Calling ourselves to account frees the soul from the grip of its desires and lusts. It protects us from misguidance and helps us stay on the Straight Path. Allah encourages us to do this, saying:
“O you who have believed! Fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow…” [Quran 59:18]
‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Call yourself to account while you are still at ease, before the reckoning of that severe Day. Whoever calls himself to account in this life will earn Allah’s pleasure and find happiness. But whoever lets worldly life and desire consume his attention and make him heedless will suffer regret and loss.”
While he served as caliph, ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, regularly examined his own conduct. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: “One day, I was walking with ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. He entered a garden alone. From behind its fence, I heard him say to himself: ‘O son of Al-Khattaab! By Allah, you must remain mindful of Allah, or Allah will punish you.’”
Maalik bin Deenaar, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “May Allah show mercy to the servant who asks himself, ‘Did you not do such and such?’—then reproaches himself for it, follows Allah’s commands, and guides himself towards righteousness.”
Maymoon bin Mahraan, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “A pious believer holds himself to account more strictly than a miser holds his business partner to account.”
Our righteous predecessors, may Allah have mercy upon them, admonished themselves and examined their actions. Yet we, who have even greater need for self-reproach, often remain heedless. We commit destructive acts and suffer from diseases of the heart and soul that demand serious reform.
We should ask ourselves: Do we fear Allah as we should? Do we weep out of fear of Him, as our righteous predecessors did? Do Quranic verses move us when we hear them? Do our hearts tremble when we remember Allah, pushing us to obey Him and seek His pleasure?
Allah says:
“Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance [i.e., mention] of Allah…” [Quran 39:23]
One day, Imaam Al-Maroozi, may Allah have mercy upon him, asked Imaam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him: “How is your morning?”
He replied: “I begin my morning as someone whose Lord commands him to fulfil his duties; whose Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, calls him to follow his Sunnah; whose two angels ask him to reform his actions; whose lower self urges him to surrender to his desires; and whose Satan makes sin and immorality seem attractive. The Angel of Death waits for Allah’s command to take my soul, while my family asks me to provide for them.”
How often do we hear about Hellfire without feeling shaken? It contains punishments and terrors so dreadful that their mention would make a mountain crumble from fear of Allah.
A Muslim should challenge himself when Quranic verses about the Hereafter, the punishment of Hellfire, or Allah’s greatness fail to move him. Worldly concerns occupy us, and our sins are many; therefore, we must work harder to examine ourselves. Here are some matters we should consider carefully and hold ourselves accountable for:
Sincerity
Our righteous predecessors, may Allah have mercy upon them, preferred to keep their good deeds private because doing so helped them preserve their sincerity. Many people today, however, enjoy displaying their good deeds and receiving praise for them. We should question this desire and work to purify our hearts and souls.
Today, a person may rejoice when others praise him, even while he commits sins that would bring rebuke if people knew about them. Our righteous predecessors, may Allah have mercy upon them, disliked praise and sometimes felt anger when they received it.
Once, a man praised Imaam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him, saying: “May Allah reward you for what you have done in service of Islam.”
He replied: “Me? Who am I? What am I?” He humbled himself before Allah. Compare his response with ours: they turned away praise, while we welcome it—and may even crave more.
Wealth
When we receive money, we may rejoice and grow attached to it. Our righteous predecessors, may Allah have mercy upon them, instead spent their wealth across many good causes.
Many people today devote themselves to trade and business in pursuit of ever-greater wealth. This can harden the heart, bringing to mind the Prophet’s, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, warning. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “May he be miserable: the slave of the Deenaar and Dirham [gold and silver currency].” [Al-Bukhari]
Indeed, many people have become enslaved to their wealth.
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, worked to earn what they and their families needed each day. They did not devote themselves to gathering and hoarding ever more worldly wealth.
‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, had a Companion who would work one day while ‘Umar sat with the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to learn from him. The next day, they would switch roles: ‘Umar would work while his Companion studied. Afterward, each would share with the other what he had learned from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Submitting to the truth
We do not always accept the truth easily. Some of us may refuse to accept it at all. We may recognise our faults yet arrogantly refuse to correct them. Someone may advise us, but we defend ourselves—even when we know the advice is right.
Some people of knowledge today argue against a text presented to them simply because they did not hear it from their own teachers. By contrast, our righteous predecessors, may Allah have mercy upon them, accepted the truth as soon as they recognised it.
Many people also rush to pass judgement or issue religious rulings without the knowledge or evidence they need. This kind of boldness deserves blame. These same people would not presume to speak authoritatively about a specialised subject such as medicine; they would acknowledge that only a qualified expert should address it. Yet they speak about religion without hesitation, as though religious knowledge mattered less than scientific knowledge.
Naafi’, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Once, a man came to Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and asked him a question. Ibn ‘Umar lowered his head and thought about it for a long time. The man assumed that he had not heard and said, ‘May Allah have mercy upon you! Did you not hear my question?’
“Ibn ‘Umar replied, ‘I heard you. But you act as though Allah will not question us about what you ask or how we answer. Give me time to consider your question. If I know the answer, I will tell you; otherwise, I will say that I do not know.’”
Consider the difference between this Companion, may Allah be pleased with him, who was among the scholars of his generation, and some people today.
Honouring the words of Allah
Many people today memorise the Quran—a practice that should delight every Muslim—but their behaviour does not always reflect what they have memorised.
Ibn Mas’ood, may Allah be pleased with him, described those who memorise the Quran this way: “The one who memorises the Quran should stand out through his qualities. He should be awake when people sleep, mindful when people are heedless, fasting when people eat, weeping when people laugh, and humble when people behave playfully.”
This, too, is something we must examine in ourselves.
Tips for making self-reckoning easier
These practices can help us examine ourselves more consistently:
- Remember that the more seriously you hold yourself accountable in this life, the easier your reckoning will be in the Hereafter. The more you neglect it now, the more severe that reckoning will be.
- Remember that self-reckoning can lead to the rewards of Firdaws—the highest level of Paradise—the opportunity to behold the Noble Face of Allah, and the company of the prophets and the righteous.
- Reflect on the serious consequences of neglecting self-reckoning: entering Hellfire, being deprived of beholding the Noble Face of Allah, and joining those who followed disbelief and misguidance.
- Keep company with good people who examine themselves and point out your shortcomings. Distance yourself from those who do not.
- Reflect on the lives of people who took self-reckoning seriously, and learn about our righteous predecessors.
- Visit graves and reflect on the dead, who can no longer examine themselves or correct their mistakes.
- Attend circles of knowledge and lessons that encourage people to examine their souls.
- Pray voluntary night prayers, recite the Quran, and perform other righteous deeds that bring you closer to Allah.
- Avoid places of entertainment and distraction that make you forget to examine yourself.
- Remember Allah often and ask Him to make you among those who hold themselves accountable and to guide you towards all that is good.
- Do not place complete trust in yourself. Overconfidence can make you stop examining your conduct and convince you that your flaws are actually noble qualities.
How to hold yourself accountable
- Begin by reviewing your obligatory duties. If you find shortcomings, work to correct them.
- Review your conduct regarding what Allah has forbidden. If you have crossed those limits, repent, seek forgiveness, and follow your repentance with good deeds that erase misdeeds.
- Examine how you use each part of your body—your tongue, feet, hands, eyes, and ears. Ask yourself why you acted, for whose sake you acted, and how you carried out each action.
- Hold yourself accountable for heedlessness and neglect. Correct them by remembering Allah and increasing your righteous deeds.
The benefits of self-reckoning
- You recognise your flaws and shortcomings. You cannot overcome a flaw until you acknowledge it.
- You can repent, feel remorse, and correct your mistakes before it is too late.
- You become more mindful of Allah’s rights, because self-reckoning helps you recognise where you have fallen short in fulfilling them.
- You grow more humble and submissive before your Lord, the Almighty and Most Glorified.
- You recognise Allah’s generosity, forgiveness, and mercy towards His servants: despite their grave sins and evil deeds, He gives them time and delays their punishment.
- You strive to perform more righteous deeds and leave disobedience behind, making self-reckoning easier.
- You return any rights or property you took unjustly, free your heart from hatred and envy, and develop noble qualities. This is among the greatest benefits of self-reckoning.
Remember: Life is short, and we can never recover the time we waste.
Abu Ad-Dardaa’, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“Man’s life is but days. Whenever a day passes, a part of his life passes too.
“O young people in your twenties, think about how many of your companions have passed away while you are still here.
“You in your thirties are losing your youth—why do you feel no regret?
“You in your forties have left youth behind, yet you still amuse yourselves.
“You in your fifties have lived half a century, yet you still wrong yourselves.
“And you in your sixties stand on the threshold of death, yet you still give in to the temptations of this world. Surely, you have transgressed!”
