The Friday sermon for Aug 14, 2026 (corresponding to 30 Safar 1448 AH) - Sayed Hashim Behbehani Mosque - Sheikh Ali Hassan Ghuloum - Kuwait

 

The 1st sermon: Don't Let Their Appearance Deceive You!  

In Bihar al-Anwar: (From al-Ridha, peace be upon him, who said that Ali ibn al-Hussein, peace be upon them both, said: If you see a man with a good demeanor and conduct, who humbles his speech and lowers himself in his movements, then wait and do not let him deceive you. For how many are those who are incapable of obtaining worldly gains and committing the forbidden due to their weak resolve, their baseness, and the cowardice of their hearts, so they set up religion as a trap for it. He continues to deceive people with his outward appearance, but if he gets an opportunity for something forbidden, he plunges into it. And if you find him abstaining from forbidden wealth) and this is a positive indicator, but it is not enough (then wait, do not let him deceive you, for the desires of creation differ. For how many are those who turn away from forbidden wealth, even if it is abundant, but push themselves towards an ugly, reprehensible act and commit a forbidden deed through it. And if you find him abstaining from that) and this is a positive indicator, but it is not enough (then wait, do not let him deceive you until you observe what his intellect is tied to. For how many are those who abandon all of that, yet they do not possess a solid intellect, so what he corrupts through his ignorance is greater than what he amends with his intellect. And if you find his intellect to be solid) and this is a positive indicator, but it is not enough (then wait, do not let him deceive you until you observe: is he with his desires against his intellect, or is he with his intellect against his desires? And how is his love for false leadership and his asceticism towards it? For among people is the one who loses this world and the Hereafter; he leaves the world for the sake of the world, and considers the pleasure of false leadership to be better than the pleasure of permissible wealth and lawful blessings. So he abandons all of that in pursuit of leadership) he could be a man of religion, and he could be known for asceticism, morals, etc., but he does this in order to be obeyed; this is his desire (until when it is said to him, "Fear Allah," pride in sin takes hold of him. Hell is sufficient for him, and it is a wretched resting place. He acts blindly, the first falsehood leading him to the furthest limits of loss, and his Lord leaves him to wander blindly in his transgression after his pursuit of what he cannot attain. Thus, he makes lawful what Allah has forbidden, and forbids what Allah has made lawful, caring nothing for what he loses of his religion as long as his leadership—for which he might feign piety—remains intact. Those are the ones upon whom Allah is angry, whom He has cursed, and for whom He has prepared a humiliating punishment).

The 2nd sermon: The Critical Distinction Between Religion and Religiosity

This discourse highlights that Religion (Deen) is the pure revelation from God, encompassing faith, the Holy Quran, sacred legislation, and divine wisdom. As the Quran states: "It is He who raised a messenger, among the people who had no Scripture, to recite His revelations to them, to make them grow spiritually and teach them the Scripture and wisdom––before that they were clearly astray" [Al-Jumu'ah: 2].

In contrast, Religiosity (Tadayyun) is an individual's personal comprehension, adoption, and commitment to those teachings—a human endeavor that can be entirely correct, or disastrously flawed.

The Pure Baseline of Religion True religion encourages a balanced, wholesome life. The Quran explicitly commands humanity to enjoy lawful sustenance: "Eat the lawful and good things that God provides for you" [Al-Ma'idah: 88]. It promotes social and familial stability: "Marry off the single among you and those of your male and female slaves who are fit [for marriage]" [An-Nur: 32]. Furthermore, it firmly rejects extreme asceticism: "Say [Prophet], ‘Who has forbidden the adornment and the nourishing food that God has provided for His servants?’ Say, ‘They are [allowed] for those who believe during the life of this world: they will be theirs alone on the Day of Resurrection.’" [Al-A'raf: 32].

The Perils of Flawed Religiosity The discourse draws upon authentic historical texts to illustrate how a misguided understanding of religion can lead to destructive behavior disguised as piety:

• Extremism in Asceticism: According to Al-Kafi, three women once approached the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) complaining that their husbands had abandoned eating meat, wearing perfume, and marital intimacy in the name of devotion. The Prophet (PBUH) immediately ascended the pulpit and declared: "What is the matter with people from my companions who do not eat meat, do not wear perfume, and do not approach women? As for me, I eat meat, I wear perfume, and I approach women. Whoever turns away from my tradition (Sunnah) is not of me." Their intentions were rooted in perceived piety, yet they fundamentally erred.
• Abandoning Responsibility: Another narrative from Al-Kafi features Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) inquiring about a financially destitute man. When told the man spends his days at home worshiping while his brothers provide his sustenance, the Imam responded: "By Allah, the one who provides for him is greater in worship than he is."
• The "Calculating" Sinner: In Ma'ani al-Akhbar, a startling account details a man whom the public revered for his outward piety. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) observed this man secretly stealing two loaves of bread and two pomegranates, only to give them away to a sick person. When confronted, the man attempted to justify his theft mathematically using the Quran, arguing: "Whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded tenfold; but whoever comes with a bad deed will be punished only for that one" [Al-An'am: 160]. He claimed he incurred four sins but gained forty rewards, netting a profit of thirty-six good deeds. The Imam sharply rebuked this twisted logic, reminding him of the verse: "God accepts [things] only from those who are mindful of Him" [Al-Ma'idah: 27]. By stealing and giving away what was not his, he merely accumulated sins. The Imam noted, "With such ugly, repulsive interpretations, they go astray and lead others astray."

Contemporary Echoes of a Historical Problem This phenomenon remains prevalent today. Individuals often manipulate religious concepts to justify unethical behavior, such as abandoning professional duties and harming public interests under the false pretense of illness, just to travel for Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). They erroneously believe they can mathematically "erase" the sin of deceit with the reward of pilgrimage—a clear manifestation of following one's desires masked as religion.

Historically, this negative religiosity reached its most destructive peak with the Kharijites, whose outwardly rigorous prayers and fasting masked an extreme, deviant ideology that led to the shedding of innocent blood and the usurpation of wealth. They appeared religious, yet they "passed through religion as an arrow passes through its target."

A Call for Societal Vigilance The discourse issues a strong societal warning: We must redefine how we evaluate "religious" individuals in business, marriage, and public trust. A person may outwardly fit a superficial standard of religiosity while internally lacking basic ethics. A tragic modern example is the testimony of a woman who married a man renowned for his profound piety and supposed spiritual connection, only to discover within a month that he was a severely abusive oppressor, leaving her entangled in courts facing his continuous fabrications long after their divorce.

Conclusion The fatal danger lies in the fact that crimes committed in the name of religion, or due to a misunderstanding of it, are often viewed by the masses as sacred. Therefore, it is imperative to deeply investigate our religious concepts, cross-reference them with the Holy Quran, seek diverse scholarly opinions, and reflect critically before adopting them. Flawed religiosity is not merely a personal mistake; it can be a catastrophic social hazard.