The Heights, The Elevated Places — Verse 9

The Meaning of weighing the Deeds Allah said, وَالْوَزْنُ (And the weighing), of deeds on the Day of Resurrection, الْحَقِّ (will be the true (weighing)), for Allah will not wrong anyone. Allah said in other Ayat, وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَزِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ فَلاَ تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئاً وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَى بِنَا حَـسِبِينَ (And We shall set up the Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We to take account.)21:47, إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَـعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِن لَّدُنْهُ أَجْراً عَظِيماً (Surely, Allah wrongs not even the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good (done), He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.) 4:40, فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ (Then as for him whose scale (of good deeds) will be heavy. He will live a pleasant life (in Paradise). But as for him whose scale (of good deeds) will be light. He will have his home in Hawiyah (pit, Hell). And what will make you know what it is (It is) a fiercely blazing Fire!) 101:6-11 and, فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ فَلاَ أَنسَـبَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلاَ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ - فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ - وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فأُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فِى جَهَنَّمَ خَـلِدُونَ (Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another. Then, those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are those who lose themselves, in Hell will they abide)23:101-103. As for what will be placed on the Balance on the Day of Resurrection, it has been said that the deeds will be placed on it, even though they are not material objects. Allah will give these deeds physical weight on the Day of Resurrection. Al-Baghawi said that this was reported from Ibn `Abbas. It is recorded in the Sahih that Al-Baqarah (chapter 2) and Al `Imran (chapter 3) will come on the Day of Resurrection in the shape of two clouds, or two objects that provide shade, or two lined groups of birds. It is also recorded in the Sahih that the Qur'an will come to its companion (who used to recite and preserve it) in the shape of a pale-faced young man. He will ask (the young man), "Who are you" He will reply, "I am the Qur'an, who made you stay up sleeplessly at night and caused you thirst in the day. " The Hadith that Al-Bara' narrated about the questioning in the grave states, «فَيَأْتِي الْمُؤْمِنَ شَابٌّ حَسَنُ اللَّوْنِ طَيِّبُ الرِّيحِ فَيَقُولُ: مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ فَيَقُولُ: أَنَا عَمَلُكَ الصَّالِح» (A young man with fair color and good scent will come to the believer, who will ask, `Who are you' He will reply, `I am your good deeds'). The Prophet mentioned the opposite in the case of the disbeliever and the hypocrite. It was also said that the Book of Records that contains the deeds will be weighed. A Hadith states that a man will be brought forth and ninety-nine scrolls containing errors and sins will be placed on one side of the balance each as long as the sight can reach. He will then be brought a card on which `La ilaha illallah' will be written. He will say, "O Lord! What would this card weigh against these scrolls" Allah will say, "You will not be wronged." So the card will be placed on the other side of the Balance, and as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «فَطَاشَتِ السِّجِلَّاتُ وَثَقُلَتِ الْبِطَاقَة» (Behold! The (ninety-nine) scrolls will go up, as the card becomes heavier.) At-Tirmidhi recorded similar wording for this Hadith and said that it is authentic. It was also said that the person who performed the deed will be weighed. A Hadith states, «يُؤْتَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِالرَّجُلِ السَّمِينِ فَلَا يَزِنُ عِنْدَ اللهِ جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَة» (On the Day of Resurrection, a fat man will be brought forth, but he will not weigh with Allah equal to the wing of a mosquito). He then recited the Ayah, فَلاَ نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَزْناً (And on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them) 18:105. Also, the Prophet said about `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, «أَتَعْجَبُونَ مِنْ دِقَّةِ سَاقَيْهِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُمَا فِي الْمِيزَانِ أَثْقَلُ مِنْ أُحُد» (Do you wonder at the thinness of his legs By He in Whose Hand is my soul! They are heavier on the Balance than (Mount) Uhud.) It is also possible to combine the meanings of these Ayat and Hadiths by stating that all this will truly occur, for sometimes the deeds will be weighed, sometimes the scrolls where they are recorded will be weighed, and sometimes those who performed the deeds will be weighed. Allah knows best.

And as for those whose scales are light because of evil deeds those are the ones who have lost their souls by causing them to travel towards the Fire because they mistreated they knowingly denied Our signs.

And as for those whose scales are light, whose weighed things [are light], being those perishing sensory things, those are the ones who have lost their souls, by having sold them in exchange for hasty pleasures that are quick to disappear and by annihilating them in the abode of annihilation despite their [the souls'] being the commodity [to be exchanged] for subsistence. Know that the tongue of the scale of Truth is the attribute of justice. One of His two palms is the world of the senses, while the other palm is the world of the intellect. Thus the one earnings were the enduring intelligibles, virtuous character traits, and the good deeds that are joined to sincere intentions, then these [acquisitions] will have weight, that is to say, they will be have value and weight, since there is no weightier value than everlasting subsistence. As for the one whose acquisitions were the ephemeral sensory things, transient pleasures, corrupt passionate desires, despicable character traits and ruinous evils, these [acquisitions] will weigh in lightly, that is to say, they shall have no value and are useless, there being no lightness lighter than what has perished. Their loss then resides in their having forfeited their original preparedness when they sought the ephemera of this world and the actualisation of egoistic goals by virtue of their having manifested themselves through the attributes of their souls and of their not having done justice to the attributes of God, exalted be He, by denying them, that is, by concealing them with the attributes of their souls.

And as for those whose scales are light, whose weighed things [are light], being those perishing sensory things, those are the ones who have lost their souls, by having sold them in exchange for hasty pleasures that are quick to disappear and by annihilating them in the abode of annihilation despite their [the souls'] being the commodity [to be exchanged] for subsistence. Know that the tongue of the scale of Truth is the attribute of justice. One of His two palms is the world of the senses, while the other palm is the world of the intellect. Thus the one earnings were the enduring intelligibles, virtuous character traits, and the good deeds that are joined to sincere intentions, then these [acquisitions] will have weight, that is to say, they will be have value and weight, since there is no weightier value than everlasting subsistence. As for the one whose acquisitions were the ephemeral sensory things, transient pleasures, corrupt passionate desires, despicable character traits and ruinous evils, these [acquisitions] will weigh in lightly, that is to say, they shall have no value and are useless, there being no lightness lighter than what has perished. Their loss then resides in their having forfeited their original preparedness when they sought the ephemera of this world and the actualisation of egoistic goals by virtue of their having manifested themselves through the attributes of their souls and of their not having done justice to the attributes of God, exalted be He, by denying them, that is, by concealing them with the attributes of their souls.

ومن خَفَّتْ موازين أعماله -لكثرة سيئاته- فأولئك هم الذين أضاعوا حظَّهم من رضوان الله تعالى، بسبب تجاوزهم الحد بجحد آيات الله تعالى وعدم الانقياد لها.

يقول تعالى "والوزن" أي للأعمال يوم القيامة "الحق" أي لا يظلم تعالى أحدا كقوله "ونضع الموازين القسط ليوم القيامة فلا تظلم نفس شيئا وإن كان مثقال حبة من خردل أتينا بها وكفي بنا حاسبين" وقال تعالى "إن الله لا يظلم مثقال ذرة وإن تك حسنة يضاعفها ويؤت من لدنه أجرا عظيما" وقال تعالى "فأما من ثقلت موازينه فهو في عيشة راضية وأما من خفت موازينه فأمه هاوية وما أدراك ما هيه نار حامية". وقال تعالي "فإذا نفخ في الصور فلا أنساب بينهم يومئذ ولا يتساءلون فمن ثقلت موازينه فأولئك هم المفلحون ومن خفت موازينه فأولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم في جهنم خالدون". "فصل" والذي يوضع في الميزان يوم القيامة قيل الأعمال لأن كانت أعراضا إلا أن الله تعالى يقلبها يوم القيامة أجساما قال البغوي يروى نحو هذا عن ابن عباس كما جاء في الصحيح من أن البقرة وآل عمران يأتيان يوم القيامة كأنهما غمامتان أو غيابتان أو فرقان من طير صواف. ومن ذلك في الصحيح قصة القرآن وإنه يأتي صاحبه في صورة شاب شاحب اللون فيقول من أنت فيقول أنا القرآن الذي أسهرت ليلك وأظمأت نهارك. وفي حديث البراء في قصة سؤال القبر "فيأتي المؤمن شاب حسن اللون طيب الريح فيقول من أنت؟ فيقول أنا عملك الصالح " وذكر عكسه في شأن الكافر والمنافق وقيل يوزن كتاب الأعمال كما جاء في حديث البطاقة في الرجل الذي يؤتى به ويوضع له في كفة تسعة وتسعون سجلا كل سجل مد البصر ثم يؤتى بتلك البطاقة فيها لا إله إلا الله فيقول يا رب وما هذه البطاقة مع هذه السجلات؟ فيقول الله تعالى إنك لا تظلم. فتوضع تلك البطاقة في كفة الميزان قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "فطاشت السجلات وثقلت البطاقة" رواه الترمذي بنحو من هذا وصححه وقيل يوزن صاحب العمل كما في الحديث "يؤتى يوم القيامة بالرجل السمين فلا يزن عند الله جناح بعوضة " ثم قرأ "فلا نقيم لهم يوم القيامة وزنا" وفي مناقب عبد الله بن مسعود أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "أتعجبون من دقة ساقيه والذي نفسي بيده لهما في الميزان أثقل من أحد " وقد يمكن الجمع بين هذه الآثار بأن يكون ذلك كله صحيحا فتارة توزن الأعمال وتارة توزن محالها وتارة يوزن فاعلها والله أعلم.

ثم بين - سبحانه - مظاهر عدله مع عباده يوم القيامة فقال :( والوزن يَوْمَئِذٍ الحق فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فأولئك هُمُ المفلحون وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فأولئك الذين خسروا أَنْفُسَهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا يِظْلِمُونَ ) .الوزن : عمل يعرف به قدر الشىء ، يقال : وزنته وزنا وزنة . وهو مبتدأ ، ويومئذ متعلق بمحذوف خبره . والحق صفته ، أى : والوزن الحق يوم القيامة .ومعنى الآيتين الكريمتين : والوزن الحق ثابت فى ذلك اليوم الذى يسأل الله فيه الرسل والمرسل إليهم . ويخبرهم جميعا بما كان منهم فى الدنيا ، فمن رجحت موازين أعماله بالإيمان والعلم الصالح ، فأولئك هم الفائزون بالثواب والنعيم ، ومن خفت موازين أعماله بالكفر والمعاصى فأولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم بسبب ما اقترفوا من سيئات أدت بهم إلى سوء العقاب .قال تعالى : ( وَنَضَعُ الموازين القسط لِيَوْمِ القيامة فَلاَ تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئاً وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وكفى بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ ) وقد اختلف العلماء فى كيفية الوزن فقال بعضهم : إن التى توزن هى صحائف الأعمال التى كتبت فيها الحسنات والسيئات تأكيداً للحجة وإظهاراً للنصفة ، وقطعا للمعذرة . قال ابن عمر : " توزن صحائف أعمال العباد يوم القيامة " .وقيل : إن الوزن هنا كناية عن القضاء السوى ، والعدل التام فى تقدير ما يمكن به الجزاء من الأعمال ، وذكر الوزن إنما هو ضرب مثل كما تقول : هذا الكلام فى وزن هذا وفى وزانه . أى يعادله ويساويه وإن لم يكن هناك وزن .والذى نراه أن من الواجب علينا أن نؤمن بأن فى الآخرة وزنا للأعمال ، وأنه على مقدار ما يظهر يكون الجزاء ، وأنه وزن أو ميزان يليق بما يجرى فى ذلك اليوم الهائل الشديد ، أما كيفية هذا الوزن فمرده إلى الله ، لأنه شىء استأثر الله بعلمه ، وعلينا أن نعفى أنفسنا من محاولة الكشف عن أمر غيبى لم يرد فى حقيقته خبر قاطع فى كتاب الله أو سنة رسوله .قال الجمل فى حاشيته على الجلالين : فإن قلت : أليس الله - تعالى - يعلم مقادير أعمال العباد ، فما الحكمة فى وزنها؟ قلت فيه حكم : منها ، إظهار العدل وأن الله - تعالى - لا يظلم عباده ، ومنها : امتحان الخلق بالإيمان بذلك فى الدنيا وإقامة الحجة عليهم فى العقبى . ومنها تعريف العباد بما لهم من خير أو شر وحسنة أو سيئة ، ومنها إظهار علامة السعادة والشقاوة ونظيره أنه - سبحانه - " أثبت أعمال العباد فى اللوح المحفوظ وفى صحائف الحفظة الموكلين ببنى آدم من غير جواز النسيان عليه " .وقوله - تعالى - : ( فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ ) تفصيل للأحكام المترتبة على الوزن ، وثقل الموازين المراد به رجحان الأعمال الحسنة على غيرها ، كما أن خفة الموازين المراد بها رجحان الأعمال القبيحة على ما سواها .وقوله - تعالى - : ( بِمَا كَانُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا يِظْلِمُونَ ) متعلق بخسروا؛ أى : أن خسرانهم لأنفسهم فى الآخرة كان سببه جحودهم لآيات الله واستهزاءهم بها فى الدنيا .

القول في تأويل قوله : وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ (9)قال أبو جعفر: يقول جل ثناؤه: ومن خفت موازين أعماله الصالحة، فلم تثقل بإقراره بتوحيد الله، والإيمان به وبرسوله، واتباع أمره ونهيه, فأولئك الذين غَبَنوا أنفسهم حظوظها من جزيل ثواب الله وكرامته (38) =(بما كانوا بآياتنا يظلمون)، يقول: بما كانوا بحجج الله وأدلته يجحدون, فلا يقرّون بصحتها, ولا يوقنون بحقيقتها، (39) كالذي:-14337- حدثنا ابن وكيع قال، حدثنا جرير, عن الأعمش, عن مجاهد: (ومن خفت موازينه)، قال: حسناته.* * *وقيل: " فأولئك "، و " من " في لفظ الواحد, لأن معناه الجمع. ولو جاء موحَدًا كان صوابًا فصيحًا. (40)--------------------الهوامش :(38) انظر تفسير (( الخسارة )) فيما سلف ص : 153 ، تعليق : 2 ، والمراجع هناك .(39) انظر تفسير (( الظلم )) فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( ظلم ) .(40) انظر معاني القرآن للفراء 1 : 373 .

( ومن خفت موازينه فأولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم بما كانوا بآياتنا يظلمون ) يجحدون ، قال أبو بكر - رضي الله عنه - حين حضره الموت في وصيته لعمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه : إنما ثقلت موازين من ثقلت موازينه يوم القيامة باتباعهم الحق في الدنيا وثقله عليهم ، وحق لميزان يوضع فيه الحق غدا أن يكون ثقيلا ، وإنما خفت موازين من خفت موازينه يوم القيامة باتباعهم الباطل في الدنيا ، وخفته عليهم ، وحق لميزان يوضع فيه الباطل غدا أن يكون خفيفا .فإن قيل : قد قال : " من ثقلت موازينه " ذكر بلفظ الجمع ، والميزان واحد ؟ قيل : يجوز أن يكون لفظه جمعا ومعناه واحد كقوله : " يا أيها الرسل " وقيل : لكل عبد ميزان ، وقيل : الأصل ميزان واحد عظيم ، ولكل عبد فيه ميزان معلق به ، وقيل جمعه ؛ لأن الميزان يشتمل على الكفتين والشاهدين واللسان ، ولا يتم الوزن إلا باجتماعها .

والخسران حقيقته ضد الرّبح ، وهو عدم تحصيل التّاجر على ما يستفضله من بيعه ، ويستعار لفقدان نفع ما يرجى منه النّفع ، فمعنى { خسروا أَنفُسَهُم } فقدوا فوائدها ، فإن كلّ أحد يرجو من مواهبه ، وهي مجموع نفْسِه ، أن تجلب له النّفع وتدفع عنه الضرّ : بالرأي السَّديد ، وابتكار العمل المفيد ، ونفوس المشركين قد سوّلت لهم أعمالاً كانت سبب خفّة موازين أعمالهم ، أي سبب فقد الأعمال الصّالحة منهم ، فكانت نفوسهم كرأسسِ مال التّاجر الذي رجا منه زيادة الرّزق فأضاعه كلّه فهو خاسر له ، فكذلك هؤلاء خسروا أنفسهم إذ أوقعتهم في العذاب المقيم ، وانظر ما تقدّم في قوله تعالى : { الذين خسروا أنفسهم فهم لا يؤمنون } في سورة الأنعام ( 20 ). وقوله تعالى : { فما ربحت تجارتهم } في سورة البقرة ( 16 ).والباء في قوله : بما كانوا } باء السّببيّة ، وما مصدرية أي بكونهم ظلموا بآياتنا في الدّنيا ، فصيغة المضارع في قوله : { يظلمون } لحكاية حالهم في تجدّد الظلم فيما مضى كقوله تعالى : { والله الذي أرسل الرياح فتثير سحاباً فسقناه } [ فاطر : 9 ].والظلم هنا ضدّ العدل : أي يظلمون الآيات فلا ينصفونها حقّها من الصدق . وضمن { يظلمون } معنى يُكَذّبون ، فلذلك عُدّي بالباء ، فكأنّه قيل : بما كانوا يظلمون فيكذبون بآياتنا على حد قوله تعالى : { وجحدوا بها واستيقنتها أنفسهم ظُلماً وعلواً } [ النمل : 14 ].وإنّما جعل تكذيبهم ظلما لأنّه تكذيب ما قامت الأدلّة على صدقه فتكذيبه ظلم للأدلّة بدحضها وعدم إعمالها .وتقديم المجرور في قوله : { بآياتنا } على عامله ، وهو { يظلمون } ، للاهتمام بالآيات . وقد ذكرت الآية حال المؤمنين الصّالحين وحال المكذّبين المشركين إذ كان النّاس يوم نزول الآية فريقين : فريق المؤمنين ، وهم كلّهم عاملون بالصّالحات ، مستكثرون منها ، وفريق المشركين وهم أخلياء من الصّالحات ، وبقي بين ذلك فريق من المؤمنين الذين يخلطون عملاً صالحاً وآخر سيّئاً وذلك لم تتعرّض له هذه الآية ، إذ ليس من غرض المقام ، وتعرّضت له آيات آخرى .

{ وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ } بأن رجحت سيئاته، وصار الحكم لها، { فَأُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ } إذ فاتهم النعيم المقيم، وحصل لهم العذاب الأليم { بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ } فلم ينقادوا لها كما يجب عليهم ذلك.

ومن خفت موازينه مثله .قال ابن عباس : توزن الحسنات والسيئات في ميزان له لسان وكفتان ; فأما المؤمن فيؤتى بعمله في أحسن صورة فيوضع في كفة الميزان فتثقل حسناته على سيئاته ; فذلك قوله : فمن ثقلت موازينه فأولئك هم المفلحونويؤتى بعمل الكافر في أقبح صورة فيوضع في كفة الميزان فيخف وزنه حتى يقع في النار . وما أشار إليه ابن عباس قريب مما قيل : يخلق الله تعالى كل جزء من أعمال العباد جوهرا فيقع الوزن على تلك الجواهر . ورده ابن فورك وغيره . وفي الخبر إذا خفت حسنات المؤمن أخرج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بطاقة كالأنملة فيلقيها في كفة الميزان اليمنى التي فيها حسناته فترجح الحسنات فيقول ذلك العبد المؤمن للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بأبي أنت وأمي ! ما أحسن وجهك وما أحسن خلقك فمن أنت ؟ فيقول أنا محمد نبيك وهذه صلواتك التي كنت تصلي علي قد وفيتك أحوج ما تكون إليها . ذكره القشيري في تفسيره . وذكر أن البطاقة " بكسر الباء " رقعة فيها رقم المتاع بلغة أهل مصر . وقال ابن ماجه : قال محمد بن يحيى : البطاقة الرقعة ، وأهل مصر يقولون للرقعة بطاقة . وقال حذيفة : صاحب الموازين يوم القيامة جبريل عليه السلام ، يقول الله تعالى : يا جبريل زن بينهم فرد من بعض على بعض . قال : وليس ثم ذهب ولا فضة ; فإن كان للظالم حسنات أخذ من حسناته فرد على المظلوم ، وإن لم تكن له حسنات أخذ من سيئات المظلوم فتحمل على الظالم ; فيرجع الرجل وعليه مثل الجبال . وروي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : أن الله تعالى يقول يوم القيامة يا آدم ابرز إلى جانب الكرسي عند الميزان وانظر ما يرفع إليك من أعمال بنيك فمن رجح خيره على شره مثقال حبة فله الجنة ومن رجح شره على خيره مثقال حبة فله النار حتى تعلم أني لا أعذب إلا ظالما .

In this world the importance of an individual is gauged by the material splendour surrounding him, and his ability to influence people with his impressive words, and thus have a massive following. Since the preacher is not generally in such a happy position, his word is valueless in the eyes of worldly people, while the words of his opponents, who bask in material grandeur have a greater impact. But when Doomsday uncovers all the facts, the position will be just the opposite. Now, all the weight will be on the side of the Truth: Untruth will be divested of all its arguments and will be rendered valueless.

Commentary In the first verse, it was said: وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ ` (And the Weighing on that day is definite). It means that the weighing of good and bad deeds on the day of Judgment is due and true. There is no room for doubt in it. Here, the hint given is that let no one be deceived by the idea that things which usually get to be weighed or measured are things having some weight or heaviness. Human deeds, good or bad, have no body or mass which could be weighed. How, then, would deeds be weighed? First of all, the reason is that the authority of Allah is absolute. He is powerful over everything. Why then, would it be necessary that something we cannot weigh could not be weighed by Allah Almighty as well? Then, other than that, we have before us, in our time, countless new instruments which claim to weigh or measure anything in the world. They no more need the traditional balance or scales or rod or tip. Modern instruments can weigh what nobody ever thought could be weighed, air, electric current, heat, cold, and so many other things. A meter is all you need. Now, if Allah Almighty, the Maker of makers, in His perfect power, could weigh or measure human deeds - with or without a device - what is there in it which would make it to be something far out to believe? Leaving this aside for a moment, the Creator of the Universe does have the power to transform our deeds at some time into a material presence, even give it some shape or form (interesting that people would believe something like this happening in a Speilberg movie, yet squirm at the religious view of things as would come to pass). There are many Ahadith from the Holy Prophet ﷺ ` which confirm that human deeds will appear in particular shapes and forms during Barzakh (the post-death - pre-resurrection state) and Mahshar (Resurrection). Good deeds of a person will, in forms beautified, become the companions of the grave - and evil deeds would crawl all over in the form of snakes and scorpions. A Hadith says that a person who has not paid the Zakah due against his wealth, that wealth will reach his grave in the shape of a poisonous snake to bite him and say: I am your wealth, I am your treasure. It is said in a Sahih Hadith that Al-Baqarah and 'Al-` Imran, the two Surahs of the Holy Qur'an will come on the plains of Resurrection in the form of two dense clouds and cast their shade over those who used to recite these Surahs. Similarly, there are countless narrations from Hadith, all authentic and reported reliably, which indicate that once these good and bad deeds of ours pass away from this mortal world, they will transform into particular shapes and forms and be there on the plains of Resurrection in a material presence. There are even verses of the Qur'an which confirm it. It is said: وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرً‌ا ، that is, ` what people had done in the world, they would find that present there - 18:49.' In a verse of Surah Az-Zalzalah, it is said: مَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّ‌ةٍ خَيْرً‌ا يَرَ‌هُ ﴿7﴾ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّ‌ةٍ شَرًّ‌ا يَرَ‌هُ that is, ` whoever does good even the weight of a particle shall see it on the day of Qiyamah, and whoever does evil even the weight of a particle shall see that too in Qiyamah.' Things as described here obviously lend to the possibility that human deeds will come in some nuclear form of existence. This is something which needs no further interpretations as what is crucial is the compensation of deeds which will exist and be perceptible. Under these circumstances, weighing deeds does not remain something difficult or far out. But, human beings are what they are. Given their limited framework of reasoning, they take everything on the analogy of their own present state of being and this is the criterion they have to judge things around them. So used to it they are that they just cannot act otherwise. It is this state of being of theirs which the Qur'an has put in words which appear in Surah Ar-Rum: يَعْلَمُونَ ظَاهِرً‌ا مِّنَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ عَنِ الْآخِرَ‌ةِ هُمْ غَافِلُونَ ﴿7﴾. It means that ` these people know an obvious aspect of mortal life (and that too, not the whole of it) and about the Hereafter they are totally heedless - 30:7.' In their onslaught on the obvious and the perceptible, they will shake the earth and the space to find out the unfound, but the great field of the reality of things the unfolding of which has to take place in the 'Akhirah is something they are totally unaware of Therefore, in this verse, special care has been taken while saying: وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ (And the Weighing on that day is definite) so that man, all infatuated with the obvious, may not be able to deny the weighing of deeds in the Hereafter - which stands proved from the Holy Qur'an and is the collective belief of the Muslim Ummah. That there will be the weighing of deeds on the day of Qiyamah is a subject dealt with in many verses of the Holy Qur'an from various angles, and in Hadith, its details abound. The Weighing of Deeds: A Doubt and its Answer Out of the details on the weighing of deeds appearing in the Ahadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ the first to ponder about is the oft-narrated statement that, on the day of Resurrection, the heaviest in weight shall be the Kalimah: لا إلہ إلا اللہ محمد الرسول اللہ (There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). The scale-pan which holds this Kalimah shall outweigh the rest. Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Baihaqi and Hakim have reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: A man of my Ummah will be brought before the entire creation on the plain of Resurrection. Then, ninety nine of his Books of Deeds will be brought in. Each scroll of his Book of Deeds will be as long as far he could see - and all these Books of Deeds shall be full of sins and evils. This person will be asked if everything written in these Books of Deeds was correct, or had the angels done any injustice to him, or had they written anything there which was not as it hap-pened. He will admit: 0 my Lord, whatever is written there is correct. But, in his heart, he will be nervous while worrying about how would he find his deliverance from this situation. That will be the time Allah Ta` ala will say: Today, there is no injustice for anyone. Against all your sins, We have a testimonial of your being good, with Us, written where, is your Kalimah: لا إلہ إلا اللہ محمد الرسول اللہ (I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger). That person will say: 0 my Lord, what weight this little note will carry against such a big black Book of Deeds? Then, it would be said: No injustice will be done to you. Then, all those Books of Deeds full of sins will be placed in one scale-pan and in the other, this note with the Kalimah of 'Iman on it. The scale-pan with the Kalimah on it shall weigh heavier and the scale-pan with all those sins on it shall turn to be lighter. After having related this event, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Nothing can weigh more than the name of Allah. (Mazhari) According to a narration from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ in Musnad al-Bazzar and Mustadrak Hakim, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: At the time of his death, Nuh (علیہ السلام) (La ila-ha illallah) لا إلہ إلا اللہ because, should the heavens and the earth be placed in one pan of the scale and the Kalimah: لا إلہ إلا اللہ La Ilaha Illallah in the other, the pan containing the Kalimah shall invariably remain heavier. Other narrations on the same subject have been reported from Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri, Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas and Sayyidna Abu-ad-Darda' ؓ supported by reliable transmitting authorities and are spread over in various Hadith collections. (Mazhari) According to these narrations, a believing Muslim who recites the Kalimah shall always find the scale heavier in his favour, no matter how many sins he carries on him. But, many other verses of the Qur'an and narrations of Ahadith prove that the good and bad deeds of a Muslim shall be weighed. For some, the scale-pan with good deeds will be heavier, for some others, that of sins. The one whose scale-pan with good deeds is heavier will have his salvation while the one whose scale-pan with sins and evils is heavier will have his punishment. For example, in Surah Al-Anbiya' it is said: وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْ‌دَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ ﴿47﴾ And We shall set up Scales of Justice on the day of Judgment. Then, not the least injustice will be done to anyone. And if there be (good or bad) the weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it (to account on the scale for deeds) and We are sufficient to take account - 21:47. And in Surah Al-Qari` ah, it is said: فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ ﴿6﴾ فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّ‌اضِيَةٍ ﴿7﴾ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ ﴿8﴾ فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ Whoever has his scale of good deeds heavy will be in life blissful and whoever has his scale of good deeds lighter, his place will be Hell -101:6-9. Explaining these verses, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، said: The believer whose good deeds on the scale are heavier will go to Jannah with his deeds - and the one whose evil deeds on the scale are heavier will be sent to Jahannam with his deeds. (Reported by Al-Baihaqi in Shu'ab al-'Iman - Mahari) Based on a narration from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ it has been reported in Abu Dawud: If a shortage is found in the Fara'id of a servant, Allah Ta` ala will ask if that servant has some Nawafil to his credit. If they are there, the shortage of the obligatory will be compensated by the voluntary. (Mazhari) The outcome of all these verses and Hadith narrations is that the scale will sometimes be heavier in favour of a believer and lighter at some others. Therefore, scholars of Tafsir say that this shows that weighing in Mahshar (Resurrection) will be twice. First to be weighed will be belief and disbelief through which distinction will be made between a believer and a disbeliever. In this weighing whoever has even just the declaration of faith (Kalimah) in the Book of Deeds, his or her scale will become heavier and he or she will be separated from the group of disbelievers. Then, there will be a second weighing of good and bad deeds. In this, the good deeds of one believer will be heavy on the scale while the other will find the scale heavy with evil deeds - and everyone will have his or her punishment or reward in accordance with that. Thus, the subject as dealt with in all these verses and narrations of Hadith becomes synchronized. (Bayan a1-Qur'an) How Would Deeds Be Weighed? According to a Hadith narrated by Sayyidna Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ which appears in Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, there will come some heavy people whose weight, in the sight of Allah, will not be worth the weight of even a mosquito - and, in support, he recited the verse of the Qur'an: نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا that is, on the day of Qiyamah, We will not give them any weight - 18:105 (Mazhari). And featuring the virtues (manaqib) of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ there is a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: His legs look so thin but, by Him in whose hands lies my life, on the balance of justice for the day of Qiyamah, their weight shall be more than the weight of the mountain of Uhud. Then, there is the Hadith of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ with which Imam al-Bukhari has concluded his book, the Sahih. In it, it is said that there are two words very light when said but very heavy when weighed on the Scale of Deeds, and with Allah, they are dear, and they are: سُبحَانَ اللہِ وَبِحَمدِہِ (Subbanallahi wa bi-hamdihi : Pure is Allah and Praised is He سُبحَانَ اللہِ اَلعَطِیم Subhanallahil-Azim : Pure is Allah the Great). As narrated by Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ عنہما the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to say that saying: سُبحَانَ اللہِ (Subhan Allah) fills half of the pan on the scale of deeds while saying: اَلحَمدُ للہ ، (Alhamdulillah) fills the other half. Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban report with sound authority from Sayyidna Abu۔ ا d Darda' ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: No deed will be heavier than good morals on the scale of deeds. And to Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari ؓ the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: I tell you about two things doing which is not hard for anyone - but, on the scale of deeds, they shall be the heaviest -(1) good morals, and (2) usually observing silence, that is, not talking unless necessary. In his Kitab al-Zuhd, Imam Ahmad (رح) has reported from Sayyidna Hazim ؓ ، that angel, Jibra'il al-Amin (علیہ السلام) came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ while someone there was weeping in fear of Allah. Angel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) said: All human deeds will be weighed, but human tears flowing from the fear of Allah and 'Akhirah is a deed which would not be weighed. Rather, one such tear would put off the wildest fire of Jahannam. (Mazhari) A Hadith says about a person present on the plain of Resurrection. When he will look at his Book of Deeds, he will notice very few good deeds there. He will be nervous. All of a sudden, something will rise like a cloud and fall right into the scale-pan of his good deeds. He will be told that this was in return for his teaching of the faith which multiplied onwards when people acted in accordance with it, and there was a share kept aside for him with each single follower of his teaching. (Mazhari, from Sayyidna Ibn al-Mubarak) Tabarani reports from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: A person who goes to the graveyard with the Janazah, two karats will be placed on his scale of deeds. Other narrations say that the weight of this karat will be equal to the mountain of Uhud. He has also reported from Sayyidna Jabir ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: One's first deed to be placed on the scale of deeds will be the good deed of spending on one's family and taking care of their needs. Imam al-Dhahabi has reported from Sayyidna ` Imran ibn Husayn (رح) ، that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, when the ink used by the ` Ulama to write about the religion and its rules will be weighed against the blood of shuhada' (martyrs), the weight of the ink used by ` Ulama will turn out to be more than the weight of the blood of martyrs. There are many more Ahadith relating to the weighing of deeds as in Qiya.mah. Some of them have been mentioned here as they shed light on the merit and worth of particular deeds. The mode of weighing deeds as mentioned in these narrations of Hadith seems to be different. Some indicate that the doers of deeds will be the ones weighed and it will be they who would be heavy or light according to their deeds. Some others show that their Books of Deeds will be weighed. Still others prove that deeds themselves would become personified and they will be measured. Tafsir authority, Ibn Kathir, after having reported all these narrations, has said that it is possible that the weighing is repeated several times in different ways and, it is obvious, the full reality of these matters is known to Allah Ta` ala alone - and for doing what one does in real life, it is, for all practical purposes, not necessary to know this reality. Quite sufficient for us is to know that our deeds shall be weighed. If our deeds turn out to be lighter on the scale of deeds, we shall deserve punishment. Then, it is an entirely different matter that Allah Ta` ala, in His grace, by Him-self, or by the intercession of a Nabiyy or Waliyy, forgives us our sins and we stand delivered from punishment. As for the likelihood that some people will have their salvation on the sole virtue of their having said and believed in the Kalimah of 'Iman (La Ilaha Illallah) and all sins accruing to them will be forgiven because of that - as narrated in some of these narrations - that belongs to the exception mentioned above and which is beyond the general regulation and is a special manifestation of the grace and mercy of Allah Ta` ala. In the two verses the Tafsir of which you have just read through, sinners were warned against the disgrace on the plain of Resurrection and the Divine punishment that would come in its wake. Then comes the third verse which mentions the blessings of Allah Ta` ala and persuades people to accept truth and act accordingly by suggesting that Allah has bestowed on them full ownership and control on the earth and has opened thousands of avenues of comfort for them. It is as if the Master of the Universe has made this whole earth and what it contains a giant warehouse of human needs and comforts, a most compre-hensive inventory of that inside it. Now, what is left for human beings to do is to learn to go in there, take out what they need and use it how they will. Science and technology are essentially no more than a trained method of taking out things created by the Master of the Universe and stored in this warehouse, properly and nicely, and use it soundly and beneficially. One who is short on sense and manners and does not know how to take things out from this warehouse, or does not understand how to use what he has taken out, he remains deprived of their benefits. An intelligent person benefits from both. In short, Allah Ta` ala has placed all that human beings need on and in this earth which demands that they should be grateful to Him all the time under all conditions. But, human beings are prone to heedlessness. They would not take much time to forget the favours of their Creator and Master - only to return to the same world of things. So, at the end of the verse, it is in a mode of complaint that it was said: قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُ‌ونَ (Little you are receptive to advice).

(And as for those whose scale is light) with good deeds: (those are they who lose their souls) by being punished (because they disbelieved Our revelations) Muhammad (pbuh) and the Qur'an.