All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. He has decreed upon Himself mercy. I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, having no associates. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 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 orders: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (Al-Hadid: 28).

O Worshipers,

Mercy is a noble quality that reflects the kindness of the heart and the compassion of the soul, which leads to being forgiving and beneficent. It is one of the greatest virtues that has the best positive impact on the community. This is why, out of His generosity and kindness, Allah, the Most Exalted, promised to show mercy on His Creation. The Almighty says, "Your Lord has decreed upon Himself mercy." (Al-Anaam: 54). That is to say, He pledged Himself to be merciful.

Indeed, Allah, the Most Compassionate, is the most merciful of the merciful. His mercy embraces all his creation in this world and in the Heavens as illustrated in the Almighty's saying, "but My mercy encompasses all things." (Al-Aaraf: 156). This means His mercy is unlimited, for it encompasses all mankind and animals. He also placed part of His mercy in them. In fact, all living creatures in existence, even beasts of prey, have some kind of parental affection towards their offspring. The Prophet pubh said, "There are one hundred (parts of) mercy for Allah and He has sent down out of these one part of mercy upon the jinn and human beings and animals and the insects, and it is because of this (one part) that they love one another, show kindness to one another and even the beast treats its young one with affection. And Allah has reserved ninety nine parts of mercy with which He would treat His servants on the Day of Resurrection."

O Believers,

Please know that all of the Prophets and Messengers pbut, as well as scholars, righteous people and all the human beings seek the mercy of the Most Merciful. In many places in the holy Quran, Allah, the Almighty tells us about the Prophets' pursuit of His mercy. For instance, it tells about Prophet Musa puh invocating to his Lord saying, "[Moses] said, "My Lord, forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the most merciful of the merciful." (Al-Aaraf: 151). In another place, it tells about the people of the cave supplicating, "and said, 'Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance'." (Al-Kahf: 10).

Another example from the holy Book in this regard is that of the believers who prayed to Allah saying, "our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower." (Al-Imran: 8).

Our guide Muhammad pbuh taught us to invocate Allah for mercy as he said, "When any one of you enters the Masjid, let him say, 'O Allah, open to me the gates of your mercy'." He also said, "The supplications to be used by one who is distressed are: O Allah! Your mercy is what I hope for. Do not abandon me to myself for an instant, but put all my affairs in good order for me. There is no deity save You."

O Servant of Allah,

It is also good to know that Allah has sent his Messengers as mercy for their people and relief for them from their burdens. This was stressed by Noah pbuh as he said "O my people have you considered: if I should be upon clear evidence from my Lord while He has given me mercy from Himself...?" (Hud: 28). Indeed, all of the Messengers pbut were sent as mercy from Allah each to their own nation, except for our Master and Prophet Muhammad pbuh who was sent as mercy for the entire humanity. Allah, the Almighty says, "and We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds." (Al-Anbiyaa: 107).

On the same matter, the Prophet pbuh said, "I have been sent as mercy." He also said, "Indeed, I am a gifted mercy." Moreover, Allah, the Most Sublime, sent down His Quran as mercy to mankind. The Most Exalted says, "O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers." (Yunus: 57). The Almighty also says, "and is it not sufficient for them that We revealed to you the Book which is recited to them? Indeed in that is a mercy and reminder for a people who believe." (Al-Ankaboot: 51).

This is to say, the holy Quran that we recite contains a gracious mercy bestowed from Allah, the Almighty upon us.

O People of Mercy,

This calls for a question on how we attain mercy from Allah, the Almighty. The answer is that whoever seeks Allah's mercy in this world and the next, they should fulfil Allah's condition for being granted His mercy. About such condition, the Messenger of Allah pbuh said, "Show mercy and you will be shown mercy. Forgive and Allah will forgive you."

This is because mercy is a quality of Allah, the Most High, which He granted to His Creation. It is also a character that Islam urged for since Allah, the Most Merciful, likes amongst His Creation those who embrace His merits. As such, whoever treats others in kindness and shows mercy to them, he will, by Allah's favour, attain His mercy. This was emphasised by the Prophet pubh when he said, "The merciful are shown mercy by Ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful). Be merciful toward those who are in the earth, and you will be shown mercy from Who is above the heavens."

In this sense, one aspect of the mercy that Allah has endowed upon His Creation is the love and mercy that He placed in parents' hearts towards their offspring. Such mercy clearly stands out in parents' strong bonds with their children, and their sympathy with them when they fall sick. Mercy also finds it most natural expression in mother's love to her children and strive to offer them all means of comfort, as well as in father's unwavering hard work in order to provide for his children's daily life needs.

For such reasons, Allah, the Almighty ordered us to show dutifulness towards our parents, obey them and be kind and merciful with them. The Most Exalted says, "and lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, 'My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small." (Al-Israa: 24).

On another level, the relationship between husband and wife should be one conducive to the fulfilment of love and mercy as described by the Most High in this Aya, "and He placed between you affection and mercy." (Ar-Room: 21). Such mercy implies that husband treat the wife gently, fulfil her needs and protect her. In like manner, the wife has the potential to be a great source of comfort and happiness for her husband by taking care of him, understanding the nature of his work, appreciating his responsibilities, helping him through wisely managing her house affairs and taking good care of her children.

Truly, with mercy family members will cherish stability, tranquillity and happiness.

Another important aspect of mercy is to treat one's children in kindness and leniency, taking in this the example of the Messenger of Allah pbuh. He pbuh used to be gentle with kids, played with and carried them. And when one of his companions wondered about this, saying, "I have ten children and I do not kiss any one of them." So the Prophet pbuh looked at him and said, "Whoever shows no mercy, he will be shown no mercy (in the Hereafter)."

On the same matter, a poet said what it means, "Show mercy to all people. Indeed, the Most Merciful will show mercy on those who are merciful."

More to this, schools also carry an important role in instilling the value of mercy in the community. Teachers are responsible to show mercy towards students by treating them kindly, giving attention to the less talented amongst them and encouraging those who are outstanding.



Likewise, workplace is another institution where the character of mercy should stand out. Managers are required to show mercy towards their subordinates. They should manage their affairs well, treat them in kindness, appreciate their achievements and understand their positions. By so doing, they will draw closer to their Lord and attain His mercy. The Almighty says, "indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good." (Al-Aaraf: 56).

Bearing this in mind, we pray to Allah, the Most Compassionate, to make us merciful to one another and bring our hearts closer to each other.

O Allah, we beseech 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 Exalted.

O Worshipers,

Being keenly interested in attaining Allah's satisfaction and mercy requires us to embrace the quality of clemency in dealing with one another. For instance, it is a duty incumbent on each one of us to treat their parents, children and relatives in kindness. We should also be kind with and show mercy towards the workers who exert remarkable efforts to ensure comfort and convenience of the community members. In fact, mercy should be our basic character in treating all the creatures and organisms in this world, including plants, animals and birds.

In this sense, the Messenger of Allah pbuh set the best example in being merciful towards birds and animals. He mentioned to his companions many incidents that are aimed to encourage them to show compassion towards all the creation. For instance, he pbuh said, "A man felt very thirsty while he was on the way, there he came across a well. He went down the well, quenched his thirst and came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. He said to himself, 'This dog is suffering from thirst as I did.' So, he went down the well again and filled his shoe with water and watered it. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him." The people said, "O Allah's Messenger pbuh! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?" He replied: "Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate (living being)." Truly, this is an example of his noble character and his mercy towards all of the creatures.

On another level, the positive impacts of the character of mercy are many. Such impact reflects on the soul and tongue; the way we act and the way we speak. As a result, we tend to do all that is good for others. From this perspective, compassion in all its types and aspects is conducive to boost coherence and harmony within the community, affection and unity amongst its members, advancement and prosperity of the nation.

You are, therefore, urged to promote clemency and compassion in your homes, at schools, at work and in all your dealings with one another as well as with other creatures. It is our duty as well to nurture the quality of mercy in the minds and hearts of our children.

That is said, please bear in mind that you are instructed to invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet pbuh. Allah, the All-High, says, "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.

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, we implore to You to make us compassionate to one another, show mercy on us and admit us to Your Paradise. Indeed you are the most merciful of the merciful.

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 Notification from Awqaf

To be delivered after Friday prayer 10/03/2017

O Servants of Allah,

The GCC Traffic Week 2017 is set to be held under the motto "Your life is a trust", starting from Sunday, 12 March 2017. The event is aimed at promoting awareness of the community members about road rules and etiquettes, enhancing road safety and protecting people and properties. It further urges people to abide by traffic rules and use the roads in the best possible manner. As such, we are all urged to cooperate with the Ministry of Interior in a way to contribute to achieving its goals in touching people's hearts with happiness.

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.