Devotion: The basis of worship and work

Following is a summary:

The First Sermon

In the first sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, talked about the value of devotion. He began by explaining that man will be tried by Satan and his human subordinates who will try to beguile man at every turn in life. But even Satan himself knows that he will not be ale to deviate the sincere and devoted believers.

Devotion, in this sense, is the first line of defense that the believer erects before deviation. It is not a marginal or momentous addition; but rather, it is a basic condition for any deed by which man seeks to be close to Allah. No deed would be accepted if it does not seek the satisfaction of Allah. The Messenger (p.) says that those who give in charity just to be described as generous or those who fight just to be described as bold… etc. will find hell as their abode. Thus, being devoted to Allah is not merely a single spiritual value; it is the value that gives meaning to life and that affects all man's behavior and movement.

The Sayyed then turned to our contemporary life and noted that devotion has become so scarce in our lives. He called for devotion in one's job, even if it is in the religious field, where the scholar ought to be patient to ensure that he conveys the truth to the people. He ought to choose what is beneficial to the people and what raises their level, instead of only relying on their trust in him.

The Sayyed, then, explained that we ought to build and strengthen the values of devotion in ourselves. He stated that the only way to do this is by being certain in our belief in Allah. We should believe that He is the provider of good and that He is capable of doing anything He wishes. We should believe that we do not need anyone else besides Allah. We should also be certain that we cannot do ourselves any good or harm, except if Allah so wishes.

The Sayyed ended the sermon by pointing out that reaching such devotion demands a lot of hard work and determination. Nevertheless, it is even harder to be consistent in our work, once we reach this level.

The Second Sermon

In the second sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, began by talking about the ongoing and escalating Israeli aggressions on Palestine. Thus, he called on all the Arab and Muslim peoples not to forget the cause of Palestine, which should remain a priority in any Arab movement.

On another level, the Sayyed noted that the continuous bloodshed and aggravating situation in Syria threatens to take a turn to the worst. Thus, he called on the Arab League to make every effort to start a dialogue between all parties, instead of going to the United Nations which could turn Syria into a front in which the super powers struggle for influence. He also warned that the bloody conflict in Syria has started to turn sectarian.

In Bahrain, the Sayyed emphasized the fact that the demands of the people in this country are of a national and not a sectarian dimension, and that violence will not solve the crisis in this country. The Bahraini authorities ought to listen to the national demands of their people and engage in an open dialogue with them.

The Sayyed called on the Lebanese people not to let the ongoing events in the surrounding region be reflected on the internal front. He added that although he believes that every political or religious party has the right to have its own view on what is going on, no one has the right to mess up the security and stability of the country.

Tense rhetoric will only aggravate the situation and the only solution is an objective and calm dialogue that aims at realizing the national interests.

The Sayyed, thus, praised all the calls for dialogue within the Islamic sphere to end sectarian strife, considering that fortifying the Islamic front is an essential step towards fortifying national unity. The Sayyed said we need not wait until all parties engage in a dialogue. Rather, dialogue can be initiated between any two major or influential parties. We should make every effort to engage in this dialogue, for it is the only choice the Lebanese have.

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