In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

His Eminence Sayyed Ali Fadlallah delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain al-Hassanain Mosque on Sha’ban 25, 1447 AH / February 13, 2026. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, and hundreds of believers attended the Jumu‘a prayer. Following is a summary

The First Sermon

Preparing for Ramadan: The Month of Fasting and Worship

 

Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book: “The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful.”

 

Only a few days remain, and the blessed month of Ramadan is approaching. This is the month which Allah, the Most Exalted, honored by sending the Qur’an as light, guidance, and glad tidings for the believers, and He placed the obligation of fasting so that the believers may enhance their taqwa (piety), as He says: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.”

 

This is also what Muhammad (p.) would announce to his companions before its arrival, calling them to prepare and welcome it.

 

It is narrated in his (p.) life that when the month of Rajab began, he would tell his companions to pray: “O Allah, bless us in Rajab, and allow us to reach Ramadan.” And when Sha’ban began, he would similarly say: “O Allah, bless us in Sha’ban, and allow us to reach Ramadan.”

 

On the last Friday of Sha’ban, Muhammad (p.) addressed the people, saying: “O people, the month of Allah has come to you full of blessing, mercy, and forgiveness. It is the best of months in the sight of Allah, its days are the best of days, its nights are the best of nights, and its hours are the best of hours. You are invited in it to Allah’s hospitality. You are honored in it. Your breaths are glorification, your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted, and your supplications are answered…”

 

Muhammad (p.) wanted the believers to enter this month with eagerness, joy, and readiness to fulfill the responsibilities Allah has prescribed for them.

 

 The Month of Worship and Repentance

 

Dear brothers and sisters, the responsibilities of Ramadan are not limited to abstaining from food and drink alone, as some may mistakenly think. While fasting is the central pillar, this month is also one of prayer, Qur’an recitation, supplication, repentance, charity, improving character, guarding oneself from forbidden acts, purifying the soul, and helping the needy and orphans.

 

Muhammad (p.) said: “Ask your Lord with sincere intentions and pure hearts to grant you success in fasting and reciting His Book. Remember in your hunger and thirst the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment. Give charity to your poor and needy. Respect your elders and show mercy to the young. Maintain your family ties. Guard your tongues, lower your gaze from what is forbidden, and restrain your hearing from what is unlawful. Be compassionate to the orphans. Repent to Allah from your sins, and raise your hands to Him in supplication during your prayers, for these are the best hours in which Allah, the Most Exalted, looks upon His servants with mercy, responds to them when they call Him, answers them when they ask, and fulfills their requests when they pray.”

 

Similarly, Imam Zain al-Abidin (a.s.) said in his supplication when welcoming Ramadan: “O Allah, help us to fast it while restraining our limbs from disobedience, using them in ways that please You, so that we do not listen with our ears to vain speech, nor look with our eyes at the unlawful, nor extend our hands to forbidden acts, nor step our feet toward what is prohibited, nor fill our stomachs except with what You have allowed, nor let our tongues speak except what is righteous… Help us observe the five daily prayers on time, fulfill their obligations, and carry out their duties… Enable us to maintain our family ties, assist our neighbors generously, purify our wealth with zakat, compensate those we have wronged, and reconcile with our enemies, far from animosity in You and for You…”

 

 Blessings of the Month

 

Muhammad (p.) highlighted the blessings of this month for both this life and the Hereafter: “O people, whoever feeds a fasting believer in this month will have his neck freed from Hell and forgiveness for past sins.” When some said they could not do this, he (p.) said: “protect yourself from the Fire even by a half-date, and fear Allah even by a sip of water.”

 

He (p.) also said: “O people, whoever improves his character in this month will have a path opened for him on the Day when feet will slip… whoever maintains family ties, Allah will connect him with His mercy… whoever  prays voluntarily prayers, Allah will write for him protection from the Fire… whoever fulfills a mandatory act, he will be rewarded as if performing seventy such acts in other months… whoever recites a verse of the Qur’an will be rewarded as if he completed the Qur’an in other months… whoever observes Laylat al-Qadr will have a reward greater than a thousand months of obedience to Allah.”

 

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, we are urged to benefit from every moment of this month—its days, nights, and hours. With even small efforts, we can protect ourselves from worldly and Hereafter consequences and reach the highest ranks.

 

 Recommendations for Ramadan

 

1. Prepare a program for yourself for the month, including Qur’an reading, supplication, night prayers, family relations, charity, and purifying yourself from wrongs, so that the month does not pass without fulfilling your responsibilities. Avoid being distracted by programs others have prepared, which may not align with Allah’s goals.

 

2. Do not see the month of Ramadan as merely a month for indulging in food and drink at night or pre-dawn. It should be a month of moderation, training ourselves in balance and avoiding excess, as Allah, the Most Exalted .says: “And eat and drink but do not be extravagant. Indeed, He does not like the extravagant.”

 

3. Benefit from the family atmosphere of the month of Ramadan, as families gather and strengthen bonds, improve their relationship with Allah, and repair conflicts.

 

4. Contribute to helping the poor, orphans, and those in need according to your ability, and encourage others to do the same.

 

Finally, we should pray to Allah, the Most Exalted, upon the arrival of the month of Ramadan: “O Allah, let this month arrive upon us with security and faith, safety and Islam, abundant health, wide provision, and protection from sickness. O Allah, grant us fasting, night prayers, and Qur’an recitation. O Allah, safeguard us during Ramadan and accept it from us, and let us complete it forgiven and blessed by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.”

 

Second Sermon

 

Dear worshipers of Allah, the Most Exalted, I advise you and myself with the advice of Imam al-Rida (a.s.), when he addressed a companion on the last Friday of  the month of Sha’ban: “O Abu al-Salt, most of Sha’ban has passed. Take advantage of what remains, make up for shortcomings, devote yourself to what benefits you, leave what does not concern you, increase in supplication, Qur’an recitation, and repentance, so that Allah accepts the month upon you sincerely. Fulfill your trusts, remove grudges, refrain from sins, and fear Allah, relying on Him in secret and public affairs. Say: ‘O Allah, if You have not forgiven us in what has passed of Sha’ban, forgive us in what remains,’ for in this month Allah frees from Hell’s fire in honor of its sanctity.”

 

Lebanon continues to suffer under Israeli aggressions affecting civilians, including the recent incidents in al-Tayri, the massacre in Yanouh, targeting citizens in Ayta ash-Sha’b, and explosions of homes along border villages. The worst was the Israeli incursion into al-Habbariyeh, seven kilometers from the Lebanese-Palestinian border, including the abduction of its former mayor .

 

It is clear that the enemy seeks to pressure the Lebanese state and citizens to submit, which calls for the state to protect its interests and resist concessions, using both political and diplomatic strategies, and utilizing national strength, following the principle: “No right is lost while someone seeks it.”

 

In this context, we commend the positive stance of residents in southern towns visited by the Prime Minister, who reaffirmed their loyalty to the state and their desire for it to protect their suffering, hoping the government fulfills  its promises

We hope the government quickly resolves salaries for public sector workers, retirees, and teachers, and that merchants help, not exploit, fasting people during the month of Ramadan, by controlling prices of essential goods.

In Tripoli, Lebanon’s second city, a building collapse killed and injured dozens. We extend condolences to the victims’ families and call on authorities to prevent further tragedies and hold those responsible accountable.

The ongoing occupation and attempts to annex the West Bank threaten to displace Palestinians and end the Palestinian cause, while Gaza continues to suffer siege and attacks. Arab and Islamic states must support the Palestinian people and prevent this aggression.

According to the fiqh position of the Sayyed (ra) Wednesday will mark the beginning of Ramadan in Lebanon and other countries sharing part of the night with sighting areas. We pray to Allah, the Most Exalted, for a blessed and safe month.