The First Sermon
In the first sermon, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah commemorated the death anniversary of Imam Al-Kazim (a.s.). He explained that what characterizes the life of this Imam is the multitude of suffering and torture the Abbasid caliphate had inflicted him with.
The Abbasid "caliphate" felt that Ahl El-Beit (a.s.) represented a threat to its continuity, especially that the Abbasids used the slogan of the love of Ahl El-Beit (a.s.) to gain support against the Umayyads.
That is why they made every effort to deny Ahl El-Beit (a.s.) the freedom of movement and persecuted their supporters. This was especially true during the Imamate of Musa Al-Kazim (a.s.). The Abbasid Caliphs who ruled during his imamate were afraid of the Imam for he was greatly admired and appreciated by the people who considered him as the legitimate successor of the Prophet (p.) and the previous Imams. They also saw the pure Islam embodied in him. He was the most pious and knowledgeable person that the people looked up to, considering him the true caliph who possessed the minds and hearts of the people and whom they would give their charity and Khums to.
That is why Haroun Ar-Rashid, as well as the other Abbasid rulers, feared him and considered him a threat to their rule, for the Imam did not accept their oppression and tyranny, rejected their lewdness and deviation, and used to declare that their rule was not legitimate, as Ahl El-Beit should have been the rulers, in accordance with the true Islam.
Such declarations made Haroun Ar-Rashid put the Imam in jail, but the Imam was able to turn the dark jail into a place of spiritual love and joy, and the jail wardens asked the caliph to release him. Instead, Haroun, who became more certain of the threat the Imam represented, handed the Imam over to his police commander, who was infamous for his cruelty, to jail and torture him. But since this failed, too, he decided to put an end to the Imam's life by poisoning him.
The tragedy this Imam lived, along with all the sacrifices he, the Prophet and the other Imams made to ensure that this religion reaches us in its purity and strength, shoulder on us the responsibility of preserving Islam in our life, by ensuring that no exaggeration or legend distorts it, and by adopting it as a methodology for life and man.
It is also our responsibility to stress on the values of Imam Al-Kazim who stood firm and confronted all threats, refused all offers, enduring jail and torture for the sake of the cause of Islam.
We, too, have to be strong in facing the challenges and patient to win in the end. We have to hold on to our values and religion, and model after the Imam (a.s.) in our lives, for this is the only way that could make us true followers of Ahl El-Beit (a.s.).
The Second Sermon
As the Arab revolutions continue and as the West continues its efforts to contain them, we call on the Arab peoples that have suffered from the oppressive regimes, on the one hand, and the Western hegemony, on the other, to be aware of what is going on around them. They should not let the American and European interference achieve its goals and draw a new map for the region that serves their economic interests and geostrategic goals.
Our peoples should also prevent any internal strife, since this is the weapon that arrogance and imperialism resort to, in order to thwart popular ambitions for freedom and dignity.
It is about time for our peoples to understand that all what America and the West want is hegemony over our states and resources, and that their top priority, in addition to keeping their interests, is the supremacy of the Zionist entity. To achieve this purpose, they are prepared to redraw the map of the region.
From this angle, we look into the situation in Syria to say that the West does not want to give this country a chance to implement reform; but rather, it aims to keep it under constant pressure. Yet, we ask the Syrian leadership to hasten implementing reform on the ground, so as to protect its reality and its people, and thwart any foreign conspiracy.
In Bahrain, we felt that the news about dialogue were glad tidings, but we were shocked by the harsh measures taken against some of the leaders of the opposition. We call on the authorities in Bahrain to review these measures and open up on their people, which is the only way to make this country reach the shore of safety.
In Iraq, the nearer the date of American withdrawal, the more the explosions, which makes one wonder about their true goal: Is it a kind of pressure to prolong the duration of the occupation or merely a means for making the Arab reality preoccupied?
Thus, the current stage is not one of competition over the shares and how they should be divided; but rather, it is one of national unity that enables the Iraqis to face all challenges and force the occupation to withdraw.
Meanwhile, the enemy continues its military maneuvers that target several fronts, and not only Lebanon. This should drive us to be fully prepared to confront any aggression. Thus, we call on the Arabs to coordinate their stands, and we call on the Arab governments to set out counter plans that take all the details into consideration.
In Lebanon, the government is about to start its work at a time the Lebanese are getting more afraid that the country is about to step into further mazes.
The people feel that the priority of this government should be resolving the economic crisis, since its severity may well drive the Lebanese into a state of despair of all the political debate between the competing political parties.
Thus, we call on them all, whether in the government or the opposition, to strive to protect the country, through their unity, from all the storms that are to blow from many directions.
The people are saying to those who are talking about giving one-way tickets to others to give such a ticket to the economic and political crisis.
We know that the government will not make miracles, but we want it to do its best to face this crisis, provided that it does not act on the basis of sitting in the places of others; but rather, on cooperating with them to move forward.
24/06/2011 A.D 22/07/1432 H
