How will our Deeds be Judged In the Akhirah [Hereafter]?
In the Name of Almighty Allah ,Most Gracious, Most Merciful
How will our Deeds be Judged In the Akhirah [Hereafter]?
Since we are presently confined in the prison of this world a clear boundary has been drawn between this world and the next world. How then might we perceive the splendor and profundity and the perfection of the everlasting life that awaits us there? A true Muh’min who follows the Path of Truth knows that the new life awaiting us in the Akhirah is totally and completely different from the present one.
The means that will be applied there to judge mankind’s deeds with respect to good and evil, should not be thought that men will be faced with a prosecutor who carefully weighs their deeds in a huge scale, and then they will be given the chance to defend themselves before judgment is passed. The concept of the scale or the balance presented in the Most Noble and Glorious Qur’an is infinitely more comprehensive. Almighty Allah Most Exalted tells us very clearly in verse 47 of Surah Al-Anbiyaa:
“We shall set up Scales of Justice for the day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. And if there be (no more
than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account) and enough are We to take account.”
What is meant is that when Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen takes account, His accounting will be perfect. There will be no flaw in it, as there may be in earthly accountants, who require the help of others in some matters of account which they do not understand for want of knowledge of that particular department they are dealing with. Almighty Allah’s Knowledge is perfect, and therefore His Justice will be perfect also. He will not fail to take into account all the most intangible things that determine conduct and character. Again the Most Noble and Glorious Qur’an is very clear with regard to the subject for it tells us very clearly in verses 8 and 9 of Surah Al-A’raf:
“The Day of Resurrection is in truth the day on which deeds shall be weighed. Those whose good deeds weigh heavy in the Balance shall be saved and those whose deeds are slight are those Who have wronged themselves by transgressing against The signs and Messengers of Allah.”
Again, the Most Holy and Noble Qur’an states the matter very clearly in verse 7 of Surah Ar-Rahman:
“And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice).”
The “Balance of Justice” in this verse is connected that mankind may act justly to each other and observe due balance in all their actions, following the golden mean and not transgressing due bounds in anything. These verses point out that those who have squandered the capital of their existence will suffer eternal and irredeemable loss. The loss that results in the corruption of the very essence of man’s being is the greatest of all losses and no compensation can be made for it.
Throughout the world, there are virtuous and God-fearing people who represent a criterion of measurement. There are, however, many hidden realities which can only become manifest on the Day of Resurrection, which is the great day on which inner realities will become manifest and the nature of the “scales” will become apparent. A good and virtuous act has two dimensions i.e. its outward effect and the other its relationship to the Muh’min who performs it.
The Din of Al- Islam establishes criteria for the deeds and conduct of mankind. A deed acquires moral value only when it is performed from a pure motive. It is based upon pleasing none other than Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen. Sometimes a person bows his or her head in submission to the urgings of his or her instincts while on other occasions he or she is heedful of the Most Glorious and Exalted Creator and Sustainer. Those who are truly heedful of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala will always know that He watches vigilantly over their behaviour at all times for He confirms this to us very clearly in verse 61 of Surah Yunus:
“You are never in a state, nor do you ever recite a verse of the Qur’an or engage in any other action, without My Knowledge. Not a single atom in the universe And the earth is hidden from your Lord; Whatever exists, whether smaller than an atom or Bigger than it, is recorded in a clear book (Divine Knowledge).”
There are many people who have the misguided notion that the worth of a deed depends on the extent of the benefits to which it gives rise to. It makes no difference whatsoever whether a certain benefactor simply wishes to boast or show off and attract attention of those around him or her or whether he or she is motivated by considerations of higher order such as a pure and lofty intention. If someone embarks on a deed without being inspired by a spirit of truthfulness and without connection to Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala Who Alone is the Source of All-Being, and if his or her motive and ego be hypocritical pretense and the winning of earthly, name, fame and respect, the end result will be a lowering of his or her moral status and Islamic belief. Such acts become like corpses, lifeless and valueless.
To place the ego and quest of name and fame of such people in its proper perspective is very simple. Their hypocritical pretense is like tainted goods which is unacceptable to Almighty Allah Jallah Wa’ala, for the one guilty of such acts will have sold his or her Din for worldly praise and will not deserve Almighty Allah’s gaze of favour, compassion and Muhabbat. A good deed acquires value from the point of spiritual development only when it acquires a heavenly aspect i.e. is oriented to the divine realm of pure sincerity. Almighty Allah Tabaraqa Wata’ala tells us in verse 79 of Surah
At-Taubah:
“Those who on account of their own evil find fault with the Contributions of obedient believers, who mock those who do not Grudge spending in the Way of Allah whatever they are able – Allah mocks them and He will punish them; A painful torment will be theirs.”
Again the Most Glorious and Noble Qur’an reminds us in verse 20 of Surah
Ash-Shura:
“Whoever wishes to reap the fruit of good deeds in the Aghirah, We will bestow on him/her a reward greater than the outcome of his/her good deeds.
Whoever wishes to reap the fruits of good deeds in this world, We will permit him/her to enjoy it here in this world, but such a person shall have no share or portion in the Akhirah.”
A Muh’min should become so devoted and attached to Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen’s Commands that he or she submits to them unconditionally; his or her actions and deeds are done purely for Almighty Allah’s sake; his or her steadfastness in obedience is for the sake of the Exalted Creator and that his or her reward is correspondingly with Almighty Allah Jallah Wa’ala. It is pure intention and aim, one in which the desire to earn Almighty Allah’s Pleasure is present, that makes a Muh’min’s deeds acceptable to the Most Merciful and Glorious Creator.
The Qur’anic verses quoted indicate that from the point of view of Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen Most Exalted, it is the spiritual state of mankind that determines whether his acts will be accepted or not, the same spiritual state that man is aware of in himself whenever he performs any deed. This is the criterion by which Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala measures and which He has communicated to mankind as expressed in verse 2 of
Surah Al-Mulk:
“…in order that He might test you to see which of you is better in deeds.”
What is meant in the above verse is not the extent or quantity of deeds, but the highest degree of righteousness. Righteousness consists of the love and fear of Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen, sincerity of intention and purity of deed. To keep a deed sincere and free of contamination is more difficult than carrying out the deed itself. A sincere and good deed is one in which only Almighty Allah’s Pleasure is sought and not someone’s praise. The intention is better than the deed, or is even identical with the deed for so declares Almighty Allah verse 84 of
Surah Al-A’raf:
“Everyone acts in accordance with his own nature.”
This verse means the intention of a person performing the deed. The more a person’s belief in Allah increases, the more clearly will the signs of devotion become manifest in his or her conduct, so that the desire to earn the Pleasure of the Exalted Creator comes to prevail over all other desires.
The Most Glorious and Holy Qur’an tells us in verse 19 of Surah An-Naml of how Nabee Sulayman Alayhis Salaam addressed Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala in his prayer:
“O Allah! Inspire me to thank You for the bounties You bestowed on me and on my parents, And to perform acts that are worthy of Your Pleasure.”
And in verse 33 of Surah Yusuf we are told of Nabee Yusuf Alayhis Salaam’s prayer to his Glorious Maker. This most sincere devotee of Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen preferred the terrors of prison to rebellion against Almighty Allah and becoming submersed in the whirlpool of lust. Desirous of observing Almighty Allah’s Commands and preserving thereby his own purity, he raised his arms and prayed to his Maker:
“O Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen! The pain of prison Is better and more pleasing for me than the pollution Of Sin and rebellion against You.”
Certain Islamic traditions regard obedience to Divine Commands without any fear of punishment or hope of reward as the special characteristic of those who consider themselves always protected and favoured by Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen. It is they who attain the highest degree of sincere devotion to the Glorious Creator and Maker and knowledge of Him. They think of nothing else but earning His Favour and worshipping Him in complete humbleness and humility. This is the right way in which Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal ought to be worshipped.
Some worship Almighty Allah Jallah Wa’ala in order to attain reward, and this is the reward of traders. Others worship Him out of fear of punishment, and this is the worship of slaves. Then there are those who worship Him out of gratitude and recognition, and this is the worship of free men. The aim of Islam is to create a permanent, unbreakable and all-embracing relationship between man and Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen, in such a way that man recognizes Him as the only authority to which he should turn in all things and the commands and laws of which should be obeyed in every instant of his life.
The presence of this firm and lasting attachment of the heart to Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala makes all things in life perfect and complete, and its absence reduces all things to meaninglessness and absurdity. Can anything other than belief in Almighty Allah Jallah Wa’ala and the Day of Resurrection and requital impel man to act in righteousness and sincerity and to shun all forms of personal aim and motivation?
And Almighty Allah knows best.
Baarak Allaahu Feekum wa-sal Allaahu wa-Sallam ‘alaa Nabiyyinaa Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.
