UAE Union Day

Praise be to Allah, who has brought together our hearts and united our word. We bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, our Lord and Creator. And we bear witness that our Master, Muhammad, is the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, his family, all his companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.  As to what follows, I advise myself and you, servants of Allah, to have taqwa of allah.   Allah Almighty said: (وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَاقَهُ الَّذِي وَاثَقَكُمْ بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ)( [1] ). And remember the favor of Allah upon you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said, 'We hear and we obey.' And fear Allah. O Believers, The occasion of the Union is one that is dear to our hearts. Through it, our joy is renewed, our homeland prospers, our loyalty to the Head of State and our leaders grows stronger, and our love deepens for the founders of our nation. It marks the anniversary of the establishment of our great civilizational edifice, founded by Sheikh Zayed and his brothers, the founding leaders, upon the piety of Allah and the pursuit of His pleasure. This is in accordance with the command of Allah the Almighty: And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. (Āl ʿImrān: 103) (‌وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا)( [2] ). Allah knows what is in their hearts of goodness for the homeland and for humanity, as well as their sincerity and purity of intention. Thus, He helped, and guided them, and supported them with the truth. Allah the Almighty says: If Allah knows any good in your hearts, He will give you better. (Al-Anfāl: 70) (إِنْ يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا)( [3] ). And indeed, He granted them the goodness they sought and fulfilled for them the union they aspired to achieve: That Allah may reward the truthful for their truthfulness. (Al-Aḥzāb: 24) (لِيَجْزِيَ اللَّهُ الصَّادِقِينَ بِصِدْقِهِمْ)( [4] ). Servants of Allah: The Messenger of Allah ﷺsaid: “He who is not grateful to people does not thank Allah.” «لَا يَشْكُرُ اللَّهَ مَنْ لَا يَشْكُرُ النَّاسَ»( [5] )  So we thank Allah Almighty for the blessing of this union, its great goodness, and the increase of its gifts and fruits, in accordance with His Almighty saying: “O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you”.   (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ)( [6] ). And His saying to our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him: “And as for the favor of your Lord, speak of it.”         وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ)( [7] ). Then we thank the founding leaders for their great efforts and wise actions. History has immortalized their fingerprints and recorded their sacrifices in establishing the UAE and building its union, which remains a renewable source and a sustainable legacy that grows stronger over the years and whose features cannot be erased by time. Truly, the blessing of union is one of the greatest blessings. Those who are deprived of it realize its value, and those who have lost it know its worth. You, servants of Allah, have every right to be proud of the strength and loftiness of the union, to be proud of the progress and prosperity of the homeland, to rejoice in its tranquility and stability, the unity of its word, and the unity of its position, over the course of fifty-three years. Rejoice in positivity and responsibility, and be inspired by the spirit of the union and its values ​​in your lives, and teach it Your children, and the first of all; that we seek wisdom in our actions, ambitious hopes in our work, and look to the future in our planning, and know that the covenant of union is loyalty to the wise leadership, and strong belonging to the homeland, so embody that with your honesty and sincerity. And know that the foundation of unity is in mutual love and affection, so strengthen them in your families, and that Unity is marked by coexistence, so let this be evident in your interactions, and that the path to unity lies in cooperation and integration, so embody these values ​​in your relationships with others.  Let us remain united and reconciled, for one of the greatest pillars of unity is vigilance against those who threaten our unity, values, stability, and progress. Since its founding, our state has resisted anything that contradicts its values ​​and has remained a source of goodness and benefit for humanity, and therefore Allah continues to safeguard it, preserving its prosperity and tranquility, because Whoever is sincere with Allah, Allah will fulfill their desires and grant them success. The good deeds that characterize our nation are a shield against all harm, why wouldn't they be, and our Prophet, ﷺsays: “Doing good deeds protects against bad endings”. «‌صَنَائِعُ ‌الْمَعْرُوفِ تَقِي مَصَارِعَ السُّوءِ»( [8] ). Let us increase our supplication to our Lord for our country: (My Lord, make this a secure country) (رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا)( [9] ). Let us renew our covenant with our leadership, pledging love, obedience, and loyalty, as our Lord commands: 'O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you'. (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ)( [10] ) I say this, and I seek forgiveness of Allah, our Lord, for me and for you.   Second Khutbah Praise be to Allah for His abundant blessings and great grace, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad, the Seal of His Prophets and Messengers ﷺ and upon his family and companions, and those who followed his guidance after him. As to what follows: O believers, Allah the Almighty says: (Eat from the provision of your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land and a Forgiving Lord.) (Saba’ 15). (كُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ ‌وَرَبٌّ ‌غَفُورٌ)( [11] ) The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ said: «مَنْ صَنَعَ إِلَيْكُمْ مَعْرُوفًا فَكَافِئُوهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدُوا مَا تُكَافِئُونَهُ فَادْعُوا لَهُ، حَتَّى تَرَوْا أَنَّكُمْ قَدْ كَافَأْتُمُوهُ» ( [12] ).  “Whoever does you a favor, reward him. If you cannot find anything with which to reward him, then pray for him until you think that you have rewarded him.” O our Lord, as we celebrate the blessing of the fifty-third Union Day, we ask You to bestow goodness upon our wise leadership, grant them enduring happiness, and increase them in prosperity and well-being. O Allah, make success their constant companion, guide them along the straight path, unite hearts in love for them, and place all they offer to their people, to Muslims, and to humanity in the scale of their good deeds. O Possessor of Majesty and Generosity. O Allah, they have exerted their utmost efforts and sacrificed their precious time to solidify the pride of the Union and spread its noble reputation across the world. It has become a symbol of glory for all who behold it and an inspiring model for nations. O Allah, if our supplications fall short of fulfilling their due rights, You, O Most Generous, are more deserving of granting them the best of rewards and the finest of recompense. O Allah, preserve the President of the State, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. O Allah, grant him from the abundance of Your blessings, the greatness of Your generosity, the richness of Your bounties, and Your generous giving. Reward him with the best of rewards for all that he offers to his nation and to all people. O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, grant success to him, his deputies, his brothers, the Rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince, in all that You love and are pleased with.  O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, and the founding leaders. Admit them, by Your grace, into the vastness of Your Paradise. Illuminate their graves with light, fill them with joy and delight, O Most Forgiving, Most Appreciative. O our Lord, encompass the martyrs of the nation with Your mercy and forgiveness, for they offered their pure blood, noble souls, and sincere spirits in sacrifice for the pride, stability, safety, and tranquillity of their homeland. O Allah, on this Martyrs’ Day, we ask You to bestow the finest of rewards upon them, elevate their ranks, and fulfil Your promise to them as You have said: Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. (‌فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ مِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ)( [13] ). O Allah, preserve our Armed Forces, who stand steadfast in defense of their homeland and renew their loyalty to their leadership. They deserve from us a stance of respect and loyalty, the highest appreciation, and the sincerest prayers O Allah , send Your blessings, peace, and grace upon our Master and Prophet Muhammad ﷺand upon his family, companions, and followers. Be pleased, O Allah, with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and with all the honourable companions. O Allah, make us believers in You, devoted in worship to You, and constantly returning to You. Make us dutiful to our parents and appreciative of the blessing of unity, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and women, the believing men and women, both the living and the deceased.  O Allah, grant us rain and do not make us among the despairing. O Allah, help us, grant us rain and relief. send us rain, O Allah, send us rain, O Allah, send us relief. Our Lord, grant us in this world good and in the Hereafter good, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire (‌رَبَّنَا ‌آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ)( [14] ). Servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Great and the Majestic, and He will remember you. Give thanks to Him for His blessings, and He will increase you.  Establish the prayer. ([1]) Al-Ma'idah: 7 ([2]) Āl ʿImrān: 103 ([3]) ا Al-Anfāl: 70. ([4]) Al-Aḥzāb: 24 ([5]) Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, and Ahmad ([6]) Al-Ma’idah 11 ([7]) Ad-Duha 11 ([8]) Tabarani in Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabeer. ([9])  Al-Baqarah 126 ([10]) An-Nisa: 59. ([11]) Saba’ 15 ([12]) Abu Dawud ([13]) Āl ʿImrān: 170 ([14]) Al-Baqarah: 201