(Continued)
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.
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!”