All praise is due to Allah. He dispersed in the environment signs for those of vision. 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 grateful family and companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.

As to what follows,

O servants of Allah, I urge you you and myself to be aware that you are asked to obey Him, the Most Sublime, in line with His orders: "But if you do good and fear Allah - then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted." (Al Nisaa: 128).

Dear Muslims,

Observing our surrounding environment, one will see a land that is rich in resources, spread for the creatures, full of firmly set mountains, plants and fruits. In the following Aya, Allah, the Almighty, reminds us of all these bounties. He says, "and it is He who spread the earth and placed therein firmly set mountains and rivers; and from all of the fruits He made therein two mates." Indeed, all of these elements are in magnificent harmony, pointing to the greatness of their Creator. Allah says, "so blessed is Allah, the best of creators." (Al Muminoon: 14).

Furthermore, Allah, the Exalted is He, made a large number of creatures and spread them on the earth. He says, "dispersed therein from every creature." (Luqman: 10). No doubt, each of these creatures was brought into being for a purpose and each has a value and a function, all contributing to the ecological balance by which the creation is maintained, as evidenced in this Aya: "and caused to grow therein [something] of every well-balanced thing." That is: in His wisdom, Allah has created everything in the universe in due proportion and measure, in terms of quantity, quality and benefits. The Almighty says, "[it is] the work of Allah, who perfected all things. Indeed, He is Acquainted with that which you do." (Al Naml: 88).

O Servants of Allah,

Please know that the environment encompasses all things surrounding the human being including land, air, plants and water as well as the interaction amongst these elements. Allah, the All-Wise, has created for us the environment as a place to settle in and perform our worships. So because its elements and resources have a great direct effect on our health, our religion has laid down a set of measures and rules to protect them and ensure that the ecosystem is undisrupted. On the same matter, Allah says, "and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation." (Al Aaraf: 56). That is: do not cut fruitful trees. Indeed, messing with trees and flowers or killing animals at random are some acts that lead to the corruption of earth.

Moreover, Allah has granted man the right to utilise and harness natural resources, yet He ordered him to be moderate, as He says, "and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess." (Al Aaraf: 31). In this regard, the Prophet pbuh has set an example in moderate utilisation of natural resources, especially water which is essential for life. Allah, the Exalted is He, says, "and We made from water every living thing." (Al Anbiya: 30). He also says, "and Allah has sent down rain from the sky and given life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who listen." Thus, water is a divine blessing which we all preserve by using it rationally, whether for irrigation or any other daily life purposes like bathing and car washing.

The UAE government spends substantially on water purification. Thus, it is a precious resource that we must use sensibly. Excessive use of water is forbidden in Islam, whether it is scarce or abundant. It is not permissible to overuse it for whatever purpose, including worship, even if one is by a flowing river. The aim is to ensure the sustainability of this vital element, preserve it for the generations to come and ultimately protect the environment.

Dear Muslims,

Another precious element of the environment that must be conserved is plants. The Prophet pbuh was keenly interested in growing plants and developing agriculture. He pbuh promised those who would take care of planting the reward of a charity, as he said, "there is none amongst the Muslims who plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, but is reckoned as a charity for him."



Such prophetic ordains are conducive to minimising the effects of many environmental issues, like desertification and land erosion. Therefore, Islam prohibits practices that can result in any form of damage or corruption to the environment, the aim being to maintain its cleanliness and beauty. Thus whoever takes part in removing what causes harm to the environment shall be promised great reward.

In this regard, the Prophet pbuh said, "faith has sixty-some or seventy parts, the greatest of which is to say 'I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah' and the least of which is to remove a harmful object from the road." And he also said, "the deeds of my people, good and bad, were presented before me, and I found the removal of harmful objects from the road among their good deeds." What is meant by harmful objects, here, is stones, garbage, waste, thorns or any other disturbing elements.

Indeed, it is part of good conducts and civilised behaviours to maintain the public areas, including streets, parks, beaches, sidewalks, farms and deserts, keeping them clean and allowing ourselves as well as others to cherish their beauty. This is because all generations have equal rights to utilise and enjoy the earth and its resources. It is our duty, therefore, to keep it in as tidy as possible. For instance, construction waste, food leftovers, glass containers, plastic bags should be carefully disposed of lest animals eat them and get harmed, or probably die. For that reason, instead of getting rid of such materials as trash, one can leave them in designated containers that are intended for recycling. In so doing, one will help eliminate their harmful effects on the environment and also win Allah's satisfaction and rewards. On this account, the Prophet pbuh said, "there was a branch of a tree that annoyed the people. A man removed it, so he was admitted to Paradise."

O worshipers,

Amongst the abundant bounties that Allah, the Most Gracious, has bestowed upon us is that He created for us the animals and livestock. He says, "and the grazing livestock He has created for you; in them is warmth and [numerous] benefits, and from them you eat." (An-Nahl: 5). Some of the things that we can benefit from these animals are their milk and meat . Allah, the Almighty, says, "and Allah has made for you from your homes a place of rest and made for you from the hides of the animals tents which you find light on your day of travel and your day of encampment; and from their wool, fur and hair is furnishing and enjoyment for a time."

Because it is a vital element of the environment, the Prophet pbuh ordered us to conserve livestock and forbade inflicting harm to them. He also emphasised the importance of keeping animals in good condition. In this regard, he pbuh once came upon an abnormally weak and thin camel because of hunger and thirst. Thereupon, he said, "fear Allah regarding these helpless animals." Moreover, he promised great rewards to those who take care of them, so when a group of his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, asked him: "is there for us a reward even for (serving) such animals? He said, "yes, there is a reward for service delivered to every living animal." That is: there is a reward for serving living animals by offering them water, food and protection.

Air is another essential part of the environment that we need to safeguard by avoiding actions that may result in polluting it, such as smoking, exhaust fumes, smoke from factories in addition to other pollutants. It should be noted that all people have the right to enjoy a pure and clean air. Thus, we should not undervalue such a right, nor should we cause any harm to their health.

With this in mind, we implore to Allah, the All-Wise, to set right for us the affairs of our world wherein our living is, and set right for us our Hereafter on which depends our after-life.

O Allah, may You 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.

As to what follows,

O worshipers,

Please be aware that the first thing we should advise each other about is obeying Allah, the Most High, preserve the environment, maintain its cleanliness and sustain its resources. Indeed, our environment is a trust that we need to fulfill. From this perspective, the UAE's wise leadership's strategy was based upon the development and conservation of the natural resources for the benefit of the present generations and the next. To this end, forestation undertaken, natural sanctuaries set up, hunting regulated, the roads improved, public parks established and cleaning staff employed across country. All these great achievements were aimed at ensuring that we live in a healthy environment. As a result, the UAE has become one the most beautiful and least polluted countries around the world so much so that it has become the capital of sustainable clean energy.

It is our duty, therefore, to maintain these achievements, preserve the beauty of the environment and teach our children to keep the country's magnificent buildings and facilities. It is our responsibility also to make sure they do not scribble on the walls, distort the public parks, distort the beaches or throw trashes in the public areas. The Prophet pbuh said, "everyone of you is a guardian and everyone of you is responsible for that which in his custody." Additionally, anyone of you who has an idea or an initiative that may help in preserving or developing the environment, he can get in touch with the concerned authorities to explore ways of implementing them.

That is said, please bear in mind that you are commanded 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 his companions.

O Allah, may we ask you to make us amongst those who fulfill their duties towards their homeland and conserve the environment. O Allah, please grant us success to be grateful to your blessings and bounties, O Lord of the Worlds.

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 Lord, may we ask You to help us with what gets us closer to Paradise and furthers us from Hell. 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, 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. O Allah, we also supplicate to You to forgive whoever built a mosque where Your name is remembered.

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.

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.

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).