to the Palestinian constants in establishing a state on all occupied lands including Jerusalem, dismantling the settlements and the racial wall, the return of refuges, and political and economic independence. They will once again claim that there is no Palestinian partner if the new president holds firm and refuses to forego the national constants. This will bring us back to the same maze especially that the new American Administration consists of all the extremist hawks of American Zionists who seek to promote the Zionist interests.

We believe that President Bush is not about to change his Zionist policy. He will further pursue it to execute Sharon's project in besieging the Palestinian cause with the settlements, the wall and preventing the returning of Palestinians . Negotiations, and some relieving statements are merely tools of deceit to help facilitate the implementation of the project.

We call up the wounded Palestinian people with all its factions and leaders to be externally cautious, and to ensure, that those it elects are those who are faithful to the cause. It should not let any foreign party deceive it and confiscate its right of freedom.

The Iraqi problem did not reach any solution especially for that of occupation… in the Sharm Asheik conference, for it gave legitimacy to the moves the occupation is carrying out, while associating a consultation role only to the UN… America does not want an active partner in its occupation of Iraq that it wants to establish as a strategic base for its interests in the region.

Iraqis thus still suffer from the tragedy of total anarchy, despite all the talk about the coming elections, which we do not understand how would the Iraqis be able to hold. How could they choose their representatives freely under the occupation’s political and security hegemony. That and the choice of politically unqualified candidates makes the people lose the ability of free choice.

Meanwhile, America continues to pressurize the neighboring countries -Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Turkey to create security and political problems in each country. In Iran, it is talking about ballistic missiles and nuclear power to demand concessions in the Iraqi and Palestinian fronts. What America is looking for is how to please Israel, and how to get out of the Iraqi quicksand with the maximum profits… America has made the region more dangerous and less stable and proved that it represents the axis of evil on all earth.

In Lebanon, where the cost of building the electricity infrastructure is estimated to have reached 4 billion Dollars plus the huge interests, has risen may questions about the need to try all those responsible for corruption and waste...

Perhaps the incumbent government cannot solve all the problems and contain all crises, but it should expose all corrupted officials so that the people would know way ahead of the elections who are the thieves that have stolen the country's resources yet the dare take about honesty.

On the other hand, there is a lot of talk about the electoral divisions and electoral system, whether proportional or otherwise, but this is not the issue. They have distorted the awareness of the voters by associating their needs and demands to those who were the cause of their political and economic problems. The problem is not the electoral system , but rather of misleading the people and deceiving thwem. This is what we ought to change to achieve sound representation that could pave the way for ending corruption.