Replace if only with trust in Allah
“We don't let the past live in your head rent free; we live in today's opportunity.”
The phrase "if only" (law) opens the door to Shaitan and robs a believer of peace, so Muslims must replace regretful "what if" thinking with trust in Allah's decree and active repentance.
The khutbah in 10 steps
- Opening Quran recitation and standard khutbah introduction
- The 2 a.m. mental "what if" movie as a self-inflicted trap
- Hadith on the strong believer and the warning that "if" opens the door to Shaitan
- Quranic example of the hypocrites at Uhud using "if only" and Allah's rebuttal
- Hajar's trust in Allah's command instead of asking "what if"
- Diagnosis: "if only" is a quiet accusation against Allah's wisdom and decree
- Quranic reassurance that we may dislike what is good for us and like what is bad for us
- The remedy: replace "if only" with "qadarullah wa ma sha'a fa'ala" and practice active tawbah
- Concrete applications for business losses, broken relationships, and daily setbacks
- Closing call to guard the heart, trust Allah, and give charity on Friday
In the khateeb's words
“we sit there torturing ourselves with a life that never happened we think that we are reflecting some people call it oh I'm reflecting of how my life could have been”
“we do not live in yesterday's refuge we are not tenants of the past we don't let the past live in your head rent free we live in today's opportunity”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminded us that replaying if only can trap us in a past we cannot change and fill our hearts with anxiety and resentment. The Prophet’s guidance is to pursue what benefits us, seek Allah’s help, and refuse helplessness; when hardship comes, say that Allah has decreed and what He willed He did. Hajar’s example shows that trusting Allah does not mean sitting still: she acted with all her energy, and Allah answered her trust with Zamzam. When we make mistakes, tawbah means recognizing them, asking forgiveness, and moving forward through a good deed. We are not meant to live as tenants of the past, but to use today’s opportunity while trusting Allah’s wisdom.
- What is one thing you can do today instead of replaying an if only thought?
- How can we trust Allah while still taking action, like Hajar did?
- When we make a mistake, what could tawbah look like in our family?
The masjids
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