Allah calls Himself Al-Haseeb— The Reckoner, The Accountant, The Sufficient— on three occasions in the Quran. He’s the one who keeps account of everything in the worlds and requites even the smallest of deeds. Al-Haseeb is The Sufficient; in general because He takes care of all His slaves, giving them benefits and warding off harm. Al-Haseeb takes extra special care of those of His pious slaves who put their trust in Him, giving them support and victory!

The Ultimate Reckoner, Accountant, and Sufficient One

Haseeb and Haasib come from the root haa-seen-baa, which points out to three main meanings. The first meaning is reckoning, counting, and calculating. The second main meaning of this root is to give without sparing and to give without the receiver’s expectation. The third is to suffice, to be sufficient, or to be without measure.

This root appears 109 times in the Quran in eight derived forms. Examples of these forms are tahsabanna (“think”), hasbunaa (“sufficient for us”), and al hisaab (“the account”).

Linguistically, hisaab is used to indicate an account, bill, or balance. Al-Haseeb is the One in whose hand is the final account on the Day of Judgement and He will present to mankind their balance in which every detail will recorded to be followed by a most accurate, just, and eternal recompense.

Al-Haseeb Himself says: Is not Allaah Sufficient for His slave? [Quran 39:36] . . . And sufficient is Allah as Accountant.” [Quran, 4:6] and . . . And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]. Indeed, Allah is ever, over all things, an Accountant. [Quran, 4:86]

Running the Cosmos with Ease

The name Al-Haseeb is close in meaning to Al-Hafeedh, The Preserver. The balance of the entire cosmos shows that there’s a great power capable of computing even the smallest atom up to the largest planet; that power is Allah (swt). The course of the moon, the sun, the clouds, the change of seasons and all systems in the universe perfectly run their course to guarantee the preservation of our life on earth in the best way so that we are able to do what we are created for: to worship Al-Haseeb.
Surely we have created everything according to a measure. And our command is but one, as (swift as) the twinkling of an eye. [Quran 54:49-50] His attribute of hasaba truly is miraculous.

How Can You Live By This Name?

1. Bring yourself to account.
[It will be said], Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as accountant. [Quran, 17:14]. Make it a daily habit, for example before you go to sleep, to sit back and do ‘muhassabah: honest self-criticism. Bring yourself to account before you’re brought to account. Make a list with your main weaknesses and make a practical plan on how to work on them.

2. Repent within six hours to Al-Haseeb.
A very important consequence of taking yourself to account is that you repent. How can you repent if you don’t even realize you did something wrong? That’s why al muhassabah is so important. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told us about a beautiful opportunity: The Scribe on the left delays registering the sin of a Muslim for six hours. If he repents (within these six hours), and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, they drop if off. If he doesn’t, they write is down as a single sin. [At-Tabaranee] When you’re about to sin, remind yourself that this sin will be written down and presented to you on the scariest day of your life: the day of Judgement. Take your chance to repent within six hours to avoid your sin being presented to you on this dreadful day.

3. Be honest in your dealings.
Even when people might not find out you were not honest in your dealings, Al-Haseeb will add it to your account. So always be honest in any transactions you do, at work, at school, even in dividing things at home amongst your family and children.

4. Say hasbun-Allaahu wa ni’mal wakeel.

حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ means Allah is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs and is one of the most powerful statements we are taught to say in the Quran and the Sunnah. If you put your complete trust in Al-Haseeb, by leaving all matters to Him by seeking only His pleasure, by accepting His decree, and by submitting to His will, you can face any challenge in life. Ibn ‘Abbas radiyallahu ‘anhu said: When (Prophet) Ibraheem ‘alayhi sallam was thrown into the fire, he said: Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the Best Disposer of affairs [Al-Bukharee].

5. Return the greeting of salaam.
Al-Haseeb even accounts our salaam. He ‘azza wa jall instructs us: And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]. Indeed, Allah is ever, over all things, an Accountant.[Quran, 4:86]
So if a Muslim greets you with the salaam, return the greeting with a better salaam (wa ‘alaykum ussalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu), or at least equal to the salaam that was given. Therefore, the better salaam is recommended, while returning it equally is an obligation.

6. Ask Al-Haseeb.
Aim high in asking Allah Al-Haseeb; instead of just asking for Paradise, ask for the highest level, Jannatul Firdaws bi ghayri hisaab– without reckoning. A very important daily dhikr is: حَسْبِىَ اللّٰهُ لَآ اِلَهَ اِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَ هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيْمِ Allah is sufficient for me. There is no God but He. I have placed my trust in Him, He is Lord of the Majestic Throne. Whoever says this seven times in the morning after fajr and seven times after Asr, Allah will take care of whatever worries him/her of the matter of this world and the Hereafter. [Muslim]

O Allah, Al-Haseeb, we know that You measure and bring all to account. Guide us in bringing ourselves to account regularly, make us of those who remember Your hisaab and repent to You continuously, and adorn us with trust in You during all life’s challenges. You are sufficient for us and You are the best disposer of our affairs, make us reflect the signs of Your amazing attribute of hasaba in the entire universe and in ourselves and make us enter Jannatul Firdaws al ‘Alaa without reckoning, ameen!

And Allah knows best.

The Understand Quran Academy Team

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