All praise is due to Allah, the Possessor of Might and Glory, the Great and Exalted. He made defending the nation amongst the most honourable deeds. I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, having no associates. All the Perfection is attributed to Him and He is severe in assault. I also bear witness that our Master Muhammad is the Servant of Allah and His Messenger. He is a role model and example for heroism. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his pure blessed family and companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.

As to what follows,

I urge you, O servants of Allah, and myself to be aware that you are asked to obey Him the Most Sublime, in line with His orders: "and We have instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear Allah." (An-Nisaa: 131).

O Worshipers,

Since the dawn of history and throughout the ages, nations and civilisations recognised the importance of power and armed forces in protecting their achievements, safeguarding their properties and wealth, defending their borders against invaders, countering the aggressors and promoting stability, tranquillity and safety in the homeland. Thus, to achieve such objectives, they established their armies, which then became a source of pride for them.

An illustration of this can be seen in the holy Quran as it tells us the story of Sabaa and how its leaders capitalised on their might and strong will, so they boasted saying, "we are men of strength and of great military might." (An-Naml: 33). Another story in the holy Quran tells us how Allah, the Most Exalted provided Dawood (David) with causes of strength to help him in protecting his community. The Almighty says, "and We made pliable for him iron, [commanding him], 'Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness'." (Sabaa: 10-11).

In another instance, Allah, the Most Exalted and Sublime, emphasises in His holy Book the significance of army and armours, saying, "and We taught him the fashioning of coats of armour to protect you from your [enemy]." (Al-Anbiyaa: 80). That is to say: broad tight armours to protect them in battle.

Indeed, such force is conducive to protect religion, land and honour. It also contributes to safeguarding wealth and achievements, establishing the balances of justice, maintaining the dignity of human beings and building civilisations. As a result, solidarity and cooperation would prevail in the community and compassion amongst its members, ultimately allowing them to cherish stability and prosperity.

Undoubtedly, such strength can only be attained by a nation that has a ruler whose people listen to his opinion and obey his commands with regard to important affairs and serious incidents. A ruler whose word is the highest amongst his people and no one can take decisions in important issues without his consent.

O Servants of Allah,

Recognising the importance of strength as a fundamental pillar in building the nation, protecting its accomplishments and preserving its stability, the UAE's wise leadership established the UAE Armed Forces, which we are marking these days the anniversary of its unification under one command. With such unification, the UAE achieved a quantum progress at all levels thanks to the unyielding efforts of its soldiers who are the defenders of this nation and its impervious fort.

Truly, our soldiers are assuming an elite task and, by Allah's grace, their recompense shall be great. Their reward will commensurate with the degree of risk they take. Thus, the more severe the risk is, the greater their reward will be, reaching to an extent where the one night of service would be better for them than the Night of Decree in reward. The Messenger of Allah pbuh stressed the unique status of safeguarding the homeland when he said, "Shall I tell you about a night that is better than Laylat Al Qadr (the night of Decree)? (it is when) a guard who is on watch in a fearful place and who perhaps may not return to his family."

No wonder then they attain such a gracious reward because they face difficult situations and severe ordeals. They put their lives in dangerous risk in the way of safeguarding their nation's stability and security. They work hard so that their people cherish comfort and stay up all night so that others can sleep (peacefully).

In this sense, our Armed Forces have shown heroism and offered sacrifices, the aim being to preserve the UAE's glory, strength and high status as well as maintain its sovereignty over its own land. They proved such bravery and altruism in many important instances and milestones in the history of the UAE and the region too.

A good example on the bravery and heroism that the UAE Armed Forces displayed is their participation in the Arab alliance during Operation Restoring Hope to restore the legitimacy of the Yemeni government and abolish the Fitnah (affliction), having no peaceful solutions left for the people of Yemen to restore their stability, rebuild their prosperity and get rid of evil intrigues.

In the way of defending justice and rescuing the Yemeni people, the UAE Armed Forces has generously offered the pure blood of a number of its soldiers. It sacrificed a number of martyrs from its dear sons, soldiers and officers. Truly, any harm that may befall a believer, while stationed in the way of Allah, but to bring the good tidings of our Prophet pbuh who said, "If a person is wounded in the way of Allah, he will come on the Day of Resurrection with his wound in the same condition as it was on the day when he received it; its colour will be the colour of blood but its smell will be the smell of musk."

In like manner, those who have attained the honour of martyrdom shall have the good tidings of eternal abode in Paradise. About them, Allah, the Most Exalted says, "and those who are killed in the cause of Allah - never will He waste their deeds. He will guide them and amend their condition, and admit them to Paradise, which He has made known to them." (Muhammad: 4-6).



O Worshipers,

The UAE Armed Forces have become a role model at regional and international levels in striving to safeguard the world stability and peace and rescue the victims of war and natural calamities around the world. Truly, our armed forces are a defending force that protects the homeland, preserves its achievements, restores hope and raises the UAE Flag fluttering high in the sky.

Let us, therefore, salute on this occasion our Armed Forces for their heroic and humanitarian role, both inside and outside the UAE. Let us pray to Allah, the Best Protector, to protect them, grant them victory and guide them on the right path.

With this in mind, we pray to Allah, the Almighty, to guide us all to obey Him and obey His Messenger Muhammad pbuh and obey those He have commanded us to obey in line with His orders: "O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you." (An-Nisaa: 59).

May Allah direct us all to the blessings of the Glorious Quran and the Sunna of His Messenger pbuh.

I say this and ask Allah for forgiveness for me and you, so invoke Him for forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Second Sermon

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, having no associates. I also bear witness that our Master Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon ou­­r Master Muhammad, his pure family, companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.

I urge you, O servants of Allah, and myself to be aware that you are asked to obey Him, the Most High and Exalted.

O Worshipers,

Please know that amongst the major achievements and projects that the UAE has accomplished is the law on National Service and Reserve Force. The law aims to promote the national identity and boost the military force with cadres that are strong and highly prepared. This is in line with the guidance of the Messenger of Allah who said, "A believer who is strong (and healthy) is better and dearer to Allah than the weak believer."

In this regard, what really forms a source of delight and pride, as well as worthy of honouring and appreciation is the great response by the Emirati youths who hurried to answer the call of duty, immediately after the law has been issued. They showed a unique interest in attaining the honour of engaging in such national service, receiving thereby praise and appreciation from the UAE's wise leadership.

Thus, you are urged to appreciate and highly valuate the blessing of the UAE Armed Forces who are safeguarding the soil of the homeland and assuming an honourable humanitarian role.

It is also a duty incumbent on all of us to teach our children to show gratitude to our Armed Forces for their efforts by praying for them frequently.

That is said, please bear in mind that you are instructed to invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet pbuh in line with Allah's orders: "indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace." (Al-Ahzab: 56).

O Allah, please confer Your blessings and grant peace upon our Prophet Muhammad pbuh, his family and all of the companions.

O Allah, we seek Your grace to grant success to the defenders of the homeland, our Armed Forces, and add strength to their strength. May Allah protect them, grant them victory, accept their martyrs and grant quick recovery to their wounded soldiers. O the Lord of the Worlds.

May Allah have mercy on the honourable martyrs of our country and those of the coalition and gather them with the righteous. May Allah make their dwelling with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favour of the prophets and the steadfast affirmers of truth, O the Most Gracious the Most Forgiving.



O Allah, please grant the best reward for the families of the martyrs and offer them patience and solace. May Allah grant victory to the soldiers of the Arab Coalition who gathered to restore the rights to their owners. O Lord, please be by their side and guide the Yemeni people to everything that is good. O Allah, make them rally for the word of truth and legitimacy, and bless them with welfare and stability, O the Most Generous.

O Lord, we beseech You to bless all of the Muslim countries and the whole world with stability and peace.

O Allah, we seek Your favour to admit us, our parents, whoever has done a favour to us and all Muslims to Your Paradise.

May Allah grant success and continued health and care to the UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. May Allah also ensure success to his Vice-President, trustworthy Crown Prince and his brothers, Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Emirates.

O Allah, please forgive all of the Muslims, men and women, living and dead. May Allah have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Maktoum and the Late UAE Sheikhs. O Lord, forgive and show mercy on our parents, relatives and whoever has done a favour to us.

O Allah, make this gathering one of compassion, and our dispersion after it one that is infallible. O Allah, do not let anyone amongst us be deprived or desperate.

We pray to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, to protect the UAE against any of temptations, both apparent and hidden, and continue blessing the UAE with safety and security.

Our Lord, give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire.

O Allah, we implore you to send upon us wealthy rain and make us not amongst those who are desperate. O Allah, relieve us! O Allah, relieve us! O Allah, relieve us! O Lord, provide us from the blessings of the sky a beneficial rain and make our crops grow.



O Servants of Allah "indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded." (An-Nahl: 90).

Remember Allah and He will remember you. Be grateful of His benevolence and He will increase His blessings to you. Allah says, "and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do." (Al-Ankaboot: 45).