Mohamed bin Zayed, Moroccan King perform Friday Prayer in Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, have performed Friday Prayers at the Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Mosque in Al Bateen area.
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University; Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, Chairman of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies; Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, performed the Friday Prayers alongside H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the Moroccan King.
Sheikh Rashid Al Khateri, in the Friday Sermon, said that when Allah opens one’s heart, the recipient will be exposed to an endless stream of success and knowledge, worshippers will hear on Friday.
He noted that there is an entire chapter in the Quran regarding the issue of Allah’s guidance and dilation of the heart. As the Quranic verses say, "Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate, (1) And eased thee of the burden (2) Which weighed down thy back; (3) And exalted thy fame? (4) But lo! with hardship goeth ease, (5) Lo! with hardship goeth ease; (6) So when thou art relieved, still toil (7) And strive to please thy Lord."
The sermon explained that one who has an open heart will have "the key to success", and one whose heart is locked will live in stress and discomfort within his soul.
"Prophet Mohammad has taught us to request this from Allah, as he often prayed to Allah: ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sadness and worry’," said the sermon.
No one is immune to sadness and stress. Therefore, when one is hit by such a feeling, they should seek refuge in Allah and ask Him to guide them through this mishap.
The sermon provided examples of how one can achieve that – praying to Allah being one of them, because it opens the heart and relieves sadness and loneliness.
Al Khateri prayed to Allah Almighty to bless all Muslim with relief from sadness, bless the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan with mercy in Paradise, and protect the UAE and all other countries from tribulations, and grant success to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Vice President, the Crown Prince and the Rulers of the Emirates
Mohamed bin Zayed offers greetings to Saudi crown prince, deputy crown prince
General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, on Thursday offered greetings to Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, on his appointment as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
General Mohamed and Sheikh Hamdan also congratulated Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on his appointment as Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defence and President of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.
General Mohamed, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan and a high-level UAE delegation, offered greetings to the Saudi Crown Prince and Deputy Crown Prince at Al Yamama Palace in Riyadh, shortly after arriving in Saudi Arabia.
General Mohamed congratulated Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Prince Mohammed bin Salman on earning the confidence of the Custodian of the Tow Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abduaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
He also wished them success in their new posts and in contributing to the progress and development of Saudi Arabia.
General Mohamed said he was proud of the deep-rooted ties, solidarity and strategic co-operation between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. He renewed the UAE’s firm support for Saudi Arabia and the backing of their initiatives to maintain regional stability and security and promoting legitimate and just Arab causes.
Greetings were also offered by the members of the delegation accompanying General Mohamed, including Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy National Security Advisor; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister and Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Board Chairman of the Presidential Flight.
General Mohamed was also accompanied by Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education; Ahmed Juma Al Za'abi, Deputy Minister for Presidential Affairs; Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi Al Falasi, Under Secretary of the Defence Ministry; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority (EAA); Major-General Abdullah Muhayer Al Kutbi, Commander of the Support Units; Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Lt. General Juma Ahmed Al Bowardi Al Falasi, Advisor to the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and Sultan Rashid Al Shamsi, Executive Director of the Private Affairs at the Crown Prince's Court.
General Mohamed and his accompanying delegation arrived earlier on Thursday in Riyadh on a brief visit to Saudi Arabia and were received at the airport by Governor of Riyadh, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, and a number of senior Saudi officials.