Yourself... Yourself!

You yourself are the primary person responsible for your own happiness, misery, salvation, or destruction, because these are personal endeavors in this world and the Hereafter. If you rely on your parents or children, they may offer you some assistance in your worldly life, but on the Day of Resurrection they will flee from you, and you from them: “On the Day a man will flee from his brother, and his mother and his father, and his wife and his children” (Surah Abasa, 89:34–36).

If you rely on your friends and companions, even if they help you in this world, they will become your most bitter enemies on the Day of Resurrection: “Friends on that Day will be enemies to each other, except for the righteous” (Surah Az-Zukhruf, 43:67). And if you rely on your tribe and all the people on earth, even if they rally to your aid in this world, they will be of no avail to you before Allah on the Day of Resurrection: “The sinner would wish he could ransom himself from the punishment of that Day by his children, and his wife and his brother, and his family who shelter him, and whoever is on the earth entirely, then save him. No! Indeed...” (Surah Al-Ma’arij, 70:11–14).

Know, may Allah protect you, that the journey of life is brief and transient, whereas the Hereafter is eternal, everlasting, and perpetual. Your salvation on the Day of Resurrection is purely a personal undertaking, with no one else sharing responsibility or involvement with you. Allah the Exalted has frequently emphasized in the Quranic verses the importance of personal accountability for oneself. He says, the Almighty: “And whoever earns a sin, only earns it against himself” (Surah An-Nisa, 4:111); “Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And I am not over you a manager” (Surah Al-An’am, 6:104); “And whoever is grateful, his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself” (Surah An-Naml, 27:40); “And whoever purifies himself only purifies himself for [the benefit of] himself” (Surah Fatir, 35:18); “So whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] himself” (Surah Az-Zumar, 39:41); “Whoever does righteousness, it is for his [own] soul” (Surah Fussilat, 41:46).

You alone, and no one else, are responsible, accountable, and liable for the consequences of your actions. Take heed of yourself: you die alone, you enter your grave alone, you are questioned in your grave alone, and on the Day of Gathering you will find with you only yourself. Everyone at the Resurrection will be preoccupied with their own self. Your deeds will be weighed alone, your record will be presented, and your Lord will say to you: “Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as accountant” (Surah Al-Isra, 17:14). Our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also drew attention to this reality. He reported that the Lord of Glory said in the Sacred Hadith: “... O My servants, they are but your deeds which I record for you and then fully recompense you. So whoever finds good, let him praise Allah, and whoever finds other than that, let him blame only himself.” (Recorded by Muslim).