Our Gatherings are Schools of Instruction

All praise is due to Allah, and I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that our master and prophet, Sayyiduna Muhammad, is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah's peace, blessings, and mercy be upon him, his family, companions, and all who follow them until the Last Day. To continue: I urge you and myself to have taqwa of Allah, for He says: ‌وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ And fear Allah, and know that Allah is Knowing of all things. [Qur’an:2:223] O Believers: Among the wisdoms acknowledged by people and used in their aphorisms and proverbs is that social gatherings are akin to schools of instruction. Indeed, such gatherings, O servants of Allah, are akin to schools of life wisdom where both young and old meet, where families come together, and where we learn the values of dialogue and fruitful conversation. O frequenters of gatherings: Indeed meeting different people in your gatherings is an opportunity and a blessing, so make it something of significance whereby you learn something, beautify it with your good manners, observe its etiquettes, care for its attendees, and honour those who visit you. Your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ؛ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ‌ضَيْفَهُ Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should honour his guest. [Bukhari and Muslim] Listen to your companions in these gatherings, pay attention to their conversations, and do not be distracted by phones or similar devices, for it is not courteous to be preoccupied with your phone whilst your companions may be trying to converse with you. Let us consider the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in his gatherings, for when his ring once distracted him from his companions, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: شَغَلَنِي هَذَا عَنْكُمْ... ‌إِلَيْهِ ‌نَظْرَةٌ، وَإِلَيْكُمْ نَظْرَةٌ This distracted me from you... a glance at it, and a glance at you. [Ahmad] Then he discarded the ring and turned his attention to his companions. O Servants of Allah: Be keen to keep the secrets of gatherings, as it is part of their trust, and do not take photos of anyone without their permission, as it is a lack of respect for their privacy. Beware of disturbing the harmony of gatherings by engaging in slander and backbiting, for Allah says: وَلَا ‌يَغْتَبْ ‌بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ And do not backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah. [Qur’an:49:12] So we ask that Allah give us the ability to honour our gathering and to honour and obey, those we have been commanded to obey. As Allah says: O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. [Qur’an:49:12]. I say this and I ask Allah for forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness for He is the most forgiving and the most Merciful. The Second Sermon All praise is due to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no other Prophet. O Believers: Allah has honoured us in the United Arab Emirates by respecting and valuing gatherings, which is one of the beautiful customs and traditions of this nation and the Muslims in general. So maintain the blessing of gatherings by cherishing them and instilling their importance in future generations. Bring your children to them so they can learn from your traditions and beautiful customs, and inherit the authentic Emirati/Islamic etiquette. Be a role model for them in respecting gatherings, keeping their secrets, honouring their elders, and showing hospitality to their guests, in accordance with our religion's teachings and the customs we have inherited from our forefathers. Do not neglect mentioning Allah in them, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: مَا جَلَسَ قَوْمٌ مَجْلِسًا لَمْ يَذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ فِيهِ، وَلَمْ يُصَلُّوا عَلَى نَبِيِّهِمْ؛ ‌إِلَّا ‌كَانَ ‌عَلَيْهِمْ ‌تِرَةً No people sit in a gathering without mentioning Allah and without sending blessings upon their Prophet, except that it will be a source of regret for them. [Tirmidhi] In other words gatherings that are bereft of the remembrance of Allah and mention of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) shall ultimately be a means a source of sorrow. Hence, the best way to end our gatherings is what our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us, as he used to conclude his gatherings with a supplication taught to him by Gabriel (peace be upon him), saying:  سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ Glory be to You, O Allah, and with to You is all praise, I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except You, I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You. [Nisa’i] Such a supplication is an expiation for whatever may have occurred in the gathering. O Allah, make our gatherings oases of happiness and love, filled with tranquillity and mercy. O our Lord, send peace and blessings upon our master and prophet, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and be pleased with the rightly guided caliphs and all the noble companions. O Allah, grant the UAE continued safety, stability, progress, and prosperity, and encompass the world with mercy and peace. O Allah, guide the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, his brothers the rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince to what You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, the founding leaders, Sheikh Maktoum, and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, and admit them by Your grace into Your spacious gardens, and encompass the nation's martyrs with Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and women, the living and the deceased. Servants of Allah: Remember Allah the Great and Glorious, and He will remember you, and be grateful to Him for His blessings, and He will increase you. And establish the prayer.