AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hojat al-Islam Sayyid Haidar Hashemi, the Friday Prayer Leader of the Sultaniya Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, addressed two important issues at the end of his Friday sermon.
In the first part of his remarks, Hashemi referred to the recent natural disasters in eastern Afghanistan and said that last week's severe flooding in Nuristan province caused great damage to the people and blocked communication routes. He added that although these events are sad, we must be prepared to confront them both with presence and responsibility, as well as with precise planning. The Friday Prayer Leader called on the government, relief institutions, and merchants to allocate a portion of their income to this cause.
In the other part of his sermon, Hashemi, referring to the arrival of the Arbaeen days, emphasized that Arbaeen is not merely a mourning ritual, but "one of the greatest universities for human and civilizational development in Islamic history."
He added, "If Badr established Islam and the Conquest of Mecca demonstrated the power of Muslims, Ashura keeps Islam alive forever." According to him, the great Arbaeen gathering shows that participants are not seeking income, but rather spending, and they convey the message that Hussain (a.s.) does not belong to one nation, but to all free people of the Islamic world.
Hashemi noted that any system and government that pays attention to these matters will reach its goal sooner, and any teacher who pays attention to them will better develop himself and his students.
The Friday Prayer Leader of Mazar-i-Sharif concluded his sermon by recounting the tragedies of the AhlulBayt (a.s.).
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