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Self Examination at end of Year
Shaykh Usamah Al Khayyat [(Dhul-Hijjah 29, 1424 (February 20, 2004)]
All praise is due to
Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the
Messenger, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Fear
Allaah and seek nearness to Him through belief in Islaamic Monotheism. Remember
Him and thank Him for all His favours. Worship Him as He should be worshipped
and surrender to His judgment. Let not the worldly life delude you, and be not
deceived about Allaah by the deceiver [Satan].
Dear
Muslims! Giving farewell draws tears because it is a sign of departure and an
end. A whole year has now passed with many conditions changed and many lives
brought to an end. During the just-concluded year, many heart-breaking
calamities had afflicted the Muslims. If the passage of days and nights are no
more than mere departure of a day and arrival of another in the sight of the
heedless and forgetful, the wise ones regard that as a source of reflection and
drawing lessons. This is vividly explained by the saying of Aboo Dardaa
according to what Al-Hasan Al-Basree narrated from him. He said, "Son of Aadam,
you are only [like] days, if one of these days passes, a part of you is gone."
It is also explained by
the saying of some of the righeteous predecessors, "Is there any happiness in
the life of a person who destroys in a day the deed of a month, and destroys in
a month the deeds of a year or destroys in a year the deeds of a lifetime? Is
there any joy for a person whose very life leads him to death?"
The righteous
predecessor used to review themselves at the end of each year as the wise
merchant would review his transactions at the end of every commercial season. Do
you not see how the merchant sets aside for himself a period in which he
examines his gains and losses, looking for causes of that and searching for his
errors? Taking this wise decision by a Muslim is a sign of his noble goal
because; he aims at preserving the real property whose value will never fall and
whose gains are from the treasures of righteous deeds that Allaah has given a
high and noble position. Allaah says,
"Wealth
and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous
deeds, that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of
hope."
(Al-Kahf 18:46)
Brethren in faith! Self-examination is the
habit of the wise and alert people. It is the path of the rightly-guided. They
are never distracted from self-examination by the funs of this world and its
beauty. That is why they are able to cross the hurdles of life and attain their
goals in safety.
There is a strong relationship between
self-examination and a change for better, because self-examination shows man his
faults. So whenever he takes proper decision, has sincere intention and gets his
path clear, and all that is supported by appropriate action, the indefatigable
help from Allaah comes to him and he then attains generous reward. Allaah says,
"As for those who strive hard in Us (Our
Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths."
(Al-'Ankaboot 29:69)
Dear brethren! Self-examination is not
restricted to individuals or a group of people. It is the responsibility of the
entire Ummah. The Ummah is in need of it especially when it is saying farewell
to the outgoing year and ushering in a new one.
In the case of the Muslim Ummah, the
self-examination should be far-reaching and comprehensive. Past events should be
carefully studied in order to derive the best possible lessons from them, to
make correction where it is necessary and to remove obstacles in the way of
upright Islaamic life that the Qur'aan and the Sunnah teach. Allaah says,
"O you who believe!
Fear Allaah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has
sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what
you do. And be not like those who forgot Allaah (i.e. became disobedient to
Allaah), and He caused them to forget their own selves, (let them to forget to
do righteous deeds). Those are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allaah).
Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise. It is
the dwellers of Paradise that will be successful."
(Al-Hashr 59:18-20)
Fellow Muslims! Linking the present with the
past and seeking nearness to Allaah with all kinds of righteous deeds are ways
of achieving success in this world and the Hereafter. It the end of the outgoing
year is the season for Hajj, 'Umrah and fasting on the day of 'Arafah for
non-pilgrims, the beginning of the new year is also full of opportunity for
those who are rightly guided.
One of the most blessed occasions of the
beginning of this year is fasting during month of Muharram which is the best
fasting after that of Ramadaan. Allaah's Messenger said, "The best fasting after
that of Ramadaan is fasting in the month of Allaah, Muharram; and the best
prayers after obligatory prayers are voluntary prayers performed in the night."
(Muslim)
It is enough a merit for this month that it
contains the day of 'Aashooraa about which the Messenger of Allaah said, "I hope
that Allaah will make [fasting on that day] cause expiation for the sins of the
previous year." (Muslim)
Dear brethren! The Sunnah is to fast a day
before or after it as it is authentically reported by Muslim and others.
Therefore, have your share of this blessing
and put all efforts to retain it, you will be among the successful.
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