Sharhu Sunnah : Lesson 17 : Point 15
Shaykh Fawzan | Dawud Burbank [Audio|English]
The author Imam Barbahaaree rahimahullaah said,
And to have eemaan in the Balance on the Day of Resurrection. Upon it good and evil will be weighed. It has two scales/balance plates, and a pointer.
Transcribed Audio:
From the issues of `aqeedah (creed and belief) is having eemaan in the Balance (the meezaan) with which the deeds of the servants will be weighed on the Day of Resurrection. He the Most High said:
And the weighing on that Day (on the Day of Resurrection) will be true. So whoever’s scale of good deeds is heavier, then they will be the successful ones. And whoever’s scale of good deeds is lighter, then they are the ones who will have lost their own selves on account of their rejecting our signs. (Sooratul-A`raaf (7), aayahs 8-9)
And in the other aayah:
They will lose their own selves remaining forever in the Hellfire. (Sooratul-Mu·minoon (23), aayah 103)
If the scale of good deeds is heavier, then the servant will be blissful and successful. But if the opposite is the case and the evil deeds are heavier, the servant will be destroyed.
So whoever’s scale of good deeds is heavy, then he will live a pleasant life in Paradise. And whoever’s scale of good deeds is lighter, then he will have his abode in the pit of Hell. And what will explain to you what is the pit of Hell. It is a blazing hot fire. (Sooratul-Qaari`ah (101), aayahs 6-11)
And this is from the justice of Allaah the Majestic and Most High, that He will weigh the good deeds and the bad deeds with a balance which they will see, a physical balance which has two balance plates; and it has a pointer. The good deeds will be placed on one balance plate and the evil deeds will be placed on one balance plate, as is indicated in the Book and the Sunnah, contrary to the Mu`tazilah, those who say, “What is meant by scales (al-mawaazeen) and the balance (al-meezaan) is the establishment of justice, but there is actually no physical balance there.” This is based upon their false and futile position because they rely upon their intellect and they do not place reliance upon the texts. So the balance is something real. It will have two balance plates as occurs in the authentic ahaadeeth. [01]
“Good and evil will be weighed upon it.” Meaning good deeds and evil deeds. His saying, “It will have two scales and a pointer”. It will have two balance plates as occurs in the ahaadeeth. The good deeds will be placed on one scale and the evil deeds on one scale, as occurs in the hadeeth of bitaaqah (hadeeth of the parchment) with regard to the story of the person who will have ninety-nine scrolls. Every scroll from them will stretch as far as the eye can see and will be filled with evil deeds. So it will be said to him, “Do you have any good deed?” So he will say, “No O my Lord.” So he will see the tremendous size of these large scrolls and he will say, “No O my Lord.” So it will be said, “Rather you will not be wronged; you have one good deed with Us.” So a parchment will be brought containing the testification that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and the testification that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah. And it will be placed on one scale and the scrolls will be placed on the other scale. And the parchment will outweigh and the scrolls will be lighter. So he will enter into Paradise.[02] [03] This is a proof that there will be two balance plates for this Balance upon which the deeds will be placed on the Day of Resurrection.
“And it has a pointer” Lisaanul-meezaan (the pointer of the balance) is well known to the people. They call it the heart of the balance, that which leans to the right or to the left. And if the two balance plates are equal, then the heart of the balance will be levelled. And if one scale outweighs, then the pointer will point towards it. [04]
Footnotes:
[01] Abul-Hasan al-Ash`aree mentioned in (his book) Maqaalaat al-Islaamiyyeen, “The people of the Truth said (speaking about the Balance), ‘It has a pointer and two balance plates. On one of the scales good deeds will be weighed, and on the other the evil deeds’…Whereas the people of innovation they negate the Balance and they say, ‘Scales does not mean scales and pointers but rather it is metaphorical, just meaning that Allaah will recompense them for their deeds, measure for measure.’ And they denied the balance.”
[02] This hadeeth is the hadeeth of `Abdullaah ibn `Amr who said, “Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu ` alayhi wa sallam said,
‘A man from my nation will be called out in front of the whole of the creation on the Day of Resurrection. So ninety-nine scrolls will be laid out for him. Each of the scrolls will be as far as the eye can see. Then it will be said, “Do you deny anything from this?” So he will say, “No, O my Lord.” So it will be said, “Do you have any excuse or any good deed?” So the man will fear and he will say, “No.” So it will be said: “Yes indeed, you have good deeds with Us. You will not be wronged with regard to them.” So a parchment will be brought out for him containing, ‘I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. So he will say, “O my Lord, what is this parchment in comparison to those scrolls?” So it will be said, “You will not be wronged.” So the scrolls will be placed on one scale and that parchment will be placed on one scale. So the scrolls will be lighter and the parchment will outweigh.’”
Reported by Ibnul-Mubaarak in his book az-Zuhd and in his Musnad and by Imaam Ahmad and by at-Tirmithee and Ibn Maajah and others besides.
Translator’s side point: Shaykh al-Albaanee declared this hadeeth saheeh, authentic.
[03] Translator’s side point: Shaykh Saalih as-Suhaymee hafizahullaah mentioned some points of benefit with regard to this hadeeth. He said, “The hadeeth contains a number of points of benefit.
“The first benefit is that the people of sins will be beneath al-mashee·ah (Allaah’s Will and Wish). If Allaah wishes He will forgive them by His favour. And if He wishes He will punish them by His justice.
“The second point of benefit is that whoever is such that his eemaan (true belief) and his towheed is strong, and his attachment to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, this fact may be a means for wiping away all of his evil deeds. And there is no clearer proof for this than the fact that this small parchment will outweigh and overcome all of the rest of the scrolls.
“The third point of benefit is that the person who is guilty of major sin, he does not become a disbeliever, as the Khawaarij and the Mu`tazilah claimed. Rather he is beneath mashee·atullaah (the Wish and Will of Allaah). So even if he is punished, then still he will not remain forever in the Fire. “The fourth point of benefit is the tremendous virtue of Laa ilaaha illAllaah, none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah over the rest of deeds. So when a Muslim says it, knowing its meaning and acting in accordance with it, then that is the case, tremendous.
“The fifth point of benefit is establishment of al-meezaan (Balance of deeds) with which the deeds will be weighed on the Day of Resurrection, and that it is a balance which is true and real. It will be erected on the Open Plane of the Resurrection before the passing over the Siraat (Bridge). This is the most correct of the sayings which the People of Knowledge mention.”
[04] Translator’s side point: Shaykh Ahmad an-Najmee rahimahullaah said in explanation of this point, “As for the lisaan (the pointer) then it is a point (spike) through which it is known which way the balance inclines.”
Transcribed by Fawad Abu Zaid Al Afghaani.
Download PDF of Lesson 17
Ithaaful-Qaaree bit-Ta`leeqaat `alaa Sharhis-Sunnah
by Shaykh Saalih ibn Fowzaan al-Fowzaan hafizahullaah
Translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood Burbank, rahimahullaah
Posted with kind permission from Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah
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