Maintaining the Balance between Trust in Allah and Human Responsibility

This Friday’s khutbah will be about trust and reliance in Allah while understanding that He alone is in complete control of everything. During the times of difficulty, the human being is more likely to rely on the more tangible devices within his grasp, totally oblivious to the fact that Allah is his only source of refuge. Allah reminds the believer of his own condition: “O my slaves all of you are astray… O my slaves all of you commit sin during the day and the night…” etc. then reminds him about the succor and relief that He provides if the slave would only put his trust in Him and turn to Him for assistance instead of relying on his own prowess, which in reality provides little, if any, relief from the afflictions he subjects himself to by virtue of the fact that he is a human being. The dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between them, is in the hands of Allah, and when the Muslim realizes and actualizes this he turns to his Lord for the solution to his problems first and then exerts the necessary energy on his part to bring about a change in his situation. And if he finds good then let him praise Allah and if he finds other than it, then let him blame no one except himself.