Individual Accountability

You are responsible for what you did. You are not responsible for what somebody else did. You will only be questioned for what you did. You are not liable for what somebody else did.

In Christianity, there is an original sin which was committed by somebody else; they attribute it to Adam. According to Christianity, we are held responsible for what Adam did tens of thousands of years ago. The sin was not committed for us, but by Adam, and Christianity says that we are responsible for it. Who paid the price for it? Not us [according to Christianity], but Jesus [‘Eesa]. This is contrary to simple, common sense. Why should the innocent (Jesus) have to pay for what human beings have done? That is contrary to Justice.

Allah will hold us accountable for our actions. Allah says: “Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And never would We punish until We sent a messenger.” (17:15)

You are not doing anyone a favor by being Muslim; whoever is guided is guided for his own good. When you go pray in the masjid, you are not doing anyone a favor. You don’t do a favor to Allah when you obey him; it’s for your own good. At the same time, if you go astray, it is your own loss.

The message of accountability of one’s self is not something new that Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam bought; it was the message of every prophet before, including Jesus (‘Eesa) and Abraham, Nuh and Adam. Allah says: “Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses. And [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [his obligations] – That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives. And that his effort is going to be seen – Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense.” (53:36-41)

Contradiction?

When you read some ayaat in Qur’aan, you might feel a sense of contradiction. For example, Allah says: “But they will surely carry their [own] burdens and [other] burdens along with their burdens [...]” This ayah sounds contradictory to what we were saying about each person being accountable only for themselves. We get the answer to this confusion in the same ayah: “[...] and they will surely be questioned on the Day of Resurrection about what they used to invent.” (29:13) They made up falsehoods and other people followed those falsehoods. Therefore, they would carry the sins of everyone who followed their words. It’s true that you carry your own sins, but you are also responsible for the sins you have caused. That doesn’t mean that those people are free of burden; they carry their sins as well. If you cause five sins, the people will be held accountable for those five sins, and so will you.

As mentioned before, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said that the one who starts a good tradition (sunnah) will get the reward for everyone who follows it until the day of judgment, and whoever starts a bad tradition will get the sin for it for everyone who follows it until the day of judgment. Therefore, the scholars have said that it is much for a person to commit a sin in public, so that the people may follow it, as opposed to doing it in private.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “No human being is killed unjustly, but a part of responsibility for the crime is laid on the first son of Adam who invented the tradition of killing (murdering) on the earth. (It is said that he was Qabil).” (Bukhaari, 9/83/6) [Also see Bukhaari, 9/92/423 and Muslim, 16, 4156]