My Khutba today is on the topic of al-Muhasabah which means taking account of oneself or subjecting oneself to self-assessment. Do we take out some time in our busy lives to do this? Ideally, we should be engaged in self-assessment every day; assessing our actions, our emotions, and our thoughts. This will prepare us for our return to Allah. Are we conscious of the day when we shall be made to return to Allah? The Qur’an warns us,
وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ
“Be conscious of the day when you shall be made to return to Allah” (al-Baqarah, 2:281)
Are we conscious of the day when Allah will bring us to account for our intentions and our deeds? The Qur’an reminds us,
وَإِن تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّهُ
“Whether you make known what is in your souls or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it.” (al-Baqarah), 2: 284)
Generally, we avoid thinking that we are on a journey towards our ultimate destination. It’s almost impossible to imagine that so many years have passed since our childhood. Every moment someone from the vast multitude of humanity stands on the threshold of completing his or her life’s journey. We are all moving gradually, almost unnoticeably from this world to the next.
According to a hadith narrated by Shaddad ibn Aws (RA) and transmitted by Imam Tirmidhi, the Prophet (SAW) said, “A wise person is one who keeps a watch over his bodily desires and passions, and checks himself from that which is harmful and strives for that which will benefit him after death; and a foolish person is one who subordinates himself to his cravings and desires and expects from Allah the fulfillment of his futile desires.”
Imam Tirmidhi indicates that the expression “who keeps a watch over his bodily desires and passions” refers to “a person who calls his carnal self to account before it is called to account in the Hereafter.” He reports Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) as saying, “Call yourself to account before you are called to account.”
Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri explaining al-Muhasabah said, “A believer keeps watch over himself. He assesses and judges himself for the sake of Allah. The Final Judgment on the day of Judgment may end up mild for some simply because they were quick to judge themselves in this life or it may end up to be a tough ordeal for some who were unconcerned about what they did in this life, thinking they would not be called to account.”
Regulating one’s actions in consideration of their repercussions in the Hereafter is the attitude of the wise. The Qur’an cautions us by saying,
وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ
“And let every soul consider carefully what it sends ahead for tomorrow.” (al-Hashr, 59:18)
Honest self-criticism is an important way to purify our souls. Purification of the soul leads to success. Alluding to this, the Qur’an says,
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا
“Truly he has succeeded who purifies it. And truly, he has failed who corrupts it.” (al-Shams, 91:9-10)
Self-criticism is achieved by being honest with oneself. This is not easy, for it requires admission of one’s wrongdoings. It means acknowledgement within ourselves that we have committed a sin, whether against our own souls or others, be it our Creator or anyone or anything in creation. For most of us, such a confession is a very tough thing to do. Pride prevents some of us from owning our faults, especially before people.
According to Imam al-Ghazali, a businessman formulates a business plan, seeks out business partners, records his gains and losses, balances his books, and seeks out advice when in need of improvement. As Muslims, our success in the Hereafter is of far greater importance than the finances of any businessman.
We can begin by setting up a “business plan” of our own with the goal of success in the Hereafter. There is a partnership that we enter into with our spouses, families, community members, and friends so that we may work together and support one another. Imam al-Ghazali recommends that we elevate this concept to a spiritual level by forging a partnership within ourselves as well – between our minds, hearts, and physical needs – for if they are in conflict, we become like an ineffective business headed by disputing partners.
When we speak, let us use our minds to monitor our speech and avoid speaking foul words. When we eat, let us listen to our stomach so that we can stop when we are full. When we pray, let us throw our heart into prayer. When our minds, hearts and physical needs work together, then we are guided to desire only that which is good and to dislike that which is harmful. Without their mutual cooperation, we may incline only toward our lower desires and the whispering of Shaytan.
We must not deceive ourselves by ignoring the losses accumulated from not praying, or from deliberately committing sins, because on the Day of Judgment we may find our gains outweighed by our losses—losses accrued because of our mistreatment of parents, spouses, children, neighbors, and other fellow human beings. On the Day of Judgment, all mistreated persons will testify against their oppressors and will be recompensed.
One can subject oneself to accounting by addressing questions such as: Was I grateful for Allah’s favor upon me? What did I do that I should not have done? “What did I fail to do or what is it that I did poorly? Did I commit any major sin? Did I violate the rights of others? Did I use my faculties of sight, hearing, and intellect in unlawful ways? Did I fail to use something lawful in the best possible way?
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! As we question ourselves, we should be aware of potential pitfalls. One, highlighted by Imam Qatadah is a type of procrastination in which we put off important actions by performing acts of lower priority first. This is like a businessman who closes his shop during business hours to restock the shelves. We could thus deceive ourselves into thinking that we are using our time wisely when in fact we are not. If we find ourselves in such a state, we should ask: “Why do we delay doing what we should do now?” and “What are our real priorities?”
One method for identifying our faults and shortcomings is to employ the Qur’an as our advisor and use its criteria to critique ourselves. The Quran tells us clearly that our books of deeds are like preserved records of all that we ever said and did. We should question our actions—past and present. Our sins should be a source of worry for us.
Once we have identified our shortcomings what should we do? Mere guilt and regret are not enough. We should not let ourselves be comforted by just confessing our failures because that does not diminish their weight in the sight of Allah nor does it prevent us from doing them again. In fact, the Prophet (SAW) encouraged us to conceal our sins and to repent for them privately. We must strive to determine their cause and to develop a plan to prevent them from happening in the future. If we missed a prayer due to a distracting television program, for example, we can ask ourselves, “Why was I so caught up in this program, and how can I prevent it from happening again?” It is important that we reach the most important stage, which is implementation. The Qur’an tells us,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ
“Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves” (al-Ra’d, 13:11).
If, insha’Allah, we are successful in changing ourselves for the better, let us thank Allah for enabling us to improve and then let us seek to remain constant in our performance. If we are not successful in changing ourselves for the better, let us repent and redouble our efforts for the future. Brothers and sisters! Every one of us is the author of his own book of deeds that will be presented to him on the Day of Accounting. Although the things of this world may be necessary for our sustenance and our comfort, we must not let them distract us from the approaching Day of Judgment. On that Day, nothing but our good deeds can benefit us. The Qur’an tells us in Surat al-Inshiqaq,
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ () فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا () وَيَنْقَلِبُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا
“As for him who is given his Book in his right hand, he will be called to account in an easy manner, and return to his family joyfully. (al-Inshiqaq, 84:7-9).
May Allah accept our actions and make us among those who receive their books in their right hands. Allahumma Amin.
