All praise is due to Allah Who has created from water a human being and made him [a relative by] lineage and marriage. 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 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 Exalted, in line with His revelation: "but yes, whoever fulfils his commitment and fears Allah - then indeed, Allah loves those who fear Him." (Al Imran: 76).

O Worshipers,

Marriage is a gracious bond to which Allah, the Most Exalted, has attributed a great status, for He says, "and they have taken from you a solemn covenant." (An-Nisaa: 21). That is to say, the marriage contract is a firmly binding promise and a strong bond that yet get further stronger with a long-lasting marital relationship, one that is based on mutual love and compassion. The Almighty says, "and of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought." (Ar-Room: 21). Affection has been explained by interpreters as love, while mercy as feelings of sympathy and kindness.

A healthy marriage relationship involves many noble values and beautiful meanings that should be nurtured into the minds and hearts of generations so as to adopt them as an approach in life. In this sense, the house of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh witnessed a great story about commitment between husband and wife. This was the story of Sayida Zainab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah pbuh.

Sayida Zainab, may Allah be pleased with her, was reared in a house that was built on love, mercy and most importantly a foundation of loyalty and trust. Her role model in faithfulness was her mother, Sayida Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, whom the Prophet pbuh praised saying, "She accepted Islam when people rejected me, she believed in me when people doubted me, and she comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand."

Before the Prophet pbuh had received his mission of Prophethood, Zainab's cousin, Abu Al Aas Ibn Ar-Rabei, proposed to marry her. The Prophet pbuh asked her if she would accept him as her husband, and she, may Allah be pleased with her, consented.

For her wedding, her mother Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, presented her with her own expensive necklace as her wedding gift in order to touch her heart with delight.

Sayida Zainab married Abu Al Aas, setting through her relationship with her husband an example in loyalty and good treatment. When the Prophet pbuh received the message of Islam, Zainab embraced Islam, but her husband did not. So, when the battle of Badr occurred, Abu Al Aas left Zainab in Mecca and went to fight with Quraish against the Muslims.

The battle ended in victory for the Muslims. Abu Al Aas was taken captive by the Muslims and needed money to be ransomed. News of this reached to Sayida Zainab, may Allah be pleased with her, and she hastened to arrange the money to release him, including the necklace that was given to her by her mother, one which was dear to her heart. She sent all this to her father to release her husband. When the Messenger of Allah pbuh saw the necklace, he recognised it. Thereupon, he had a feeling of extreme compassion and his heart was touched for the great memory.

The Prophet pbuh told his companions, "If you wish you can release her husband and send her necklace back to her." They said, "Yes," and released Abu Al Aas. While releasing him, the Prophet pbuh made him commit to allow Sayida Zainab to return to her father pbuh. Abu Al Aas fulfilled his promise and had to separate from his wife whom he loved dearly, helping her to migrate to Medina and reach her father pbuh in peace.

Abu Al Aas continued to refuse to change from the ways of his fathers. He was one of the nobles and merchants of the Quraish. So, one day he was traveling in a caravan from Mecca to Syria. He had the money of Quraish, which they had seized from what the Prophet pbuh and his companions left in Mecca when they migrated to Medina.

During the journey, Abu Al Aas was intercepted by some of the Prophet's companions who wanted to restore their money. Abu Al Aas managed to escape and reach to Sayida Zainab's home. He took refuge with her and requested her to protect him. She, may Allah be pleased with her, proclaimed, "I have offered refuge to Abu Al Aas bin Al Rabei." The Prophet pbuh consented to it and requested that his money be returned back to him. Adhering to the Prophet pbuh's wish, the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, gave his money back.

Abu Al Aas then took the money and went back to Mecca and gave the people of Quraish their money. Once done, he stood up and said, "O people, here is your money. Is there anything left?" They said, "No, there is nothing left." Thereupon, Abu Al Ass said, "I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, and that Muhammad is the Servant of Allah and His Messenger. By Allah, nothing prevented me from embracing Islam when I was with Muhammad pbuh except my fear that you may think I wanted to eat up your money."

After that, he went back to Medina and ran to the Prophet pbuh. The Prophet pbuh returned his wife to him. Ultimately, their marriage life went back to stability again after a separation that lasted six years.

O Servants of Allah,

The lessons one can draw from the story of Sayida Zainab and Abu Al Aas are many. It promotes the value of faithfulness amongst the married couples. Indeed, family is a school in which generations learn noble values and principles. As such, Sayida Zainab learnt from her mother how to dedicate herself to touching her husband's heart with happiness, support him in discharging the responsibilities of the daily life. Thus, she set a wonderful example in sincerity and commitment. To this end, she helped her husband with all that she owned. She sacrificed all that is precious to save him and bring him out of his hardship.

Furthermore, Sayida Zainab, may Allah be pleased with her, showed patience and loyalty in preserving her family and husband. In like manner, Abu Al Aas was also faithful and loving to his wife. Truly, such is the perfect example of how the relationship between married couples should be. Both of them should seek the stability of their family with the aime to live a life that is built on love, sincerity and keen interest in bringing happiness to their daughters and sons.

One other lesson that we can draw from the story of Sayida Zainab and Abu Al Aas, may Allah be pleased with them, is tolerance and civilised dealings between Muslims and non-Muslims. The illustration of this can be seen in the way the Prophet pbuh treated Abu Al Aas. He pbuh honoured him although he was not a Muslim, telling his companions, "You know this man is from us." So, his wife was generous with him and none of the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, did cause him any harm.

Likewise, Abu Al Aas showed loyalty to the Prophet pbuh by returning his daughter to him safe and honoured. In return, the Prophet pbuh praised his character and said, "He never told lies to me, neither did he break his promise."

With this in mind, let us beseech Allah, the Almighty, to guide all married couples to all that which is good and grant them success in building their families and maintaining their wellbeing.

O Allah, we implore to You to guide us all to obey You and obey Your Messenger Muhammad pbuh and obey those You have commanded us to obey in line with Your 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 Sublime.

O Worshipers,

Commitment between spouses is a character that has great importance and brings about many positive impacts on the family. Loyal married couples will definitely lead a happy and joyous life for all the family members. Moreover, faithfulness also promotes the trust between husband and wife and spreads an atmosphere of love and harmony in the house. Indeed, the positive fruits of this can be seen in the stability of the children's life and security of their future.

More to the point, the devotion of married couples can be reflected in the genuine interest of each of them in ensuring the partner's comfort and happiness and making their family a successful one. To this end, the husband would work hard in the way of meeting the requirements of his family and granting them a prosperous life. In like manner, wife also contributes to strengthening the pillars of her family. So, you see her devoting herself to nurturing her children and taking care of them, the aim being to build a reliable generation that is able to shoulder their responsibilities and lead their homeland ahead on the path of progress and glory.

Fathers are, therefore, urged to spare no efforts in preserving the cohesion of their families and harmony amongst their offspring.

Equally important, wife is required to show patience in dealing with her husband in order to protect her family. Yet, husband is also required to treat his wife in kindness and show affection, mercy and truthfulness towards her.

That is said, please bear in mind that you are instructed to invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet pbuh. He pbuh said, "For everyone who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah."

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

May Allah be pleased with the Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, all of the Companions, and all those follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.

O Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, we supplicate to You to make us amongst those who are committed and fulfilling to their covenants.

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, may we ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter. 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).

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Official announcement from Awqaf

To be delivered after Friday prayer 24/03/2017

O Servants of Allah,

Tomorrow, Saturday, 25 March 2017, marks the celebration of Earth Hour 2017. Celebrating this event, hundreds of millions of people around the world will participate and contribute to the event by switching off lights and unnecessary appliances for one hour; 8:30 to 9:30pm.

Thus, you are urged to take part in this positive initiative that is aimed at protecting the environment by switching unnecessary lights.

That is said, we beseech Allah to confer His blessings and grant peace upon our Prophet Muhammad pbuh, his family and all of the companions