Defending the Homeland

First Khutbah All praise is due to Allah, who planted the love of homeland in our hearts and made its defense a duty in our religion. We bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, our God and Lord. We bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, our role model and example. May Allah’s peace, blessings, and mercy be upon him, his family, and all his companions, and upon those who follow his guidance with excellence until the Day of Judgment. To proceed: I advise you, O servants of Allah, and myself, to have taqwa of Allah. He, the Exalted, said: : ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾. “O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allah that you may succeed.”  The homeland is the cradle of goodness, the source of righteousness, the wellspring of generosity, the gathering place of kin and relatives, the meeting point of loved ones and friends. On its soil, acts of worship are performed, and within its bounds, emotions are deeply rooted. It is the homeland, the inheritance of forefathers and ancestors, a trust upon the shoulders of the children. Loving it is instinctive and natural, a noble trait, and a prophetic virtue. Look at your Prophet’s love and longing for his homeland, Makkah. When he left it, he bid it farewell with looks that soften hearts and words that bring tears to the eyes. He said: «مَا أَطْيَبَكِ مِنْ بَلَدٍ، وَأَحَبَّكِ إِلَيَّ، وَلَوْلَا أَنَّ قَوْمِي أَخْرَجُونِي مِنْكِ مَا سَكَنْتُ غَيْرَكِ»، “How good you are as a land and how beloved you are to me. Had my people not expelled me from you, I would not have lived elsewhere.”  Indeed, He ﷺ left it, but His heart remained tied to it. His body departed, but his soul stayed connected to it. True love for the homeland is the foundation of its building, the cornerstone of its growth, and the path to its prosperity and stability. One of the first things the Prophet ﷺ did upon arriving in Madinah was to ask Allah to plant love for it in his and his companions’ hearts. He said: “O Allah, make us love Madinah as You made us love Makkah, or even more.” «‌اللَّهُمَّ ‌حَبِّبْ ‌إِلَيْنَا الْمَدِينَةَ كَمَا حَبَّبْتَ إِلَيْنَا مَكَّةَ أَوْ أَشَدَّ». This is the homeland, O servants of Allah! Its value cannot be expressed in words, nor captured in phrases. We express our love for it through prayers and supplications: ﴿رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا﴾، “My Lord, make this a safe land.” And we translate this love into achievements, for the homeland is a trust upon us. We must guard it as long as we live, following the words of our Lord: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ﴾، “And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive.” We fulfill our duties to it and give it its rights and how many rights it has upon us! Among the most important are: preserving its religion, holding firm to its language, being proud of its identity, respecting its institutions, abiding by its laws, and doing all we can for its advancement.  The homeland is like a tree watered by giving and nurtured by loyalty. True belonging to the homeland is one of its rights, for it gives it strength, dignity, and elevation. Among the greatest rights of the homeland is defending it, and this can be done through words that express its nobility, highlight its virtues, refute false accusations, and counter harmful rumours. It can also be done by sacrificing oneself and what is precious for its elevation, guarding its resources, and protecting its achievements. Indeed, this is a great honour and a noble prophetic guidance. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet ﷺ was the best of people and the bravest. One night, the people of Madinah were frightened, so they headed toward the source of the sound. But the Prophet ﷺ had already gone there before them and said, «لَمْ تُرَاعُوا، لَمْ تُرَاعُوا» ‘There was nothing to be afraid of’”      Heﷺ gave us the greatest example and the most eloquent lesson in striving for the safety and tranquility of the homeland. Following the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺour forefathers and ancestors proceeded, defending their homeland when it possessed nothing.     It is therefore more fitting for us to defend it today with everything we have, for Allah the Almighty has provided us with everything within it, and for us and our children, it holds everything. We are its present and its future, its fortress and its strength, its shield and its protection.       Indeed, our solidarity and cohesion, our sincere belonging to our homeland, and our loyalty to its leader and rulers repel the aggression of aggressors, deter those with evil intent, spread stability and tranquility, security and peace of mind throughout the nation, and protect religion and land, safeguarding offspring and honor. So, strengthen your trust in your Lord, your loyalty to your homeland, and your obedience to the President of your state and its rulers, acting upon the command of your Lord: ﴿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 for forgiveness for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.  Second Khutbah      All praise is due to Allah for His bounties, and thanks to Him for His guidance. Peace and blessings be upon our chosen Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow his guidance. To proceed: O you who are loyal to your homeland, unity in defending the homeland is exemplified on the 6th of May, The Armed Forces Unification Day. It is a day of remembering blessings and acknowledging favors. It carries within it the meaning of defending and protecting the homeland, enhancing its stability, and opening the horizons of its prosperity. It embodies the meanings of unity and joint work for the homeland, instilling belonging to it and loyalty to its leadership and rulers. It is our duty to express gratitude to those who have been the guardians of this nation’s security, and its protectors by land and sky. Glad tidings to them of what their Prophet ﷺ promised: «عَيْنَانِ لَا تَمَسُّهُمَا النَّارُ: عَيْنٌ بَكَتْ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ، وَعَيْنٌ بَاتَتْ تَحْرُسُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ». Two eyes will never be touched by the fire of Hell; an eye which weeps out of Fear of Allah and an eye which spends the night in guarding in the Cause of Allah. Glad tidings of the great reward our Prophet promised: “Shall I not tell you of a night better than Laylat al-Qadr? A guard who stands watch in a land of fear, perhaps never returning to his family.” «أَلَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِلَيْلَةٍ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ؟ حَارِسٌ حَرَسَ فِي أَرْضِ خَوْفٍ، لَعَلَّهُ لَا يَرْجِعُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ».   What nobility in their actions, what honor in their goals, and what greatness in their impact! Congratulations to them for their noble reward, their heavy scale of deeds, their triumph in the Paradise of their Lord, and the appreciation of their community.     O Allah, send Your blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, companions, and followers. Be pleased with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and all the noble companions. O Allah, make us believers in You, worshippers of You, turning to You, loyal to our homeland, and defenders of it. Make us dutiful to our parents and have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young. 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 Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless the United Arab Emirates with continued stability, growth, and prosperity. Grant us ongoing well-being, bless our provisions, our spouses, and our children.  O Allah, guide the President of the Nation, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, his brothers the rulers of the Emirates, and his loyal Crown Prince, to all that You love and are pleased with. 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. Shower Your mercy and forgiveness upon the martyrs of the homeland.  O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and women, the believing men and women, those living and those who have passed away. O Allah, send down upon us Your rain, and do not make us among the despairing. O Allah, grant us rain. O Allah, grant us rain. O Allah, grant us rain. ﴿‌رَبَّنَا ‌آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ﴾. ﴾ Our Lord, grant us goodness in this life and goodness in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire ﴿.   O servants of Allah, remember Allah and He will remember you. Be grateful to Him for His blessings, and He will increase you. Establish the prayer.