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Ayatullah
Al Ozma H.E. M. H. Fadlullah delivered two khotbas (at the Imamain Al-Hassanain
Mosque) Jumadi 13, 1422h / August 10th, 2001 (Several prominent religious
scholars, dignitaries and thousands of believers attended the Jumu’a
prayer).
In the Name of God, The Compassionate the Merciful
God
(SWT) Says in His Glorious Book
"Man
is a creature of haste: Soon (enough) will I show you My Signs; So ask me
not to hasten them!"(21:37).
He
also says:
”Man
prays for evil as fervently as he prays for good for man is given to haste”
(622).
This
trait, haste, is described as innate in man because of the nature of his
creation...
Man
usually wants things to happen straight away without thinking of the time
needed to ripen the circumstances or creating the conditions needed to
realize them. And then he will definitely not get what he hoped for.
The
problems of the prophets were of this kind. People used to reject the call
right away because they were under the influence of the ideas they were
brought up on. Thus they tended to refuse any new thoughts. But had they
given themselves enough time to think about it and weigh its positive
results, they would have believed in it. But these people used to stand
before the prophets who used to warn them about God (SWT)’s punishment
and tell them that if what you were saying is true, let your God (SWT)
send his punishment now. This is what the verse, we cited in the beginning
referred to, but if man knew what he was going to face he would not have
been anxious to meet it.
In
the light of this, Islam has always stressed that man ought not to rush
things but he should rather take his time and study all aspects of the
matter carefully. In our daily life, we have a lot of decisions to make,
whether inside our family, with friends, at work or in our political and
social life… in all these matters as well as is other issues that have
to do with our desires or business deals, we have to be very cautious and
never let ourselves rush to hasty actions.
Marriage
 This
is a basic Islamic teaching, that you ought not to embark upon anything
before you study all its positive and negative consequences. In this
respect, there are many things that if you study thoroughly, you will
discover the harm or loss they could inflict especially if they happen to
be crucial issues that could affect your relations with your spouse or
friends, or with deciding on whom your are going to marry or befriend. For
marriage means that each partner should provide concessions that have to
do with the other party’s moods and upbringing.
Therefore,
you have to study if you are going to be able to share your life with this
partner, with all the inconveniences it demands. The same thing goes to
matters like partnership in business or living in a neighbourhood. If you
want to buy a house, you have to learn whom your neighbours are for they
can make life intolerable.
Getting
involved in politics is also another example: Before adhering to a
political line, you ought to study the effects of such an action on your
worldly life as well as the hereafter.
That
is why our traditions have stressed the need of taking one’s time. Imam
Ali (a.s) says: ”Haste creates obstacles”. If you are in a
haste, you are bound to run into obstacles you could have avoided had you
taken your time and studied everything carefully. In his will the Imam
says: ”I warn against haste in saying and action”. Think about
what you are going to say or do before saying or doing them.
If
they are going to have a positive impact, then go ahead, but if their
consequences are going to be harmful, then you better refrain from saying
or doing them.
Imam
Muhammad Al-Baqir says:
“Haste
has led people to disaster. Had they taken time to verify, no one would
have met this fate”.
You
have to make sure that what has been said to you is true before taking any
action, especially that our society is a society of backbiting and
defamation, whether on the level of the individuals or the mass media.
The
Holy Qur'an has concentrated on this point when it said:
"O
ye who believe! If a sinner comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth,
lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance
for what ye have done”.
Therefore,
we should not pass judgment on people off hand, especially as those who
volunteer to provide the news might not be pious and might not respect
others or the truth itself. Therefore, we should make sure that the story
they are telling is the truth for two reasons. The first : this will
prevent us from doing anything wrong, and the second is that those who are
lying will be discovered and people will not believe them any more.
Moreover, they might stop this ugly habit of lying and spreading rumours.
Imam
Ali (A.S) advised Malik Al-Ashtar, when he made him the ruler of Egypt, not
to believe those who come to him to tell him about the actions and sayings
of others, because they are probably cheaters even if they pose as
advisors.
Yet,
what we have said above is restricted to your relations to others or to
your personal affairs, but it does not apply to doing good. On the
contrary when there is something good to be done you have to hurry up and
do it. According to our Imams, if you want to give anything in charity,
you have to do it right away and never let the devil give you second
thoughts about it. Muhammad (P.) says:
”Allah
(SWT) loves the Good that is not delayed”.
Thus,
when the issue has to do with the good of the nation or nearness to God (SWT),
you should hurry up and do it.
But,
when it is a decision that relates to your personal, political, or social
affairs, you have to study it thoroughly and never attempt to put it into
practice before you are absolutely sure that it is not evil.
Allah
(SWT) has given us our minds to use them.
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