The Emirati Family

First Sermon All praise is due to Allah, who created man from water and made kinship and marriage bonds from it. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah’s salutations, peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his companions, and those who loyally support him. As for what follows: I advise you, O servants of Allah, and myself to have Taqwa (Fear of Allah). Allah, the Exalted, says: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً﴾ O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its spouse, and dispersed from both of them many men and women. (Qurʾān 4:1) O believers, Allah Almighty also says: ﴿وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ بَنِينَ وَحَفَدَةً﴾ And Allah has made for you from yourselves spouses and has made for you from your spouses children and grandchildren. (Qurʾān 16:72) It is the family, O servants of Allah, the mark of continuity and the means for the preservation of life. It is the first school of education and upbringing and the foundation of a strong and stable society. The first step towards forming a family is marriage, through which it is maintained and sustained, and upon which it is built and developed. Allah has made marriage a natural disposition (fiṭrah) in His creation and an established tradition (sunnah) among His Prophets and Messengers. Moreover, marriage is a means of protection for a person, safeguarding him from falling into what Allah has forbidden. Why do some young people turn away from marriage? Have they not heard the call of their Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him): «يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ، مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ» O young men, whoever among you is by the means, let him get married. Do they not know, that it is a lack of trust in Allah to avoid marriage, arguing that it only brings burdens, costs, and expenses? Do they fear a scarcity of provision, when Allah has promised them wealth if they marry? As He said: ﴿إِنْ يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾ If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is All-Encompassing (in His Bounty) and All-Knowing (of His creation and their needs). (Qurʾān 24:32) So, respond, O youth, to the call of your Prophet, and trust in the promise of your Lord, and you will enjoy the warmth, tranquility, mercy, and love of a family, and reap its fruits: righteous and obedient children who carry your name, bring joy to your eyes, and serve as a support for you in your old age and a source of success for you before your Lord. Do you not hear the Words of Allah Almighty: ﴿‌وَالَّذِينَ ‌آمَنُوا ‌وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ‌ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ ‌بِإِيمَانٍ ‌أَلْحَقْنَا ‌بِهِمْ ‌ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ﴾ And those who had īmān (faith) and whose descendants followed them in īmān (faith) – We will join with them their descendants. (Qurʾān 52:21) O servants of Allah, the family that our religion approves of, and our nation seeks, is a family built on virtuous character and religion, as the Seal of the Messengers (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) said: «‌إِذَا ‌جَاءَكُمْ ‌مَنْ ‌تَرْضَوْنَ ‌دِينَهُ ‌وَخُلُقَهُ ‌فَزَوِّجُوهُ If a man, whose religion and character you are pleased with, comes to you (seeking marriage to a female family member), then marry him. It is a family with financial capability, without excessive dowries or extravagant celebrations and gifts. Would you like to build your families on what drains its blessings? Have you not heard the saying of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him): «‌مِنْ ‌يُمْنِ الْمَرْأَةِ تَسْهِيلُ أَمْرِهَا، ‌وَقِلَّةُ صَدَاقِهَا» Part of the the goodness (blessing) of a woman is (reflected in) the ease of her affairs and the modesty of her dowry. The family that our religion and nation aspire to is one whose members enjoy health and well-being. A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) and informed him that he married a woman from the Ansar. The Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) said: «اذْهَبْ فَانْظُرْ إِلَيْهَا، فَإِنَّ فِي ‌أَعْيُنِ ‌الْأَنْصَارِ ‌شَيْئًا» Go and look at her, for there is something in the eyes of the Ansar. It is essential for the youth to undergo medical and genetic testing before marriage to protect the health, safety and stability of their families. Who among us would be content to establish a family that spends its prime years in hospitals, or to have children who cause one’s heart to ache every time he observes their struggles with genetic diseases and disabilities? So plan, O parents, for the future of your families, and nurture the minds of your children with knowledge. And you, O teachers, support our families in instilling the values of authentic traditional Emirati households and safeguard their minds from the harms of the digital world, so that the beauty of what we built is not destroyed, and the essence of what we erected is not dismantled. مَتَى يَبْلُغُ الْبُنْيَانُ يَوْمًا تَمَامَهُ ** إِذَا كُنْتَ تَبْنِيهِ وَغَيْرُكَ يَهْدِمُ When will the building ever reach its completion, if you are building it while others are tearing it down (seeking its deletion)? O Allah, protect our young men and our young women, our sons and our daughters, bless our families, and maintain happiness in our homes. ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾ O you who have believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. (Qurʾān 4:59) I say this, and I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord. Second Sermon All praise is due to Allah until the praise reaches its utmost. May peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad, His Prophet and Chosen One, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow his guidance. As for what follows: We are currently in the days marking the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance, a significant occasion. How fitting it is for families to celebrate it and embody it within their homes. Therefore, O spouses (husbands and wives), hold fast to tolerance and uphold it among yourselves, and whenever a disagreement arises, renew the page of your lives with tolerance. This is better for you than allowing your disagreements to escalate, which may have a profound effect on the psychological well-being of your children. It is more fitting for you to instill tolerance in your children in both word and deed. Be kind in your interaction with them, and gentle in their upbringing, for: Allah, when He wants goodness for a household, He bestows gentleness upon them. إِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا ‌أَرَادَ ‌بِأَهْلِ بَيْتٍ خَيْرًا أَدْخَلَ ‌عَلَيْهِمُ ‌الرِّفْقَ Consequently, gentleness and tolerance will become their way of life, and a principal component of their personalities. Brothers will forgive each other and be tolerant of one another, their hearts will be reconciled and purified (of malice), their bonds will strengthen, and they will maintain family ties. Is that better, or children who were not raised with tolerance in their homes, and as a result, you find them in the halls of courts, disputing over inheritance and estates? Therefore, teach your children that wealth can be replaced, but a brother cannot be replaced. Wealth comes and goes, but the brotherly bond remains, unbroken and enduring. Teach them that a brother is the support and pillar of his sibling, as Allah said to His Prophet Musa (peace be upon him): ﴿سَنَشُدُّ ‌عَضُدَكَ ‌بِأَخِيكَ﴾ We will strengthen your support with your brother. (Qurʾān 28:35) Trust, O father, and trust, O mother, that the tolerance you instill in your children, you will one day reap its fruits. فَرُبَّ بَذْرَةِ أَخْلَاقٍ حَوَتْ قِيَمًا ** بِالنُّصْحِ صَارَتْ بَسَاتِينًا وَأَفْنَانًا For perhaps a seed of good morals, containing (deep) values, If nurtured with wise counsel, transforms into gardens and branches of vibrant hues. O Allah, send salutations, peace, and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, upon his family, and upon all his companions. O Allah, be pleased with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and with all of the noble Companions. O Allah, make us among those who have faith in You, worship You, and turn to You in repentance. O Allah, make us dutiful to our parents and have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful. Our Lord, whatever good we have asked of You, grant it to us, and whatever our supplications have fallen short of, fulfill them for us. Indeed, You are the Most Generous Bestower. O Allah, bestow continuous and sustained stability onto our country, confer complete health upon us, expand our provisions, and bless us in our spouses and offspring. O Allah, grant success to the President of the State, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, his brothers, the rulers of the Emirates, and his loyal Crown Prince, in what You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the founding leaders, and admit them by Your grace into the vastness of Your Paradise. Include the martyrs of our homeland in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, those who are alive and those who have passed away. O Allah, send us rain and do not make us among those who despair. O Allah, shower us with rain, O Allah, shower us with rain, O Allah, shower us with rain. ﴿‌رَبَّنَا ‌آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ﴾ “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Qurʾān 2:201) Servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Almighty, and He will remember you, and thank Him for His blessings and He will increase you. Establish the prayer.