Words of Wisdom on Taking Oneself to Account

25/07/2018| IslamWeb

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab said, “Hold yourselves to account before you get held to account in the reckoning, and weigh your deeds before they get weighed for you, because reckoning tomorrow (the day of Resurrection) becomes easier when you hold yourselves for reckoning today; get prepared for the major exhibition, on that day you will exposed and nothing will be hidden.”

He once wrote a letter to some of his officials saying, “Hold yourself in reckoning during the times of ease before you get held in reckoning at the time of difficulty (the Hereafter), because he who holds himself in reckoning during the time of ease will have a pleasant consequence and will rejoice; and he who becomes busy with life and desires (and did not hold himself in reckoning) will regret and lose.”

Here are some sayings of scholars across centuries encouraging us to take ourselves to account, before the Final Reckoning:

Al-Hasan said, “You will find the believer always holding himself in reckoning saying, what did I want to do? What did I want to eat? What did I want to drink? But the sinful will go on without holding himself in reckoning.”
Maymoon ibn Mahraan said, “The slave will not achieve piety until he becomes harder on himself in reckoning than a stingy partner when he questions his partner; and that is why it is said that the self is like a betraying partner, if you do not hold it in reckoning your wealth would go to waste.”

Al-Hasan said, “The believer is always holding himself in reckoning, and reckoning becomes easy on the Day of Resurrection only for those who held themselves in reckoning during their lifetime; and it becomes difficult for those who went on in life without reckoning.”

Maalik ibn Deenaar said, “May Allah have mercy upon a slave who says to himself, 'Aren't you the one who did so and so?' Then he restrains it and forces it to adhere to the Quran and the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) and takes control over it.”

Ibn Mulaykah said, “I met thirty of the Companions of the Prophet and each one of them fears that he is a hypocrite.”

Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “If one looks at the Companions he would find that they worked hard yet were the most fearful of Allah, while we combine between negligence and feeling secure (from punishment).” These are the words of Ibn Al-Qayyim during his period, what should we say about our time?

Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyaadh said to a man, “How many years have passed from your life so far? The man said, ‘Sixty years.’ Al-Fudhayl said, ‘Then you have initiated a journey towards your Lord, and you have almost arrived to your destiny.’”

Abu Ad-Dardaa’ said, “Your life is but days, whenever a day passes, a portion of you has finished.”
The question arises: How does one take oneself to account?

Ibn Al-Qayyim said that it is done in the following sequence:

First, start with the obligatory matters and make up any shortcomings in them.

Second, check the prohibitions, and repent, seeking forgiveness for the violations committed and strive to perform good deeds to wipe out the bad deeds.

Third, hold yourself in reckoning for your heedlessness by mentioning Allah The Almighty (Thikr).

Fourth, hold yourself to account for the usage of the tongue, eyes, ears, feet and hands. What did you intend by using them? How did you use them?