FridaySpeeches > 2006 Speeches > 28/04/2006

In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, the Merciful.

The Religious Authority H.E. Sayyed M. H. Fadlullah delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque,28th April 2006, Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer.

Making Peace between people

 

The First Sermon

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The Islamic Duty of Making Peace between People

Allah says in His Glorious Book:

fear Allah, and keep straight the relations between yourselves: . He also says: The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers. And If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: and There is no good in most of their secret counsels except (in his) who enjoins charity or goodness or reconciliation between people; and whoever does this seeking Allah's pleasure, We will give him a mighty reward. And Whoever joins himself (to another) in a good cause shall have a share of it, and whoever joins himself (to another) in an evil cause shall have the responsibility of it, and Allah controls all things.

These Ayahs emphasize a great virtue that has to do with the people's public and private life: to make peace between people. It is a social and humanistic behaviour since the prevalence of conflicts or difference might lead to the fall of several vital causes in the society, starting by the family which might be broken up as a result of the quarrels between the husband and wife or between any of them and the children. On a broader level, it might develop into bloody wars between tribes that will lead to loss of souls and wealth.

Moreover, when differences arouse in a society, whether of a religious nature like the differences between Muslims and Christians, Muslims and Jews, or Muslims and Buddhists, or within the same religion, as what is happening now in our Islamic nation between the Shiites and the Sunnis… or even differences of an ethnic origins.. These differences night develop into conflicts which will undermine the economy and the security and might pave the way for the interference of the arrogant in the affairs of the downtrodden, as we notice in Africa which has been torn apart by wars, and which the Arrogant, especially the American\s, have entered claiming that they are mediating to solve the problems. Such problems have even reached Latin America, and we in the Muslim countries suffer from all this whether in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iraq or other Arab countries.

Furthermore, such conflicts might lead to the deviation of people from the straight path as a result of fanaticism; they will relinquish their religious duties, and give priority to their instinctual affiliations, which would weaken the religion and the relations of brotherhood among them.

Making peace is our responsibility

Allah wanted the people to live in Justice, even if their religions are different. He wanted them to live in a just peace, in which no one would wrong the other. If Muslims differ they have to refer their differences to God and His Messenger. If it is among people in general, then they have to discuss the matter in the best possible way and conduct a dialogue about the things they differ on.

To accomplish this, Allah has ordained that a group of people should take upon themselves to make peace between those who differ. In the Islamic sphere, Allah emphasized that the relations among believers are based on brotherhood: Just like a brother would try to solve the differences that might take place among his other bothers, all Muslims should try to solve any internal conflict that might surface. If an internal fight erupts, all Muslims should try to make peace.

And If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them It is a mission in which everyone who could help is commissioned with.

Making peace is one of the best duties:

Allah wanted to clarify that one of the best acts of good and charity is making peace .He says: There is no good in most of their secret counsels except (in his) who enjoins charity or goodness or reconciliation between people; and whoever does this seeking Allah's pleasure, We will give him a mighty reward.. Therefore, a believer should in his sayings and actions address the problem of poverty by encouraging people to be charitable. He should confront corruption by enjoining good and making peace between people. In this respect we notice that Allah did not talk about making peace between Muslims, but rather all people, for internal strife will affect all the community. It is like afire that spreads in all directions.

The Messenger(p.) Considered making peace of a higher rank than fasting and praying, while Imam As-Sadiq(a.s.) considers making peace a charity that Allah loves. He used to leave a sum of money with some of his companions telling them to use it to solve the differences among his followers. Prophet Muhammad explained that making peace is a charity the Allah and His Messenger(p.) love.

Allah has made lying unlawful. It is even said in our traditions: "A liar does not lie while he believes".

Yet Allah made lying mandatory and even a duty in certain cases: And make not Allah's (name) an excuse in your oaths against doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between persons; for Allah is One Who hears and knows all things. (2:224).

In explaining the meaning of this Ayah Imam As-Sadiq says: If you are called to make peace between two peoples do not say I have' sworn not to interfere .The oath is of no value in this case, since an oath is valid only when it is in abeyance of Allah and His Messenger.

He also said: that the one who reconciles is not a liar.

He even described talking as of three parts: truthful, lies and reconciliation, and called for saying a different version than what one heard, and claiming that the other party has said good things so that they will be drawn closer.

Therefore, Allah has considered making peace, a means of spreading peace, love and trust among the people. Imam Ali in his last will says: Maintain communication and exchange of opinion among yourselves. Beware of disunity and enmity.

. And this is what Allah, His Messenger, and the Imam's have asked us to do: hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited, and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favor you became brethren.

 

The Second Sermon

 

The American Policies in the region:

Firstly: Constructive anarchy, which has filled our region, especially the Islamic world with instability and complicities, by inciting feuds and sectarian strife that could reach the state of bloody wars, or terrorist ones in which citizens deem lawful to spilt the blood of one another.

Secondly: interfering in the political affairs of the regional states to conform with the American strategic interests. And this is what we have noticed in the way the American Ambassador acted in Baghdad, interfering in forming the government and rejecting the previous prime minister, based on certain negative points which he did not have anything to do with. But they were rather the result of the way Americans run things in Iraq.

We have all seen how the American Secretary of State and the Minister of War have paid successive visits to ensure that the new Iraqi government would be primarily concerned with promoting US interests.

Thirstily: Total support for the Zionists. America is supporting the Zionist government in all its projects of settlements and building the racial wall, confiscating Palestinian lands, separating between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, daily killings and massacres, arbitrary detentions, besieging and starving the Palestinian people.

It is also pressurizing the Arab states to accept these policies, to the extent that Arab rulers have refused to meet Palestinian officials under false pretences that could not be accepted by any one who respects his mind. It is also regretful that the UN and the EU have fallenunder American pressures.

In this atmosphere, we want the Palestinians to protect their cause and ease the sufferings of their people. They should stop the rows and the atmosphere of incitation and anarchy and strive to strengthen their national unity in the face of the occupier.

Accusing others or terrorism

Fourthly: The US is adopting legal policy of considering the accused guilty until proven innocent. This is what we have noticed in the sanctions against some people whom it considers that they have something to do in what is happening in the region that is related to the Iranian peaceful nuclear project. In this respect, America is urging a war on Iran, based on merely an accusation that it wants to make nuclear weapons, although Iran has repeatedly denied these accusations. But America wishes to create international problems for Iran to force it to offer concessions that would undermine its freedom and dignity.

America also accuses many parties in the Arab and Muslim worlds of terrorism. Such an accusation is made against all those who are defending freedom, sovereignty and independence in their counties .

It accuses the countries that support freedom fighters, like Syria and Iran of supporting terror, while it performs with ,its Israeli ally , state terrorism in Iraq Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as other countries that suffer from poverty and deprivation.

Declaring war on the Islamic World

America and its allies have waged a multi-phased war against the Islamic world that is being destabilized politically, economically and security wise as a result of this arrogant policy, since there is a complex against Islam, which wants freedom to all man and honor to all Muslims.

They have even employed some of their agents to ensure that they dominate the entire Islamic world. This means that we have to break this American besiege , especially in Iraq that is still bleeding daily as a result of the takfiri massacres, and the occupation forces that secretly encourage them, with the help of the Israeli intelligence…

We wish the Iraqi people to be aware of the American plans, to unify all it sects and ethnicities, and form a national unity government away from the American interference.

We do not want the Iraqis to move from the brutal rule of the Iraqi dictator to the rule of the American dictator.

We also call on the Muslims to start an Islamic political and cultural upheaval that opens up on the rational and objective Islamic unity. We call on them to resort to dialogue to solve their differences and not to respect the unlawfulness of spilling the blood of follow Muslims. We also ask them not to let international and regional intelligence agencies incite sectarian strife, exploiting certain negative attitudes here and there.

Lebanon's Complications

We do not want Lebanon to be tricked by the U.S., which is pretending to be interested in its sovereignty and independence while plotting to take hold of our country. The U.S. policy is not working toward rescuing the Lebanese economy and finding a good basis for Lebanese-Syrian relations.

It is further complicating these relations, because it wants Lebanon to remain a pressure card against Syria in its stands towards Palestine, Iraq and Iran, and force it to offer concessions.

The Arms of the Resistance

I urge the Lebanese people to examine past experiences , specially the Grapes Of Wrath and the Massacres of Qana and Sabra and Shatilla in order to know that hostile Israel exposes Lebanon and the region to danger.
In this regard, The Lebanese people should preserve the resistance's weapons, which are the only power capable of standing up to Israeli threat as it did in the past and kicked him out of the country without yielding to any of his conditions .
On the occasion of Labor Day, I call on the government to assume its responsibilities regarding workers in all fields... and put their issues at the top of its priorities and concerns. Why should it stay if it fails to assume this responsibility as well as others?

We also call on the government to tackle the reform plan and study the issues that have to do with the economy and public services, solving the debt problem and trying those who usurped public money… We want our country a place whose citizens feel that there a sense of seriousness in solving their problems, and a place whose citizens believe in citizenship and not sectarianism, freedom and not slavery, so that it could play a role in enriching the region with wisdom, knowledge and belief.