Lesson 25: The Return

Audit of the Day of Resurrection

{اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ}

From what we find from the Ayahs of the Holy Qur’an:

1. Every individual will be subjected to interrogation:

{فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ}

2. All of our deeds will be accounted for

{وَلَتُسْأَلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ}

3. All matters under all circumstances will be under investigation

{وَإِن تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ

تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّـهُ}

Whether you publish what is in your hearts or hide it, God shall make reckoning with you for it. (Al Baqarra 2:284).

4. Questions will be asked of every part of our body

{إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَـٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا}

The hearing, the sight, the heart - all of those shall be questioned of. (Al Israa 17:36).

5. Questions will be asked from the divine blessings one is blessed with

{ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ}

6. All actions conducted at any place no matter how little or significant

{إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُن فِي صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ أَوْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّـهُ}

The first question will be that of prayer and of items of such significance; youth, your life, how you earned a living and related expenses, how wealth was spent, and issues of who your leader and guide is will be asked, and all of this will be accounted for by Allah Himself

{وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ}

Different Ways of Being Accountable

On Resurrection Day, there will be different ways that people will be investigated:

1. A group that will have an easy interview and accounting

{حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا}

2. Another group will be interrogated harshly and in detail

{حِسَابًا شَدِيدًا}

3. Some will be thrown straight in to hell without the need for any questioning or weighing up their deeds

{فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا}

4. While another will be granted paradise without question

{إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ}

According to many Ayahs, one who engages others with forgiveness and compassion will have an easy accounting, while those who engage others with difficulty and with detailed auditing will themselves be subjected to the same harshness. A disbelieving polytheist will go to hell without question, while people of patience will be granted paradise without question.1

Scroll of Deeds

{وَكُلَّ إِنسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَائِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ

وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا}

Multiple times in the Holy Qur’an the issue of Scroll, or Book, of Deeds, and in different Ayahs, a number of issues are raised including:

1. A Scroll of Deeds is for everyone. (Al Isra 17:13)

2. All deeds are in the Scroll. (Al Kahf 18:49)

3. Criminals will be in fear of it. (Al Kahf 18:49)

4. Everyone will be their own judge, upon reading their own Scroll. (Al Isra 17:14)

5. The pious will have their scroll handed to their right hand while hell dwellers will be to their left. (Al Haqqa 69:19,25)

Witnesses of the Court Of Resurrection Day

As for witnesses, there are plenty:

1. Allahﷻ, a Witness overall and everything.

{إِنَّ اللَّـهَ كَانَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدًا }

2. The Prophet (pbuh).

{فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا }

How then shall it be, when We bring forward from every nation a witness, and bring thee to witness against those? (An Nissa 4:41).

3. The Divinely Guided.

{وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ}

Thus We appointed you a midmost nation that you might be witnesses to the people (Al- Baqarra 2:183).
According to the narrations, the nation in this Ayah refers to the Divinely Guided ×, as any other individual will not have the required knowledge or infallibility to be able to act as a witness on such a day.

4. Angels.

{وَجَاءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّعَهَا سَائِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ }

5. The Earth.

{يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا}

6. Conscience.

{اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا}

7. Parts of the body.

{يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ}

8. Time.

9. Imam Sajjad (pbuh) in his sixth supplication of Sahifah Sajjadiya states:

هذا یوم حادث جدید وهو علینا شاهد عتید

10. Deeds.

{وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا}

All deeds will be presented on the Day of Resurrection in their bodily reality and framed upon the doer of the deeds.

Forgive Until Forgiven

For the granting of the mercy of Allahﷻ, a method is provided to us in the Holy Qur’an:

{وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ}

But let them pardon and forgive. Do you not wish that God should forgive you? God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate. (An Nur 24:22)

If one truly seeks forgiveness from Allahﷻ, then one must also forgive others.

The Day of Resurrection is a day of accounting, punishment and reward, a lonesome day, and we must be thinking of our selves right now. The way to receiving the kindness of Allahﷻ on the Day is to be kind to others today, show beneficence and beneficence will be shown to you. Oh! so many were with us last months of Ramadhan that are not with us today, and this year may well be the last month of Ramadhan we have.

• 1. Please refer to books on the topic of resurrection.