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Perspective Decides Whether You Are Grateful or Bitter

Brother Ibrahim reflects on Surah Al-Ma'idah and Surah Quraysh, reminding us that Allah prevents the majority of evil from reaching us even when we take that protection for granted. This khutbah encourages gratitude for disasters that miss us, patience with the ones that do not, and a correct understanding of tawakkul.

Brother Ibrahim

10/2/2026

Brother Ibrahim opens with the reminder in Surah Al-Ma'idah that Allah withholds harm from believers, and nothing that happens, good or bad, is coincidence. He illustrates this through Surah Quraysh, explaining how Allah kept the Quraysh safe from hunger through the well of Zamzam and safe from fear by repelling the army of Abraha and his elephants that sought to destroy the Kaaba, even though the Quraysh were idolaters at the time. He notes that becoming accustomed to such security causes people to take it for granted rather than give thanks, and that this applies to believers today just as much as it did to the Quraysh.

He explains that Allah protects us from the majority of evil but not all of it, comparing this to meteors that mostly burn up before reaching Earth while a few cause real damage, and uses the example of iron delivered to Earth through meteor impacts to show how something destructive can still carry lasting benefit. Brother Ibrahim reminds the congregation that we tend to make a big deal out of minor afflictions while barely noticing the major catastrophes that Allah prevents from ever reaching us, and that bad events can expiate sins and shape a person into someone better than they were before. He then corrects a common misconception about tawakkul, clarifying that trusting Allah does not remove personal responsibility, using the example of leaving one's belongings unsecured and then being upset when they are taken.

He closes by affirming that no disaster strikes except by Allah's permission, and that believers must hold firmly to a positive view of Allah regardless of whether what happens is perceived as good or bad. The practical takeaway he leaves the congregation with is to practice patience through hardship, to take responsibility for what has been entrusted to us rather than treating tawakkul as an excuse for carelessness, and to trust that Allah is shaping us through both the comfort and the adversity we experience.