Union Pledge Day

First Khutbah All praise is due to Allah, the Praiseworthy and Guardian. He has commanded His servants to uphold their covenants. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He does whatever He wills. And we bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Messengers. May Allah's peace, blessings, and salutations be upon him, his family, and all his companions. To proceed: O servants of Allah, I enjoin you and myself to have taqwā of Allah, and I urge you to obey Him. Allah the Exalted said: ﴿بلى، مَنْ أَوْفَى بِعَهْدِهِ وَاتَّقَى فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ﴾. “Whoever fulfils his covenant and has taqwā, then indeed, Allah loves the God-conscious.” O believers, It is a noble divine command and a wise heavenly directive: whoever abides by it is honored and rewarded by Allah, and whoever violates it will be held accountable and questioned for it. Allah the Almighty says: ﴿وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا﴾ “And fulfill [every] covenant. Indeed, the covenant will be questioned.” Indeed, it is faithfulness to the covenant, one of the highest principles, the most praiseworthy traits, the foundations of integrity, and the marks of wisdom. As Allah says: ﴿إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ* الَّذِينَ يُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَنْقُضُونَ الْمِيثَاقَ﴾ “Only those who possess intellect will take heed – those who fulfill the covenant of Allah and do not break the pledge.” No people have ever honoured their covenants except that their status was elevated, and love prevailed among them. And no people have ever broken their covenants except that trust disappeared from among them and the wrath of their Lord befell them. So how would you feel if there were a covenant or a promise between you and someone, and they failed to honor it or fulfill what they promised? Would your heart not be troubled, and your anger not intensify if your right was lost? It is for this reason that our Lord commanded us to fulfill our covenants and praised the prophets and messengers for it. Allah said about His beloved prophet Ibrahim: ﴿وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى﴾ And Abraham, who fulfilled (his commitments). And He described the believers, saying: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ﴾ And those who are faithful to their trusts and covenants. Faithfulness to a covenant is a sign of faith and religion. The Seal of the Prophets ﷺ said: «لَا دِينَ لِمَنْ لَا عَهْدَ لَهُ» “There is no religion for one who has no covenant” This is the value of the covenant, the rank of the promise, the strength of the pledge, and the worth of the word.   O servants of Allah, The most binding and greatest of all covenants is that which we have pledged to our Lord. Allah the Almighty says: ﴿وَبِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ أَوْفُوا﴾ “And fulfill the covenant of Allah.” Whoever holds firmly to the covenant of Allah... “He will grant him a great reward.” ﴿فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا﴾ As for the losers, they are: ﴿الَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ﴾ “Those who break the covenant of Allah after contracting it.” So, O you who are faithful to your pledges: Reflect upon the covenant you hold within your home and your family, and the covenant you have with your spouse, the one your Lord described as: ﴿وَأَخَذْنَ مِنْكُمْ مِيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا﴾ “And they have taken from you a solemn covenant.” Examine your covenant with your children: fulfill what you have promised them; make good on the hopes you have given them. Be diligent in upholding trust in your work and occupation, by fulfilling the terms of your contract, completing your duties, and honouring those who work under you, by giving them their rights and wages. Observe loyalty in financial matters: return what is owed to its rightful owners and beware of squandering wealth. The Prophet ﷺ said: «مَنْ أَخَذَ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ يُرِيدُ أَدَاءَهَا؛ أَدَّى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَمَنْ أَخَذَ يُرِيدُ إِتْلاَفَهَا؛ أَتْلَفَهُ اللَّهُ» “Whoever takes the wealth of people intending to repay it, Allah will repay it on his behalf; and whoever takes it intending to waste it, Allah will ruin him.” So let us firmly establish the virtue of faithfulness to pledges in every aspect of our lives with our Lord, our nation, and our society. 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﴾ I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and you. So, seek His forgiveness, indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.   The Second Khutbah All praise is due to Allah, praise that is truly worthy of Him. And may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. As for what follows, O you who are faithful to your pledges: Your beloved Prophet ﷺ said «إِنَّ حُسْنَ الْعَهْدِ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ»  , “Keeping a good covenant is part of faith.” And among the greatest pledges ever made by the people of this blessed land is the Pledge of Union, which was signed by Sheikh Zayed, May Allah have mercy on him, and the founding fathers on a day like this, fifty-five years ago. To this very day, we remember and deeply appreciate their commitment to the dignity of their people and the prosperity of their nation. In the Union Pledge, they declared: Out of a desire to fulfill our people’s aspiration for unity, to unify our will, and to strengthen the bonds that bring us together... and in pursuit of stability, prosperity, and justice throughout our land, and with a firm belief that union is the path to dignity, resilience, strength, and goodness, we hereby declare our agreement to unite our Emirates into a single federal state, a state capable of defending its entity, securing its safety, fulfilling the hopes of its people, and securing its standing among nations. They sought what is good and pledged themselves to it, and Allah granted them success and guided them to it. May Allah keep us steadfast upon it. Indeed, the very first thing Sheikh Zayed did after signing the Union Pledge was to prostrate to his Lord in gratitude, praising Him and thanking Him for His blessings. So let us thank Allah Almighty for the wisdom of our leadership and the blessing of our Union. Let us instill its value in the hearts of our children and grandchildren. Let us pray for those who laid its foundation that Allah have mercy on them and reward them with goodness. And let us pray for our wise leadership, which has upheld the responsibility of the Union in the best possible way and has nurtured it until it became a model admired by the world. We pledge to them always that we remain loyal to the spirit of the Union, committed to its values, and devoted to our homeland. For the people of loyalty and faithfulness, Allah has praised them in His words: ﴿وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا﴾. And those who are true to their pledge whenever they make one We ask Allah Almighty to always grant us success in remaining faithful to the Union Pledge, to preserve it, and to fulfill its rights. O servants of Allah, send blessings and peace upon our Master and Prophet Muhammad. O Allah, send Your blessings, peace, and grace upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow them in goodness. O Allah, make us firm in faith in You, sincere in our worship of You, and dutiful to our parents. Have mercy on them as they raised us when we were small, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, protect the United Arab Emirates, care for it with Your divine attention, and surround it with Your gracious protection, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, preserve the President of the State, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Grant him continued wisdom and sound judgment. Guide him, his deputies, his fellow rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince to all that You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and all the other UAE leaders who have returned to Your mercy. Admit them, by Your grace, into the vastness of Your Gardens, and encompass the nation’s martyrs with Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on all Muslim men and women, the living among them and the deceased. Servants of Allah, remember the Almighty, the Glorious, He will remember you. Be grateful to Him for His blessings, He will increase you. And establish the prayer.