All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, his household and companions. Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah and be conscious of Him. That is the path of the wise people. It is through the fear of Allaah that man is saved from evils, admitted into Paradise and protected from Hell.

Brethren in Faith! In view of degenerating and weakening of the souls, there are two things that are very influential in the life of man and which get him into awkward situations that do not befit the honourable position in which Allaah has placed him and that negates the preference He gave him above all other creatures. The two things are: fear of diminution or termination of his sustenance and the fear of death and reduced lifespan.

It has been part of the excellent qualities of this religion that it takes an adequate care and proffers perfect remedy for this problem so that it would not weigh the Muslim down and make him an unfortunate victim of weak certainty, hopelessness and defective faith. That is why Allaah puts tranquillity into the hearts of His sincere slaves and removes all that can cause these two undesirable things from them. He arrogates to Himself the power of giving provisions and determining the death and life of His creatures so that His slaves would not make a request regarding them to anyone but Him and in order that they may depend on Him alone and seek for their needs from Him alone. They will then have a certainty that will make them pass the stages of their lives in peace and security; fearing no one but Allaah. Their souls will then be elevated and will not submit or surrender to any other being but Him.

In the area of sustenance, Allaah truthfully assures His slaves when He says,

"And in the heaven is your provision and that which you are promised. Then by the Lord of the heaven and the earth, it is the truth (i.e. what has been promised to you), just as it is in the truth that you speak."? (Adh-Dhaariyaat 51:22-23)

While recounting His favours on His slaves, and assuring them that He is the only Creator and Provider and the Giver of life and death, He says,

"Allaah is He Who created you, then provided food for you, then will cause you to die, then again He will give you life (on the Day of Resurrection). Is there any of your (so-called) partners (of Allaah) that do anything of that? Glory be to Him! And Exalted is He above all that (evil) they associate (with Him)."? (Ar-Room 30:40)

This verse indicate that we should seek for sustenance from and worship Allaah alone. Allaah says,

"So seek your provision from Allaah (Alone), worship Him and be grateful to Him."? (Al-Ankaboot 29:17)

The Messenger of Allaah explained this further when he said, "And know that, if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything they would benefit you only with something that Allaah has already decreed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something that Allaah has already decreed for you. The pens have been lifted and the papers have dried."? (Ahmad and At-Tirmidhee)

Further, Allaah also explains to us that He has decreed the lifespan of every living being and written that in a preserved Book; and that nothing can cause increase or decrease to it. He said,

"And no person can ever die except by Allaah's Leave and at the appointed term."? (Aal-Imraan 3: 145)

Yet, in spite of all this reality and clear promise from Allaah, lack of certainty which is the bane of many people diverts them from these promise and makes them forget Allaah's assurance that He alone possesses the power to grant means of sustenance and life and that no one besides Him has power over any of that. It is also unfortunate that some people do humble themselves before fellow human beings, go to any length in other to curry their favour by unnecessarily praising them to the highest heaven and raising them to the position of the righteous people with no justification. They add to all this by shying away from telling the truth thereby making themselves eligible for the curse and the wrath of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah said, "Whver seeks for Allaah's pleasure through acts that people find displeasing, Allaah will be pleased with him and cause people also to be pleased with him. And whver seeks men's pleasure through acts that displease Allaah, Allaah will be displeased with him and cause men also to be displeased with him."? (At-Tirmidhee). Flattering people with the aim of getting a favour from them is a despicable and ugly behaviour that wise people would not taint themselves with, particularly when it involves defaming others and slandering them.

Fear Allaah then, dear brethren, put your trust in Him and remember that the provision and lifespan of every individual are determined by Allaah alone, that no living being will die until it exhausts the provision and lifespan that have been prescribed for it and that it is only Allaah Who suffices His slaves. He says,

"Is not Allaah Sufficient for His slaves? Yet they try to frighten you with those (whom they worship) besides Him! And whver Allaah sends astray, for him there will be no guide."? (Az-Zumar 39:36)

Brethren in Islaam! Man, as one of the scholars has observed, whenever he ds a deed that pleases Allaah, He helps him, provides for him and suffices him. But when a man starts doing acts that displease Allaah, fears men more than Allaah and asks them benefits beside Allaah, that means he has no certainty of faith and is ignorant of the fact that it is the Will of Allaah that happens and the if He ds not will something it will never happen, for, there is no Lord worthy of worship except Him.