Inner thoughts and whether they are accounted for

خواطر النفس والمحاسبة عليها

On al-Baqara 284, Sha'rawi takes up the verse that God will account for what is in people's selves. He lists five stages of inner movement: the fleeting thought, the passing idea, the self's talk, the resolve to seek means, and the firm intention. He holds that the account falls on intention and resolve, and that the verse about God not burdening a soul beyond its capacity is news, not an abrogation. He reports that Ibn Umar wept on hearing the verse 1 2.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Worship and the pillars

Summary

On al-Baqara 284, Sha'rawi holds that a person is accounted for what is in his self, and that the account turns on intention and resolve, not on every passing thought 1.

Stages of inner movement

He lists five: the fleeting thought, the passing idea that lingers briefly, the self's talk, the concern that gathers means, and the resolve that reaches a decision and begins to act. He holds that the first four are not held against a person, and that resolve is what the account concerns 1 2.

The following verse

He says the verse that follows, that God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity, is news, and news is not abrogated; only rulings are. So he sees no contradiction 2.

Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas

He reports that Ibn Umar, on hearing the verse, said he would perish if God took him to account for what is in his self, and wept. Ibn Abbas answered that the brothers had felt the same, and the next verse came down 1.

Not yet checked

The five-stage scheme is not attributed to a named author, and the reports of Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas have not been checked in their sources. The academic view and any non-Sunni view have not been checked.

Opinions on the question

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

A person is accounted for intention and resolve, and the verse that follows is news, not an abrogation

Sha'rawi holds that what is accounted is intention and resolve, that the verse that follows is news and cannot be abrogated, and he reports Ibn Umar's weeping and Ibn Abbas's reply, without naming anyone who disagreed {cite:tafsir-sharawi-khawatir-scan-vol-2 p.1234} {cite:tafsir-sharawi-khawatir-scan-vol-2 p.1235}.

Held by: Muhammad Mutawalli al-Sha'rawi

People and things also explored

The ruling on one who abandons prayer· Ada' (performance of an obligation within its time)· Adhan (the call to prayer: its ruling, wording, conditions, recommended features and the muezzin)· Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation· The adornment of desires and the goods of this world· The people of the bench (ahl al-suffa)· The earth made a place of prayer and purity· Spending in the way of God (infaq)

Sources

  1. Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1234
  2. Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1235
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Inner thoughts and whether they are accounted for”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/inner-thoughts-and-accountability/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words.
Related

The ruling on one who abandons prayer

Al-Sallabi quotes Ali: whoever does not pray is an unbeliever. He then reports from al-Nawawi the dispute over one who neglects prayer while believing it obligatory: the majority (Malik, al-Shafi'i) hold him a sinner to be asked to repent, others hold him an unbeliever, a view ascribed to Ali; Abu Hanifa and the Kufans hold him not an unbeliever but to be disciplined.