Hazrat Shaykh Abu Ja’far said that it was our belief that we would be accounted for our deeds on the Day of Judgement. This was a reality. Some people would be questioned directly by God and the others would be interrogated by His appointees.

The elaboration is like this. The judgements on the efforts of the Prophets and the Imams will be carried out by the Lord, and the audit of their Ummah will be carried out by their respective Prophets and their legatees. God will be a witness for His prophets and messengers, while these people will be a witness on their legatees, and Imams will then be witness on rest of the Ummah. The Qur’an declared in this respect:

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا

“What will happen to you at that time when We shall bring forth a witness from every Ummah and O! Prophet you will be a witness over them” (4:41).

At another place in the Qur’an God said:

أَفَمَن كَانَ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ وَيَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ وَمِن قَبْلِهِ كِتَابُ مُوسَىٰ إِمَامًا وَرَحْمَةً

“Is he then who has with him clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from Him recites it and before it (is) the Book of Musa, a guide and a mercy?” (11:17).

In this Verse, the witness was Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a).

At another place in the Qur’an it was said:

إِنَّ إِلَيْنَا إِيَابَهُمْ

“People will return to Us” (88:25).

ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُم

“And their accountability is also Our responsibility” (88:26).

About the God’s statement:

وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا

“We shall set up a standard of Justice and Equity on the Day of Judgement, and no one shall be treated with imbalance” (21:47).

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) was asked about the meaning of the phrase Mizan (standard) in this Qur’anic Verse. Imam replied that Mizan stood for the Prophets and their legatees. There were some people who would enter the Paradise without interrogation, but questions on the validity of their religion (Deen) would be asked from everyone, just as God had mentioned:

فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

“Most certainly then We will question those to whom (the messengers) were sent, and most certainly We will also question the messengers” (7:6).

However, the question about sins was only asked from those who would be subject to interrogation. God said:

فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذَنبِهِ إِنسٌ وَلَا جَانٌّ

“On that day, no human and Jinn will be asked question about their sins” (55:39).

It meant that those who were the true followers of the Prophet and Imams will not be subjected to any examination, while others would not enjoy this privilege, as indicated in the elaboration of this Verse. Every person, who was to be questioned, would go through some kind of punishment, and that might be a prolonged delay in the plane of Mahsher. No one could enter the Paradise or escape the punishment of Hell on the strength of his or her deeds, unless he was covered by God’s compassion.

God would take account of His entire subjects with a single address, and everyone would understand his or her position, without any misunderstanding, as if God had addressed him individually, and this was not difficult for God. On mundane time scale this accountability would finish within half an hour. God would present the character sheet of every individual in front of him like an open book, so that they could be informed of their entire deeds. In this manner, God would appoint every individual as his own Judge and would command,

اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا

“Read your own charge sheet today, as you are indeed adequate to judge yourself” (17:14).

God would seal the lips of a group people on that day, and their limbs would speak out and bear witness on the crimes they had committed in secret. They will communicate with their limbs using their minds questioning them - why had they spoken against them? The limbs would reply that they had been given the power to speak by the One who had given this capability to all of His creatures. He was the One who has created you and to Him you have returned. You were not committing these crimes secretly because you feared that your body parts might speak against you, but you had thought that God was not aware of what you were doing in secrecy.

وَقَالُوا لِجُلُودِهِمْ لِمَ شَهِدْتُمْ عَلَيْنَا قَالُوا أَنْطَقَنَا اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنْطَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ خَلَقَكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

“And they say unto their skins: why testify ye against us? They say: Allah, Who giveth speech to all things, hath given speech to us, and it is He Who created you at the first and it is He unto Whom ye shall return” (41:21).

وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَٰكِنْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

“Ye did not hide yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should testify against you, but ye deemed that Allah knew not much of what ye did” (41:22).

(Shaykh Abu Ja’far said that he intended to write a book to describe the state of interrogation and the presentation of people’s charge sheet.)