Notes And Commentary On Chapter 28
How Many Subjects Are Worth Discussing In This Chapter?
While the author considered a mix up of several topics in this chapter, there were a few issues that were worth considering, such as -
- What was the meaning of the word accounting (Hisab)?
- Who would be the auditor of this account?
- Who would be those who are under scrutiny?
- What were the things that would be inspected?
- What was the meaning of the phrase: standard of performance?
- What would be the status of evidence of the Prophets and their legatees?
- How would the human body parts present their evidence?
If we discussed all these issues in detail, it would require a long debate. We, therefore, confined ourselves to a minimum.
What Was The Meaning Of The Word Accounting
In Arabic language, the word Hisab or accounting was meant to scrutinize someone’s good and bad deeds and then to reward or caution him accordingly.
Who Would Be The Auditor Of This Account?
The study of Qur’an and Hadith revealed that God would take account of everyone, but some narrations revealed that Angels would conduct this audit. Some other narrations also emphasized what had been expressed by the author in the text of this chapter i.e. the performance of the Prophets will be judged by God, and they would inspect their successors, who will in turn look over the deeds of the Ummah, as described in the Qur’an:
يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِم
“On the Day of Judgement, We shall call people with their guides, Imams” (17:71).
Those who received evidence of their faith from their Imam would be successful and the rest would be in dire trouble. It was mentioned in Usul al-Kafi on the elaboration of the Qur’anic Verse:
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).
It had been narrated by Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a), who said, “In the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (S), there was an Imam among us in every aeon, who would witness the deeds of the nation and the Prophet will be a witness over us.”
Similarly, in Tafsir al-Safi it was related from Imam Zayn Al-’Abidin (‘a) on the authority of his father that Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) had said that the Prophet (S) had mentioned, “Imam of every epoch will be a witness over his people, because he lived among them and delivered the appointed responsibility to them, (Therefore, his evidence would be very valuable about the compliant believers).”
Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) said that God had told the Prophet (S), “Anyone other than your Shi’as, who have obeyed another Imam, would come to the plane of Mehsher in a state that his nation would be cursing him and he was blighting them”.
Again, Shaykh Al-Mufid had quoted a Hadith from Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) that ended like this,
“Then it will be announced second time - where is the caliph of God? Ali Ibn Abi Talib would stand up and God would address again: O, My servants, he is Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the caliph of God and His sign. Those who held his cord in the world should proceed and embrace his lead again and benefit from his light and go to the elevations of Paradise under his fellowship. A sound will come again from the Lord - those who had opted for other Imams must now follow them.
The followers and their Imams will all enter the Hell, and they would wish if they could be sent to the world again, so that they could abandon those Imams, in the same manner that they had abandoned them on this Day of Judgement.”
Many other narrations had been mentioned in the section related to intercession, which elucidated that Imams would be the auditors of the deeds of their Shi’as, and we did not see any reason to repeat those traditions.
Who Will Be Scrutinised?
There were several Verses in the Qur’an, which suggested that each and every person would be scrutinised and put to the cross examination. However, some Qur’anic Verses and prophetic narrations also suggested that ideal believers and staunch infidels were not to be investigated, and they would go to the Paradise or Hell directly. Apart from these two groups, rest of the people would be examined. Therefore, in the elucidation of the Qur’anic Verse:
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذَنبِهِ إِنسٌ وَلَا جَانٌّ
“On that day, no one among Jinns or Men shall be questioned about their sins” (55:39).
There were several narrations from the Imams that suggested that this privilege was only reserved for the Shi’as. It was mentioned in Tafsir Majma al-Bayan and Tafsir al-Safi that if this Verse was left to its general understanding, then it would clash with other numerous narrations, which proposed that each and every person would be scrutinised. Moreover, it also makes the concept of hereafter redundant.
Regarding non-inspection of the deeds of infidels and polytheists, it was related from Imam Ar-Ridha (‘a), on the authority of his elders among the progeny of the Prophet that the Prophet of God had said, “God will audit the accounts of all people except polytheists, because they will go to hell without any impediment.”
Similarly, it was mentioned in Usul al-Kafi on the authority of Imam Zayn Al-’Abidin (‘a), who said, “Understand it unmistakably - no appraisal will be held for the polytheists (on the Day of Judgement) nor would their character sheet will be opened. Instead, they will go to hell in groups directly. Yes, the accounts of the followers of Islam will definitely be checked.”
What Actions Would Be Judged?
There were several narrations in this respect but we could say with certainty that questions would be asked about the rights of people and some rights of God. It was mentioned in Usul al-Kafi on the authority of Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a), who had said, “In the first examination, a man will be questioned about the Salat (obligatory prayers). If it was accepted then the rest of his noble deeds would be allowed otherwise, all his acts are rejected.”
It was mentioned in Kitab Al-Anwar An-Nu’maniyah from the same Imam, who said, “When a man reached the presence of God, he would initially be asked about the obligatory Prayers, Zakat, Fasting, Hajj and our Wilayat. Therefore, if he was a supporter of our Wilayat and he died on this belief then his Salat, Fasting, Zakat and Hajj would all be accepted, but if he failed to prove this in the presence of God, then God will not accept any of his deeds.”
Some narrations also suggested that the first question that will be asked in the hereafter would be about the love of Ahl al-Bayt.
Clarification Of A Doubt
A doubt could be raised here that in the previous narration standard for the acceptance of one’s deeds was set to be Salat and the other narration the proposed benchmark was the love of Ahl al-Bayt. How could these two narrations be reconciled?
The answer to this doubt was that the love of Ahl al-Bayt was the main condition of the acceptance of the entire portfolio of deeds including the Salat, but Salat was the standard for the rest of the conduct. Therefore, when the sphere of influence of the two was different then there was no conflict between the two narrations.
In Khisal of Shaykh As-Saduq, it was described on the authority of Ma’sumin Imams (Infallible Imams) that the Prophet of God had said, “No person will move an inch, unless he is questioned about four things. About his age, how he has spent this obligation, the youth or the formative years, on what assignments he went through this period, the wealth, its sources of receipt and expenditure and the love of us, the Ahl al-Bayt?”
These Verses and narrations also proposed that the questions would be asked about the role of eyes, ears and speech. God said in the Qur’an:
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا
“And pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of hearing, or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning)” (17:36).
It was mentioned in Tafsir al-Aayashi on the authority of Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a), who said that your components of sense would be grilled to answer issues regarding what they have seen, heard or spoken?
Sensitivity About People’s Rights (Huquq Al-’Ibad)
It was mentioned in Al-Anwar An-Nu’maniyah that when a man would be brought in the plane of Mehsher, an announcement would be made – he, who has any rights pending on him, should come forward and claim from him. There would not be a more difficult time for the crowd of Mehsher when the recognition by the claimants took place.
It was stated that various groups would come forth and clinch his garments for Khums, Zakat and other obligations. The scrutiny would be so strict that if a person had misused someone’s money as meagre as quarter of a cent, almost seven hundred accepted prayers will be deducted from his account and credited to the account of the claimant.
It was reported in ʿIlal al-Sharai’ that when a claimant would ask a person about his debt and he had nothing to repay, then virtues from his assets equivalent to the loan will be deducted and credited to the account of the claimant, and if he had no assets left, then sins of the claimant would be added to his charge sheet.
Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) said that sins had three categories, one that would be pardoned and the other that could not be set aside and the third, for which there was a chance for forgiveness, but there was a possibility for retribution.
The first kind of sins was that for which punishment had been awarded in the world, and God was above in this in His stature that He would sentence His subject twice for a sin. The second form of the sin was that when people had aggressed against each other. God had sworn on his dignity that He would not forgive the aggressor, even if someone had hit the other person unjustifiably with a minor slap on his hand. The third category was that which was concealed by God and a sinner had the chance to repent. This was that offence for which the sinner was a candidate for God’s compassion.
The Prophet of God said, “Do you know who was deprived and meagre in my Ummah?” The companions replied that in their understanding, a deprived person was the one who had no money or other relevant assets. The Prophet replied, “The deprived and meagre in my nation was the one, who reached the plane of Mehsher with a portfolio of Salat, Hajj and Zakat, but he had abused someone and usurped other’s assets or he had murdered or tortured another human being. All of his assets would then be distributed among his victims and he would be sent to hell.”
Instigation To Fulfil People’s Rights
Since the fulfilment of the rights of the people was a very sensitive issue, therefore, the Prophet and the Imams had stressed that their followers repaid those rights in this world. The author of Al-Anwar An-Nu’maniyah had recorded a Hadith of the Prophet, who said, “If a person can return a single Dirham to its owner, it is then better than the supplication of one thousand years and freeing of one thousand slaves.”
Allama Jazaeri had quoted from the Imams that a person who made his creditors happy, would go to the Paradise without scrutiny.
There were varied reports on the use of worldly possessions. Allama Al-Majlisi had provided a wonderful insight on this issue. He wrote in Bihar Al-Anwar, “One must realise that accountability is a must and it has been substantiated by various Qur’anic Verses and established prophetic traditions. However, those avenues that will be judged are a point of debate among the scholars. Some narrations suggest that food, drinks and clothing, along with other permissible necessities of life are exempt from questioning, while other traditions suggest that permissible would be audited and deplorable are liable for prosecution.
Both of these traditions can be combined in two ways – one, by proposing that the former reports are applicable to the impeccable believers and the later for non-believers or two, the earlier reports include the necessities such as food, drinks, clothing and marriage, which will not be queried, while the other reports will be applied to actions such as squandering wealth on unnecessary things and wasting precious time in accumulating avoidable possessions.”
A Report On God’s Arguments On The Day Of Judgment
Shaykh Al-Mufid had reported in his Aamali (lecture notes compiled by a student after master’s demise) from Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (‘a) on the elucidation of the Qur’anic Verse:
قُلْ فَلِلَّهِ الْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ
“Say: Then Allah's is the conclusive argument…” (6:149).
Imam replied, “On the Day of Judgement God will ask His slave (man), if he was an erudite? If he replied in affirmative then he will be asked - why he did not use his knowledge. However, if he replied that he was ignorant then he would be told - why he did not make an effort to acquire knowledge for his benefit. This way he will be silenced.”
It was reported from Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) in Usul al-Kafi that, “On the Day of Judgement an extremely beautiful woman would be called, who was shrouded by her sins due to her beauty. She would say - O, God You had given me charm and beauty that is why I was trapped in sins. At that instance Maryam (‘a), the mother of ‘Isa (‘a) would be called and the women would be asked if she was more beautiful or Maryam (‘a), whom We have given more splendour, but despite that she did not commit sin.
Then, a handsome man will be brought in the court of justice who had done numerous sins due to his manly charm. He will make the same arguments, as provided by the previous beauty queen. God will then present Joseph (‘a), the son of Jacob (‘a) and sinner will be told that he had been given much more charisma and appeal, but he did not commit sin.
Then, another person who had suffered in the worldly life and committed crimes would be made to stand in the witness box. His arguments will also be along the same pattern, as were the previous defenders. God would then make Job a.s. (Prophet Ayub) to come to the witness box and declare that he suffered for more calamities than him, but he did not transgress.
In this way God has kept in all walks of life some role models among the people with whom he advances his arguments, such as Asiya, to counter the wives of imperials and Hizqeel for the government confidants.”
The Handing Over Of The Character Sheet
Numerous Verses of the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions revealed that when the dead would be raised from their graves, their character sheets would be handed over to them. The virtuous would receive the character sheet in their right hand, while the antagonists in their left hand. That is why God says in Surah Bani Isra’il:
وَكُلَّ إِنسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَائِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا
“We shall advance a book for every person on the Day of Judgement, which he finds unwrapped and clear” (17:13).
In Surah Al-Inshiqaq it was further elaborated:
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ
“Then as to him who is given his book in his right hand” (84:7).
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا
“He shall be reckoned with by an easy reckoning” (84:8).
وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا
“And he shall go back to his people joyful” (84:9).
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ
“And as to him who is given his book behind his back” (84:10).
فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا
“He shall call for perdition” (84:11).
And again in Surah Bani Isra’il:
اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا
“Read your book; your own self is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day” (17:14).
The reports suggested that every single person would become literate and his memory would be so sharp that he will virtually see all his actions, as if everything had happened a moment ago with him. He would also know what kind of deeds he had sent forward and what sort of impressions he had left behind.” At this juncture Man will cry out and say, “What has happened to this file, it has counted even the smallest of my mistakes?”
It was reported that some people would deny their charge sheet on the Day of Judgement. God will then produce the Angels as witnesses of their doings but they will still dispute and claim that Angels were biased against them, and they had not committed those crimes. In order to disprove their guilt, they would take the false oaths. The Qur’an had portrayed their state:
يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ جَمِيعًا فَيَحْلِفُونَ لَهُ كَمَا يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ
“On the day that Allah will raise them up all, then they will swear to Him (to invalidate their faults) as they swear to you (O, Prophet), and they think that they have something; now surely they are the liars” (58:18).
God would then shut their mouths by allowing their limbs to provide witness against them. The Qur’an said:
الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
“On that day We will set a seal upon their mouths, and their hands shall speak to Us, and their feet shall bear witness of what they earned” (36:65).
In another Surah it is mentioned:
وَيَوْمَ يُحْشَرُ أَعْدَاءُ اللَّهِ إِلَى النَّارِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ
“And on the day that the enemies of Allah shall be brought together to the fire, then they shall be formed into groups” (41:19).
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا مَا جَاءُوهَا شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَأَبْصَارُهُمْ وَجُلُودُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“Until when they come to it, their ears and their eyes and their skins shall bear witness against them as to what they did” (41:20).
It was mentioned in Tafsir Al-Qummi that God would let these criminals to speak out. They would criticize their limbs for speaking against them. The body parts will reply that the God, Who had given the power of speech to everything, had made them to stand witness against them (criminals). They would then be speechless. The initial denial and then eventual acceptance showed the folly of their behaviour. Had they confessed their sins and requested God to forgive them, they would then find Him most forgiving.
It was mentioned in a tradition that when the deeds would be weighed, a man would find the balance against him. The Angels would then be commanded to take him to the hell. When the Angels were escorting him, he would look behind. God would ask him - why he was turning behind. He would reply that he had not expected to be sent to the Hell by Him. God will say to the Angels, “I swear by My strength and power that this man never had such an expectation from Me. Since he has claimed this prospect, therefore, take him to the Paradise.”
The Reality Of Scales (Mizan)
All Muslims were agreed on the general view of Mizan, but they differed on its nature or reality. Initial view of the scholars was that it was a physical weighing machine with two pairs of pans, in which deeds will be weighed. Secondly, Mizan or scale was referred to be an indicator of God’s Justice, that salvation or punishment will be awarded according to the deeds of the individuals. Thirdly, it could represent the Prophets and their successors.
In Arabic language Mizan was referred to an instrument that gave the measure of a thing. That was why different devices were employed for weighing different things. For measuring usual stuff, we need ordinary gadgets that were seen in supermarkets and shops, for astronomical measurements the instruments were telescopes, spectrometers and computers etc and likewise for non-material objects there had to be some different appliances. Likewise, it was the Prophets - a manifestation of God’s Justice and equity, who became Mizan for the people. The degree of their compliance turned into a measure to gain Paradise or Hell.
However, apparent signs of Qur’anic Verses and Hadith suggested that Mizan, belief in which was essential, existed in its primary sense. The Qur’an thus declared:
وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
“The weighing on that day is the true (weighing). As for those whose scale is heavy, they are the successful” (7:8).
وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُم بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ
“And as for those whose scale is light: those are they who lose their souls because they used to wrong Our revelations” (7:9).
The use of words, such as weighing, heavy and light in this Verse pointed out to the description of ordinary weighing equipment. It was expressed at another place in the Qur’an:
وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ
“And We will set up a just balance on the day of resurrection, so no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed, (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account” (21:47).
This Verse also clearly mentioned words like scales, weight (lighter or heavier) but it also cited the accuracy on atomic scale, which qualified it to be an extremely advanced kind of measuring equipment. There were several other Qur’anic Verses that pointed to the same description of Mizan.
Two Doubts And Their Rebuttal
The two doubts that needed consideration were:
-
Was God unaware of the deeds of people and so He required weighing scales to determine their performance?
-
How would the deeds be weighed, given that only three-dimensional things could be subjected to this, and the deeds were dimensionless?
So far as men of ideal belief were concerned, the scales referred to them were the Justice of God and the Prophets and their successors. However, for the infidels and unrefined, a scale was required to be set up, so that rest of the audience in the plane of Mehsher could witness that injustice was not being done to anyone.
Again, those who believed about Mizan in the literal sense differed on specifics that are to be weighed. There were three opinions on this subject.
-
Deeds will be weighed.
-
Virtuous deeds will take a form of charm, while bad deeds will be brought in a disfigured form, and these shapes are weighed.
-
Good and bad deeds will itself manifest in material forms, although such transformation was not possible in the material world, but the change in space and time might affect this process.
Allama Shaykh Bahai wrote in his book Arbaeen, “It is a fact that deeds will be weighed on the Day of Judgement and not the character sheets.” He then referred to the arguments that confirmed transformation of deeds into shapes in the hereafter. (Whoever wishes to have more information, could refer to this book).
Similarly, Allama Sayyid Nematullah Jazaeri wrote in Al-Anwar An-Nu’maniyah, “From positive and established sources, it had become abundantly clear to us that deeds performed by individuals take material form and those will be weighed.”
Some Arguments In Support Of Materialising Human Deeds
God said in the Qur’an:
وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا
“...and (on the Day of Judgement) what they had done they shall find present (there)…” (18:49).
In another place, it was stated in the Qur’an that people will find their deeds stationed there (on the Day of Judgement)1.
The Prophet (S) of God said, “Your deeds will be returned to you on the Day of Judgement.”
In another Hadith, the Prophet addressed Qais Ibn Aasim, “O, Qais, you have a partner that will be buried alive alongside you in the grave, while you are dead. If that companion was kind and compassionate, he would respect you, and if he was corrupted and shady, he would leave you in your misery. He will then rise with you on the day of Judgment and you will be questioned about him. If he was pious and God-fearing, you will then be familiar with him, but if he was corrupted, then you will be traumatised and shocked. This companion of yours is your conduct.”
It was also mentioned in some Ahadith that people’s deeds would materialise and entertain them in the Barzakh. Some of such narrations have already been mentioned in the section dealing with the state of grave and Barzakh (purgatory). In all honesty, these examples were not the solid arguments in support of the materialisation of deeds but the possibility of virtuous deeds turning into charming objects and the evil deeds manifesting into some awful forms, still remained.
This was why Allama Al-Majlisi wrote in Bihar al-Anwar, “In the hereafter, all kind of acts performed by humans will turn into material or virtual forms. God will either transform them into evil or good outline, or a dimensionless entity altered into a three-dimensional object and the deeds would then assume a shape of their own. At this moment, the first possibility is more probable intellectually and narrations do not oppose this view as well.”
From these facts, it was amply clear that Mizan should be interpreted in its literal form and rest of the elucidations could be put aside, as its deeper understanding was not required by the religion. This was the view, which was adopted by Shaykh Abu Ja’far in the text of this chapter, whereas Shaykh Al-Mufid’s analysis was based on the difficulty to understand the use of a literal balance to account for the weight of people’s deeds. His elucidation was questionable because in order to do so he had reinterpreted the apparent meanings of the Qur’anic Verses and established Prophetic traditions, which was a dubious act. That is why, the later scholars, after critically examining his thesis declared,
“Therefore, on the basis of logical explanations and hypothetical assumptions put forward by Shaykh Al-Mufid that are weaker than the spider’s web, we cannot abandon clear Qur’anic Verses and established narrations.2”
If on the other hand, the Shaykh had based his analysis on reports that favour Mizan as the Justice of God, Prophets and their successors, instead of his rational manipulations then his approach was acceptable and proper to an extent.
It was reported on the authority of Hisham Ibn Al-Hakam in Ihtijaj al-Tabrasi that once a heretic asked Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a), “Will the deeds be weighed?” Imam replied, “No, because deeds do not possess physical dimensions. Moreover, weighing is a process, which is needed by someone who is ignorant of the quality and quantity of things, for nothing is hidden from God.” The person again asked, “What is the meaning of Mizan then?” Imam replied, “It is God’s Justice.” The heretic, then quoted the Qur’anic Verse:
فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ
“Then as for him whose measure (of good deeds) is heavy…” (7:8).
Imam replied that it meant, “The one whose noble deeds are excessive will be successful.”
Due to these narrations, the problem became even more complicated. In order to safely negotiate this dilemma, careful scholars suggested that one should believe in the concept of Mizan and let its details be left to the Creator of Mizan. This view was shared by Allama Al-Majlisi and Sayyid Abdullah Shabbar.
Answer To A Proposition Regarding Evidence Provided By The Human Limbs
It was possible that the people of modern age might doubt the proposal that evidence about human actions would be provided by their own body parts. The answer to this query would be that it was merely a qualm and we could not deny the facts provided by the Qur’an and Hadith on the basis of a misgiving. Those who accepted the power of God would be satisfied by the answer that the body parts gave at that occasion, “We have been given the power of speech by the One who has conferred this capability upon all of you.”
However, it would be unusual in this scientific era to have this idea rejected only on the basis of bigotry and narrow-mindedness, when we have seen that the same man, with God-given powers, could record and replay voices from plastic tapes and discs, could send and receive pictures from far of places, even beyond our solar system, how was it then impossible for the Creator of this man to make his body parts speak in obedience to His command.
Ahbat (Sequester), Takfeer (Restore) And Mowazena (Comparison)
Although, the respected author had not included this topic in this chapter, we felt that some information should be provided to our readers.
In the field of theology, the term ‘Ahbat’ meant a sin carried out at a later date, which could destroy earlier good work, while Takfeer stood for the removal of an earlier sin by a virtuous deed performed at a later date. The purpose of Mowazena was to compare virtues with iniquity such that whichever took precedence over the other would eliminate the last, and if both were equal then both would become redundant. Mu’tazilites were in favour of such a division of deeds. There was no doubt that certain sins such as shirk and infidelity could swipe away previous assets, as stated in the Qur’an:
أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَلِقَائِهِ فَحَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا
“These are those people who have denied God’s signs and their meeting with Him, therefore, their deeds are confiscated and no scales would be set out for them on the Day of Judgement” (18:105).
Similarly, some acts of obedience could wash away the earlier sins such as belief after denial (kufr) and repentance after sinning. This showed that restoration and sequestering was a proven fact in its literal sense, but it was important to consider, if this formula was universally correct that every major sin was a reason for confiscation of good deeds. It was accepted among Shi’as and Al-Asharaites that this hypothesis was incorrect, as it made tyranny and oppression a compulsion and then incited to continue this unabated. So far as comparison was concerned, its irrationality was very clear. Allama Al-Majlisi said, “I say, that the loss of previous assets due to a later date infidelity and the acceptance of true belief after previous kufr to wipe away original evil are true, and it cannot be denied. Major information that has reached us confirms that virtues can eliminate misdeeds and many acts of obedience can pay for earlier mistakes but whether it is true that this formula is prevalent in all kind of sins and virtues is not known?”
Mohaddas Jazairi, who was a student of Allama Al-Majlisi, also held the same view.
