All praise is due to Allah. He is the Giver of Abundance and the One who Withholds it. In His Book He urges for all goods deeds that bring people closer. I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, having no associates. To Him belongs all the Dominion and all praise is due to Him. 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 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 let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do." (Al-Hashr: 18).

O Observers of Fasting,

May Allah accept your acts of worship in this holy month and at all times. We are witnessing Ramadan, a month that teaches us to harden in the face of hardships, overcome our challenges and be self-reliant. Self-reliance is a quality that enhances self-confidence and trust in one's capabilities. It is conducive to helping people plan for their future positively, be accountable, take the means and rely on the Lord of the Worlds rather than on others.

Indeed, such approach was adopted by all the Prophets pbut. They were self-dependent, worked to earn their living and take care of those under their care. Our Master Muhammad pbuh urged people to strive for earning their own living as he said, "Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one's own hands. The Prophet Dawood (David) pbuh used to eat from the earnings of his manual labour."

Self-dependence is a quality that is represented in all those who are devoted to their work and strive to excel. This encompasses people from all walks of life, like soldiers, physicians, engineers, merchants, teachers and those who work in other fields.



The Messenger of Allah pbuh set an example on self-reliance. Throughout his life, he depended on himself to earn his own living. As such, in his early age he worked as a shepherd and, at a later stage, he worked in merchandising. The Prophet pbuh said, "Allah did not send any prophet but shepherded sheep." His companions asked him, "Did you do the same?" He pbuh replied, "Yes, I used to shepherd the sheep of the people of Mecca for some Qirats." Here, Qirat means a fixed wage.

In a like manner, the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, also spared no efforts in earning their own living and shouldering their responsibilities. For instance, when Abdul Rahman ibn Auf, may Allah be pleased with him, migrated to Medina, he went to the market and worked hard, earned a large amount of money and became one of the then richest Muslims. This is because he was a hard worker and relied on his Lord too.

About him, Anas, may Allah be pleased with said, "I came to know that after his death, each of his wives inherited hundred thousand Dinars." Thus, from such attitude of Anas, we can learn that whoever shows perseverance and put his trust in Allah, he will, by Allah's Favour, succeed in his endeavour, cherish a prosperous life and earn a high status amongst people.

O Worshipers,

This leads us to advising each other on the benefits of nurturing the quality of self-reliance in our children. Truly, by so doing, we will raise a strong generation that is capable of fulfilling their duty towards their homeland, preserve their ancestors' achievements and enrich them with advancement, excellence and innovation. They will draw lessons from the previous experiences and hasten to take initiatives, depending on their potentials, rather than on those of others. On the same matter, al Shafei said, "Nothing can scratch your skin quite like your own nails, so take care of all your affairs by yourself."

Thus, when everyone takes care of his own affairs independently, we will have a generation that cannot be spoiled with the luxuries of life; one whose members are self-confident, honest and resilient. They will strive to work for the best interest of themselves, their relatives, their homeland and their community, each depending on their circumstances. The Prophet pbuh said in this regard, "Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless."

In this Hadith, the Prophet pbuh linked seeking the help of Allah with trying one's best to elevate one's status and refine one's skills. One the same matter, it was narrated that Umar ibn Al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with, once met a group of people and asked them, "who are you?" They replied, "We are the dependent on Allah." Thereupon, he said, "Indeed, you are not. Rather, you are begging your food from people. Those who depend on Allah are the ones who sow their seeds and then put their trust in Allah, the Almighty." This way, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, directed them to depend on themselves in earning their own living.

O Observers of Fasting,

Another thing that we need to talk about is the right time for our children to start depending on themselves. The quality of self-reliance should be learnt at the very early stage of one's life. For this reason, the Arabs used to send their children to the desert so that they could learn proper Arabic, become eloquent and experience the hard life in the desert. Ultimately, they will acquire fortitude and be able to manage their own affairs. For example, Abdul Muttalib sent the Prophet pbuh to Bani Saad to be breastfed. He pbuh said, "I was breastfed at Bani Saad ibn Bakr."

From this perspective, the UAE law of National Service came to boost the youths' endurance, patience in hardships, self-reliance and help them to show vigour in dealing with their life matters. Indeed, after the Messenger of Allah pbuh and his honourable companions, the best example that we can follow is the one of late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah rest his soul in peace, and the other founding fathers. Striving to achieve their goals, they represented a school in self-dependence, patience and devotion. Thereby, they established the United Arab Emirates, built its civilisation, united its people and elevated its status amongst the countries of the world.



Taking their example, we really need to enroot such values deep in our children's minds. And here comes the role of parents who are the first source of knowledge and good conduct for their children. Thus, parents should realise the importance of developing self-confidence in their children and teaching them to be dedicated to achieving their goals. This way, the children will certainly grow up strong enough to face life, recognise the value of all the bounties they are blessed with and preserve them. Moreover, they will never be afraid of facing any challenges. Rather, they will overcome them.

On another level, schools also share the responsibility of entrenching such noble values in our children's minds. Meanwhile, men Majlises also play an important role in bringing our children to a mature level in the way they talk to and deal with others as well as in how they handle their daily matters and solve their problems.

Indeed, such Majlises had a great positive impact on the Prophet's pbuh character. For instance, it was narrated that his grandfather Abdul Muttalib used to have a carpet laid for him under the shade of the Kaaba on which none of his sons sat by way of respect for him. When the Prophet pbuh came there he sat only upon this. But when his uncles tried to remove him from there, his grandfather used to tell them, "Leave my son alone."

Truly, it was a bless from Allah that the Prophet pbuh was brought up in the Majlises of men and the noble people. For this reason, when he pbuh grew up, he was capable of leading men and ruling nations.

With this in mind, let us beseech Allah to help us with the best of decisions and make us devoted to righteousness. May Allah, guide us for all that is beneficial for us.

O Allah, please 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 first thing we should advise each other about is obeying Allah, the Most High and understand the significance of being self-driven when performing our work. Truly, self-dependence is an effort in the cause of Allah, the Most Exalted, which is rewarded by Him. This is because it shows care about one's family and commitment to fulfil their needs. It also involves self-respect and protection from the need to ask for others' help.

In this regard, it was narrated that Kaab ibn Ujra, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "a man passed by the Prophet pbuh and his companions saw his vigour and hard work. They said, 'O Messenger of Allah, if only this were done in the path of Allah.' The Prophet pbuh said, 'If he goes out striving to benefit his small children, then it is in the path of Allah. If he goes out striving to benefit his elderly parents, then it is in the path of Allah. If he is striving in order to suffice himself, then it is in the path of Allah.'"

Indeed, such a principle is the correct one. It sturdily leads us to achievements, progress, good deeds and excellence. This is because when we raise our generations on self-dependence, we will, by Allah's Grace, see our government's vision in serving the community and touching the hearts of all its members with happiness achieved.

Let us, therefore, strive to teach our children the principles of perseverance and self-reliance. Let us give them the opportunity to rely on themselves and boost their self-confidence and soundness in taking decisions.



That is said, please bear in mind that you are instructed to invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet pbuh. The Messenger of Allah 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 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.

May Allah be pleased with the Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and all of the Companions.

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 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.

May Allah accept from all those who pay Zakat, compensate for them and bless their provisions.



O Allah, we pray to You to grant Your forgiveness and reward to who built this mosque and to his or her parents as well as to anyone who gave to this mosque and performed acts of goodness in it.

O Allah, we also supplicate to You to forgive whoever built a mosque where Your name is remembered or donated a Waqf that goes for the best interest of Your servants or the benefit of their offspring.

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 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).