Friday sermon: count your blessings

Friday sermon reminds worshippers to be grateful for the country's stability and prosperity.

Count your blessings, worshippers will be told in Friday's sermon.

At a time when there is great suffering in the world, the sermon calls on Muslims, particularly those living in the UAE, a country of “great blessings and opportunities”, to thank Allah for their advantages.

Citing a verse from the Quran’s Al Nahl chapter, the sermon says: “And be grateful for the favours of Allah, if it is He Whom you serve.”

The sermon adds: “What stability and prosperity we enjoy are the fruits of justice and tranquillity in our blessed country.”

It calls on worshippers to be content and grateful, for this will add “love into the heart”, allowing for greater compassion and kindness to spread in the community and prompt cooperation for the greater good.

The sermon also calls on worshippers to be thankful to the country’s leaders for turning the UAE into a “an oasis of safety”. It says that the UAE is “one of the top countries in the Arab world” in terms of contentment, happiness and stability.

“Likewise, we have to strengthen the confidence and loyalty to this generous nation and stand firmly by our leaders, keeping ourselves away from disparate loyalties and warring parties.”

A verse from the Quran’s Al Nisa chapter concludes the sermon: “O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you.”

A second, shorter sermon highlights the importance of instilling love of country and national identity in young people, calling on them to “take responsibility” in preserving the gains the country has made.

“They can carry out their responsibilities towards their country through honesty and sincerity, through careful studying and learning, and proficiency in their work and employment, and cooperation among themselves for the greater good of their families and communities.”