Before You Are Called to Account: A Daily Journey of Self-Reflection and Preparation

Occasion of reflecting on this Hadith: 26 Rabi’ al-Thani: The passing of Aqa Najafi Quchani, The author of “The Western Journey” (Siyahat-e Gharb)

Introduction

The Western Journey (Siyahat-e Gharb) offers a powerful reflection on self-purification, self-accountability, the reality of the life after death, and the consequences of our deeds.

The following saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) provides a simple but profound foundation for such reflection:

قال رسول الله (ص): حَاسِبُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُحَاسَبُوا، وَمَهِّدُوا لَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ تُعَذَّبُوا، وَتَزَوَّدُوا لِلرَّحِيلِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُزْعَجُوا (أعلام الدين في صفات المؤمنين، ج ۱، ص ۳۳۹)

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“Take account of yourselves before you are called to account; prepare yourselves before you are punished; and take provisions for the journey before you are made to depart.”

Educational messages of this hadith for teenagers and youth

1. Make Self-Reflection a Daily Habit

Make self-reflection and self-awareness part of your daily life.

Practical Challenge: Before going to bed, spend two minutes asking yourself: What did I do well today, and what can I improve?

2. Take Responsibility in Every Situation

Take responsibility for your choices, especially when you fail, face difficulties, or do not get the result you wanted.

Practical Challenge: After a setback, ask yourself: What was in my control, and what can I do better next time?

3. Think About the Consequences

Think ahead and consider the possible consequences of your choices before you act.

Practical Challenge: Before making one important decision this week, ask yourself: What might happen if I choose this?

4. Build Your Provisions for the Future

Your teenage years are the best time to build knowledge, skills, good character and a strong relationship with Allah so that you are not empty-handed when life changes.

Practical Challenge: Choose one skill, one good habit and one spiritual practice, and work on each of them every day for one week.

5. Take Charge of Your Time and Life

The repeated words “before you…” remind us to act early, manage our time and take responsibility for our direction instead of letting circumstances or others decide for us.

Practical Challenge: At the start of each morning, choose the three most important things you want to accomplish that day and do them before unnecessary activities.

6. Check Yourself Before You Blame Someone Else

Before saying that someone else is wrong, take a moment to ask what you could have done better.

Practical challenge: At the end of each day, think of one situation in which you were upset with someone and write down one thing you could have done differently.

7. Think Before You Post

Once something is posted online, it can affect other people and may remain available long after you have forgotten it.

Practical challenge: For one week, before posting or sending anything, ask yourself three questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Would I be comfortable seeing it again in the future?

8. Turn Mistakes into New Beginnings

Self-accountability is not about becoming hopeless when you make a mistake; it is about recognising the mistake and choosing a better path.

Practical challenge: Identify one habit you want to change and make one small improvement every day for the next seven days.

9. Ask: “What Am I Becoming?”

Every repeated choice slowly shapes your character, so today’s actions are helping to build the person you will become tomorrow.

Practical challenge: At the end of each week, choose three words that describe the person you want to become – such as honest, patient, responsible – and choose one action for each word.

Educational messages of this hadith for parents

1. Review Your Parenting

Regularly examine and improve your own parenting methods instead of only evaluating your child’s behaviour.

Practical Challenge: Once a week, ask yourself: What did I do well as a parent this week, and what should I change?

2. Teach Reflection, Not Just Rules

Children learn responsibility more deeply when parents help them understand why a behaviour was right or wrong, rather than simply telling them what to do.

Practical challenge: When your child makes a mistake this week, ask, “What do you think went wrong, and what could you do differently next time?” before giving your own advice.

3. Make Family Self-Review a Habit

A short family reflection can help everyone notice mistakes and improve before small problems become bigger ones.

Practical challenge: Once a week, spend ten minutes as a family answering three questions: What went well? What went wrong? What can we improve next week?

4. Keep the Door to Repentance Open

Self-accountability should lead to improvement and hope, not fear or shame, so children need to know that recognising a mistake is the beginning of change.

Practical challenge: Create a family rule that anyone can admit a mistake without being mocked; when someone does so, focus first on how the mistake can be corrected.

Educational messages of this hadith for Imams and teachers

1. Move from Evaluating Others to Developing Self-Evaluation

Teach your audiences how to evaluate themselves and take responsibility for their own growth.

Practical Challenge: At the end of one lesson each week, ask audiences to write one thing they learned well and one thing they need to improve.

2. Prepare Teens for an Uncertain Tomorrow

Education should prepare young people not only for the next test, but also for the unexpected challenges and responsibilities of their future lives.

Practical Challenge: Once a week, discuss a real-life situation with youth and ask: What would you do if you faced this situation in the future?

3. Teach Youth to Review Their Day

Young people need simple tools for examining their own choices, not only lessons about what is right and wrong.

Practical challenge: At the end of one lesson each week, give audiences two minutes to answer privately: “What did I do well today, and what should I improve?”

4. Connect Actions with Consequences

Youth should learn that every choice has consequences and that thinking about those consequences can improve decision-making.

Practical challenge: Once a week, present a simple everyday situation – such as cheating, insulting someone online or breaking a promise – and ask young people to identify the possible consequences before choosing an action.

5. Give the Hereafter a Practical Meaning

Speaking about the Hereafter should encourage responsible choices in everyday life rather than remain only an abstract discussion about death.

Practical challenge: In one lesson or sermon, take one ordinary daily action – such as keeping a promise, controlling anger, respecting parents or helping someone – and explain how self-accountability can change the way a believer approaches it.