Take responsibility instead of blaming others
“Allah, make us a people who accept responsibility for ourselves and not make blaming others an excuse for our own shortcomings.”
Believers should stop blaming others and instead identify their role, interpret it through Islam, discern Allah’s intended aim, fulfill their responsibility, and review the consequences.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Iblis’s refusal to bow and his blame of God introduce the danger of self-justification.
- A name identifies a role and relationship, while Islam provides the frame governing every role.
- The game is communal life with rules, responsibilities, choices, boundaries, consequences, and competition in righteousness.
- Blaming looks outward and becomes an alibi for avoiding one’s own responsibility.
- The speaker presents a practical name-frame-aim-responsibility-review process for handling relationship difficulties.
- The community must use consultation to support children, teach Islam, and build the ummah through families.
In the khateeb's words
“blaming is an enemy to your nature it's an enemy to your growth because the blaming is an attempt to find an alibi for not doing what you're supposed to do”
“first name it understand the frame for that name understand the aim that is the goal for it and then fulfill your responsibility that is what's your responsibility fulfill that responsibility and then follow up follow up after that”
“Allah, make us a people who accept responsibility for ourselves and not make blaming others an excuse for our own shortcomings.”
For the dinner table
Today the imam told the story of Iblis, who refused to bow to Adam and then blamed Allah for his own choice, saying, 'Because you have put me in error.' The imam explained that blaming others is an old trick of Shaytan's. It gives us an excuse not to do what we are supposed to do. Instead, believers play the 'name game.' Each of us has many names, like son, daughter, parent, student or worker, and every name is a role and a relationship that Allah wants us to take care of. Whatever role we are in, Islam is always our guide, and our aim is to do what Allah expects of us, not just what people expect. When we fall short, we don't give up on ourselves. We ask Allah for forgiveness, fix what we can and try again.
- How many 'names' or roles do you have, and which one is hardest to do well?
- Can you remember a time you blamed someone else when part of it was really your responsibility?
- What would it look like to be the same good Muslim at school or with friends as you are at the masjid?
The masjid
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