Qul: Alhamdulillah

First Khutba All praise is due to Allah, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, praise befitting the majesty of His countenance, the perfection of His attributes, and the greatness of His sovereignty. We praise Him to the number of His creation, to His approval, to the glory of His Throne, and to the ink of His words. We bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, praising Him alone and acknowledging His favours. We also bear witness that our master, Prophet and Sayyid, Sayyiduna Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the one whose name is derived from praise, making him the most grateful among people to his Lord and the one who praised Him the most, as the poet said: And He derived His name from His attribute, to honour him, For the Lord of the Throne is Maḥmūd (Praised), and this is Muhammad. O Allah send Your peace, blessings, and mercy be upon him, his family, his companions, and all of those who follow them in righteousness until the Last Day. To Continue: I advise you and myself to observe Taqwa (consciousness and reverence for Allah) and to offer praise to Him: فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ So have Taqwa of Allah, perhaps you will be grateful [Quran 3:123]. O Believers: The phrase of praise: Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), is a phrase with which Allah has opened the first chapter of His Book and is a phrase which He mentions in more than forty verses from the verses of His revelation. This is a profound statement or phrase that means acknowledging Allah's perfection, praising Him in every circumstance with love, glorification, and reverence. The believer continuously repeats it in all times, whether in ease or hardship, in trials or blessings, saying: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ There is no god but Allah; to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him belongs praise. Feeling the response of his Lord and His affirmation, as mentioned in the Hadith Qudsi: صَدَقَ عَبْدِي، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا، لِيَ الْمُلْكُ وَلِيَ الْحَمْدُ My servant has spoken the truth: There is no god but I; to Me belongs sovereignty, and to Me belongs praise. [Ibn Majah] So O Allah, to You belongs all praise for creating us, sustaining us, guiding us, teaching us, beautifying us with health and well-being, granting us security and tranquillity, and honouring us with righteous leadership. To You belongs all praise, O our Lord, for the countless blessings You have bestowed, the many favours You have granted, the countless kindness You have shown, and the countless hardships You have alleviated us from. O You whose gratitude is echoed by all creation, and whose praise is glorified by all beings: وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ And there is not a thing except that it glorifies His praise [Quran 17:44]. O Servants of Allah: Do not lag behind in joining the ranks of the grateful. Be among those who hasten to praise your Lord, praising Him as His noble angels do: حَافِّينَ مِنْ حَوْلِ الْعَرْشِ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ Those who bear the Throne and those around it exalt Allah with praise of their Lord [Quran 40:7]. Praise Him as His prophets did, peace and blessings be upon them, who said: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي فَضَّلَنَا عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ Praise be to Allah, who has preferred us above many of His believing servants [Quran 27:15]. When you wake up in the morning, let praise be the beginning of your day, saying: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي فِي جَسَدِي، وَرَدَّ عَلَيَّ رُوحِي، وَأَذِنَ لِي بِذِكْرِهِ Praise be to Allah, who restored my soul, kept me healthy in my body, and allowed me to remember Him [Tirmidhi]. Your Prophet and beloved Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed you in this. When you eat or drink, to thank Allah for His provision: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الْأَكْلَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا، أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا Indeed, Allah is pleased with the servant who praises Him for a morsel that they eat or a drink that they drank [Muslim] Likewise when wearing new clothes, one should say: اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ كَسَوْتَنِيهِ، أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِهِ، وَخَيْرِ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهِ، وَشَرِّ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ O Allah, to You belongs praise; You have clothed me with it. I ask You for its goodness and the goodness for which it was made, and I seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil for which it was made. [Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi] Similarly, when we see someone afflicted, we should thank Allah for our well-being from that affliction silently, in accordance with the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): مَنْ رَأَى مُبْتَلًى فَقَالَ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِمَّا ابْتَلَاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَنِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلًا، لَمْ يُصِبْهُ ذَلِكَ الْبَلَاءُ Whoever sees someone afflicted and says, 'Praise be to Allah who has spared me from what He has tested you with and favoured me greatly over much of His creation,' will be safe from that affliction [Tirmidhi] O you whom Allah has blessed with righteous offspring, say, All praise is due to Allah. And O you who have lost a child, praise Allah for what He has decreed and ordained, and find solace in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): إِذَا مَاتَ وَلَدُ الْعَبْدِ قَالَ اللَّهُ لِمَلَائِكَتِهِ: قَبَضْتُمْ وَلَدَ عَبْدِي، قَبَضْتُمْ ثَمَرَةَ فُؤَادِهِ، مَاذَا قَالَ عَبْدِي؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: حَمِدَكَ وَاسْتَرْجَعَ، فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ: ابْنُوا لِعَبْدِي بَيْتًا فِي الجَنَّةِ، وَسَمُّوهُ بَيْتَ الْحَمْدِ ‘When a servant's child dies, Allah says to His angels, 'You have taken the child of My servant, the fruit of his heart?' They say, 'Yes.' He says, 'What did My servant say?' They respond, 'He praised You and said, Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return.' Allah then says, 'Build a house for My servant in Paradise and name it the House of Praise.’ [Tirmidhi] May these words bring comfort and strength to all of those who have lost loved ones. O Servants of Allah: Let praise accompany us in all that befalls us, firmly believing that it is from our Lord and that there is good in it for us. Follow the example of our master and beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). For if he saw something pleasing, he would say: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ Praise be to Allah, by whose grace good deeds are completed [Ibn Majah]. And if he saw something displeasing, he would say: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ Praise be to Allah in every circumstance. O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you [Quran 4:59]. I say this, and I seek Allah's forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness because He is the most forgiving, most-merciful. Second Khutba: All praise be to Allah, the praise of one who acknowledges His blessings. And peace and blessings be upon the Seal of His Prophets and Messengers, and upon his family, companions, and loved ones, and upon those who follow them with righteousness until the Last Day. To continue, O Believers: Increase in praising your Lord for His blessings, and rejoice in His grace and abundant gifts. Indeed, He has promised you this in His words: لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ If you give thanks, I will surely increase your favour upon you. [Quran 14:7] And with the praise of your Lord, your sins are forgiven, your good deeds are multiplied, and your scales will be heavy. For the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلَأُ الْمِيزَانَ Alhamdulillah fills the scale [Muslim]. This is due to its grandeur, the greatness of its virtue, and the enormity of its reward. So increase, O servants of Allah, in saying it, and you will be among the happiest people on the Day of Judgment because of it. For the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْحَمَّادُونَ Indeed, the best of Allah’s servants on the Day of Judgment are those who praise Him often. [Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir] They will precede others to the Gardens of Paradise of their Lord, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: أَوَّلُ مَنْ يُدْعَى إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ الْحَمَّادُونَ، الَّذِينَ يَحْمَدُونَ اللَّهَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ The first to be called to Paradise are the ones who praise Allah in times of ease and hardship. [Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah] O Servants of Allah: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: أَفْضَلُ الدُّعَاءِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ The best of supplications is: 'Alhamdulillah.' [Tirmidhi] So, the affair is as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said that amongst the most excellent things to say to glorify Allah would be: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَدَدَ مَا خَلَقَ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ مِلْءَ مَا خَلَقَ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَدَدَ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ مِلْءَ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَدَدَ مَا أَحْصَى كِتَابُهُ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ مِلْءَ مَا أَحْصَى كِتَابُهُ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَدَدَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ مِلْءَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ Alhamdulillah, by the number of His creation. Alhamdulillah, as much as His creation fills up. Alhamdulillah, by the number of what is in the heavens and the earth. Alhamdulillah, by the amount that fills the heavens and the earth. Alhamdulillah, by the number of everything that His Book encompasses, and Alhamdulillah, by the amount of everything that is filled in His Book. Alhamdulillah, by the number of everything. And Alhamdulillah, by the filling of everything [Ahmad]. O Allah, send Your blessings, peace, and mercy upon our Master and Prophet Muhammad, upon his family, companions, and followers. O Allah, be pleased with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and all of the honoured companions. O Allah, make us believers in You, worshipers of You, repentant to You, and kind to our parents. Have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful. Our Lord, whatever good we ask from You, grant it to us, and whatever our supplications fall short of, fulfil it for us. Indeed, You are the Bestower. O Allah, maintain stability in our state, grant us good health, increase our provisions, and bless our spouses and children. O Allah, guide the leader of our state, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, and the rulers of the Emirates, as well as his trusted successor, to that which You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the founding leaders. Enter them by Your grace into the vast gardens of Paradise, and include the martyrs in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the living and the dead among the Muslims, and the believers, men and women. O Allah, grant us blessings akin to the falling of rain, and do not make us among the despairing. O Allah, help us, O Allah, help us, O Allah, help us. Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. O servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Great and Majestic, and He will remember you. And thank Him for His blessings, and He will increase you. And establish the prayer.