First Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, Whom we praise, from Whom we seek help, to Whom we turn, to Whom we repent, and peace and greetings be upon His beloved and noble one, the best among His servants, the protector of His secret, the promoter of His message, the harbinger of His mercy, the warner of His chastisement, our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad, upon his immaculate, pure and infallible household and upon his chosen companions. Oh God, bestow Your greetings upon Your representative and Hujjat – the Imam of the Age, the manifestation of faith and the revealer of Quranic rules – and greetings be upon the leaders of Muslims, those who guide the oppressed and those who support the faithful.
The 19th of the auspicious month of Ramadan is the Day of Qadr and the day when our moula and the master of the pious people throughout the world – the Commander of the Faithful (peace and greetings be upon him) - was wounded. In the beginning of my speech, I would like to advise all you brothers and sisters and myself to remember God and observe divine piety. One of the most important results of fasting, praying, reciting the holy Quran in this month and observing the religious acts of the Nights of Qadr is that our hearts will become pious and religious.
In the first sermon, I would like to say a few things about praying because besides the fact that the month of Ramadan is the month of praying, the Nights and Days of Qadr are also the nights and days of praying. We should benefit from this opportunity. Later on, I will say a few things about the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.).
As for praying, the main thing that I want to say is that praying is the manifestation of serving God and strengthening the spirit of serving God in people. This spirit and sense of serving in the face of God is what divine prophets – from the first to the last one – focused their efforts and teachings on. They wanted to revive the spirit of serving God in people. The source and origin of all human virtues and all the good deeds that one can do – whether in personal or in social and public areas – is this spirit of serving God.
The opposite of this sense of serving is egotism, selfishness, narcissism and self-importance. It is this egotism which is the source of all moral disasters for people. The origin of all wars, massacres, oppressions and the origin of all the crimes that have been committed throughout history – the ones that you have read and heard about and the ones that you can witness today – is the sense of egotism, selfishness and narcissism in a group of people. This sense of egotism is the source of corruption and anarchy in the lives of such people.
Serving God is the opposite of this selfishness, egotism and narcissism. If such egotism and selfishness is shown against Allah the Exalted – that is to say, if we stand against God – then the result will be rebellion: taghut. Taghut is not only made up of kings. Each of us humans can – God forbid – build and develop a taghut and idol inside ourselves. The result of rebelling against God and showing egotism in the face of Him is the growth of anarchy in people. If this egotism is shown against other people, the result will be ignoring their rights and transgressing the rights of this and that. If this egotism is shown against nature, the result will be the destruction of the natural environment which is why many efforts are being made – rightly so – in the world on the issue of the natural environment. Ignoring the natural environment is the result of rebellion, egotism and selfishness against nature.
Praying is the opposite of all these things. When we pray, in fact, we are creating a sense of humility in ourselves and we are suppressing egotism and selfishness. The result is that the world and the living environment of people will be immune from rebellion and transgression against the rights of people and nature. This is why it has been said that “Praying is the core of every act of worship” [speaking in Arabic]. The purpose of each act of worship is to enable individuals to show humility before God and to make their hearts obedient. This obedience and humility before God is not like the obedience and humility that people show to one another. Rather, it means humility before absolute good, absolute beauty, absolute right and absolute kindness.
Therefore, praying is a blessing and the opportunity to pray is a blessing as well. In his testament, the Commander of the Faithful (peace and greetings be upon him) said to Imam Hassan Mujtaba (a.s.), “You should know that He who owns the treasures of the world and the hereafter has allowed you to pray and has guaranteed that your requests will be granted” [Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 74, page 205]. Allah the Exalted, who has all the power on earth and in heaven, has allowed you to pray, speak to Him and ask Him for everything: “He has ordered you to ask Him for everything so that He grants them to you”.
This ask-and-take relationship with God is the source of the transcendence of our souls and it strengthens the spirit of serving. “And He is kind and generous. He has not placed between you and Him someone who separates you from Him”. Allah the Exalted has not placed any intermediary and veil between you and him. Whenever you begin to speak to Allah the Exalted and express your needs, He hears your voice and he listens to your requests. We can always speak to God, establish a close relationship with Him and ask Him for everything. This is a very great opportunity and blessing for human beings.
The most important characteristic of praying is this relationship with God and this sense of serving Him. This is the most important effect and characteristic of praying. We should ask Allah the Exalted and in return, He will answer our prayers. Of course, there is no condition and prerequisite for God to answer prayers. It is us who prevent our prayers from being answered with our actions. It is us who make our prayers be ignored. This is one of the lessons that we can learn from prayers. In fact, this is one of the characteristics of prayers.
One of the blessings of the valuable duas of the Imams (greetings be upon them) is that they are full of divine teachings. Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Dua Kumayl, Dua Sha’baniyya, Abu Hamza Thumali Dua and other duas from the Imams (r.a.) are full of divine teachings. If someone reads and understands these duas, they learn a great part of teachings from them as well as establishing a strong relationship with Allah the Exalted.
I strongly advise youth to pay attention to the translation of these duas. Arafa and Abu Hamza duas are full of divine teachings. We read in Dua Kumayl, “Oh God, forgive me for the sins that imprison duas. Oh God, forgive me for the sins that are a cause of calamity”. All of these are divine teachings. This dua means that sometimes, we humans commit sins that prevent our prayers from being answered and accepted. Sometimes, we commit sins that bring us disasters. Sometimes, public and national disasters occur as a result of certain sins. Of course, it is not announced in public that such disasters occurred because of this sin, but when wise and thinking individuals think about it, they find out what course of action brought about this disaster.
Sometimes, the consequences of our actions show themselves very quickly and sometimes, they show themselves late. It is duas and prayers which say this to us. When we read in Abu Hamza dua, “My Moula, my knowledge about You guides me towards You and my love for You is like an interceder between You and me”. The fact that I know You is my guide towards You. The fact that I love You and that love of You exists in my heart plays the role of an interceder before You. “And I trust my guide to guide me towards You and I am hopeful about my interceder with You”.
When I look at this guide, when I look at my knowledge about You – which is my guide – and when I observe the love that I have for you, I see that it is You who have created this love and guide in me. It is You who are helping me. Notice that such prayers open our eyes and generate a certain understanding in us. This is one of the divine teachings, favors, blessings and boons and such things can be found in duas. Therefore, you should appreciate the value of duas.
Praying is calling God. It can be said in Persian or in your own language. You can say to God whatever you want. This is praying. You can share with him whatever you want. Sometimes, the reason why we pray is not only to ask Him for something. Rather, the reason is getting close to Him. Our reasons for praying are different. Sometimes, we ask Allah the Exalted to be satisfied with or to forgive us. This is one request. And sometimes, we ask God for material things and there is nothing wrong with this. Asking God for whatever you want and in whatever language you know is good. This will lead to the characteristics that I spoke about [establishing a close relationship with God and developing a sense of serving]. Of course, the valuable duas of the Imams (greetings be upon them) are the best concepts with the most beautiful words and they are full of divine teachings. We should appreciate their value and we should rely on them.
I would like to say a few things about the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.). The life of the Commander of the Faithful is the life of a complete Muslim and a perfect individual. The Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) is a role model. His childhood and teens were spent in the arms of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and under his tutelage. He was raised by the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and he was educated by him. During his early teens and youth – when the issue of be’that arose and when he experienced difficult events with the be’that of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) – he was always attached to the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and he experienced all these events with him. From the first day of be’that until the day it was announced in public, he was subject to all attacks and difficulties. He himself says, “I followed him like a lamb which moves after its mother”.
“Every day, he taught me new things with his behavior and he asked me to be committed to these teachings”. It was the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) who educated and built this noble and heavenly personality. “Each year, he spent some time in the Cave of Hira. It was only me who used to go and visit him. No one else did this. At that time, no house had begun to follow Islam except the one in which the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and Khadijah were living. And I was the third among them. I used to see the light of revelation and I smelled the scent of prophethood”. [Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 192]. The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) was raised like this.
Then, the event of be’that with its difficulties occurred. The day when the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and Muslims were exiled from Makka and they were forced to go to the Valley of Abi Talib – the valley which belonged to Abi Talib and which was a place where there were not any plants and water – the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) was only 17 years old. A 17-year-old young individual entered the Valley of Abi Talib and he was only 20 years old when they came out in a miraculous way. When the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) went to Ta’if so that he could possible exert his influence – he stayed there for 10 days – the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) was with him. The nobility and rich people of Ta’if found out that the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) had come to that city and they provoked their servants, cohorts and the people on the streets to throw stones at him. There, the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) stood and defended the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.).
The night when for the first time, a number of great personalities in Madina secretly went to the old house of Abdul Muttalib in order to pledge their allegiance to the Holy Prophet, it was the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) as well as Hamza who defended the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) against those Quraysh unbelievers who had found out about this event and who had surrounded the house in order to launch an attack. This young individual – this young, religious and enlightened person who was connected with divine revelation and who was a true believer and a completely pious person – devoted all these 13 years and all his existence to defending the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and his mission. He also undertook the most difficult tasks during the Holy Prophet’s (s.w.a.) migration to Madina. That is to say, he undertook the task of transferring women – fawatims – returning to owners the things that were held in trust by the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and then reaching the troops and going to Madina.
Later on in Madina, he became the best commander, the best believer, the best student of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and the best worshiper among Muslims. During wars, all hopes were pinned on the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.). In mosques and during prayers, all hearts were influenced by his enlightened heart. Whenever the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) took the minbar, the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) understood his teachings better than all other students and he asked questions more than all other students. There is a narration which says, “When people asked Hazrat, ‘Why do you quote the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) so much?’ he answered, ‘I used to ask the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) questions and he used to answer them. Whenever I did not ask a question, he himself explained the matter to me’”. Therefore, he was an excellent student. These 10 years were spent like this with all their sorrow, grief, sweetness and bitterness.
After the Holy Prophet’s (s.w.a.) demise, the event of Saqifah and the issue of caliphate arose. Well, it was clear that the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) had the right to be the caliph and that he considered himself to be the rightful caliph, but he did not enter into any debate and uproar. When the issue of pledging allegiance came to an end, he accepted the new ruler because he did not want to stand up against people and because he did not want to give rise to any fitna. Later, he drifted away from political affairs. That is to say, he did not create any obstacle on the way of those who were in charge of affairs.
After some time, he felt that the Islamic community needed him: “Until I witnessed that some people have turned away from Islam and that they want to wipe out the religion of Muhammad (God’s greetings be upon him and his household”. It was then that he entered the arena. He began to cooperate and help those people who were in charge of managing the community and he guided them wherever they made a mistake including scientific, political and all other areas. This has been acknowledged by everyone. This is not something that we Shia Muslims claim. The narration and history books of Muslims – including both Shias and Sunnis – are full of the Commander of the Faithful’s (a.s.) services: “If it had not been for Ali, Umar would have been destroyed” [speaking in Arabic].
This has been narrated by Sunnis many times. So, this is not what we alone say. The guidance and assistance that that great personality provided included the organization of the army, the observance of Islamic rules, the management of political affairs and other such issues. He was a true mentor. He was the pivot and center of casting light in the Islamic community. These 25 years were spent in a way that all of you know.
Then, it was the Commander of the Faithful’s (a.s.) turn to become the caliph. It was then that he showed the most extraordinary way of management and government throughout history. The four years and nine, ten months when he was the caliph was the most miraculous and extraordinary way of governing. No similar government has ever been witnessed. His government was the government of absolute justice and courage accompanied by absolute innocence. The circumstances that existed in his government did not even occur during the time of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). During the time of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.), guidelines and limits were clear, but during the time of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.), problems were much more complicated and intricate considering the vast area of the world of Islam. During the time of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.), the only cities were Madina, Makka and a few other cities, but during the time of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.), the country had become very large, there were many new Muslims, ideological and religious borders had been ruffled and shattered, and there were many other problems.
In this community, the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) formed such a government that all justice-based governments throughout the world feel proud to emulate to some extent. Of course, they cannot do this and no one has managed to form such a government until today. He was the manifestation of justice, holiness, fair-mindedness, mercy, wisdom and courage. He was the manifestation of observing people’s rights and serving God. This is the summary of the Commander of the Faithful’s (a.s.) life.
This sentence existed in last night’s duas and dhikrs: “Oh God, curse the murderers of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.)”. In the Kufa Mosque, there was only one person who cut his blessed forehead with a sword, but this dua says, “murderers”. Notice that this is one of the lessons that one learns from duas. It is not necessary for one to be directly involved in an event so that this event is ascribed to him. On the day the idea of arbitration was brought up in the Battle of Siffin, some shallow people were deceived by the copies of the Holy Quran which were put on spears. They were so deceived by this event that they dared to exert pressures on a noble individual like Ali so that he accepts arbitration. Since that day, the murderers of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) range from those who were active in that event and those who did not appreciate his value, to those who acted against him and those who cooperated in murdering this great personality in history because of their lust or personal motives. May God curse them all.
Today is the anniversary of the day when the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) was wounded. At a dawn like today, an event began in the Kufa Mosque whose disastrous consequences continued long after – perhaps until many centuries later. This was why the trustworthy Gabriel or another divine angle shouted, “I swear by God that the foundations of guidance have been destroyed. Ali al-Murtaza was murdered”. He was murdered while he was praying. Later on, everyone testified that “Ali was murdered at the mihrab because of the severity of his justice”. The crime of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) was his justice and it was this justice that helped him achieve martyrdom and this high rank.
For the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.), martyrdom was a level and a rank. The day when the bloody body of that Hazrat was being carried out of the mosque, some people were crying. Everyone was sad and hearts were bursting because of extreme sadness and sorrow. On that day, the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) said, “This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth” [The Holy Quran, 33: 22]. According to a narration, he said to Imam Hassan (a.s.), “My son, why are you crying? Here is your grandfather, God’s Messenger, and here is Khadijah and your mother, Fatima” [Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 42, page 282]. All of them are waiting for Ali to join them.
“In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: He, Allah, is One.
Allah is He on Whom all depend.
He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And none is like Him” [The Holy Quran, 112].
Dear God, by the lofty position of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) before You, make us follow him in our actions, behavior and words. Dear God, make the things that we say and hear influence the speaker and the audience. Make us become Muslims in the true sense of the word. Answer the prayers of these religious and pious people in such days and at such nights.
Dear God, grant the requests of all the needy. Bestow Your mercy and forgiveness on our dead. Dear God, associate the pure souls of our dear martyrs and the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) with Your saints. Dear God, shower Your mercy and forgiveness on us. Forgive us and bestow Your Mercy on us. Make us benefit from Your support and assistance.
Second Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad and upon his immaculate, pure and chosen household, especially upon the Commander of the Faithful, Seddiqat al-Tahera, Hassan and Hussein- the master of the youth of paradise - Ali ibn al-Hussein Zayn al-Abidin, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kadhim, Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi, Hassan ibn Ali al-Zaki al-Askari and Hujjat al-Qaem al-Mahdi. Greetings be upon them all and upon the Imams of Muslims, supporters of the oppressed, and those who guide the faithful. And I ask God to forgive me and you.
Once more, I would like to advise all the brothers and sisters not to forget about piety. The responsibility of all of us is to observe divine piety. Our constant advice to ourselves and to our religious brothers and sisters should be to observe piety.
In this sermon, I would like to say a few things about regional issues and I want to discuss certain matters with our Arab brothers. The issue of Lebanon was not an ordinary and simple issue. The 33-day war was a historical phenomenon. We do not remember a similar event in the entire region and the enemies of Muslim nations and Islamic Awakening never expected such an event, but it happened.
The 33-day war had a victor and a loser. Well, it is obvious that the winning side was Hezbollah of Lebanon, Lebanese Resistance, the people of Lebanon and, in fact, the Islamic Ummah. All nations became happy because of this victory. You have heard – and it is the truth – that today, the name of Hezbollah and its leader are among the sweetest names in the world of Islam and among Arab countries and other nations. The members of this group are the most popular individuals. The same is true in our own country. The same is true in Turkey, Egypt, North Africa, Islamic countries and everywhere else.
This indicates that the entire world of Islam considers itself to be part of this victory. The Zionists were, of course, the losing side. The losing side was the fake Israeli government. However, there is no one in the world who excludes America from this losing side. The Europeans have confirmed this as well. The same is true of other people. The Americans themselves have confirmed this indirectly and in many different ways. America too lost in this war. It is evident that these people have – on different levels – certain regional agents who are dependent on them. These agents are also among the losing side.
As I said, this victory on the one hand and this loss on the other hand was a great event and it has certain lessons which peoples will benefit from whether the enemies like it or not. That is to say, the people of Palestine, the people of Iraq, the people of Iran and other nations saw with their own eyes that the only way to achieve victory is to show resistance and steadfastness and that there is no other way even if the resisting side is comprised of a small group of people and even if the power against which that small group of people resist is the strongest army in the world and is supported by America. No matter what, this is a divine secret and tradition.
Resistance is the tool to achieve victory. However, those who resist should not be afraid of the dangers of resistance. If they show fear, there will be problems for their resistance and this way, victory will not be achieved. The greatest disaster for all nations and peoples is to show fear in the middle of the way. If the group of people and nation who want to show resistance are not afraid of abandoning the pleasures of life, losing their lives and forgetting about luxuries, if they do not become agitated and if they manage to move forward, then resistance will undoubtedly be accompanied by victory.
When such resistance is accompanied by faith, it will continue. Therefore, we say – as we have always said – that faith together with resistance will be followed by victory. And we do not only mean religious faith. Rather, we mean faith in any principle. Of course, if this faith is of a religious kind, Allah the Exalted has promised that all natural and historical rules will be at the service of the resistant group.
“If any do wish for the transitory things of this life, We readily grant them - such things as We will, to such person as We will” [The Holy Quran, 17: 18]. This ayah is about the people who are after material pleasures and whose intentions are worldly, but they are determined and they want these things. Therefore, God grants them what they want. The same is true of a person whose motives are religious: “Of the bounties of your Lord, We bestow freely on all- These as well as those” [The Holy Quran, 17: 20]. This is the divine tradition.
The event in Lebanon taught a lesson to all Muslims and you dear brothers and sisters should know that after this Lebanese event, the pages of the events in the region have been turned. Of course, its results may not become clear soon, but they will show themselves to everyone gradually and in the long term. After the Islamic Revolution – in the victory of the Islamic Revolution, this had been experienced as well – peoples saw, once more, with their own eyes that the way to achieve victory and salvation is nothing but resistance against bullies, transgressors and oppressors.
What I want to say is that the losers in this event have not remained and will not remain idle. The story is not over. They are busy taking action and they are trying to halter and control the consequences of this failure and defeat. This is because the blow that they have received is a hard one. It is the fake Zionist regime which has received this blow. Throughout the past 50 years, the entire west – including Europe, America and others – has tried to help this regime to survive.
And the source of support for this government is its army. Armies should be trusted by their people. What fell into disgrace in this event was the army of Israel which is a source of reliance for its government, political system and national morale. But this army sank deep in the mire and it was defeated by a civilian group with few and very limited resources. So, the blow is very hard and America, activists of international Zionism and the rest of their supporters are trying to somehow halter and repair this defeat. We should be vigilant and see what it is that they have plotted – alone or in cooperation with one another - against the world of Islam, the Islamic Ummah and different Muslim nations.
We should be vigilant and awake. First of all, their plan in Lebanon is to weaken Hezbollah. Of course, they have failed to do this, but they have not abandoned their plan. They are trying to politically weaken Hezbollah as much as they can. They want to prevent Hezbollah from achieving power and becoming strong and they want to exert political pressures on it. They want to change the mission of the United Nations Force – namely, UNIFIL – whose members have come from different countries and whose original mission was to defend the people of Lebanon against transgressors. They want to make it move against Hezbollah which is the living force of Lebanon. These tasks are among their plans. Of course, the countries which have dispatched these troops know that they should not confront the people of Lebanon and fight against Hezbollah, but American policies are after these things.
The people of Lebanon love Hezbollah. Most outstanding Lebanese politicians – whether those who are Shia and Sunni or those who are Christian – are interested in Hezbollah and they are proud of it. However, there are certain enemies among them and they are making efforts against it.
One of the tasks that they follow is Palestinian issues. Part of what is happening in Palestine is for the sake of making up for the disgrace of Israel on the issue of Lebanon. An important part of these pressures, the daily massacre of the people of Palestine and attack on different areas – whether on the East Bank or on Gaza – is for the sake of making up for this disgrace. They are trying to uproot the government of Hamas.
The point that I want to draw the attention of Palestinian brothers to – this point will also be discussed in my Arabic speech – is that we, the people of Palestine and all Muslim brothers should know that we should not turn the reality of “people against occupiers” into “people against people”. This is what the enemy is trying to do. They want to pit Palestinians against Palestinians. In Iraq, they want to pit Iraqis against Iraqis. Everyone should be vigilant and careful about this issue. Today, unity is the most urgent need of the people of Palestine, as it is for the rest of the world.
One of the things that the enemies are following up is the issues of Iraq. Of course, the issues of Iraq came before the event in Lebanon and now it has been intensified. Iraq, Lebanon and the events that have taken place are the links in a broken American chain. They wanted to hatch a certain plot and they started from Iraq, but it did not pay off. Therefore, they pursued their plot in Lebanon and the situation worsened. Now, their plot has been abandoned, but the Americans and their followers are doing their best so that they can implement their policies to some extent.
In Iraq too, they are pursuing the same policy of “people against people”. In that country, the truth is about the occupiers who are interfering in all affairs including the affairs of the government and the Parliament, and presidential, ministerial, financial and security affairs. Worse and more dangerous than all of these is that on the basis of ample evidence, they are trying to promote terrorism in Iraq. That is to say, they want to pit the people against the people in the name of Shia and Sunni. They want to make Sunnis suspicious of Shias and they want to make Shias suspicious of Sunnis in some ways. They want to make this thirsty for the other’s blood and they want to provoke that to take revenge. This is the Americans’ policy in Iraq.
Today, our Iraqi brothers seriously need a kind of unity based on the understanding that the enemy wants to turn the reality of “people against occupiers” into “people against people”. The same policy exists in the entire region. The old policy of creating religious and denominational discord has been revived. Of course, the English are the experts in this regard and they have taught it to the Americans. They want to create discord between Shia and Sunni however they can. Everyone should pay attention to this.
In Iraq, Shia and Sunni have lived with one another for centuries. There are many Shias and Sunnis who have a familial bond with one another. During the past centuries, there has never been such discord. During the time of the Ottomans, the government and the ruling system used to oppress and harass Shias. The same oppression existed during the time of Saddam and other eras were the same more or less, but Shia and Sunni peoples had no problems with one another. However today, they want to pit the people of Iraq against one another.
In the world of Islam too, their dependent agents bring up the issue of the Shia Crescent and they say, “Oh Sunnis, why are you sitting idle. You should hurry up because Shias are becoming dominant”. They draw a so-called Shia Crescent which is comprised of Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon so that they can frighten the Sunni Community and Sunni governments. On the other hand, they promote certain ideas so that they can separate the Islamic Republic from its neighbors. They bring up the issue of the Islands [the Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa Island] and different other issues so that Iran feels that it is under threat. They provoke Shia and Sunni against one another in different ways. This is their plan. If we want the victories that - by Allah’s favor and grace - have been achieved against arrogant policies in the region during the past few years to produce the desired results, we should be vigilant and awake.
As well as attending to the issue of building our country, we should do our best to build minds outside the country in political areas and we should not allow the enemy to penetrate from this area.
Quds Day is imminent. Quds Day is the day of the cry of the Islamic Ummah against the 50-year oppression and transgression of the enemies of this ummah. The entire Islamic Ummah and all Islamic nations should appreciate the value of Quds Day. By Allah’s favor, you people of Iran will appreciate the value of this day, as is the case every year.
“In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I swear by the time,
Most surely man is in loss,
Except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience” [The Holy Quran, 103].
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings
Translation of Arabic Sermon
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Hello to the children of our Islamic Ummah including all women and men throughout the world and hello to the resistant and steadfast soldiers in Lebanon and Palestine.
The days of the auspicious month of Ramadan pass one after another and as they pass, hearts and souls benefit from the blessings and boons that the God of the world has bestowed on these nights and days.
In this month, the Islamic Ummah comes to life again, its spiritual morale achieves transcendence and its capabilities for confronting different challenges increase. I ask Allah the Most Righteous to bestow – in this month - His blessings and kindness on all you children of the Islamic Ummah wherever you are.
Brothers and sisters, the Islamic Ummah is at a critical and crucial stage in the present time and conditions and resources are suitable for achieving great developments and victories. Of course, great dangers and incidents are possible as well. After the great and magnificent victory of Hezbollah in Lebanon and after the destructive earthquake which completely changed America’s strategy in the region, arrogant shaitans hurriedly and nervously tried to make up for this defeat and failure.
Before this event too, the victory of the government of Hamas in Palestine was like a painful blow to the Zionist enemy and America’s policy. It was also a great victory for Muslim peoples in the region. Before these two events, Iraq was witness to the ratification of the Constitution, the formation of the Parliament and many other consecutive phenomena which led to the formation of the independent and united Iraqi government. Each of these events was a reason for the defeat of America’s plans on the issue of Iraq and for the loss of America’s heavy financial and human investments.
Expanding domination on the Middle East region, helping Israel to become dominant in this region and destroying every independence-seeking and freedom-based movement in the world of Islam were the goals that the Great Satan followed through occupying Iraq and the courses of action that it adopted after that. Not only did these goals face defeat and failure, but also the events and miracles that religious Lebanese youth created undermined the Zionist regime and they increased the public morale of the Islamic Ummah and its confidence about its mission. The losers in these events are working day and night to rein in and control their defeat. Therefore it is necessary for Muslims to be fully vigilant about the entire world of Islam, particularly Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon.
First of all, certain efforts are being made in Iraq to undermine security, to gradually draw the country to denominational fitna and to portray the elected government as incompetent in managing affairs. This is the pivot of America’s policy in Iraq. This way, they want to justify their military presence and prepare the ground for the domination of a mercenary government.
The secession of Iraq is also one of the dangers that America’s policy can cause for the people of this country. All influential and committed personalities in Iraq should be sure that the return of security and fighting against vandalism, poverty and unemployment in this great country will only be possible in the shade of a powerful government which is based on the will of the people. And this is not possible in the shade of America’s occupation and endless interferences in all affairs of Iraq and in the responsibilities of the government and the Parliament. Everyone should join hands in defending the popular and religious government of Iraq - which is based on the will of the people – in making serious demands for the exit of the Americans and in putting an end to their interferences. All Iraqis – including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Turkmens and other people – should cooperate with one another in order to achieve this goal.
Second, in Palestine, the enemy has resorted to creating domestic discord after its efforts to lay economic siege and exert different pressures – which were made with the purpose of overthrowing the popular government of Hamas - failed. Despite their domestic differences, the Palestinians have managed to find common points among themselves in the recent years. They have passed through very difficult stages. But today, the intelligence services of America and Zionism are trying to turn the differences between Palestinians into an insoluble issue. Is it not strange that the formal recognition of Israel has become a condition for cooperation with the Palestinians? Without a doubt, this condition is not compatible with the previous requests and intentions of any Palestinian group. Palestinian brothers should beware of the enemy because the conditions are critical.
Those who were defeated in Lebanon are trying with a deep grudge to show and resolve their complexes. Today, you need to become united around the pivot of the elected government. You should not allow your differences to become an encouraging factor for the enemy.
Third, in the 33-day war in Lebanon, Hezbollah, Resistance, the people of Lebanon and the entire Islamic Ummah were the winning side. And the losing side was comprised of Israel, America and desperate individuals in the region. These losers are trying to deliver a blow to Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance Movement in Lebanon twice as hard as they are trying to preserve the entirety of the dying Zionist regime. Everyone should know that the Lebanese Resistance exists in the heart of the Islamic Ummah thanks to its jihad, courage and thanks to the blood of its innocent children.
The people of Lebanon and most Lebanese politicians are proud of Hezbollah. Undoubtedly, any effort which is made with the purpose of confronting this religious and self-sacrificing group – whether on the part of the Zionists or on the part of the miserable mercenaries of the Great Satan – will face the response of the world of Islam and the Arab world, particularly the courageous youth of Resistance.
Fourth, in the world of Islam, denominational discord is one of the plots that the losers of the region hatch. Muslim brothers should avoid and be completely careful about any word or course of action that furthers this plot. In the Middle East region, America does not remain loyal even to the governments which were its allies for many years. This is because it does not think of anything except for its own interests and the interests of its student, Israel. Therefore, no one – whether Shias and Sunnis or any other ethnicity in the region – should pin their hopes on dependence on America.
Frightening Sunnis of the Shia Crescent, frightening Shias of the extremism of takfiri groups, frightening governments of the nuclear energy of the Islamic Republic and separating the Islamic Republic from its neighbors are all the political strategies of America and Britain. All of us should enjoy a high level of awareness so that we do not fall into their trap.
Quds Day is the day of the unity and solidarity of the Islamic Ummah under the flag of saving holy Quds. Therefore, we should appreciate the value of this day and make people throughout the world hear our cry in defending the oppressed people of Palestine. We should strengthen our hearts and souls with the blessings of the month of Ramadan and we should strengthen and increase our faith in divine promises.
“The unbelievers spend their wealth to hinder men from the path of Allah, and so will they continue to spend, but in the end they will have only regrets and sighs. At length they will be overcome and the unbelievers will be gathered together to hell in order that Allah may separate the impure from the pure, put the impure, one on another, heap them together, and cast them into Hell. They will be the ones to have lost” [The Holy Quran, 8: 36-37].
I advise both you and myself to observe piety and by saying so, I ask God to forgive me and you.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings
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