His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Ramadan 11th 1435 H. – July, 14th 2014. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer.
Following is a summary:
The First Sermon
In the first sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, talked about the significance of time, since the period between birth and death is the only chance one has to do good and seek closeness to Allah. In this respect, some people tend to postpone shouldering their responsibilities only to be surprised when they find out that they have become old so quickly and that it is too late to change.
This attitude of postponement explains why things have deteriorated in many fields of life. The Sayyed added that what distinguishes Islam and other Heavenly religions from secular laws is that the former are concerned with guiding man to the significance of time and the necessity of dealing with it responsibly for one’s own good in this world and the Hereafter.
Time, the Sayyed noted, is neutral; it has no taste, color or smell, and it is man who makes it good or evil, making it more precious than gold or turning it into some lost moments that are wasted in satisfying a desire.
The Sayyed then explained that each stage in man’s life has its own aspects of beauty, whether childhood, youth or old age. He criticized the phenomenon of dying one’s hair that has gone out of proportion. He explained that Islam is not against this, but it should not turn into an obsession and reflect the fact that we do not accept our age. Beauty, the Sayyed said, is the beauty of the tongue, the heart, the mind and doing good to others.
Time, the Sayyed concluded, is our responsibility. We have to learn from the time that had already passed where we went wrong and try to correct it on the level of our relation with Allah, other people and life. He advised the nation to fill its time with work and stop wasting time for it is our biggest capital.
The second sermon
In the second sermon, His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlullah, commented on the Israeli aggression on Gaza. He first said that the people of Gaza have given an outstanding example in sacrifice and steadfastness and in challenging the Israeli brutality and arrogance, despite the complete silence of the world.
The Palestinian Resistance, whose rockets reached the heartland of the Zionist Entity, did not put its stakes on international resolutions, empty promises or Arab and Muslim support, which was practically absent. They relied on their own abilities.
Faced with the silence of their regimes, the Arab and Muslim peoples ought to revolt and forget all their differences and freeze all their internal wars. They should know that all conflicts, strifes and division projects, as well as the tyranny of their rulers, were meant to enable the Zionist Entity to become the strongest power in the region.
We say to all those who are trying to fuel the strifes: It is shameful to try to suppress feelings towards Palestine and to fuel sectarian and confessional grudges, so they do not issue any Fatwa, call for Jihad or embark on anything that could reflect support to the Palestinian people.
In Iraq, the Sayyed warned from those who carry division projects, which will not only serve those who seek division but it will ignite strife as well, not only in Iraq but in the entire region. The Sayyed called on all Iraqis to put their stakes on the Iraqi unity and to solve any problem within the country’s institutions. He also called on the decision-makers in Iraq to hurry up in forming a collective government.
The Sayyed feared that what is happening in the region might spill over to Lebanon, especially that the sectarian and confessional discourse has even reached certain security and judicial parties. He called on all the Lebanese to consolidate their unity and stand with the security forces, being a guarantee of security and stability.
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