Sayyed Ali Fadlullah called on Lebanese to confront challenges with patience and wisdom

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Rabi I 23rd 1435 H. – January, 24th 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, talked about the virtue of patience. He explained that patience is necessary in all the stages of life, saying that just as it is a necessity for the human being, it is even more necessary for the movement of messages and the calls for freedom whose paths were never easy or rosy. All such paths have been full of sufferings and injuries that were endured and fought with patience. By patience and endurance one can change reality and achieve victory in all battles, be they small or big.The Sayyed explained that patience is a trait and a habit that can only be reached by learning the lessons of worship, especially fasting, and by accepting Allah’s will and believing that He has only what is good. He then posed a possible scenario where there is no patience, asserting that man, in this case, would fall into a state of fear, confusion and consequently self-defeat.The Sayyed further maintained that patience is not a sign of weakness or defeatism as some might imagine. It is to cling to the right, the values and the principles and to stand tall, and not to retreat or fall, regardless of all the pressures and intimidations.The Sayyed ended by saying that in these tough situations we are going through, patience is inevitable, emphasizing that we will be patient and we will endure, for we believe that Allah is watching us and He will surely find a way out for us and ensure our victory and wellbeing eventually.The second sermonIn the second sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, talked about the various challenges the Lebanese are facing daily. He pointed out to the latest explosions that took place in Haret Hreik and targeted the security of the Southern Suburb of Beirut, and ultimately the security of the entire country. He explained that the perpetrators and the schemers are aware that the victims had nothing to do with the massacre of the children in Irsal or the killing of the Syrian children.He wondered if the killers had asked themselves what was the fault of Maria Al-Jawhari, Ali Bashir, Ahmad Ubaida, Muhammad Ash-Sha’ar and many other innocent people whose only crime was that they were at the place of the explosion.These explosions indicate that the suicide attackers and the schemers of these crimes make no distinction between the followers of the different religions or sects. They kill for the sake of killing only, for they know that such actions will change nothing in politics or in the battlefields.The Sayyed added that what is going on calls on the political and religious powers to join hands in confronting this phenomenon, since it poses danger on all Lebanese regions and the entire Lebanese fabric. It also poses danger on Islam that they depict as a religion of killing.The Sayyed, thus, called, for taking immediate actions and doing all what could strengthen the Lebanese unity. He also praised the parties’ readiness to offer concessions to the country in order to form a national unity government that might not solve all the problems or put an end to the atmosphere of fear from the explosions, but can at least remove the favorable environment to all those who become stronger whenever a political or sectarian tension or crisis erupts.On another level, the Sayyed saw that what is going on in Geneva concerning the Syrian crisis is a step in the right direction, hoping that this conference would contribute in ending the sufferings of the Syrian people, for dialogue is the only option they have. The military option will not yield any results, although there are still some who are putting their stakes on it.The Sayyed feared that the atmosphere of chaos and sedition might find its way into Egypt. Thus, he called on all parties to preserve national unity, for the safety and stability of Egypt is one of the pillars of the safety and stability of the entire nation./149