Allah, Al-Laṭīf Ever Kind to His Servants

First Khutbah All praise and thanks are due to Allah, praise as vast as the heavens and the earth. To Him belong the Most Exalted Attributes and the Most Perfect Names. We bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, He does whatever He wills. And we bear witness that our Prophet, Muhammad, is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of His Prophets. May Allah send His peace, blessings, and abundant salutations upon him, his family, and his companions, and upon those who follow them in truth and sincerity. I advise you, O servants of Allah, and myself, to have taqwa of Allah. Allah, Exalted is He, says: ﴿ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي أَنْتُمْ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ “And fear Allah in Whom you believe.” O Believers, Al-Latīf (The Most Subtle, The Most Gentle) is a noble Name from the Beautiful Names of Allah, and a majestic Attribute from His Perfect Attributes. It is a Name that is close to the souls and beloved to the hearts. It is invoked in times of hardship and distress and relied upon in moments of sorrow and difficulty. Indeed, Al-Latīf is the Name of Allah, it signifies the encompassing nature of His knowledge, the perfection of His wisdom, the subtlety of His decree, the vastness of His kindness, the completeness of His grace, and gentleness with His creation. Allah the Almighty described Himself with this Name, saying: ﴿لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ﴾. “No vision can grasp Him, but He grasps all vision; and He is the Most Subtle, the All-Aware.” Exalted is He! The eyes of creation are incapable of fully perceiving Him, yet He, encompasses all of them. Nothing concerning His creation is hidden from His knowledge. He is Al-Laṭīf, the One who perceives the subtlest of matters and is fully aware of the deepest of secrets. Luqmān said to his son, as Allah tells us: ﴿يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّهَا إِنْ تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُنْ فِي صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ أَوْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ﴾، “O my son, if it be [even] the weight of a mustard seed, and it is hidden in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Indeed, Allah is Subtle and All-Aware.” Even if that tiny seed lies hidden deep within a solid rock, Allah knows exactly where it is and fully encompasses its reality. Truly, nothing is hidden from Him. ﴿أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ﴾ “Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the All-Aware?” Exalted is He! He arranges the means of His servants’ sustenance from sources they could never imagine and delivers provisions to them from paths they could never anticipate, not according to their desires, but in accordance with His perfect knowledge of what is best for them. He does this out of His subtle mercy and generous care. Allah said: ﴿اللَّهُ لَطِيفٌ بِعِبَادِهِ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْقَوِيُّ الْعَزِيزُ﴾ “Allah is Subtle with His servants; He provides for whom He wills. And He is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.” One of the wise said: “Know that when Allah withholds something from you, it is a form of giving. He does not withhold out of miserliness, rather, He withholds out of subtle kindness. So, submit to Him in full trust of His supreme wisdom, and be certain in His gentle planning.” O Allah, envelop us in Your gentleness, shower us with Your grace, and grant us success in obeying You and those You have commanded us to obey in Your saying: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾. “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.” I say these words and ask Allah’s forgiveness for me and for you. So seek His forgiveness, for He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.   Second Khutbah      All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance. To proceed, O servants of Allah: Let us reflect on the Name of Allah Al-Latīf (The Most Subtle, The Most Gentle), and ask: How can we attain the gentleness of Allah Almighty?  By having full certainty in His perfect wisdom and vast mercy, and by adhering the taqwa and obedience to Him. For He has said: ﴿وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا* وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ﴾ “And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not expect.” And one of the greatest ways to attract the subtle kindness (luṭf) of Allah, is to act according to the meaning of His Name Al-Laṭīf (The Most Gentle) in our daily lives, by showing kindness to those around us, and supporting those who seek our help. Our Prophet ﷺ said: «مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُؤْمِنٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ الدُّنْيَا؛ نَفَّسَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ» Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship from the hardships of this world, Allah will relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Judgment. And among the greatest ways to attract the gentleness of our Lord, Al-Latif, is to show compassion to the grieving, to seek excuses for those who make mistakes, and to extend mercy to all of Allah’s servants. The Prophet ﷺ said: «إِنَّمَا يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الرُّحَمَاءَ» “Verily, Allah is merciful to His servants who are merciful.” Whoever chooses their words with care, avoiding harm, and exercises patience in judgment, avoiding injustice, such a person is embodying the noble trait of gentleness and acting upon the command of Al-Latif, who says: ﴿وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا﴾ “And speak kindly to people.” Gentleness is a virtue measured by abundant giving, sincerity of feeling, nobility of conduct, and beauty of character, by showing kindness at all times. For indeed, Allah the Most Gentle loves gentleness in all matters, as our Prophet ﷺ said: «  يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ فِي الْأَمْرِ كُلِّهِ إن الله “Indeed, Allah loves gentleness in all things.” So let us bring gentleness into our homes, our workplaces, our mosques, and our marketplaces. Let us spread the value of gentleness throughout our communities. O Allah, send Your peace, blessings, and grace upon our master Muhammad, upon his noble family, his righteous companions, and all who follow them until the Day of Judgment. O Allah, be pleased with the Rightly Guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and with all the noble companions. O Allah, make us firm believers in You, devoted worshippers of You, and those who constantly turn back to You in repentance. Let us always reflect on Your Name Al-Latīf (The Most Gentle), call upon You through it, embody its meanings in our lives, and be dutiful to our parents. Have mercy on them as they raised us when we were small, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, forgive everyone who has established an endowment (waqf) for Your sake, seeking Your pleasure and aspiring for Your Paradise. Accept their charity, replace what they have spent, and protect them in themselves, their families, their descendants, and their wealth. Bless their provision and their earnings O Allah, preserve the United Arab Emirates with lasting stability, growth, and prosperity. Perfect Your blessings of well-being upon us, and bless our sustenance, our spouses, and our children. O Allah, grant success to the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, his fellow rulers of the Emirates, and his loyal Crown Prince. Guide them to what pleases You and earns Your satisfaction. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and all the founding leaders. Admit them by Your grace into the vast gardens of Paradise. Encompass the martyrs of our nation in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and women, the believing men and women, those who are living and those who have passed away. ﴿‌رَبَّنَا ‌آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ﴾. “Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” Servants of Allah: Remember Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, He will remember you. Give thanks to Him for His countless blessings, and He will increase you.