As for the questioner’s words:

“Why does relief come when hope in created beings is exhausted? How can one turn the heart away from attachment to them and attach it to Allah?”

The answer is:

This comes about through fully realizing Allah’s oneness: “oneness in lordship” and “oneness in worship.”

“Oneness in lordship” means that there is no creator but Allah, so nothing besides Him can independently bring anything about. Rather, whatever He wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen. Anything besides Him, if considered a cause, necessarily has a cooperating factor that assists it and an opposing factor that impedes it. Thus, to ask anything besides Him to bring something about is to ask it for something it cannot accomplish independently or achieve on its own.

Even the voluntary actions asked of a servant cannot be performed without Allah’s assistance—for example, by making him perform them through the decisive will He creates within him and the complete ability He creates for him. When complete ability and decisive will are present, the act necessarily occurs.

Allah’s will alone necessarily brings about everything He wills. Whatever Allah wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen. The will of anything besides Him, however, does not by itself bring anything about. Rather, what it wills can come about only through factors beyond its power. Unless the Lord assists it through those factors, it will not attain what it seeks. Its very will cannot arise except by the will of Allah Most High.

As the Most High said:

“For whoever among you wills to take the straight path.”

“But you do not will unless Allah, Lord of all worlds, wills.”

And He said: