Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thaanwi (rahimahullah) replied:
When a person’s nafs urges him to do wrong, then it will be seen whether he gives in to the nafs and does the wrong which the nafs commands him or not. If he acts on the demands of the nafs, then he will be held accountable by Allah Ta‘ala. However, if he restrains himself and does not obey his nafs whenever it makes demands on him, then he will not be held accountable.
For example, a person has the malady of anger within him, and he is in need of treating this malady, but he does not go to any spiritual mentor for self-reformation. However, whenever he gets angry, he does not vent his anger, but rather suppresses it and saves himself from a situation where he vents his anger wrongly on any person. So, even though this person has the malady of anger, however since he never vent it in a wrong way in any situation, he will not be held accountable by Allah Ta‘ala.
The crux of the matter is that one will not be held accountable for his emotions if he did not allow his emotions to have the better over him. Rather, he will be accountable for his wrong actions and wrong behaviour (if he allowed his emotions to have the better over him and conducted wrongly through oppressing people, etc.).
Nevertheless, the reason for it being necessary for one to reform himself by a spiritual mentor is that through treating oneself, it will become easy for him to oppose his nafs when his nafs makes impermissible demands upon him.
If a person does not reform himself, then at the time when the nafs will make impermissible demands upon him, then he will give in to the nafs and it will be difficult for him to oppose the nafs.
(Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 9/142-143)
