They must move now before it is too late. He called upon all parties to adopt a serious faith-based stance in order to save Lebanon from ongoing bloody conflict and illegal bloodshed, reminding them of what happened in the previous civil war which lasted for more than ten years.  

In the last Friday sermon (May 9, 2008) which he delivered at the Mosque of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, Al-Qaradawi called upon the Arab League and the secretary general, `Amr Musa, to visit Lebanon again in order to extinguish this fire which may destroy everything. Moreover, he reminded Muslims of the agreement of At-Ta’if which was unanimously accepted by all parties; therefore, it must remain as such.   

Al-Qaradawi also affirmed that the current situation in Lebanon is like a war which the Arabs are simply watching while doing nothing. Thus, he demanded – in the name of the Ummah and its scholars, including those who are wise in both hostile parties in Lebanon – to have an unconditional ceasefire as blood is being shed without any legal cause.    

Al-Qaradawi added that if two parties in a civilized nation differ with each other, their differences remain within the arena of the leadership and those in authority. Therefore, he confirmed, the resistance forces must maintain their strength to combat the enemy who is lying in wait for them with all its power. This is because Israel is still there, and it is the only one who will benefit from this civil war, while all others will lose.

Al-Qaradawi added – according to Ar-Rayah Al-Qatariyyah newspaper – that all parties should return to dialogue and talks, listen to wisdom and truth, and immediately start to choose a president instead of maintaining this presidential vacancy. He affirmed that toying with Lebanon’s security, stability, unity, and future is a major crime and high treason concerning which the Arabs must not remain silent.      

Property and Afterlife

 In his sermon, Al-Qaradawi discussed Islam’s perspective concerning property, and that it belongs to Allah, the Creator, Glory be to Him, and that the Muslim is only a caretaker who is to maintain it. Sheikh Al-Qaradawi clarified that the problem faced by people in this worldly life is that they think they will live forever while the Afterlife is absent from their thinking. Therefore, they act like someone who believes that he will never die, and even if he dies, he will not be resurrected; and if he is resurrected, he will not be called to account; and if he is called to account, he will not enter Paradise or Hell-fire. Giving an example of this, he mentioned the story of Qarun (Korah) – as recorded in the Qur’an – when his people reminded him of the Hereafter and wanted to remove himself from the heedlessness in which he was living, as he did not care about abode in the Afterlife.    

He added that the greater issue is that death is definitely the reality of all creatures, and that it will be followed by resurrection then accountability. Therefore, it is more becoming to construct a home for yourself in the Hereafter just as homes are constructed in the worldly life. Thus, every rich person must remember the Hereafter, which is “the enduring home” (as described in the Qur’an, Ghafir: 39)   

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