And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied

First Sermon All praise is due to Allah, who has chosen our Prophet and selected him, revealed to His servant what He revealed. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that our master and Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, his family, companions, and all of those who follow him until the Last Day. To Proceed: I advise you, O servants of Allah, and myself to have taqwa of Allah. He, the Most High, says: إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ ‌اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ ‌مُحْسِنُونَ Indeed, Allah is with those who have taqwa of Him and those who are doers of good. [Qur’an: 16:128]. O Believers: On the occasion of the birth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we pause to reflect deeply on his life, contemplating the Holy Qur’an to recognize his great status. Allah has designated chapters through which we understand His love for His Prophet ﷺ, His honouring of him, and his status and worth before Him, exalted be He. One of these is Surah Al-Duha, which was revealed after Surah Al-Fajr, signalling the continuous and expanding light of guidance. In this Surah, Allah swore by two moments of time, negated two things from His Prophet ﷺ, affirmed two matters, reminded him of three blessings, and provided him with three pieces of advice. Allah addressed His Prophet ﷺ, swearing by the daylight when it shines, indicating the clarity and ease of this religion, and by the night when it becomes still, signifying the peace and tranquillity this religion brings. He said: وَالضُّحَى* وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى* ‌مَا ‌وَدَّعَكَ ‌رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى By the morning brightness, * and by the night when it covers with darkness. * Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He despised you. [Qur’an: 93:1-3] In other words Allah informed the Prophet ﷺ that he had not abandoned him since He had chosen him and loves him. The Prophet ﷺ was reminded of how beloved and close he was to Allah. Let us reflect on the general meaning of the words: ‌مَا ‌وَدَّعَكَ ‌رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He despised you. [Qur’an: 93:3] This assurance to the Prophet ﷺ that he was not abandoned, that he was not despised, but rather that he was loved, extended also to his companions, and shall extend to anyone who truly loves him ﷺ until the Day of Resurrection. So let anyone who is true in their love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ rejoice in this noble divine promise and the great heavenly gift. Servants of Allah: Allah says to His Prophet ﷺ in Surah Al-Duha: وَلَلْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ الْأُولَى And the Hereafter is better for you than the first life [Qur’an: 93:4] In other words the gifts Allah has stored for His Prophet ﷺ in the Hereafter is more complete, more fulfilling, greater, and more satisfying. As Allah says: وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied [Qur’an: 93:5] This was a form of assurance given to the Prophet ﷺ and the verses go onto explain how just as he was not abandoned when he was an orphan he would not be abandoned in his adulthood as a noble Prophet? As the Qur’an says: ‌أَلَمْ ‌يَجِدْكَ ‌يَتِيمًا ‌فَآوَى * وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَى Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge? And He found you lost and guided [you]. [Qur’an: 93:6-7] So here Allah is emphasizing the utmost care and blessings he gave to the Prophet ﷺ by highlighting how he was cared for in childhood and then later entrusted with revelation being made a Messenger unto all of creation. As Allah says: وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ وَكَانَ ‌فَضْلُ ‌اللَّهِ ‌عَلَيْكَ ‌عَظِيمًا And Allah has sent down to you the Book and wisdom and taught you that which you did not know, and the bounty of Allah upon you is great. [Qur’an: 4:113] Glory be to Allah, He enriched His Prophet ﷺ from His bounty and showered upon him His provision, as He says: وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَى And He found you poor and made you self-sufficient. [Qur’an: 93:7] O Allah, make us among those who follow the guidance of Your Prophet, honour his status, and attain success through his intercession. O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. I say this, and I seek forgiveness from Allah 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, the one who deserves all praise, and peace and blessings be upon His Prophet and servant, and upon his family, companions, and those who followed his guidance after him. To proceed: O lovers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when our Lord, Exalted and Glorious, reminded His Prophet ﷺ of the ways in which He had been gracious to him, He directed him to extend similar kindness to others. Thus, He commanded him to take care of the rights of orphans, saying: فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ So as for the orphan, do not oppress [him]. [Qur’an: 93:9] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was always compassionate towards orphans and cared for them, encouraging others to sponsor them, saying: أَنَا ‌وَكَافِلُ ‌الْيَتِيمِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ هَكَذَا “I and the one who takes care of an orphan will be in Paradise like this (and he gestured with his index and middle fingers).” [Bukhari and Muslim] Allah urged him to take care of those who ask for wealth or knowledge, saying: وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him]. [Qur’an: 93:10] Hence, no one ever asked the Prophet ﷺ for something without him giving it. People would ask him, and he would give them, and they would ask again, and he would continue to give, until when he had nothing left, he would say: مَا يَكُنْ عِنْدِي مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَنْ أَدَّخِرَهُ عَنْكُمْ Whatever good I have, I will not withhold from you. [Bukhari and Muslim] Allah also commanded him to remember His blessings upon him, saying: وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ And as for the favor of your Lord, report [it]. [Qur’an: 93:11] Hence, we find the Prophet ﷺ was always mindful of his blessings, continually expressing gratitude to his Lord for them. So we as followers of our beloved Prophet should remember the blessings of Allah upon us, for He has created us and perfected our forms, given us good health, sustained us with the ease of life, honoured us with security in your homeland, and given us wise leadership. So let us be grateful for His kindness to us, and extend that kindness to others so that He may preserve His blessings upon us, multiply our rewards, and admit us into the Paradise He has prepared for the righteous. Let us recite the biography of our Prophet ﷺ, teach it to our children, instil it in our hearts, have reverence and love for it, and plant within them his morals and values. Increase your prayers and blessings upon him. O Allah, send your blessings, peace, and mercy upon him, and upon his family and companions, and be pleased with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and with all the noble companions. O Allah, make us true believers in You, sincere in our worship of You, constantly turning to You, followers of the guidance of Your Prophet, and obedient to our parents. Have mercy on them as they raised us when we were small, O Most Merciful of the merciful. Our Lord, grant us what we ask of goodness, and what our prayers have fallen short of in goodness, please complete that for us, for You are the Giver. O Allah, maintain stability in our countries, complete health upon us, expand our provisions, bless us in our spouses and offspring. 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 what You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the founding leaders, and admit them into Your vast gardens by Your grace. Include the martyrs in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and women, the believing men and women, both the living and the dead. Our Lord, give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and protect us from the torment of the Fire. O servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Most Great, and He will remember you. Be grateful for His blessings, and He will increase you. Establish the prayer.