All praise is due to Allah, the Most Generous, the Bestower of favours. He raises the status of those who do good acts and rewards them abundantly. 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. He taught people the way of doing good deeds. 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: "so fear Allah as much as you are able and listen and obey and spend [in the way of Allah]; it is better for your selves. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful." (At-Taghabun: 16).

Dear Worshipers,

With the advent of a new year, we pray to Allah, the Most Exalted, to make it a year of goodness, happiness, wellness, prosperity, peace and tranquillity to us and to all the human beings. Let us be positive that, by Allah's grace, the new year will bear all the welfare and goodness with it, for our Master Muhammad pbuh always called for optimism.

In this regard, it was narrated that Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah pbuh liked the good omen." In fact, good omen results from assuming an assumptions of good nature about Allah, the Almighty. The Prophet pbuh said, "Allah, the Most Exalted, says, 'I am as my servant thinks of me, so let him assume about me whatever he wishes." In another narration he said, "If he thinks good of me, he will have it. So, always expect good from Allah."



Allah, the All-Wise, the All-Merciful, ordained upon us to do good deeds as in this Aya, "and do good - that you may succeed." (Al-Hajj: 77). He, also urged Muslims to hasten to all that is virtuous in the way of Allah. The Most Exalted says, "so race to [all that is] good." (Al-Maida: 48). Goodness is being obedient to Allah, the Most High, and kind to His Creation. In an indication to the importance of good actions, our Master Muhammad pbuh supplicated to Allah saying, "O Allah, I ask you for the good actions."

Indeed, hastening to good work is amongst the greatest virtues that have an everlasting positive impact and is abundantly rewarded. It is one of the noblest goals that lead mankind to the highest degrees. By being foremost in good deeds, one purifies his soul, promotes his good manners and, by Allah's grace, sees his rewards multiplied. Allah, the Almighty, praised those who devote their efforts to performing acts of kindness, saying, "and hasten to good deeds. And those are among the righteous. And whatever good they do - never will it be removed from them. And Allah is Knowing of the righteous." (Al Imran: 114-115).

This is to say, those who race to do good work are amongst the righteous and shall, by Allah's favour, be rewarded with the best of rewards, for, indeed, Allah knows whatever one does and recompenses them for their acts of goodness, no matter how little those were. The Exalted is He says, "So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it." (Az-Zalzala: 7). This means, whatever you do in this world for charity or in the way of goodness for the sake of Allah's pleasure, you will find it in the Hereafter as multiples in reward.

Similarly, those who guide others to the way of righteous acts, will also be rewarded by Allah, the Almighty. The Messenger of Allah pbuh said in this regard, "Whoever leads to good (deed), then for him is the same reward as the one who does it." Truly, they deserved to earn the same reward because they helped in making the good act happen. Thus, in the event such goodness has been achieved, they will get the same reward that the doer will earn. Yet, if it does not happen, they will still be rewarded for their efforts to guide others to the path of righteous actions.

This should really motivate people to race to acts of goodness and promote them in their communities, boosting thereby compassion amongst people. Ultimately, this will strengthen harmony in the community and bring people closer to one another.

O People of goodness,

Please know that means and types of goodness are many. They encompass every endeavour that is aimed at benefiting the public. For instance, fulfilling one's social responsibility by striving towards the best interest of the community and its development is a good deed. Another example of good work is to spend on one's parents and relatives as well the poor and the needy. Allah, the All-High, says, "they ask you, [O Muhammad], what they should spend. Say, 'Whatever you spend of good is [to be] for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveller. And whatever you do of good - indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.'" (Al-Baqara: 215).

Such acts of goodness are, by Allah's grace, a cause for increasing provisions, welfare and longevity of life for their doers.

On another level, one other means to perform acts of righteousness is to care for the orphans and work towards improving their life, in line with Allah's orders: "and they ask you about orphans. Say, 'Improvement for them is best.'" (Al-Baqara: 220).

In like manner, extending a helping hand to those in need and easing their hardship, is an act of goodness that is abundantly rewarded in this life and the next. Thus, Allah, the Most Giving, will recompense the doers of good in this world by facilitating their affairs and removing their troubles and distress. The Most Exalted says, "and if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement until [a time of] ease. But if you give [from your right as] charity, then it is better for you, if you only knew." (Al-Baqara: 280).



More to the point, supporting charitable organisations is another act in the way of goodness. This can be done through Zakat or alms giving, whether in private or in public. The Almighty says, "if you disclose your charitable expenditures, they are good; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, it is better for you." (Al-Baqara: 271).

O Worshipers,

Please also know that voluntary work is amongst the best acts that one can ever do. Undoubtedly, such good work will bring happiness to its performer and also be recorded for him by His Lord as a provision for the Day of Judgment. Allah, the Almighty, says, "and whoever volunteers good - then indeed, Allah is appreciative and Knowing." (Al-Baqara: 158).

This means: whatever you do in this world for charity or in the way of goodness, you will find it in the Hereafter as multiples in reward as also evidenced in this Aya, "whoever comes [at Judgement] with a good deed will have better than it, and they, from the terror of that Day, will be safe." (An-Naml: 89).

Similarly, the Messenger of Allah pbuh emphasised that one's good deeds will be rewarded in multiples. He pubh said, "the reward of one's good deeds will be ten times to seven hundred times for each good deed."

Moreover, the Prophet pbuh urged Muslims to perform all acts of goodness that are beneficial for others. He pbuh said, "Whoever can benefit his brother should do so." This is because through charitable acts love, peace, solidarity and harmony will prevail in the community. This, in turn, will contribute to nurturing generations that are generous, cooperative in piety and goodness, loyal to their identity and capable of shouldering their responsibilities towards their community and nation.

Truly, those who are persistent on kindness and righteousness are the ones who will cherish the greatest rewards. Allah, the Most Exalted, says, "indeed, they who have believed and done righteous deeds - those are the best of creatures. Their reward with Allah will be gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them and they with Him. That is for whoever has feared his Lord." (Al-Bayyina: 7-8).

Congratulations, therefore, to those who are devoted to bring welfare to their nation, benefit their society and spend in charity.

With this in mind, we seek Allah's grace to help us do all that is good and make our new year full of goodness and welfare. O Lord, indeed You are Hearing, near and respond to invocations.

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 Lords 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 Gracious, and guide each other to perform good acts. In this sense, the UAE, ever since its formation, has been an oasis of goodness, love and giving. As such, it set a role model for the whole world in giving and humanitarian work. As a result, the value of giving in the way of goodness has become one of the UAE's key characteristics. It also achieved a leading status on the economic and humanitarian arenas, putting people on the top of its priorities and giving them utmost care.

From this perspective, HH the UAE President recently declared 2017 as the "year of goodness" and giving. Such initiative reflects the UAE's humanitarian approach and its keen interest in extending a helping hand to all people, seeking no recompense from them in return.

To this end, a competent National committee outlined a comprehensive framework to implement the "Year of Goodness" and set out its targets. The framework is aimed at creating a sense of community responsibility and encouraging the spirit of volunteering amongst all those live in the UAE. This should be in cooperation between the private and public sectors, the aim being to support volunteer programmes in the country. Indeed, individuals and institutions from the public and private should be partners in serving the nation and the community.

Undoubtedly, the programmes of the "Year of Goodness" will have a great positive impact in increasing the volume of humanitarian aids and improving the methods of delivering them. These will also contribute to changing the behaviour of the younger generations towards expressing their loyalty and love to their nation as well as commitment to serve it.

In the "Year of Goodness", all private and public institutions as well as individuals, both citizens and residents, should cooperate in fulfilling their roles in the voluntary and charitable work that will help in performing the acts of goodness inside and outside the UAE.

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

O Allah, may we ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah, we seek Your grace to make our new year one that is full of goodness, prosperity, welfare and happiness.



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, and all of the Companions.

O Allah, we seek Your grace 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).