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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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The life of the salaf between speech and action.

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Self-reckoning.

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The importance and virtue of self-reckoning.

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Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

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"Weigh your souls before you are weighed."

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"And take yourselves to account before you are taken to account."

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"For it is easier for you in the reckoning of tomorrow,"

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"That you take yourselves to account,"

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"And adorn yourselves for the Great Presentation."

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“On that day ye will be exposed; not a secret of you will be hidden.” (69:18)

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Al-Sari al-Saqati, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"Whoever takes himself to account,"

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"Allah will be too shy to take him to account."

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And from al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:

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"The believer is a guardian over his own soul,"

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"Taking himself to account for the sake of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."

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"The reckoning on the Day of Resurrection will only be light,"

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"For a people who took themselves to account in this world."

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"And the reckoning on the Day of Resurrection will only be difficult,"

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"For a people who took this matter lightly, without self-reckoning."

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"When something that pleases the believer suddenly comes to him,"

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"He says, 'By Allah, I desire you,'"

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"'And you are indeed a need of mine,'"

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"'But by Allah, there is no way to attain you.'"

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"'Far, far away; a barrier has been placed between me and you.'"

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"And if something slips from him,"

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"He returns to his soul and says,"

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"'What did I intend by this?'"

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"'What have I to do with this?'"

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"'By Allah, I shall never return to this, if Allah wills.'"

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"The believers are a people whom the Qur'an has bound,"

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"And it has stood between them and their destruction."

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"The believer is a captive in this world,"

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"Striving to ransom his own neck,"

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"Feeling secure of nothing until he meets Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."

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"He knows that he will be held accountable for his hearing, his sight,"

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"His tongue, and his limbs."

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And he (al-Hasan al-Basri), may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"A man would be pricked by a thorn,"

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"And he would say,"

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"'I know that you are here because of a sin,'"

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"'And my Lord, the Almighty and Majestic, has not wronged me.'"

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Guidance and advice on self-reckoning.

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Al-Rabi' Ibn Khuthaym, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"When you speak,"

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"Remember Allah's hearing of you."

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"When you intend something,"

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"Remember His knowledge of you."

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"When you look,"

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"Remember His gaze upon you."

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"When you reflect,"

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"Remember His awareness of you."

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"For He, the Exalted, says:"

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“(O man), follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked.” (17:36)

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“(O man), follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked.” (17:36)

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And from Maymun Ibn Mihran, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:

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"A man will not be truly pious,"

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"Until he is stricter in taking his soul to account,"

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"Than a business partner is with his partner."

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"And until he knows the source of his clothing, his food, and his drink."

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Ibn al-Muqaffa', may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"It is upon the wise person to keep an inventory of his soul,"

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"Its faults in religion, character, and manners."

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"He should gather all of that in his heart or in a book,"

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"Then frequently present it to his soul,"

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"And task it with correcting them."

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"He should assign this as a duty,"

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"To correct one or two traits,"

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"In a day, a week, or a month."

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"Whenever he corrects something, he erases it."

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"Whenever he looks at what is erased, he rejoices."

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"And whenever he looks at what remains, he feels distressed."

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Stories and incidents regarding self-reckoning.

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Umar saw Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them both,"

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"Pulling on his tongue."

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He took him by the hand,"

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"And said,"

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"'What are you doing, O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah?'"

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"He replied,"

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"'Is it not this that has led me to the brink?'"

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And from Anas Ibn Malik, who said:

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"I heard Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, one day,"

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"And I went out with him until he entered a garden."

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"I heard him saying, while there was a wall between me and him,"

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"While he was inside the garden,"

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"'Umar, Commander of the Faithful! Well done, well done!'"

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"'By Allah, O son of al-Khattab,'"

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"'You shall fear Allah, or He will surely punish you!'"

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And from Salamah Ibn Mansur,"

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"From a freedman of theirs who used to accompany al-Ahnaf Ibn Qays, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:"

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"I used to accompany him,"

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"And most of his night prayer was supplication."

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"He would come to the lamp,"

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"Place his finger in it, then say,"

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"'O Ahnaf!'"

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"'What drove you to do what you did on such-and-such a day?'"

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"'What drove you to do what you did on such-and-such a day?'"

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A man once spoke harshly to Abu Mu'awiyah al-Aswad, may Allah have mercy on him,"

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"And he said,"

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"'I seek Allah's forgiveness for the sin by which you were empowered over me.'"

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Hassan Ibn Abi Sinan, may Allah have mercy on him, passed by a room,"

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"And said,"

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"'When was this built?'"

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"Then he said,"

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"Returning to his soul, he said,"

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"'What is it to you when it was built?'"

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"'You are asking about what does not concern you!'"

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A man used to follow Sufyan al-Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him,"

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"And he always found him taking a scrap of paper from his garment to look at it."

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"He wanted to know what was on it,"

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"So the scrap fell into his hand,"

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"And behold, written on it was:"

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"'Sufyan,'"

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"'Remember your standing before Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.'"

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And from Abu Sulayman al-Darani, may Allah have mercy on him, that he said:

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"I heard Abu Ja'far al-Mansur weeping during his sermon on Friday,"

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"And anger stirred within me."

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"I intended to stand up and speak to him about what I heard him say,"

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"And what I knew of his actions once he descended."

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"Then I reflected on the fact that I wanted to stand before the Caliph to admonish him,"

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"While the people were sitting, and they would stare at me,"

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"And vanity would enter my heart,"

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"So he would order me to be killed,"

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"And I would be killed without sincerity."

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"So I sat down and calmed myself."

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Al-Sari al-Saqati, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"A hidden ailment remained with me for thirty years."

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"This is because we were a group that would go early to the Friday prayer,"

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"And we had places known to be ours,"

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"Which we would almost never miss."

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"A man from our neighbors died on a Friday,"

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"So I wanted to follow his funeral procession,"

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"I followed it and was late for my usual time."

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"Then I came, intending to attend the Friday prayer,"

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"When I approached the mosque,"

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"My soul said to me,"

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"'Now they see you, having arrived late,'"

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"'And having missed your usual time.'"

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"That weighed heavily upon me,"

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"So I said to my soul,"

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"'I see you have been showing off for thirty years,'"

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"'And I did not know!'"

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"So I abandoned that place I used to go to,"

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"And I began praying in different places,"

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"So that my place would not be known, or anything of that sort."

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The importance of knowing the faults and defects of the soul.

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And leading the people in prayer.

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Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

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"Do not occupy yourselves with mentioning the people,"

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"For it is a trial."

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"And occupy yourselves with the remembrance of Allah,"

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"For it is a mercy."

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And he also said, may Allah be pleased with him:

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"The most beloved of people to me,"

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"Is the one who gifts me my faults."

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Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

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"One of you sees the speck in his brother's eye,"

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"While forgetting the log in his own eye."

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Bilal Ibn Sa'd, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"Your remembering your good deeds and forgetting your bad deeds is a delusion."

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Al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"O son of Adam,"

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"You will not attain the reality of faith,"

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"Until you do not blame people for a fault that is in you,"

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"And until you begin by correcting that fault in yourself,"

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"And you rectify it."

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"When you do that,"

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"You will not correct one fault,"

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"Except that you will find another fault you have not corrected."

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"When you do that,"

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"Your concern will be with your own soul,"

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"And the most beloved of servants to Allah, the Exalted, is the one who is like that."

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'Awn Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"I do not think anyone becomes preoccupied with the faults of people,"

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"Except out of a heedlessness he has fallen into regarding his own soul."

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It is narrated from some of the salaf that he said:

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"I met a people who had no faults,"

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"So they mentioned the faults of people,"

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"And the people mentioned faults for them."

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"And I met a people who had faults,"

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"So they refrained from mentioning the faults of people,"

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"And their faults were forgotten."

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Or as he said.

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Umar Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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To a jester of his:

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"The rulers have appointed spies over the common people,"

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"And I am appointing you as my spy over myself."

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"If you hear a word from me that you find inappropriate for me,"

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"Or an action you do not like,"

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"Then admonish me for it and forbid me from it."

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Al-Fudayl Ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"Let your concern be with your own soul,"

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"And let not your concern be with others."

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"For whoever is concerned with others,"

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"Has been deceived."

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Al-Sari al-Saqati, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"Among the signs of gradual ruin (istidraj),"

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"Is blindness to the faults of the soul."

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And he also said, may Allah have mercy on him:

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"No one pries into the slips of the creation except an ignorant person,"

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And he who violates the privacy of those he comes upon is cursed.

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The struggle against the self (mujahadat al-nafs).

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Abu Muslim al-Khawlani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"Do you see that if I were to honor and indulge my self,

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it would blame me before Allah tomorrow?

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But if I were to humble it, exhaust it, and keep it busy,

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it would praise me before Allah tomorrow."

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It was asked, "Who is that, O Abu Muslim?"

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He replied, "That, by Allah, is my own self."

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Qatadah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"O son of Adam,

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if you only intend to perform good deeds when you feel energetic,

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then your self will surely incline toward weariness and boredom.

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Rather, the believer is one who perseveres,

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and the believer is one who strengthens himself."

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The believers continued to call out, "Our Lord, our Lord,"

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in private and in public,

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until He answered them.

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Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"I struggled against my self for forty years,

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until it became upright."

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Abu Yazid al-Bastami, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"I called my self toward Allah,

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but it resisted me and became difficult.

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So I abandoned it and proceeded toward Allah."

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A life of peace.

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Between speech and action.