Friday speeches 6 Muharram 1425h/27 February 2004AD

Before we start with the speech, I would like to explain why we have changed the date of Ashoura. I had in the beginning decided, based on my jurist judgment, that we should start on Sunday being the first of Muharram, which means that the tenth will be on Tuesday, but I went along with those who wanted to start on Saturday to preserve the unity, since the issue does not have any compulsory legal implications like that of Al-Fitr.

Then, as people have learned that the religious authorities in Iraq and Iran will have Ashoura on Tuesday, they suggested that the entire Shiite would choose the same day, and since this was my judgment from the beginning, we agreed with the change.

However, such a change creates a bad image about us here in Lebanon, and it causes some inconvenience to those who have already made arrangements on the basis that Ashoura is on Monday.

Therefore, we call for the necessary of studying the matter not to give a bad image about the Shiite sect in Lebanon.

We are still living with Imam Hussein (a.s.) in mind, soul and movement.

When we live with the Imam (a.s.), we live with Islam in its doctrine, laws, methods and goals, just as we live with the Message and the Messenger (p.) who said that he was a part of Hussein and Hussein (a.s. ) was a part of him.

And when we talk about Islam, the Messenger (p.) and the Message, we are talking about all Muslims, whom Allah wanted to unite as one coherent nation despite its sectarian and jurisprudence differences.

Islam is but one, it is the understanding of Islam that vary.

In the light of this, we believe that if Ali (a.s.) was the champion of Muslim unity, Imam Hussein (a.s.) is the role model of that unity.

He is the Imam whom all Muslims- those who adhere to his beliefs and those who do not-love and glorify. They all believe that he and his brother Al-Hassan are “the Masters of the youth in Heaven”, and they all agree that Muhammad has said: “I love Hussein, May Allah love those who love him”. Thus, they all agree on his love, respect and appreciation, although they might differ in their view of Karbala, but even those who opposed him had their hearts with him while their swords were fighting against him.

Thus, dear loved ones, when we remember our Imam we should not remember him only as a revolutionary or as the victim of a tragedy. He was certainly a revolutionary and he undoubtedly lived one of the most saddening and heart-breaking events, but he was also a Muslim Imam whom we have to study his teachings in all aspects of the call especially in the field of changing the minds of Muslims and making them closer to God. The real followers of Hussein (a.s.) are, therefore, those who unify Allah, the most Exalted, and obey Him. They are the ones who obey the Messenger (p.) and seek to be Islamic in everything they say, think or do.

Thus, we would like here to remember some of Hussein (a.s. )’s advice to learn more about our relation with Allah and Islam. He said that one is not rational in full unless he follows the right, meaning that man has to develop his mind. Moreover, he has to try to perfect it, for the mind is what Allah, the most Exalted, has given you to make you distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil…

Allah would not have decided to judge our actions had He not given you the mind.

It is the mind that leads you to the right, since it leads man to know what happiness is, as well as the basis of all life and this come to the conclusion that the Right is an eternal constant that does not change.

It is the mind that tells you that the Right is your belief in God, the Message and all the values that Allah, the most Exalted, and His Messenger (p.) love. It is the Right that controls your relations with others, whether with your parents, your wife and children or with the people in all fields.

On this basis, we say that it is the mind that tells you to follow the right. If you do, then your practical mind becomes in harmony with your theoretical one, and the theory turns into practice.

But if you follow falsehood then both of your minds are deficient. That is why Imam Hussein (a.s. ) says that those who do not follow the right are not of a sound mind.

In another saying the Imam (a.s.) says that the most honorable is he who does not need the advise of others. It is the one who studies the results of his actions and learns from every past experience, knowing all the time that he will die as the others did and he will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment.

In this respect, the Imam also said: “He who does not advise himself will not benefit of any advice”. One should always be able to learn from his own experience and “wake up before he is awakened”. He should always keep his eyes open on everything that harms or benefits him. Remorse will do no good on the Day of Judgment.

This is why the Imam says: “I have awakened with a God above me and hellfire in front of me, and death awaiting me, and my judgment is imminent. I am totally dependent on my deeds”…

Things are in the hands of someone other than me Who could punish me if so wishes or forgive me if he wants. So, who is poorer than me?

Therefore, when you attend Ashoura sermons, remember that the Imam he does not want you to cry only. He also wants you to cry on yourselves.

In another saying, the Imam says: “The believer inspires his virtues from God and takes God’s sayings as his mirror” meaning that the Quran is the mirror that makes the believer sees all the facts.

This is very important because it asserts that one should make the Quran his guide in his actions in life. He added that the Quran described the manners and traits of both the believers and the tyrants, thus enabling man to know himself and be sure of his judgments towards others.

In anther saying, when the Imam was told that Abu Zar said: “poorness is more to my liking than richness. I also prefer sickness to health”, he said: May Allah have mercy on him. As for me I say that he who depends on Allah’s good choice would not wish anything but what Allah has chosen for him.

In another saying, the Imam talks about the worldly life and the Hereafter by noting that he who seeks God’s satisfaction by angering people, Allah will preserve him from their anger. While he who seeks the people’s satisfaction in what angers Allah, Allah will leave him to those people. He also said when asked about how great his fear from God is: “No one will be safe in the Day of Judgment, except those who are afraid of Allah in this life”.

As for the necessity of saluting others, the Imam says: “Saluting has seventy rewards, sixty-nine of them for the one who salutes and one for the one who responds”. Imam Ali (a.s.) refuted the behavior of those who do not salute sinful Muslims by saying that Allah sees him worthy of believing in His oneness and you do not think he is worthy of being saluted.

Therefore, we should salute all people, and we should always salute before we start talking with any one. For our salute is a call for peace, which extends compassion and links between the hearts.

Dear beloved, this is what our Imam is, and this is what we should follow on the road of obeying Allah, the most Exalted, and His Messenger (p.) .

The Palestinian overview is still one of Zionist brutality and Barbarianism reflected in the everyday practices of invasion, killing, torture, besieges and lastly confiscating the Palestinian funds in the banks claiming that they are used in supporting the Intifada…

Yet all this is faced by the incredible steadfastness of the Palestinians who continue their struggle, with the stones of their children and the sacrifices of their martyrs to thwart the American Israeli plan.

It is this steadfastness that has made the Zionist image turn in the eyes of the international public opinion into that of a beast eating its victims of Palestinian civilians and especially children. Moreover, the image now is one of a state that utilizes the advanced American weapons against an unarmed population whose only weapons are their bodies and stones… As for the human rights, they were confiscated by the Jews, whether in the way they treat prisoners, or in their practices against the Palestinians that start according to the American human rights report by besieging them and does not end by demolishing their houses… The judgment of the International Court of Justice that will condemn the racial wall will be very important from the informational point of view, despite the fact that it is not legally binding.

We call on the Arabs and Muslims to maintain their rejection to Zionist practices and crimes and to face the American Administration with its continuous biased position against the Palestinians, as well as its political hypocrisy claiming to champion democracy and human rights in the Middle East while restricting freedom in the name of the biggest lie ever of fighting terrorism. In this respect, we notice what the American occupation is doing in Iraq, having promised the Iraqis with the American heaven of democracy following the fall of the dictator’s regime.

The final say in Iraq is for the American sole ruler, and all what the Iraqis are allowed to do, including the members of the Ruling Council, is to issue decrees that conform with the American dictates and promote the occupation interests.

The turning of authority to the Iraqis in the end of June is only a formal step that does not change anything. For the Americans did not enter Iraq to liberate the Iraqis, but rather to replace an internal tyranny with a foreign one. The Iraqis have to be very vigilant and keep track of the dubious plans that aim to incite a sectarian strife. They should unite against occupation and continue their struggle for unity and not sectarianism.

In Iran, the Iranians have proved their political vitality whether by talking part in the election or boycotting it to protest against certain complications surrounding the elections… We have heard in Western hostile media some criticism and attacks, but we do not deny that there are some weak points which the Iranians, themselves argue about, but nobody can say that the process itself was a means to confiscate the people’s independent decisions. We ask these voices: What about their own elections that are dominated by the giant companies and meddling of some influential powers, which affect the political game in their countries?

We call on the Iranian people to study the great challenges and threats they are faced with in this stage seeking to establish unity on the basis of diversity and freedom on the basis of responsibility. They should join hands in safeguarding Islam on the one hand and their own homeland on the other. Restoring to violent means will lead to the fall of the temple on the heads of all parties.

In Lebanon, the people are in a state of confusion and disillusion as they hear about the corruption and the dirty deals, and they listen to the rows that reached the level of cursing one another. In this respect, turning the parliament into a means of relieving the social and political tension is an irresponsible act, since the members of the parliament are not authorized by those who have delegated them to act in such a manner. They are expected to solve his problems and defend their vital and critical interests. They are but civil servants employed by the people and they should listen to the peoples heartbeat and not to lead them to strokes