Friday Khutbah: National Service: A Badge of Honour

This is the official Friday Khutbah (sermon) issued by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (Awqaf) of the UAE for September 04, 2026, delivered across mosques throughout the Emirates. This week's topic: National Service: A Badge of Honour.

The First Sermon

All praise is due to Allah, the Bestower of abundant favours. He has planted within human souls the love of their homeland, made loyalty to it a quality of the noble, and made serving and defending it among the highest aspirations of honourable people. We bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and we bear witness that our master Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bestow Your blessings, peace and grace upon him, his family and Companions, and all those who follow his guidance.

To proceed: Servants of Allah, I counsel you and myself to remain mindful of Allah. The Most Exalted says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“O you who believe, remain steadfast, encourage one another to steadfastness, stand firm in vigilance, and be mindful of Allah, so that you may prosper.” (Qurʾān 3:200)

Believers, our sermon today concerns the place a person calls home and seeks as a haven: the land in which their family dwells and their possessions are kept. It concerns the homeland—and what can make you fully understand what the homeland means? It is the inheritance of our forefathers, the memory of our parents, and the future of our children and grandchildren. Through it come our dignity and glory; to it we belong, and in it we take pride. Our hearts are attached to its soil, our souls are bound to its deep-rooted heritage, our bodies have grown from its bounty, and our spirits are suffused with love for it.

How could we not love it, when love of one’s homeland is woven into the human disposition, a natural inclination placed within us by the Most Merciful, and a value passed down by children from their parents? Abraham, the father of the Prophets, peace be upon him, supplicated to his Lord: رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا 

“My Lord, make this land secure.” (Qurʾān 14:35)

Our Prophet ﷺ drew inspiration from the loyalty of his forefather Abraham and recalled his supplication, saying:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَبْدُكَ، وَخَلِيلُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ، وَإِنِّي عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ، وَإِنَّهُ ‌دَعَاكَ ‌لِمَكَّةَ، وَإِنِّي أَدْعُوكَ لِلْمَدِينَةِ بِمِثْلِ مَا ‌دَعَاكَ ‌لِمَكَّةَ، وَمِثْلِهِ مَعَهُ

“O Allah, Abraham was Your servant, Your intimate friend and Your Prophet, and I am Your servant and Your Prophet. He supplicated to You on behalf of Makkah, and I supplicate to You on behalf of Madinah for the like of what he sought for Makkah—and as much again with it.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 1373)

Indeed, none truly recognises and appreciates the love of one’s homeland except a person in whose heart loyalty is deeply rooted and in whose mind and innermost being it has become firmly established. Such a person gives what is precious and valuable for the homeland’s advancement, devoting their life and youth to serving it and defending its land, sea and airspace.

Young people of the nation—its hope and its future—congratulations upon your enrolment in National Service. It is a badge of honour worn upon the breast and a record of heroism preserved forever in the pages of history. It is a school in which you acquire admirable qualities: discipline, strength and physical fitness. Through it, your character is formed, your identity is consolidated, your sincere belonging to your homeland is deepened, and your loyalty to its leadership is strengthened. Therefore, be among the first to protect your homeland, following the example of your Prophet ﷺ. He was the swiftest of people to come to the defence of his homeland. Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him, related:

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَشْجَعَ النَّاسِ، وَلَقَدْ فَزِعَ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ، فَانْطَلَقَ نَاسٌ قِبَلَ الصَّوْتِ، فَتَلَقَّاهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَاجِعًا، وَقَدْ سَبَقَهُمْ إِلَى الصَّوْتِ

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the bravest of people. One night, the people of Madinah were alarmed by a sound, and some of them set out in its direction. They met the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returning, for he had reached the source of the sound before them.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

He investigated the matter himself, faced the danger before anyone else, and then returned to reassure them, saying: لَمْ تُرَاعُوا، لَمْ تُرَاعُوا

“Do not be alarmed! Do not be alarmed!” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

In other words: “Do not be afraid.” Reassuring people and protecting homelands are among the noblest deeds beloved to the Most Merciful, and those who undertake them receive immense honour from Him. Did the Prophet ﷺ not say: مَوْقِفُ سَاعَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ؛ خَيْرٌ مِنْ قِيَامِ لَيْلَةِ ‌الْقَدْرِ عِنْدَ ‌الْحَجَرِ ‌الْأَسْوَدِ

“Standing for a single hour in the cause of Allah is better than spending the Night of Decree in prayer beside the Black Stone.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, no. 343)

Parents, know that you are partners with your children in serving their homeland. You share in their reward, just as you share in the responsibility entrusted to them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ، وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْؤُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ

“Every one of you is a shepherd, and every one of you is responsible for those under their care.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

Therefore, instil within your children’s hearts a love for National Service. Encourage them to embrace it with a positive spirit, high aspiration, and a strong sense of duty and responsibility. How beautiful is that noble national scene: the homeland calls upon its children, and families answer its call with pride and dignity. A mother bids farewell to her son with a prayer that accompanies every step he takes, while a father says to him, “The day has come for you to repay something of the kindness your homeland has shown you.” Together, they send him forth bearing a message of loyalty to his homeland and fidelity to his covenant: وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا

“And those who fulfil their covenant whenever they make one.”(Qurʾān 2:177)

In this way, children continue the path of their parents and forefathers with diligence and perseverance, raising the flag of their homeland proudly in every gathering and arena. Allah Almighty says: “O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those entrusted with authority among you.” (Qurʾān 4:59). I say these words of mine, and I seek Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you. So seek His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

The Second Sermon

All praise is due to Allah alone, and may blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet.

To proceed: Believers, the strongest homeland is one whose people—young and old, men and women—stand united in its service: ‌كَالْبُنْيَانِ، ‌يَشُدُّ ‌بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا

“Like a single structure, each part strengthening the other.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

As we speak about serving the homeland, the commemoration of Emirati Women’s Day reminds us that the Emirati woman raises generations and nurtures heroes through the education and care she provides within her family, as well as through the creativity and leadership she contributes across every field.

The Emirati woman serves her homeland wherever she may be: as a mother who raises her children, a teacher who educates, a physician who heals, an engineer who builds, a researcher who innovates, an employee who faithfully fulfils her trust, and an entrepreneur who contributes to the economy of her country. These are many different expressions of a single truth: serving one’s homeland is a priceless honour. We therefore extend to her our deepest appreciation and respect for every effort she makes in the service of the nation. Glad tidings are hers in the words of her Lord, Mighty and Majestic:

أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ

“I will never allow the work of any worker among you to be lost, whether male or female; each of you is from the other.” (Qurʾān 3:195)

O Allah, bestow Your blessings, peace and grace upon our master and Prophet Muḥammad, and upon all his family and Companions. O Allah, be pleased with Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān and ʿAlī, and with all the noble Companions.

O Allah, grant each one of us what they seek, bless them in all that You have provided for them, ease their affairs, and expand their hearts. O Allah, perpetuate the honour, strength, stability, prosperity, goodness and flourishing of the United Arab Emirates.

O Allah, preserve Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the State, beneath Your protection. Be his Helper and Supporter, and bless his life and his deeds. O Allah, grant success to him, his deputies, his brothers the Rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince, guiding them to all that You love and with which You are pleased. O Allah, have mercy upon Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the Sheikhs of the Emirates who have passed into Your mercy. By Your grace, admit them into the spacious gardens of Your Paradise.

O Allah, encompass the nation’s martyrs in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy upon all Muslim men and women, the living among them and the deceased.

Servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Magnificent and Majestic, and He will remember you. Give thanks to Him for His blessings, and He will increase you. Establish the prayer.