Turn to Allah alone for help
“It is our responsibility to maintain and guard our faith.”
Muslims must guard tawhid by turning directly to Allah for worship, supplication, and ultimate help while distinguishing ordinary human assistance from seeking impossible aid through intermediaries.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Introduces a recent airplane-turbulence incident in which a passenger called upon Ali and frames it as a matter of faith.
- Explains the shahada's conditions and nullifiers, focusing on shirk and reliance on intermediaries.
- Uses Surah al-Fatiha and prophetic teaching to argue that Muslims should ask Allah alone, especially in moments of fear.
- Distinguishes permissible requests to capable people from seeking supernatural help from created beings.
- Uses parental and spider-house analogies to show why Allah alone is the true protector.
- Closes by urging listeners to guard their faith, rely on Allah, and seek His forgiveness.
In the khateeb's words
“When you make du'a and you ask, Who do you ask? You ask Allah. You don't say, Ya Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani.”
“Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has guided us to Islam. It is our responsibility. To maintain and guard our faith.”
“One of the ways to guard our faith. Is by not placing any intermediaries. Between us and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb told us about a plane that shook badly in turbulence, and a man on board who screamed 'Ya Ali!' instead of calling on Allah. He used this story to remind us that our faith, 'La ilaha illa Allah,' has conditions that keep it strong, and also things that can break it, and the biggest of these is shirk, which means giving Allah's place to anyone else. Every time we pray, we say in Surat al-Fatiha, 'Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'een,' which means 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help.' He explained that it's fine to ask people for help with things they can actually do, like asking a child to bring a phone from upstairs. But asking anyone, living or dead, for things only Allah can do, like saving us or getting us into Jannah, is shirk. He finished with the verse saying that every blessing we have comes from Allah, so when hard times come, Allah is the One we should cry out to.
- If you were on a plane that started shaking, what would you want to say to Allah?
- What's something you can ask a person to help you with, and what's something only Allah can do?
- Why do you think the khateeb said a spider's web is the weakest house?
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