Beirut Friday prayer leader calls for national unity

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Rabi I 30th 1435 H. – January, 31st 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 how to be guided by Allah. He said that in addition to the religious duties, one has to follow the guidance of Allah in everything in life which needs consistency and which in its turn requires a profound understanding of both the religion and the reality to make sure that one is following the right path in every move he makes.The Sayyed cited the concept of freedom as an example. He stressed that most people believe that freedom is to do whatever they want, but this is not true, for Allah does not want us to be slaves of our whims and instincts or to be intimidated by others. He wants us to enjoy inner freedom, which enables one to be free even when he is in jail. Prophet Yusuf, for example, preferred to be imprisoned over losing this freedom.Another criterion is how to perceive the notion of having a lot or a little. People usually believe that those who have many followers are right, while the minority is wrong. However, the Holy Quran says in several Ayahs that such people either do not know or are wrong.Moreover, people usually ask themselves if all people can be right while they are wrong. Indeed, this is possible, for Allah cares only about the future and the results and not to be influenced by the very moment that might not be so bright. The Messenger (p.), for example, called on his companion in the cave of Hira not to grieve for Allah is with them. This means that one should not look at things the way they are in a certain moment, but rather, he should rest assured that by the aid of Allah, one will eventually be victorious.The second sermonIn the second sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, commented on the on-going crisis in Lebanon. He said that the Lebanese are living in a state of fear from the explosions, as well as the threats made by the Israeli Army commanders saying that they do not mind at all targeting civilians. In addition, the Lebanese are concerned with the repercussions of what is going in Syria on Lebanon, especially after the failure of Geneva.Faced by this situation, the Sayyed said that he has wished that the Lebanese officials would have risen to the level of the crisis and made every effort to relieve the Lebanese, namely by forming a government that includes all parties. The Sayyed called on all those who have to do with the formation of the government, especially the Prime Minister Designate, to benefit from the atmosphere of optimism to form the government, for the country is not experiencing ordinary circumstances in which each party can take its time and dictate its own conditions. Sayyed added that he feels sorry for the ongoing talk dividing the ministries according to the criteria of what constitutes a guarantee for this sect or the other. National unity is the guarantee to all the Lebanese who ought to be united in facing the challenges that keep the country plunged in this state of instability and security tensions, until the regional conflicts could be solved on the long run.As for Syria, the Sayyed had hoped that the Geneva Conference would have been the gate that leads the Syrians to a solution that would have ended or at least reduced the people’s suffering. But it seems that the regional and international parties are not in a hurry to reach such a solution, especially after the talk of arming the parties.The Sayyed believes that Syria will remain hostage to the regional and international conflicts, and that the solution will not evolve except within the framework of resolving other conflicts in the region such as those in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and other countries.In Bahrain, the Sayyed expressed his surprise by the escalation represented by dissolving a religious institution, calling on the Bahraini authorities to review this decision and to conduct a serious dialogue between all parties. The Sayyed also warned the people against resorting to violence which no one will benefit from./149