The Accounting of the Believer

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (r.a.), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (r.a.), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (r.a.). 

A believer should bring his self to account as regards acts which are forbidden.  If he finds that he has done any of them, he must quickly turn in repentance, seek Allah’s (s.w.t.) Forgiveness, and do good deeds in order to eradicate the bad deeds which have been recorded in his record. 

Next, he should bring his self to account as regards those matters in which he has been negligent.  If he finds that he has been negligent in doing what he was created for, he should hasten to the remembrance of Allah (s.w.t.) and drawing near to Him with an open heart. 

Next, he should bring his self to account for the words he has spoken, for the steps his feet have taken, for the things his hands have grasped, and for what his ears have listened to.  He should ask himself, “What did I want this for?” “What did I do that for?” “For whom did I do this for?” “Why did I do it like that?” 

He should know that every action and every word are accounted for in two books; one is entitled, “For whom did I do it?”, and the other, “How well did I do it?” The first question is concerned with sincerity, and the second is concerned with the action itself. Allah (s.w.t.) Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ الاٴحزَاب

لِّيَسۡـَٔلَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ عَن صِدۡقِهِمۡ‌ۚ … (٨) 

That (Allah) may Question the (Custodians) of Truth concerning the Truth they (were charged with) ... (Surah al-Ahzab:8) 

If the truthful are going to be Asked about their truthfulness, and will be Judged in accordance with how truthful they were, what do we imagine will be the case with the people of falsehood?