Let go of control and trust Allah
“You can't be so deeply concerned with having control over all aspects of your life that you are not willing to let go of it.”
Muharram should prompt believers to examine the crutches they rely on, control, intellect, work, wealth, and ritual, and consciously turn those tools toward trust in Allah, repentance, and a lived faith.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Opens with praise, reminders about taqwa, and Musa’s staff from Surah Taha.
- Uses the staff to explore livelihood, control, and the danger of relying too heavily on personal crutches.
- Uses the Red Sea crossing to show that human effort and planning must ultimately be joined with trust in Allah.
- Uses water from the rock to connect maximum effort, remembrance, and the revival of hardened hearts.
- Applies the metaphor to Muharram through self-inventory, tawbah, and treating Islam as a mindset rather than a checklist.
- Connects Imam Husayn’s sacrifice, awareness of creation, and living faith beyond the mosque before closing with supplications.
In the khateeb's words
“So if this year that has just ended right now is not measurably better than last year, then I've wasted a year.”
“But you can't be so deeply concerned with having control over all aspects of your life that you are not willing to let go of it.”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb reminded us that the Islamic year is ending and Muharram is almost here, so it's a good time to look back and ask whether we got better this year. He told us about the staff of Prophet Musa (AS), which shows up in three important moments. First, Allah told Musa to throw it and it became a snake, which teaches us that the things we hold on to for control can hurt us if we let them take over. Second, Musa struck the sea with it when there seemed to be no way out, which teaches us to do our best and then trust Allah completely. Third, he struck a dry rock and water gushed out, just as our hard hearts can come back to life when we pray with real focus and sincerely turn back to Allah. He also reminded us of Imam Hussain, who gave his life so that people wouldn't keep their faith locked inside the masjid but would live it every moment.
- If you had a 'staff' like Musa's, something you always lean on, what would it be?
- What's one way you could make your prayers feel less like a habit and more like really talking to Allah?
- What's one thing you did better this year than last year, and one thing you want to improve next year?
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