Muhaasabah -
holding ones self to account
It is necessary for individuals to pause
at the end of each day in order to assess themselves and run through
their achievements: What have they done in the course of the day?
Why have they done it? What have they omitted? And why have they
omitted it?
How excellent it would be if this self-criticism were to take place
before retiring to bed. This period of self-criticism and appraisal
should certainly be counted among one's moments of progress; it is a
moment when one impartially sits as a judge over oneself and reviews
yearnings and motivations. It is a moment when the believer
appoints, out of conscience, an investigator to probe his or her
actions, and a judge to condemn or acquit. In this way, one
progresses from the state of "the soul that incites to evil" to the
state of "the self-reproaching soul," which reproaches its owner
whenever he or she plunges into sin or falls short of expectations.
It is narrated in one hadith that "it behoves any wise person to
have four periods of time" and one of the four periods is "a period
in which one engages in self-criticism."
The Second Caliph, `Umar ibn Al-Khattab(RA) said, "Criticize and
appraise yourselves before you are criticized and appraised on the
Day
of Judgment, and weigh out your deeds, before they are weighed out
for you." He himself used to whip his foot at night and say to
himself,
"Tell me, what have you done today?"
Maimun ibn Mahran(RA), a famous Companion of the Prophet(SAW), used
to say, "A pious person scrupulously examines and appraises himself
more than he would a tyrant ruler and a tight-fisted partner!"
Al-Hasan said, "A believer polices his own self; he criticizes and
appraises it for the sake of Allah. Actually, the final appraisal
(on the Day of Judgment) may turn mild on some people simply because
they were wont to appraise themselves in this life; on the other
hand, it may turn out to be rigorous on people who took this life
with levity, and thought they would not be called to account." Al-Hasan
went on, explaining how this self-criticism operates in practice.
"A tempting thought (or idea) may occur to the believer. He says to
himself, 'By Allah, this is a fascinating idea; I would like to do
it! But no, never, get away! I am prohibited from executing you!'"
This is self-criticism and appraisal before action.
And, "a believer may inadvertently do something. He would then turn
to himself and say, 'What did you mean by this? By Allah, I cannot
find an excuse for this. I shall never repeat it, in sha Allah!'"
This is self-criticism and appraisal after action.
If a believer fails to observe this brief period of soul-checking
daily, then that person should at least try to do so once every few
days or once a week. In this way, people can draw up the balance
sheets of their lives, depicting their spiritual assets and
liabilities.
A believer should also have a longer period of this practice at the
end of each month and an even longer period at the end of each year,
when bidding farewell to one year and preparing for another. This is
the time to critically review the past and plan for the future. This
is the spiritual equivalent of one's final accounts for the year.
One blameworthy innovation which is unfortunately imitated by some
Muslims, is the annual birthday celebration, where people are
invited to a party and served with delicious food and drink. They
light a number of candles, each one representing a year in the
lifetime of the celebrant. Gifts are presented and pleasantries
exchanged on the occasion. Rather than this blind, useless
imitation, it is better for a wise person to seize this
occasion-which marks the expiry of one whole year of one's
lifetime-to reconsider and reflect upon his or her life.
At the end of every year, a careful trader applies the brakes in
order to measure the past year's performance and to establish his or
her financial position at the end of it. The trader wants to know
his or her profit, loss, assets, and liabilities. Likewise,
believers ought to call themselves to account for one whole year of
their lives that have expired and about which Allah will question
them.
A year is not a short time. It is a period of twelve months: a month
is, on average, thirty days, each day has twenty-four hours, each
hour sixty minutes, and each minute sixty seconds. And every second
should be counted as a blessing, a favor from Allah, and a trust in
one's hands. May Allah have mercy on Al-Hasan Al-Basri when he said,
"O son of Adam! You are but a bundle of days. As each day passes
away, a portion of you vanishes away!"
Abu `Ali ad-Daqqaq used to chant the following lines:
Each day that passes, a portion of me it
takes away,
On the heart, a bitter taste it leaves, and then glides away.
"Satan puts three knots at the back of
the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot he reads and
exhales the following words, 'The night is long, so stay asleep.'
When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when
one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays
the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart
in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous
heart." (Sahih Bukhari) |
