ABU DHABI // Allah, the most generous, offered us a chance to repent and be forgiven: “He knows His worshippers and their weaknesses. He covers for them if they sin and forgives them if they repent,” says Friday’s sermon.
“And He it is Who accepteth repentance from His bondmen, and pardoneth the evil deeds, and knoweth what ye do,” says Allah in the Quran.
And from His generosity, He offered high seasons with increased benefits for repenting and seeking maximised rewards for good deeds.
“He also offered them phrases and acts to do for Him to pardon them, so whoever desires to repent for misdeeds and cover for shortcomings, should commit to prayers,” the sermon continues.
A verse from the Quran says: “Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! Good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.”
Prayers also lead humans to success: “O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper,” says the Quran.
Prophet Mohammed also said: “Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good deed and it will erase it.”
The sermon concludes by calling for blood donations, which can help save lives.
“One of the doors to cooperation between members of society is donating blood, as its benefits are many for the healthy and the ill, as it activates the body, renews blood circulation for the healthy, and saves the life of the ill or wounded.”
hdajani@thenational.ae
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Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
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"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
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