Self-Assessment - Dec 10, 2016
Written by Munawar HaqueSelf-Assessment
Transcript of the Khatira delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Dec 10, 2016
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! Do we ever take account of ourselves by subjecting ourselves to self-assessment? Ideally, we should be engaged in self-assessment every day; assessing our emotions, our thoughts and our actions. This will prepare us for our return to Allah. Are we conscious of the day when we shall be made to return to Allah?
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?
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.
Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri 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." Imam Tirmidhi reports Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) as saying, “Call yourself to account before you are called to account.” 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.
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?
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. 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.
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.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ