Should a person rely on prayers and Dhikr (remembering Allah) as protection against worldly problems and divine calamities? If one does a lot of Dhikr and avoids unnecessary activities so as to be safe, it would be right?

My answer is in the affirmative. The essence of Islamic teachings that I have been able to gather is that we must try not to be engulfed by troubles and calamities. Once one of my teachers told me that our religion, in this regard, is very different from many other religions of the world. He related that the adherents of a very strict discipline of Christianity, Cistercian, pray to the Lord ‘O Lord, let us suffer as Jesus (sws) suffered’. This is not what Islam teaches us. We, the Muslims, must try our utmost not to attract any problems. However, if they find place in our life, we must be patient and bold enough to fight them however hard and tough they may be. In that case, we need to strive to the best of our abilities to live up to the expectations of our Lord by showing perseverance and paying glory to Him. Thus, it is perfectly okay to pray to Allah to help us stay away from problems as long as it is best for us.