And We elevated your remembrance

First Sermon All praises be to Allah, who sent us His Prophet ﷺ and chosen one, opened his chest and selected him. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow him till the Last Day. To continue: I advise you, servants of Allah, and myself to have Taqwa of Allah. The Almighty said: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ ‌كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ O believers, there is a great surah, consisting of eight verses, revealed to the Prophet ﷺ in Makkah after eleven other surahs. It is one of the six surahs that begin with a question, and it is Surah al-Sharh, which was a solace for our Prophet ﷺ, a clarification of his rank, and an elevation of his status. His Lord addressed him therein with love, honour, tenderness, and grace when He said: أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ  Yes indeed, Allah did expand his chest, filling it with mercy, love, kindness, and compassion. His heart ﷺ was  already generous and pure but made even more. His character was already refined and noble, but he was made a perfection of nobility. He forgave those who wronged him, overlooked mistakes, bore no grudges, and harboured no hatred. Rather, his way was to pardon and forgive. His Lord protected him from the burden of sins and wrongdoings as He says: وَوَضَعْنَا ‌عَنْكَ ‌وِزْرَكَ * الَّذِي أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ O lovers of the Prophet ﷺ : Our Lord has exalted the remembrance of His Prophet ﷺ in the worlds and raised his rank in the highest heavens. Allah says: وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ The hearts of the believers are filled with love for him ﷺ , and their tongues are adorned with his remembrance. Their lips are constantly invoking peace and blessings upon him. There is no preacher who delivers a sermon, no worshiper who testifies in prayer, and no caller to prayer except that they say: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ How truthful is the poet's verse: The Divine united the Prophet's name with His own, whenever the caller to prayer calls out five times a day, the witnessing of both was shown. Thus, his mention ﷺ and praise remains until the Day of Judgment. His reputation and praiseworthy remembrance shall endure by Allah’s grace through time. So let us strive to attach ourselves to his goodness that endures, for ourselves, our families, and our nation by adhering to the noble morals and virtuous traits that he embodied, emulating our Prophet ﷺ. O Allah, we bear witness that You are the sole one deserving of worship and that our master Muhammad ﷺ is Your Messenger. Honor us with his intercession, fill our hearts with his love, and grant us the blessing of being in his company. “O you who have believed, obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.” [4:59]. I say this, and I ask Allah for forgiveness, for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the most forgiving, most merciful. Second Sermon All praise is due to Allah, He is the one deserving of all praise, and peace and blessings upon His Prophet and servant, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow his guidance after him. To continue: O servants of Allah, one of the principles emphasized by Surah al-Sharh is the value of optimism and positive thinking. It mentions that every hardship is followed by ease, and every difficulty is followed by relief. So to those weighed down by worries, overwhelmed by sorrows, and on the brink of despair, reflect on the matter that Allah has affirmed and repeated when He says: فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا * إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا Trust in the promise of your Lord, and be certain that no difficulty can overcome two eases. Do not despair of Allah’s mercy, and rejoice in the relief from Allah that will ease your pains and fulfill your hopes. Perhaps Allah will follow the hardship you feel with an ease you do not yet perceive as one poet said: “How often has a difficulty weighed heavily on a man, without knowing that ease follows every difficulty in Allah’s plan.” At the end of Surah al-Sharh, Allah says to His Prophet ﷺ: فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ * وَإِلى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ That is, when you have completed your worldly tasks, turn your attention to your Lord. Stand before Him in prayer, call upon Him, and seek His grace, for He is the best to ask, and the most generous in giving. O Allah, send Your peace, blessings, and honor upon our master and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, in whose remembrance hearts find peace, worries are lifted, and sins are forgiven. And send Your peace and blessings upon his family and companions, and be pleased with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and all the noble companions. O Allah, expand our chests, ease our affairs, gladden our hearts, forgive our sins, and weigh our scales heavily with good deeds. O Allah, make us firm believers in You, devout worshippers of You, and followers of Your Prophet's guidance. Make us dutiful to our parents, and have mercy on them as they raised us in childhood. O Allah, grant continued stability to our nation, complete well-being upon us, expand our sustenance, and bless us in our spouses and children. O Allah, guide the President of the nation, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, and his brothers, the rulers of the Emirates, and his faithful Crown Prince to that which You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the founding leaders, admit them by Your grace into the vastness of Your gardens, and envelop the martyrs with Your mercy and forgiveness.  O Most Merciful of the merciful. Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the fire. Servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Almighty, the Majestic, and He will remember you. Be grateful for His blessings, and He will increase you. And establish the prayer.