Sayyed Ali Fadlullah: "Shyness: An Islamic moral trait"

The First Sermon

In the first sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, talked about shyness, saying that it is a big grace that Allah has bestowed upon us. He added that the Messenger (p.) was shy, and he considered shyness as one of Allah's traits. The Messenger (p.) even considered that shyness is the trait of Islam.

Shyness starts by being shy from Allah as He should not see us respond to His several graces by acting indifferently. Shyness also governs our relations with others, so that they would be not be dominated by rudeness. It also means that we should abide by shyness in what we wear or what we say. We should not listen to unethical jokes and the like which is broadcasted on television in the name of having fun..

We should differentiate between shyness and feeling ashamed, which might make one hesitate to say the truth or enjoin good and forbid evil.

It is something that Islam sought to confirm, by calling for Hijab and insisting that mixing between sexes is the exception and not the rule. It also prohibited using obscene words or shouting and called for maintaining public manners in the streets. Islam has prohibited looking at or dealing with pornographic scenes. Islam has also prohibited attending meetings that offend one’s shyness, even in permissible events, such as lawful marriage ceremonies.

Some people might say that this is relative, for what some people might consider unethical, others might find ordinary. Others claim that this age has its own concepts, and what was considered shameful in the past is no longer considered so.

However, this is not true for the Halal of Muhammad is Halal up to the Day of Judgment and the Haram of Muhammad is Haram up to the Day of Judgment. Actually, the tradition clearly distinguishes between what is accepted, particularly in clothes, and what is not. Therefore such logic is unacceptable, even if unshyfullness has become a habit, and even if the Hijab no longer serves what it is intended for.

Let us hold on to the virtue of shyness for it is the key to all other virtues. It is the way to all what is beautiful and the protector against all what is ugly.

The Second Sermon

In the second sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, talked about the proposed Palestinian State. He explained that although it is a limited moral jest, the American Administration and the West have stood against it, presenting themselves as supporters of the Zionist injustice at the expense of any values, morals or justice. We say to the Palestinian Authority that having tried the West over and over again and having discovered that it only respects the strong and does not care about values, you ought to go back to your people, who are about to initiate a new Intifada.

On another level, we notice a Western attempt to fuel the strifes in the Arab World. In some cases, the United States has openly encouraged certain groups to use weapons inside this Arab country or the other under the pretext of self-defense; thus, broadening the scope of chaos in the Arab world and creating an excuse for NATO to interfere and ultimately impose additional hegemony and tutelage.

In Bahrain, as the main popular groups have boycotted the elections, we believe that things there need a new reformulation. There is a dire need for reform under the ceiling of the Bahraini unity.

In Lebanon, the Lebanese people have demonstrated that they are truly concerned with preserving Christian-Muslim coexistence. Yet, we believe that the first pillar for building national unity is through preserving Islamic unity. Therefore, all parties should talk about the Lebanese unity against the Zionist enemy, and not about the alliance of certain sects against others.

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