RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in the Iraqi city of Karbala’s Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn, Hujjat al-Islam Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala’i, referred to the virtues of the Day of Arafah, the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage and a day which commemorates the Prophet Muhammad’s final sermon and completion of the message of Islam, and said, “On this day, God Almighty answered the prayers and sent blessings on the people.”
The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani said that the conflicts taking place in the Islamic world are due to intolerance and prejudice among Muslims and emphasized the necessity of rejecting such behaviour as well as performing actions which are against Islamic teachings.
He added, “Today, more than ever, we need to sincerely return to God and adhere to the message to the noble Prophet Muhammad which is based upon compassion, brotherhood, respect for each other, the rejection of intolerance and unnecessary conflicts which are not religiously or morally permissible.”
Hujjat al-Islam Karbala’i stressed, “We also need to accept one another and work together with each other in accomplishing good works as we have more commonalities which unite us rather than differences which divides us. Intolerance and prejudice have become dominant and the Islamic world has become the home of bloody conflicts and abhorrent war.”
The Iraqi cleric said that the “Supplication of Arafah” contains themes of lofty and deep knowledge and we ask all believers to pray for the victory of the warriors, the salvation of the nation from the evils of the terrorists and for relief for the victims, the eradication of terrorism, the return of refugees to their homes and to guide the rulers and authorities in the event that they are capable of guidance and salvation.”
He called for the Iraqi people to honour the orphaned children of the country’s martyrs and said: “The warriors and martyrs have made sacrifices the people and protect and preserve their homeland and holy places of Iraq and accordingly, we must pay more attention to their families and treat them kindly.”
Hujjat al-Islam Karbala’i referred to the June 2014 fatwa issued by Ayatollah al-Sistani in which the leading Iraqi source of emulation called on all Iraqi citizens to defend the country, its people, the honour of its citizens and its sacred sites and said that this fatwa is one of the main factors for the protection of Iraq and its sanctities.
111/112