Have you weighed your Deeds lately? The degree of Accountability...

There are 3 types of Souls mentioned in the Qur’an:

1. Soul prone to evil  - nafs al-amaara bisoo’ [Example from Surah Yusuf 12:22-28, when the Egyptian Minister’s wife tries to seduce Yusuf]

2. Self-reproaching soul – nafs al-lawaama [Example from Surah Qiyamah 75:2 ‘Nay I swear by the accusing soul’ – The self-reproaching soul is one that blames when it does good as well as bad.

3. Righteous soul – nafs al-mu’mainna [Example from Surah al-Fajr 89:27, the Righteous Soul is the soul at peace]

Ways to Cure the diseased Soul:

1. Ignore it!
2. Dislike it! – compare to the bounties of Allah give to you and how you are repaying Allah swt back.
3. Be sceptic about your soul – How do you know that Allah has accepted my ibaadah
4. Trick your soul – start off little by little and gradually increase your level of action. Ie Qiyaaml al layl, start by praying 2 raka’ each night, then once the habit is made of getting up, increase it to 4, gradually though.

‘So whoever does good equal to the weight of an atom [or small ant] shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom [or a small ant] shall see it.’ [surah az-zalzalah: 7-8]

The Right of Allah upon the servant in every act of obedience consists of six matters:

1. Sincerity in the action [for the sake of Allah]
2. Pure devotion to Allah in it
3. Following and imitating the Messenger [pbuh] in it
4. Seeing and observing excellence in it
5. Seeing Allah’s Benevolence in it
6. Seeing one’s shortcomings [in performing this action] after all this

*Remember if you fulfil Allah’s rights, He shall fulfil yours!

Your Enemy – firstly is the soul = the nafs, then the shaytaan who’s ultimate goal is for us to commit shirk! Allah mentions in the Qur’an 13 times, that the Shaytaan plays with the soul. He leads you astray by beautifying haram things for you, and promises you poverty and hardship, thus decreasing your trust in Allah swt. Allah is the provider, the sustainer! Do not follow the footsteps of Shaytaan...

Remember, the correct intention does not purify the wrong action, and the wrong intention corrupts the good action!!!!!

-          Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “Call your souls to account before you are called to account and weigh your souls [ie your actions] before you are weighed for it will make the accountability easier for you tomorrow if you call your selves to account today.” [Ahmad]

Weigh your deeds; is it good enough to meet Allah swt with? If you were to die tomorrow, would your deeds be sufficient to meet your lord with, we need to do muhaasabah, other nations did not get this privilege, Allah is forever giving us chances to come back and repent to him. Weigh out your deeds, jot down your good and bad deeds, do some accountability, where do you lay? Ponder upon this before you sleep each night, if I don’t live to see tomorrow, have I repented for my bad deeds? Can I say my good deeds outweigh my bad ones?

“O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Alllah is All-Aware of what you do.” [al-Hashr: 18]

Rescuing Your Soul - The Degree of Repentance

REPENTANCE IS AN OBLIGATION!

“Verily Allah loves those who repent and those who purify themselves.” [al-Baqarah: 222]

The Prophet (pbuh) used to make istighfaar more than 70 times a day, although he was promised jannah – but he was teaching his ummah. He would cry at night until his beard would be soaked in his tears.

“Say: ‘O my slaves who have transgressed against themselves [by committing evil deeds and sins) Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [az Zumar: 53]

There was once a draught in the time of Musa [as]. Allah did not send the rain as there was a sinner amongst the people and only once the sinner had left the town would Allah send the rain. Musa [as] called out for the sinner to come forward, but no one did. And suddenly it began to rain, the sinner had repented, and Allah accepted his repentance, subhanallah!!

The reality of repentance is to:

1. Magnify the sin – think of it like this – YOU SINNED AGAINST ALLAH SWT! Don’t just look at your sin, look at the greatness of the one you sinned against!
2. Question your repentance – accuse your repentance, question it, was it sincere, was it enough? Check your heart; if your heart is not moved by the recitation of the Qur’an, by the circles of knowledge, during dhikr, you really need to ponder on your relationship with Allah swt.
3. Acquire protective jealousy – Do you feel the pain of your brothers and sisters when in oppression, are you moved to do something?

  

REPENTANCE IS BELOVED TO ALLAH!

Repentance must meet 5 conditions:

1. Sincerity to Allah, the Most High
2. Remorse for the sin that was committed
3. Ceasing to commit the sin immediately
4. Determination to not go back to doing that sin again in the future
5. The repentance should not occur before the time when its accepted is terminated, either by death or by the sun rising from the west.

Repent every time we feel we have committed a sin, we are always in need of repentance

“O ye who believe! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run before them and on their right hands; they will say, ‘Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us! Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.’” [at-Tahreem: 8]