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Self-Criticism
It is necessary for an individual to pause at the
end of each day that has passed, in order to check himself and run
through his achievements: What has he done in the course of the
day? Why has he done it? What has he omitted? Why has he omitted
it?
How excellent it would be if this self-criticism were to take place
before one retired to bed.
This period of self-criticism and appraisal should certainly be
counted among man's moments of progress; it is a moment when man
impartially sits as a judge over himself and reviews his yearnings
and inclinations, his instincts and motivations. It is a moment
when the believer appoints, out of his conviction, a policeman to
watch over himself, an investigator to probe him, and a judge to
condemn or acquit him. In this way he progresses from the state
of "the soul that incites to evil" to the state of "the
self-reproaching soul" which reproaches its owner whenever
he plunges into sin, or falls short of expectation.
If a believer fails to observe this brief period of soul-searching
daily, then he should at least try to do so once every few days,
or once a week. In this way, he draws up his life balance sheet,
depicting to him his (spiritual) assets and liabilities.
A believer should also have a longer period of this practice at
the end of each month, and an even longer period at the end of the
year, when he bids farewell to one year and prepares for and welcomes
another. This is the time to critically review the past and plan
for the future. This is the (spiritual) equivalent of his final
accounts for the year.
Compiled From:
"Time in the Life of a Muslim" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, pp.
71-73
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