All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. In His book, He urged us to counsel one another and commanded His noble Messenger pbuh to rely on Shura when taking decisions. I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, having no associates. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all the praises are due to Him. He is the Omnipotent. 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 family, 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 and myself to be aware that you are asked to obey Him, the Most Sublime, in line with His orders: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true." (At-Tawba: 119).

Dear Muslims,

Please know that one of the most civilised principles that our religion has instilled in the community is Shura (consultation), which was given an elevated status in Quran itself. In the following Aya, Allah, the Almighty, has associated Shura with observing prayer in an indication of its great importance. He says, "and those who have responded to their lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves, and from what We have provided them, they spend." (Ash-Shura: 38). In interpretation of this Aya, scholars said, "Allah praised the Prophet's pbuh companions for being unified and for following the decision taken by the majority."

Furthermore, the great benefits of Shura from the perspective of Islam was evidenced in the following Aya in which Allah, the Almighty, orders His Prophet pbuh to seek the advice of his companions. "and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]." (Al Imran: 159). Following Allah's commands, the Prophet pbuh adopted Shura as a principle and a way of managing his affairs. He also used to nurture such principle in his companions and always sought their views saying, "O people! Give me your opinion." On the same matter, it was reported that Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "none was more apt to seek council of his Companions than the Messenger of Allah pbuh."

O Worshipers,

Indeed, the Prophet pbuh practiced the principle of Shura in many situations. An example is the establishment of the minbar (pulpit). The Prophet pbuh asked the opinions of his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, when he wanted to use a pulpit to address them on Fridays instead of a trunk of a palm tree that was in the mosque. They agreed on that and went ahead with the establishment of the Minbar.

Another example that shows the Prophet pbuh taking advice from his companions is related to Adhan (call for prayer). He consulted them on how to summon people to their prayers and they approved the idea that Adhan was the best way. Thereupon, he ordered Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, to call for prayers accordingly.

On the same account, the Messenger of Allah also promoted the status of women in the society and urged for consulting them and respecting their opinion. For instance, he consulted his wife Um Salama, may Allah be pleased with her, on Al-Hudaibiya Treaty where she gave him the best of advice. Such a practice was a manifest testimony to the high status of women and the value given to their views.

The Prophet pbuh encouraged Muslims to practice Shura in order to gain its benefits for it is one of the key elements of success and righteousness. That is why rulers used to advise their children to always seek consultation in their affairs. A good example is that of Marwan Ibn al-Hakam who advised his son, Abdulaziz, saying, "do not abandon consultation for anybody who would so do should be the Prophet pbuh."

O Servants of Allah,

It is also good to know that Shura brings about wise decisions and plenty of benefits. By practicing Shura one will be implementing Allah's orders and following the Sunna of His Messenger pbuh. In addition to that, through Shura one will come up with the best of thoughts and the most righteous opinions and will be safe from making mistakes. In this regard, a man of wisdom said, "I never did a mistake; when anything distressed me I would consult my people and follow their advice. Thus, if I was right in what I did, the credit would go to them."

Shura enhances also the mutual trust between the ruler and people. As such, it opens the gates for positive contributions to maintaining the public good of society and people. Ibn al-Arabi al-Maliki, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "Shura brings compassion amongst the group and in it there is a sign of wisdom and a path to the righteousness. Indeed, people never seek advice without being guided to the best possibility available to them."

Verily, Shura helps refine mankind's reasoning, develop their talents and makes use of their ideas. For this reason, throughout history, those of wisdom sought always the advice of others because consultation is conducive to bringing people closer to one another, hence strengthening compassion and cooperation amongst them. It also guides them to the right path, innovation, success and prosperity.

In this regard, a poet once said what it meant: "If you need advice in your matters, seek the opinion of a wise man or that of a resolute one." On the same matter, Umar ibn al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "There are three types of people," and of them he mentioned, "he who seeks advice from the people of wisdom, listens to their advice and ponders over it."

O Worshipers,

Islam did not specify a particular method for implementing Shura, yet it left this matter for the community to decide about it according to their own circumstances. To this effect, it is a blessing from Allah, the All-Sublime, that He granted us, in the UAE, rulers whose both hearts and doors are open to the people. Because Shura is their way and approach, they always listened to people with a conscious mind and a parental caring heart. Thus, they established many institutions that are intended to serve the public good and help people express their opinions.

Indeed, the principle of Shura was implemented at the very early days of the Union by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah rest his soul in peace, who consulted his brothers, the then Rulers of the Emirates on that matter. They agreed to establish the Union and formed the Federal National Council as a modern version of the principle of Shura. Such a council constitutes a government consultation entity and a channel through which people's inputs will reach to the government on all different areas of life.

In the UAE, the council is open for all Emiratis, something that reflects the utmost care given by the country's wise leadership to their Emirati sons and daughters. It also represents a practical implementation of the principle of Shura in the UAE. The Federal National Council enjoys broad authorities that enable it to transmit a realistic and clear image to the government on the status of the service sectors in the country, including education, health and social affairs, among others. The aim is to provide people comfort and bring happiness to the society. From this perspective, the council assists the government in achieving its goals.

With this in mind, we implore to Allah, the Most Gracious, to grant our rulers the best of rewards. May Allah guide us to the best of deeds and words and bless us with righteousness and determination in following the right path.

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 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,

O worshipers,

Please be aware that the first thing we should advise each other about is obeying Allah, the All-High, and foster the role of Shura in administering our affairs, be it private or public. To this effect, one should consult his family in all their matters. Consensus and agreement amongst the family members will definitely bring them closer to one another and help them take the right decisions. Children will also draw lessons from their parents' experiences and will grow more rational and learn the basics of a meaningful dialogue and the discussion etiquette.

Another area where Shura should be implemented as a principle is amongst team members at work. This will strengthen trust and harmony amongst them as well as promote their mutual sense of responsibility. On the same matter, al-Hasan al Basri said, "people never seek advice without being guided to the best possibility available to 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, we beseech you to guide us to the best of consultation and dialogue. O Lord, may we ask you to direct us to the best of opinions, words and deeds, 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).