From Worldly Abode to the Hereafter
A core pillar of Islamic faith is the afterlife, an eternal accounting that begins after a person’s temporary sojourn in this world. The Exalted Allah has made the realm of bodies a waystation for spirits and has decreed a specific term for everyone in this realm. The afterlife commences with the end of this appointed period; for there, there is no possibility of increase or decrease. When death arrives and the deadline is reached, the soul departs from the body and embarks on a journey towards the terrifying day when a person will witness the ultimate results of their trials – the Day of Judgment (Qiyamah). On that day, the veil over actions in this worldly life is lifted, and humanity confronts absolute reality.
The Mizan: The Precise Scale of Deeds
On the Day of Judgment, souls are returned to bodies for reckoning and reward. The records kept by the angelic scribes, “Kiraman Katibin,” during a person’s time in this world are opened for all to see. Every particle of good or evil done in the world is presented. The divine scale established to weigh the quantity of merits and sins is called the “Mizan.” This scale is unlike worldly scales; there, the weight of deeds is measured according to the sincerity and piety (taqwa) within one’s intentions. Humanity’s actions will be evaluated with this spiritual measure in the presence of Allah, the possessor of absolute justice, without any injustice.
The Weight of Rights of Others (Kul Hakkı) on the Day of Judgment
One of the most feared aspects of the Resurrection is the violation of others’ rights – known as ‘Kul Hakkı.’ Even if a person has performed their acts of worship perfectly, the situation for someone who transgresses upon the rights of others is extremely precarious. On that great day of reckoning, they are stopped at the Mizan; mountains like in magnitude of merits may be present due to the actions they committed in this world. However, they are questioned about how they cared for their family, how they fulfilled their rights and obligations, and where they earned and spent their wealth. Such meticulous accounting takes place that injustices committed in the world are loaded upon them, and all their merits are taken away as compensation for those injustices. If no merit remains, the sins of the oppressed are charged to them. Therefore, true salvation lies in departing for the afterlife free from debt and cleansed of violations of others’ rights.