Hawzah News Agency- Delivering his Friday sermon at the Grand Fatimiyya Hussainiya in Najaf Ashraf, Qabanchi addressed a range of domestic, regional, and international issues, according to the Hawzah News Agency.
On Iraq's border crossings, he stressed that the interests and sentiments of the Iraqi people must be prioritized, free from foreign pressure. He also called for maintaining relations with neighboring Iran and avoiding alignment with its enemies, particularly as Iraq finds itself amid tensions between Iran and the United States. If Iraq seeks to mediate, he said, it must not allow itself to stand with one side against the other, as this would undermine its mediating role.
He warned against exploiting the al-Alwani murder case to incite sectarian tensions, noting that preliminary evidence indicates the matter is unrelated to sectarian issues, and called for the investigation to be completed.
On domestic matters, the Najaf Friday preacher praised Baghdad University for honoring 1,500 students wearing the Zaynabi hijab. He also expressed gratitude to the Holy Abbasid Shrine for holding the graduation ceremony of 6,450 female students from "Banat al-Kafil" in its eleventh cohort, with students from 14 provinces and seven Arab countries.
Regarding Basra, he said protests by residents of northern Basra, particularly in the al-Sadiq (AS) area, continue, and called for improving the so-called "Street of Death," addressing infrastructure and the water crisis, and establishing a university in northern Basra. He urged central and local governments to heed the protesters' demands.
On the Jurf al-Nasr case and oil smuggling allegations, he said the matter must be kept away from political calculations so that the investigation can proceed properly, amid both denial and confirmation of the allegations, including statements by the Babil governor denying the case.
Bahrain's double standards
Turning to international issues, Qabanchi said Bahrain is set to try 60 Shia religious scholars at the end of this month on charges of cooperating with Iran and reviving Husseini rituals. He noted the double standard: cooperation with Israel is no longer considered a crime or charge, while cooperation with Iran is treated as one. Even commemorating the rituals of Imam Hussein (AS) is labeled as sectarian activity, he said, while Jewish circles face no restrictions on cooperation with Israel, which is entirely permitted.
The Friday sermon: Reading history correctly
After exhorting the congregation to God-consciousness, the Najaf Friday preacher spoke about "reading history correctly" in light of the martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (SA) according to the third narration (95 days). He cited the following evidence from the teachings of the Ahlul Bayt (AS) regarding the deviation that occurred in the Muslim community after the Prophet (PBUH):
- The established hadith from the Prophet (PBUH) stating: "My ummah will divide into more than seventy sects, all of which will be in the Fire except one." This hadith is narrated in both Sunni and Shia sources, including al-Hakim al-Nishapuri's al-Mustadrak and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, and explicitly indicates that a deviation will occur after the Prophet (PBUH) affecting the majority of the ummah.
- The words of Imam Ali (AS) when bidding farewell to Hazrat Zahra (SA) at her grave, addressing the Prophet (PBUH): "The trust has been returned and the deposit restored; so ask her... Your daughter will inform you that the ummah conspired to waste her right." The Imam explicitly states that the ummah conspired to wrong Hazrat Zahra (SA).
- The sermon of Hazrat Zahra (SA) in the Prophet's Mosque, recorded in both Shia and Sunni sources, in which she said that after the Prophet (PBUH), hypocrisy appeared in the ummah, and Satan called them to himself with his cry, and they answered him, ultimately saying: "Behold, they fell into sedition..." This sermon explicitly states that the ummah deviated after the Prophet (PBUH) and that Satan gained mastery over them.
He also cited Imam Ali's (AS) words: "I held back my hand until I saw a people who had turned back from Islam calling for the destruction of the religion of God; so I feared that if I did not support Islam and its people, I would witness its collapse or destruction." In another sermon, the Imam says: "I began to think whether to attack with a cutting hand (against the enemy) or to endure the blind darkness (hardships of the era); and I saw that patience in both was wiser."
Today, as we mark the martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Zahra (SA), we recall her words:
"Tell the one buried beneath the soil:
If you hear my cry and call;
calamities and hardships have descended upon me that, if they fell upon the days, would turn them into night.
How evil it is for one who smells the scent of Ahmad (PBUH)'s soil
to be unable, over time, to sense the fragrance of precious perfumes (connection to the Prophet's family).
I had a shelter in the shadow of Muhammad (PBUH),
fearing no oppression, my refuge firm;
but today I have been humbled before humiliation, fearing my oppressor, and I stand against the wrongdoer with my cloak."
"Indeed we belong to God, and to Him we shall return."
Before addressing the topic of Hazrat Zahra (SA) and the deviation of the ummah after the Messenger of God (PBUH), the Najaf Friday preacher spoke about "piety," noting that in the past week he discussed Quranic equations, including "Remember Me and I will remember you" and "Call upon Me and I will answer you," as well as divine forgiveness, where God says: "And I am certainly the Forgiving for one who repents, believes, does righteous deeds, and then is guided." This equation, he said, links forgiveness to repentance.
He cited a narration from Imam al-Baqir (AS): "Indeed, God is happier with the repentance of His servant than a man who loses his mount on a dark night and finds it after searching." From Imam al-Sadiq (AS): "Everything has a cure, and the cure for sins is seeking forgiveness." And also from Imam al-Sadiq (AS): "When a servant seeks forgiveness abundantly, his record of deeds is raised up shining."
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