Iran Press/ Middle East: Amid the dire economic conditions in Lebanon, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in his televised address prompted believers to contribute to social solidarity and urged believers to gain the spiritual excellence in the holy month of Ramadan, citing a hadith by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), "Fast, and you will be healthy".
In this context, he recommended that such social aids be offered out of the limelight and away from cameras in order to respect the feelings of those needy people who are receiving the aids.
He then underlined the importance of patience as the major lesson faithful Muslims can come up with from fasting during Ramadan Month.
"Fasting strengthens patience. With patience we can beat the Coronavirus, defeat the Israeli enemy and overcome major other challenges," Sayyed Nasrallah said via Al-Manar TV.
Sayyed Nasrallah urged believers to respect the sanctity of the Holy Month, calling on those who are exempt from fasting to refrain from eating and drinking in public.
"On the religious and health benefits of fasting: I recently read a study that mentioned the great health benefits of fasting for 3 consecutive days each month of the year. The holy prophet even said: 'Fast to heal [your bodies]'," he said.
He added: "Fasting also teaches us patience, and patience is the key to victory and relief. Patience is one of the unique traits of believers, and fasting is an annual exercise for us that Allah has blessed us with. One who fasts will not see hellfire."
"The reward of [inviting] a fasting believer for iftar is equivalent to the reward of freeing a slave, and according to our narrations, the reward of freeing a slave is tremendously great," Hezbullah leader highlighted.
"When we talk about inviting a believer to break their fast, we shouldn't think of it as an individual issue; we should consider it to be a problem of the community. This is an example of how we misunderstand narrations. We are required to help the ones in need," said Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement Hassan Nasrallah.
"This was even highlighted in the Quran in the verse that was revealed when the Ahl ul Bayt a.s. gave the orphan, prisoner, and needy the food they had to break their fast and were only left with water for themselves," Nasrallah continued, adding: "The holy Quran says: 'We were not of those who prayed, nor did we used to feed the poor'. Notice how feeding the poor came immediately after prayer, which is the most important pillar of Islam. This is proof of the great importance of feeding the needy."
"And they give food, for their love for Him, to the needy, orphan, and captive, [saying], "We feed you only for the sake of Allah; we wish not from you any reward or gratitude."This verse tells us that giving should be for the sake of Allah.
"It tells us that giving should be from what is ours, not what is leftover from our goods. Giving starts with giving the ones in need from your family and neighbors, and then the circle is widened to give to the others in your community," Hezbollah leader underscored.
"What we are responsible to do today is to give the ones in need, and it is very important to note here that we should not record any footage of our charity giving. We are required to preserve the dignity & honor of those people and not embarrass them like this," he noted, adding: "The Imams would usually ask people to write their needs on papers and refuse to listen to them directly so as to not embarrass them by having to speak about their needs. We should learn from their example and act accordingly."
"As for the recent events taking place in the country and the region, if there are a need and benefit to discuss those topics, I will bother you with my presence again inshallah," Nasrallah continued, adding: "Of course, resisting oppression is a part of our religion, but it should not become a distraction from our basic Islamic duties. We can do both simultaneously, for they are not contradictory, but complementary."
"We often forget about religion and are taken away by what this worldly life throws at us. What Sayyed Hassan did today by strictly speaking about the month of Ramadan only was a reminder that our religion is a priority," Hezbollah leader noted.
"Everyone was expecting today's speech to tackle the recent events (assassination attempt, the opening of the fence at the border, and everything that came after, continuous airspace violations, and other activities at the border on Lebanese occupied and disputed land by the Zionists)," the leader said.
"I believe in Gray areas in life, I believe in case-by-case actions and opinions, in the complexity of humans and their approach to different life matters. However, when it comes to resistance there are only two colors: with or against," Hassan Nasrallah concluded.
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