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The
two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamayn Al-Hasanayn Mosque
Beirut, Muharram 20 1425/March 12 2004.
Mercy
and leniency Allah says in His Holy Book in the context of
talking to His Messenger about how the Prophet deals with his
companions and with people in general:
“Thus
it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently,
and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly
have dispersed from around you;
pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them,
and take
counsel with them in the affair;
so when you have decided, then place your trust in
Allah;
surely Allah loves those who trust”.
In
this Ayah, God stresses that the secret of the prophet’s
success in his Message that made people listen to and follow
him, lies in his gentleness.
For
although Allah has given him the highest rank in mankind, he
used to treat all people as brothers, forgiving anybody who
hurts him. This is one of the characteristics of any leader,
to forgive those living with him when they make mistakes, and
build self-confidence in them.
He
has the duty to develop their intellect so they could help him
in running the affairs of the nation. Thus, the Messenger ('s)
is asked to consult with the people. He should encourage them
to think, making each one of them a potential leader who
engages actively in finding solutions and not merely following
orders.
The
Messenger is the Supreme Role Model
The
Messenger ('s) does not certainly need this consultations,
having been given all the knowledge he needs, by the Almighty
God.
But
we are given an object lesson about the relations between
future leaders and the people: The leadership should confer
with the people informing them about its plans and projects
except those who might harm the security before it takes its
decisions, especially when the leader is as gentle as the
Prophet (p.):
Certainly
a Messenger has come to you from among yourselves;
grievous to him is your falling into distress,
excessively solicitous respecting you;
to the believers (he is) compassionate.
(9:128).
If
the prophet was the gentle and merciful who used to have the
concerns of the nation in his heart, then all leaders in all
fields whether political, jurisprudence, security or social
have to follow his lead:
Certainly
you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for
him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah
much.
(33:21).
This
is what all believers should adopt:
Whenever
a problem occurs, believers should try to solve it in a gentle
and kind manner, knowing that Allah rewards more on gentleness
them on violence:
And not alike are the good and the evil.
Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo!
He between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a
warm friend. (41:34).
Based
upon this logic, we used to say to many journalists,
especially Westerners, that Islam teaches us to be the friends
of the world, and to seek to win them as friends. It prohibits
us to fight unless in self-defence. This
is what Islam teaches us: kindness and gentleness, not
violence. Since even on the practical level, gentleness is
what enables our society to become a society where the strong
does not oppress the weak.
There
is a kind of racial discriminations men in general even in the
so-called civilized countries, practices against women. Violence
against women in the West, takes various forms including
beating, rape and even killing, and we have started to feel
the impact of this violence in our society through T.V. shows
or other media means. The UN has disclosed that women are more
inclined to contract AIDS than men through the violence of the
latter. This kind of violence is absolutely not accepted by
Islam.
Rules
of Married Life
Talking
about the relations between husband and wife Allah, the most
Exalted, says:
19.“O you who believe! It is not lawful for you that
you should take women as heritage against (their) will, and do
not (straiten) them in order that you may take part of what you
have given them, unless they are guilty of manifest indecency,
and treat them kindly;
then if you hate them, it may be that you dislike a thing
while Allah brings about through it a great deal of
good.
20. And if you wish to have (one) wife in place of another and you
have given one of them a heap of gold, then take not from it
anything;
would you take it by slandering (her) and (doing her) manifest
wrong?
21. And how can you take it
when one of you has already gone in to the other and they have
made with you a firm covenant”
4:19-21
[See Pickthall Translation]
The
Ayahs are quite clear: you should always be kind and loving
even if you decide to divorce. You should keep your legal
promises and never try to force your wife to forego her
financial rights.
There
is another kind of violence against wives. To kick her out of
her house. This is also unlawful; a man should never kick his
wife out of the house, as long as they are married. On the
other hand, the wife is not entitled to go to her parent’s
house unless she fears for her life or she is subjected to an
extraordinary pressure.
Then
there is the issue of beating the wife. This is also
religiously unlawful. Even cursing is unlawful since she
remains similar to any other woman in the society. All the
husband’s rights are those stipulated in the marriage
contract.
Although
Islam made the husband responsible for providing for the
family, it did not make the woman a slave to the man. Islam
wants their common life to be based on love and kindness. They
are a married couple in body but they are brothers in
religion.
Similarly,
one cannot beat his daughters or sons except when it is
absolutely necessary, and even then it should be gentle and
does not cause bruises, or any harm.
That
is why we have issued a fatwa that prohibits wounding the
children to let their blood spill in Ashoura. A father does
not have the right to injure or harm his children. If he wants
to teach him to love Imam Al-Hussein, such love cannot be
based on such backward practices that distort the image of
Islam in the world.
Education
on the Quran
It
is also a form of unacceptable violence when a father or a
brother prevents his daughter or sister from marrying the
qualified man she wants, for this could lead to the commonly
known practice of “Kidnapping” and then the men would
commit murder claiming they are avenging their wounded honour.
There
are also many other kinds of social violence, whereby the
strong, be it a party, an individual or a group, would force
their will on others, and prevent them from practicing their
freedom and sometimes in the name of Islam.
Therefore
we should all be educated on the culture of the Prophet ('s),
which is the culture of the Quran: To be kind and gentle in
our personal, social and political lives to recognize the
other and respect him, we should not hasten to accuse who does
not agree with us of unbelief.
Dear
loved ones: This is Islam. It is not enough to practice the
rituals, but they should also be accompanied with good
treatment to the others. This is what this Friday prayer is
meant for: to teach people of how to face their social and
political problems in the best manner, and not merely to bow
and kneel.
Walhamdo Lillahi Rabbil Aalameen
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"19.
O ye who believe! It is not lawful for you forcibly to inherit
the women ( of your deceased kinsmen), nor (that) ye should
put constraint upon them that ye may take away a part of that
which ye have given them, unless they be guilty of flagrant
lewdness. But consort with them in kindness, for if ye hate
them it may happen that ye hate a thing wherein Allah has
placed much good.
20.
And if ye wish to exchange one wife for another and ye have
given unto one of them a sum of money, (however great ), take
nothing nothing from it. Would ye take it by way of calumny
and open wrong?
21.
How can ye take it ( back) after one of you hath gone in unto
the other, and they have taken a strong pledge from you?"
4:19-21 |
