The Importance of Muhasabah in Islam
Muḥasābah, an action of the heart, is to evaluate one’s actions and behaviour of the nafs (inner self); and then rectifying the mistakes, and continuing the good deeds.
When we evaluate our daily, weekly, and monthly actions, we should identify our sins and repent sincerely. We should ask Allah to forgive us, and make a firm resolve to stay away from that sin in the future. We should identify the root causes of the sin, and plan how we can stay away from what causes us to fall into that particular sin.
Similarly, we should identify where we are falling short in terms of fulfilling the rights of Allah. Doing this will mean we do not become deceived with our ʿibādah. Instead, we will put our hope and trust in Allah, and not our own paltry actions. This should be followed by asking Allah to help us worship Him with excellence.
Whilst we are reflecting on our shortcomings, we should contrast this with the immense blessings of Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) upon us. This should fill our hearts with ḥayā (shyness). How much He blesses us, and how little we thank Him! How much He does for us, and yet we disobey Him. How often we disregard His commands, yet He does not deprive us!
If we fail to hold ourselves accountable and do not live a life of taqwā, we will become like the people who Allah describes as:
وَلَا تَكُوْنُوْا كَالَّذِيْنَ نَسُوا اللّٰهَ فَأَنْساهُمْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْفٰسِقُوْنَ
“And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are defiantly disobedient” (59:19).
If we are heedless of Allah, and we fail to remember Him and uphold His rights, Allah will cause us to forget that which is actually beneficial for our souls. In effect, it is we who lose out, when we move far away from our Creator, and surrender to the whims and desires of our souls.
The Prophet ﷺ would seek the protection of Allah from ‘the evils’ of the nafs. If our nafs is left to its own devices, and we allow it to lead us, instead of leading it, it will lead us to sin and evil.
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