Friday Khutbah: Our Eid is as one Family of a Nation

This is the official Friday Khutbah (sermon) issued by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (Awqaf) of the UAE for March 20, 2026, delivered across mosques throughout the Emirates. This week's topic: Our Eid is as one Family of a Nation.

First Sermon

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest—and to Allah belongs all praise.

Allah is the Greatest as glories and acts of heroism have manifested in our land; Allah is the Greatest as the family of the Emirates has stood united in the face of challenges. Allah is supremely Great, and all praise is abundantly for Allah, and glory be to Allah and praise be to Him morning and evening. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship but Allah, and we worship none but Him, and I bear witness that our master and Prophet Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah—may Allah send prayers and peace upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance.

To proceed: I counsel you, O servants of Allah, to have taqwā of your Lord and to reflect upon the words of your Creator:

وَيُنَجِّي اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا بِمَفَازَتِهِمْ لَا يَمَسُّهُمُ السُّوءُ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“Allah will deliver those who have taqwā of Him to their place of salvation; no harm will touch them, nor will they grieve” (Qurʾān 39:61).

O you who rejoice in Eid, we congratulate you on this blessed festival, asking Allah to return it upon us, upon the President of our state, our leadership, our homeland, our society, and our families, while we continue to enjoy the blessings of security and stability, prosperity and flourishing, rejoicing with our children and our families in the Year of the Family. This is a year in which we bring to mind the true meaning of family—one that is built upon bonds of firmness, holding fast, and cohesion, as Allah says: وَأَخَذْنَ مِنْكُمْ مِيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا
“And they have taken from you a solemn covenant” (Qurʾān 4:21).

The family is a fortified shield, founded upon a cohesion whose structure is built upon ties of kinship and loyalty to the homeland, and a harmonious union between relationships and values. Thus, it becomes a complete system and a firm foundation upon which the structure of society is established—strong in its pillars, lofty in its construction.

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest—and to Allah belongs all praise.

Today we stand in a moment of reverence and esteem, of admiration and appreciation, before the family of the nation—whose authentic essence has been revealed through events, and whose strong cohesion has been made manifest. It has stood in the face of challenges “like a mighty mountain”, its leader managing its affairs with precision in estimation and wisdom in governance, as Allah says: وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

“And whoever is given wisdom has certainly been given much good” (Qurʾān 2:269).

He is for the family of the nation a compassionate father and a protective fortress, who reassures his people and calls them to optimism. Its home is a united home whose members stand behind their leadership in facing challenges: صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُمْ بُنْيَانٌ مَرْصُوصٌ

“as though they were a solidly constructed structure” (Qurʾān 61:4).

 Citizens and residents stand together like brothers and siblings: ‌فِي ‌تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ

“…in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion” (Sahih Muslim)

Their defining trait being loyalty and their sign being sincere belonging and a shared sense of responsibility. They are certain that this homeland is a precious pearl and a valuable jewel, deserving to be protected and preserved. Behind them stand institutions at the highest level of readiness—serving as the house that protects the family of the Emirates by land, sea, and air, and as a fortified barrier that repels the schemes of aggressors and restrains the harm of the spiteful, as well as the plots of agitators who seek to weaken its determination and resolve. But far from it—far from it! For the United Arab Emirates is certain that: اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي كَيْدَ الْخَائِنِينَ

“Allah does not guide the plan of the treacherous” (Qurʾān 12:52).

 And it praises its Lord, for all His decree is always good: وَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ

“It may be that you dislike something while it is good for you” (Qurʾān 2:216).

فَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ رَبِّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَرَبِّ الْأَرْضِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“So all praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds” (Qurʾān 45:36).

Allah says: “O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you” (Qurʾān 4:59). I say these words of mine, and I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and for you—so seek His forgiveness.

Second Sermon

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest—there is no god but Allah.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.

O members of the family of the nation—O you who loved it and so it loved you, and who were sincere to it and it appreciated your sincerity—hold fast to its values and its character, be optimistic about its beautiful future, stand united behind its leadership, care for your families, and raise a generation strong in its religion and its knowledge, in its wisdom and its health, distinguished in its character and values, firmly rooted in its identity, proud of its homeland, holding fast to its unity and cohesion, mindful of the saying of its Lord:

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
“And hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah, and do not be divided” (Qurʾān 3:103).

Let it be loyal to its founders and its leadership, striving diligently in learning and in work for the elevation and development of its homeland, for: الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ

“a good land—its vegetation emerges by the permission of its Lord” (Qurʾān 7:58).

And spread, O fathers, joy within your families and among your children, and continue to nurture their learning and their progress. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.

So, rejoice in your Eid with the joy of those who are grateful, and go forward in your lives with happiness, for:

إِنَّ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ عِيدًا، ‌وَهَذَا ‌عِيدُنَا

“Every people has its celebration, and this is our celebration” (Bukhari and Muslim).

Bring joy to your families and spread happiness within your society, and do not forget—O people of loyalty—your martyrs: pray for them and acknowledge the virtue of the soldiers of the homeland. And send, O Allah, prayers, peace, and blessings upon our master and Prophet Muḥammad, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow them.

O Allah, make our Eid an Eid of victory and strength, of tranquillity and unity, and return it to us with goodness and stability, elevation and prosperity. Preserve the United Arab Emirates, preserve its leadership and its people, and all who reside upon its land; protect its land, its sea, and its sky. O Allah, protect the brave soldiers of our homeland, strengthen their resolve, steady their aim, grant them victory over Your enemies and their enemies, and grant them abundant reward and recompense.

O Allah, preserve Shaykh Muḥammad bin Zāyed, the President of the State, with Your protection, encompass him in Your care, support him with Your help, and grant success to him, his deputies, his brothers—the rulers of the Emirates—and his trustworthy Crown Prince, in that which You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy upon Shaykh Zāyed, Shaykh Rāshid, and the founding leaders, grant them spacious abodes in Your vast gardens, and pour upon them from Your goodness and Your pleasure. Admit, O Allah, the martyrs of the Emirates into Your pardon and forgiveness, raise their ranks, and bless every eye that stayed awake and every hand that worked. Ameen.

O servants of Allah, may Allah accept your acts of obedience, make your days joyful, and make your honour enduring. And every Eid, may you be in goodness.