Tark al-Muḥāsabah · Failure to Hold Self Accountable

The story

ʿUmar would slap his side and say: 'O ʿUmar, what did you do today?' The Commander of the Believers held himself accountable nightly. The Day's accounting will be lighter for those who did this.

Why it's named first

ʿUmar said: 'Hold yourself accountable before you are held accountable; weigh yourself before you are weighed.' The believer's daily muḥāsabah catches sins early, when tawbah is easy. Without it, sins accumulate unnoticed until they become identity.

In the Qur'an

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

“O you who have believed, fear Allāh. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is Aware of what you do.”

59:18Listen Read 59:18 with tafsir

Svenska: TROENDE! Frukta Gud, och tänk på vad ni sänder framför er, var och en, till morgondagen! Ja, frukta Gud! Han är väl underrättad om vad ni gör.

In the Sunnah

«الكَيِّسُ مَن دَانَ نَفْسَهُ وَعَمِلَ لِمَا بَعدَ المَوتِ». 'The wise is the one who holds himself accountable and works for what is after death.' (Tirmidhi 2459)

The cure

Each night, before sleep, audit the day. What good did I do? What bad? What did I waste? What can I make right tomorrow? 5 minutes of honest accounting changes the next day.

What is at stake

Without muḥāsabah, the believer arrives at the Day surprised by what is on his record.