DR SHABBIR ALI KHAN

CALL YOURSELF TO ACCOUNT BEFORE YOU ARE CALLED TO ACCOUNT !!

First of all, have you ever been alone and checked and weighed what you have said or done previously? Have you ever tried to list your bad deeds in the same way as you think of your good deeds? Have you ever thought how you will be held accountable before Allah The Almighty while you are carrying such a heavy load of sins?

How can you yield yourself to a state that is far too dangerous for you to handle?

Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves.}[Quran 59:18-19]

{And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped...} [Quran 39:54]

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Call yourselves to account before you are called to account, and weigh yourselves before you are weighed, as calling yourselves to account today will make it easier for you when you are called to account tomorrow, and be adorned for the great appearance: that Day shall you be brought to Judgment, and not a secret of you will be hidden.”

Quotes about Self-Reckoning

1. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to one of his appointed governors saying, “Call yourself to account when you are in bliss before the reckoning of that severe Day, for whoever calls himself to account when he is in bliss will win the pleasure of Allah and achieve happiness, and whoever allows his life and desires to occupy all his attention and cause him to be negligent will be a regretful loser.”

2. Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The worshiper will be in a safe position as long as he keeps admonishing his own self and continuously calls his soul to account.”
3. Maymoon ibn Mihraan may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “A slave will not be pious until he holds himself to account more severely than a man does with his business partner; that is why it was said that the soul is like the untrustworthy partner whom, if you do not call to account, will flee with your capital.”

4. Imaam Ahmad may Allaah have mercy upon him narrated that Wahb may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “It is written in the wisdom of the family of Daawood (David) that an intelligent person should not be negligent of four times; a time to supplicate his Lord, a time to hold himself to account, a time with his truthful friends who inform him of his shortcomings, and a time when he is alone with himself and its lawful desires, as this time will help him through the other times and will comfort his heart.”

5. Al-Hasan Al-Basri may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “The true believer is a guardian of his own self and continuously calls his soul to account for the sake of Allah. The reckoning of the Day of Resurrection will only be easy for those who continuously call their souls to account in the life of this world. The reckoning of the Day of Resurrection will only be difficult for those who live the life of this world without ever examining their conscience and calling themselves to account.”
6. Ibn Abi Mulaykah may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “I have met thirty companions of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) and each one of them feared that he may be afflicted by hypocrisy and none of them said that his faith is like that of Jibreel or Meekaa’eel.”

7. Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “Whoever contemplates the circumstances of the Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) would find them doing many good deeds with much fear while we fall short of doing good deeds or rather are negligent about that and at the same time we feel secure (from punishment).” This is what Ibn Al-Qayyim may Allaah have mercy upon him said about himself and the time he lived in, so what should we say about ourselves and the time in which we live!

Categories of Self-reckoning

Self-reckoning is of two kinds and they are as follows:

The first kind: self-examination before starting any action. That is, one should check every idea that comes to his mind and not take any action until he considers which is preferred; carrying it out or leaving it. Al-Hasan may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “May Allah The Almighty Be merciful upon the one who examines every matter well and then (decides that) if it is for the sake of Allah The Almighty he executes it, and if not, he overlooks it.”

The second kind: self-examination after doing any action and it is of three types which are as follows:

1. One should call his soul to account and reproach it for its negligence in the acts of worshiping Allah The Almighty; for not having performed them properly.

2. One should call his soul to account for any action that he did while it would have been better for him not to do it.

3. One should cast a critical look back at whatever permissible act or habitual act that he did and ask himself why he did it. Did he do it for the Sake of Allah The Almighty and the Hereafter? If so, he will be rewarded greatly. Or, did he do it for this world and its trifling gains? If so, he will miss many great rewards.

Tips that make self-reckoning easier

There are some methods that would assist a person to call himself to account and make that process easier; they are as follows:
1. Knowing that the more effort he exerts in calling his soul to account in this world, the more he will be relieved in the Hereafter. Likewise, the more he neglects calling himself to account in this world, the more severe his reckoning will be in the Hereafter.

2. Knowing that the rewards of self-reckoning are residing in Firdaws (highest level of Paradise), looking at the Noble Face of Allah The Almighty and enjoying the company of the prophets and the righteous.

3. Looking at the serious consequences of overlooking self-reckoning such as entering Hellfire, deprivation of looking at the Noble face of Allah The Almighty, and being with the wicked people of disbelief and misguidance.

4. Keeping company with good people who call themselves to account and who tell him about his shortcomings, and keeping away from others who are not like that.

5. Contemplating attentively the stories of those who were keen on self-reckoning and learning about our righteous predecessors.
6. Visiting the graves and contemplating the conditions of the dead who have become helpless and can no longer call their souls to account or rectify their faults.

7. Attending the circles of knowledge and admonishing lessons as these call people to check their souls.

8. Performing voluntary night prayers, reciting Quran, and doing many other righteous deeds that bring a person closer to Allah The Almighty.

9. Keeping away from the places of diversion and distractions for they make one forget about observing self-reckoning.

10. Adhering to the remembrance and mentioning of Allah The Almighty and invoking Him to make him/her from those who call themselves to account and to guide him/her to everything good.

11. Not having full trust and confidence in oneself as this makes him forget checking on his situation and also makes him believe that his defects are nothing except perfect noble manners.

How can self-reckoning be fulfilled?

Self-reckoning can be done as follows:
1. One should start first by checking his performance of the his obligatory duties, and if he finds any defects in them he has to rectify them.

2. One should then check the prohibited matters. If he finds that he has transgressed the red lines of such forbidden matters, then he has to repent, seek forgiveness and offer the extra righteous deeds that would wipe out his misdeeds.

3. One should check every action of the parts of his body such as the actions of his tongue, feet, hands, eyes, and ears. He has to ask himself why, for the sake of whom and how he did them.

4. One should call his soul to account for its heedlessness and negligence and rectify such things with the Remembrance of Allah The Almighty and doing a lot of righteous deeds.

The considerable benefits of self-reckoning

1. Realizing the defects and shortcomings in one’s character. In fact, no one can be able to get rid of the defects of his character without acknowledging them.

2. Repentance, remorse and rectifying these mistakes before it is too late.

3. Being mindful of the rights of Allah The Almighty, for self-reckoning is mainly based on holding one's soul to account regarding negligence in observing the rights of Allah The Almighty.

4. Complete submissiveness and humbleness of the slave before his Lord The Almighty and the Most Glorified.

5. Realizing the Generosity, Forgiveness and Mercy of Allah The Almighty towards His slaves for He The Almighty gave them respite and delayed their punishment in spite of their odious sins and evil deeds.

6. Exerting oneself to do a lot of righteous deeds and renounce disobedience so that self-reckoning will then be much easier.

7. Returning the rights or property one wrongly took to their owners, getting rid of hatred and envy, and acquiring noble traits. Such is the most fruitful benefit of the matter of self-reckoning.

Remember: Life is far too short, and the time we waste can never be regained.

Abu Ad-Dardaa’, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
“Man’s life is but days. Whenever a day passes, a part of man’s life passes too. So, O you youth in your twenties, contemplate how many comrades of yours have passed away, and you are still there! You people in your thirties, you are losing your youth, how come you regret nothing? You people in your forties, youth has abandoned you and you are still indulging in amusement! You people in your fifties, you are a half-century old, but you still wrong yourselves! And, you people in your sixties, you are on the threshold of death, yet you still succumb to the temptations of this world. Surely, you have transgressed!”