Friday Nasiha

Al Maidah
Chapter 5: Verse 105

O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves.

Commentary:

It is very important to have the understanding that all of us, individually and collectively, will be under scrutiny and will have to face a day of Reckoning.

Difficult Indeed

Of the most difficult of deeds that an individual must perform is Muhasabah (Taking account of his own actions). It takes an enormous will and effort to judge and take account for one's own deeds. A person may fall into two problems:

1. He may be too excessive in his accounting and thus begin restricting himself from lawful things.
2. On the other hand, there are those who will be deficient in their Muhasabah and therefore will fall into many sins out of desires and wishful fantasies.

No Tawbah without Muhasabah

Sins are a fact of life. All human beings fall into error. Yet, Tawbah (repentance) is compulsory to erase the sin from one's record. Repentance will only come after the realization of one's mistakes and errors. This realization is a direct result of Muhasabah. There are too many witnesses against us. We must repent for our sins before the time when come one Tawbah is no longer accepted.

Reaching The Level of Taqwa

The believer will never reach the level of Taqwa without making Muhasabah. This is the secret of success and the path to salvation. Muhasabah will lead to repentance and that will lead to Taqwa. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said:

"The intelligent person takes account of himself and acts for (that which will benefit after) death." Reported by At-Tirmidhi.

It's not an overnight process

Correcting one's actions and establishing Tawbah and Muhasabah is not a process that takes place over night. It is a whole way of life that must be established throughout one's life. We must establish Muhasabah over an extended period of time. It is a process that must be constantly upgraded.

The Risk Is Too Great

When an individual or nation falls into a dilemma that shakes them into their very essence, they must look at themselves critically to find the source of the problem. Once the problem has been found, after a through self-assessment, immediate repairs are in order. The individual or nation must take it upon themselves to begin an immediate self-reformation. A whole nation can fall collectively into a state of slumber and inactivity upon the orders of Allah. Equally, an individual can fall into a state of slumber. An individual's slumber can last for days, while a nation's slumber may last for years.

[compiled from "Muhasabah: Take Account of your Deeds" Delivered from the pulpit of Grand Masjid in Mecca by Sh. Saud ash- Shuraim (Imaam of the Grand Masjid in Mecca) Taken from the book: "Beacons of Light - Lectures from the Grand Mosque" Translated by: Yahya Ibrahim]

Be Regular, Even If Little

"The most beloved action to Allah is the most continuous, even if little."
[Muslim]

Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in relation to this hadith, "In it (the above hadith) is an exhortation to perform deeds regularly and continuously, and [an explanation] that a small deed done regularly is better than a great one that is interrupted. It is because by continuously doing a little of such actions as, [one’s] obedience, remembrance, awareness of Allah, sincerity and dedication to the Creator, the outcome accumulates and it is multiplied exceeding what is greater but interrupted."

[taken from "What Can You Do In Ten Minutes?" by Abdul Malik Al-Qasim]

Mystery of the Night of Qadr

There is no consensus of the Ummah over when the night of Qadr occurs. Imam Razi has a few novel points to offer on why that is the case:

Allah concealed its knowledge from His slaves since His rida (approval and pleasure) is concealed in devotions to Him, and in concealment of the night is the cause of increase in devotions. This is following His general method: He concealed His friend (waliyy) among the people in order that all people might be respected; He concealed His response to supplications in order that they might resort to it oftener; He concealed His Great Name (Al-Ism al-A'zam [some scholars believe that Allah is the Ism al-A'zam. YMFN ED]) in order that all of His Names might be revered; He concealed the accepted prayer in order the people pay special attention to every Prayer; He concealed the time of death in order that the people never be oblivious of it.

Again if the night of Qadr been known, the sins of the sinners in that night would have weighed heavily upon them, since, to commit sins on a known blessed occasion is greater in enormity than when committed on the same blessed occasion but without the sinner knowing that it is a blessed occasion.

[Taken from Tafsir Ishraq al-Ma'ani by Syed Iqbal Zaheer, p. 176]