All praise is due to Allah, Who has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination. He destines for His Creation according to the dictates of His wisdom and precise arrangement. I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, having no associates. He is the Subtle, the Acquainted. 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 High and Exalted, in line with His orders: "and whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent." (At-Talaq: 2-3).

Dear Muslims,

Our Master Muhammad pbuh said, "Belief is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, and that you should believe in the Divine Decree both in its good and in its evil aspects." Indeed, Allah's will is absolute and cannot be frustrated or challenged by any power whatsoever. Truly, everything takes place according to His will and nothing can turn back His decree.

Allah, the Almighty, tests His servants with good and evil as a trial for their contentment and examination of their patience. The Most Exalted says, "and We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned." (Al-Anbiyaa: 35).

More to the point, believers should believe that all that Allah decrees for mankind is for their best. The Messenger of Allah pbuh said, "Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks Allah, thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it."

To avail such goodness and welfare in our affairs, one should believe in Allah's predestination whether at times of joy or sorrow, and during times of both hardships and prosperity. During all such times, one should hope for what in store for him in Allah's hands, seek His mercy and ask Him for help. The Messenger of Allah pbuh said in this regard, "and seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say, 'if only I had done such and such' rather say 'Allah has decreed and whatever he wills, He does,' for (saying) 'If' opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan."

Truly, Allah is kind to His servants and wise in what He wills for them. Therefore, believing in the Divine Decree strengthens our stamina to try our best in managing our worldly life matters. If things turn out the way we want, it will be of Allah's favour upon us. Yet if sometimes we do not achieve what we wanted, we should trust the dictates of the Almighty's wisdom.

Therefore, whoever seeks a job, wishes for wealth or strives for achieving success, excellence and higher status, they should seek the help of their Lord and do their best in the way of achieving their goals. Allah, the Most Exalted, urges man to be resilient and show diligence in handling all their affairs for He says, "it is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection." (Al-Mulk: 15). Truly, Allah likes the strong believer who relies on Him, the Most Exalted, and works hard to benefit himself and his community too.

O Worshipers,

Muslim's belief in the Divine Decree prompts them to take the necessary means and strive to perfect their work, the aim being to attain all that is useful and prevent all that harmful. In this sense, by making the right choice, one can change one's fate of poverty into fate of fortune and prosperity, as well as his sickness into health.



It was narrated in this regard that the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, asked the Messenger of Allah pbuh about taking the necessary means of curing illness. So they said, "O Messenger of Allah! Is there any sin if we do not seek treatment?" He pbuh said, "Seek treatment, O Servants of Allah, for Allah does not create any disease but He also creates with it the cure, except for old age."

On the same matter, it was narrated that when Umar Ibn Al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, set out for al Sham (Syria), he was informed that a plague has broken out there. So, Umar decided to go back and not to go forth to his destination. Thereupon, Abu Ubaida Ibn Al Jarrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Are you going to run away from the Divine Decree?" Then Umar said, "Yes, we are running from the Divine Decree (to the) Divine Decree."

So, one should run away from the destiny of weakness to that of strength. We should seek knowledge, strive for development, advancement and prosperity, and make every effort to achieve excellence in all what we do.

Dear Believers,

The benefits and merits of believing in the Divine Decree are many. It has positive impacts on the individual and the community too. Believing in Allah's predestined decisions imparts tranquillity to the mind and heart of the believer. The Prophet pbuh said, "Ruh Al-Qudus informed me that no soul shall die until it finishes its term limit and set provisions."

That is: Jibreel, puh, revealed to me that no one will die until they finish the sustenance that Allah has decided for them.

As a result, man's chest will be expanded, and their hearts will become assured because they realise that whatever has come to them could never have escaped them, and if something misses them, it was never meant to reach them. Thus, a man achieves an inner peace with this realisation. The Most Exalted says, "no disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things." (At-Taghabun: 11).



That is to say, whoever goes through a hardship, believes that it is has been decreed for him by Allah, and thus endure it patiently, then, definitely, Allah will impart tranquillity to his heart. Ultimately, the troubles transform into rewards and guidance.

Furthermore, amongst the other fruits of believing in the Divine Decree is the contentment, the latter being the essence of wealth. The Prophet pbuh said, "Be satisfied with what Allah has allotted for you and you shall be the richest of the people."

In this regard, amongst the aspects of accepting what Allah has destined for them, believers should thank their Lord in times of pleasure and show patience during times of distress. While doing so, a believer should be reassured by remembering what Allah, the Most Wise, says: "Say, 'Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.' And upon Allah let the believers rely." (At-Tawba: 51).

In the same regard, a scholar said, "Accept what Allah has decreed whether in hardship or ease, for this is conducive to reduce your distress and draw you closer to what you seek at the Day of Judgment."

One of the righteous ancestors also said, "I got up in the morning having no pleasure except in the divine decree." That is: contented with what has been destined for him.

On another level, when man appreciates that Allah, the Almighty, is the One Who benefits and the Giver, their hearts become closer to their Lord that they call upon Him to remove their affliction. They will seek His refuge and supplicate to Him humbly, having confidence in His words: "and if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him; and if He intends for you good, then there is no repeller of His bounty. He causes it to reach whom He wills of His servants. And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (Hood: 107).

In return, Allah shall, by His grace, answer their call and alleviate their distress for the Most Exalted says, "is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him." (An-Naml: 62). Indeed, all that is part of the wise predestination by Allah, the All-High.



With this in mind, let us pray to Allah, the Almighty, to make us amongst those who have faith in His decree and have sincere certainty.

May Allah also 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.

As to what follows,

Please be aware, O Worshipers, that the most important thing we should advise each other about is obeying Allah, the Most Exalted and Sublime, and know that belief in the Divine Decree produces in the believer a great ability to be persistent in their efforts, accomplish successes, and surmount obstacles. As a result they perform their work diligently while being assured that whatever Allah has decreed for them shall be a good thing for them. They will further be positive in facing any trouble that comes in their way, knowing that Allah, the Almighty has made a way out for every trouble, and that with hardship there will certainly be ease as Allah the Sublime says, "for indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease." (Ash-Sharh: 5-6).



Knowing this, you are urged, dear worshipers, to increase the impact of believing in the Divine Decree in your daily life so as to be prepared to face all the good and bad situations with perseverance.

That is said, please bear in mind that you are instructed to invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet pbuh. Allah, the Almighty 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 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 the Muslim countries and the whole world with stability and peace.

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.

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 the 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).