Beirut Friday Prayer: The Messenger (p.), our ultimate mentor

The First SermonIn the first sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, talked about the Messenger of Allah (p.). He said that Muhammad (p.) is no ordinary reformer; he is a Prophet whose impact, as well as the impact of his Message, have had a thorough impact on the entire mankind throughout times.Yet, he was an ordinary man whose greatness and the reason that made Allah choose him to convey His Message were due to the sublime morals he enjoyed.He was the savoir of the poor, the slaves, the marginalized and the downtrodden, and he also enjoyed what attracted the rich; spiritual elevation and humanitarianism.He was the symbol of tolerance and forgiveness. He did not resort to miracles, and his only miracle was, in addition to the Quran, his call that was founded on the principle of building man who enjoys morals that Allah likes. He did not seek attaining any personal glory; that is why he did not accept having people attracted to his person rather than to his message. Thus, we have always asserted that we refuse to be called "Muhammadis”; a term that aims at denying the Divine nature of Islam. Muhammad (p.) also taught the people that they are all equal and that no one is better than the other except through piety.He taught all humans that every person should be humanitarian. Muhammad who was oppressed in Mecca was the same person who conquered it and told the Meccans that they were free. He has preached that mercy, peace and charity are the gates to heaven and that the principles are not to be bought by any price.Muhammad (p.) is more sublime and elevated than being affected by the hatred of those people who claim to live in civilized and tolerant societies. We have the right to feel disgusted and disturbed by their offences, yet not insulted or humiliated, for our dignity stems from our belief and our God. Our strength will not be impinged by the offences of others. On the contrary, it will be strengthened. We do not hate anyone, but we have the right to ask why does the west, which claims to be humanitarian and global, hold all this grudge against us.Our support to the Messenger (p.) should not end by announcing our denunciation; it should be a sustained and persistent support, knowing that the most important aspect of it is fulfilling his will that called on us not to fight one another. Our unity is our source of strength that enables us to face what and who challenges us.The Second SermonIn the second sermon, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah pointed in the beginning that we live in a world that relies on planning, which means that we too have to study our reactions, so that we will not be trapped by doing exactly what the others want or expect us to do. Those who made the offences against the Messenger (p.) planned to drive us into a Christian – Muslim strife, but the aware among the Muslims and Christians were able to abort this plot.It is not a mere incident; it is a cultural war that aims at distorting the image of Islam. That is why the demonstrations are not sufficient; we need a strategic plan of confrontation on all levels:The Muslim countries should pressurize the governments, where these offenses were and are being made, to enact laws that prevent any similar acts in the future. They should feel that it will have a bad impact on their interests.On the cultural aspect, all Muslims in their countries and in the countries they have immigrated to should deploy all efforts to demonstrate the reality of Islam. This may be a long-term strategy that needs patience and endurance, but it is the only way to ensure that we are not faced every now and then with new pictures, movies, books… etc. that offend Islam.We have to understand that modern arts are part of this battle and we have to utilize them.We also need to use the same satellite channels that seek to deepen the divisions among Muslims, so as to introduce that humanitarian aspect of Islam and the mercifulness of its Messenger (p.). On the Muslim internal level, we believe that we, as Muslims, should present a civilized image in our behavior and work, or else we, ourselves, would be directly offending the Messenger of Allah (p.). The Muslims in the West, too, ought to present a beautiful image of Muslims in both their actions and sayings.Amidst all that, Al-Aqsa Mosque is being usurped and the only way to confront this plot is by enhancing our unity and not plunging into internal fighting.In Syria, the Sayyed praised the efforts made by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey to find a solution to the Syrian question, and called yet again to stop the blood shedding and resort to dialogue.As for Lebanon, the Sayyed noticed that as soon as the Pope left, the tense discourse returned. The Sayyed said that he is afraid of the effect of the inflamed statements concerning the electoral laws, or the repercussions of what is going on in Syria. He called on the government to hold its responsibilities and restore internal security, especially in the face of the kidnapping phenomenon that has aggravated lately.He also called on the government to set a plan to finance the raise in salaries not from the poor classes, but by means of a well-studied plan that takes into account the economic pressures the country is facing./129