Sayyed Ali Fadlullah called on Lebanese people to avoid disunity by controlling anger

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Rabi I 9th 1435 H. – January, 10th 2014. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer.Following is a summary:The First SermonIn the first sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, reasserted that we feel angry from what is going on in our country, not to mention its causes and consequences. He explained that we are angry from all this violence that we are tried with, as a result of the absence of moderation and the voice of reason and the prevalence of strife. We are angry from the distortion of the images of our political and religious symbols and the ease by which Fatwas are made, innocent blood is shed and inciting stands are made in the name of religion.In short, we are angry from the ideological, juristic, financial and materialistic embracement of those who incite strife and even find excuses and justifications for the ongoing murders.  But the question is: what can we do to control this situation, knowing that we cannot curse back or retaliate in the same kind except in cases of self-defense?To fight back, we ought to:Firstly: insist on going on with life no matter what, and carrying the burden of the big causes and working more to achieve them.Secondly: cling to our beliefs of love, mercy and justice and protect them by our actions and reactions. We should not be provoked and we should make only the sinner shoulder the responsibility of his sin and not the group or sect he belongs to. We should always seek peace and repeat what the Messenger (p.) used to say when his people used to prosecute him: “O God, guide my people for they are ignorant.”Thirdly: be armed with political and religious awareness, as well as the ability to confront strife; for the peacefulness we call to does not mean withdrawal. Rather, it means to defend our position with arguments and proof in the manner that is best.Fourthly: seek to expand the scope of those who believe in unity and always maintain that what unites the Muslims is more than what divides them.Fifthly: always remember that the fundamental pillar in confronting our anger is to open up on Allah.We know that the way we have chosen is difficult and full of challenges, but we have to put our trust in Allah, and he who puts his trust in Allah shall not experience despair nor shall he flee or run away.  The second sermonIn the second sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, called in view of all the turmoil and strife, which the Arab and Muslim worlds are plunged in, to work on two fronts: The first is to besiege those who incite strife on the political sectarian and cultural levels, and the second is to deny those who are inciting strife the favorable environment that facilitates their schemes by staying away from the tense and fanatic discourse, so that none of the adherents to any sect or political affiliation would feel any wronging or injustice.This is actually what Iraq needs in order to ensure its unity and stability and to end all sectarian feuds. In this respect, we call on the Iraqi government to accommodate for the just demands that were previously made so that every Iraqi would feel that he is equal to the others irrespective of his sect or political views.In Bahrain, the Sayyed noted that at a time we were expecting the dialogue to yield its fruits, the government suddenly stopped it, which makes us concerned about the future of the country.As the Lebanese citizens continue to experience fear for their security, the government has not been born yet and the country is the prisoner of the external developments while the Lebanese have got used to doing what the others want them to do and not what they themselves want for their country.The Sayyed called on all those in charge to rise to the level of the dangers facing Lebanon, especially those imposed by the Zionist Enemy, and not to consider offering concessions to one another a sign of weakens, but one that secures strength and protection for the country.Finally, the Sayyed called on the Palestinians to resist all the pressures America is exerting and to refuse accepting an agreement that enables the enemy to achieve all its goals, whether in colonialization or in depriving the Palestinians from their just rights of a viable and independent state./149