Transition from the Worldly Inn to the Abode of the Hereafter
The afterlife, one of the fundamental pillars of Islamic belief, is the eternal reckoning that begins after a person’s temporary sojourn in this world. The Exalted God has made the realm of bodies an inn for spirits and has decreed a specific term for everyone in this realm. The afterlife begins with the end of this appointed period; for there is no possibility of increase or decrease therein. When death arrives and the deadline is reached, the soul separates from the body and sets out towards the terrible day when a person will see the true results of their trials – the Day of Judgment. On that day, the veil over actions in worldly life is lifted, and humanity confronts absolute reality.
The Scale (Mizan): The Sensitive Balance for Deeds
On the Day of Judgment, souls are sent back to bodies for reckoning and reward, and the books recorded by the angelic scribes (“Kiramen Katibin”) while in this world are opened to everyone. Even the smallest act of kindness or wrongdoing a person did in this world is brought before them. The divine scale established to weigh the quantity of good deeds and sins is called “mizan.” This scale is unlike worldly scales; there, the weight of actions is measured according to the sincerity and piety in one’s intentions. People’s deeds will be evaluated with this spiritual measure in the presence of God, who possesses absolute justice, without any injustice.
The Weight of a Debt to Another Human Being (Kul Hakkı) on the Day of Judgment
One of the things most feared on the Day of Judgment is a debt owed to another human being (kul hakkı). Even if a person has performed their acts of worship perfectly in this world, the situation of someone who violates the rights of others is extremely precarious. On that great day of reckoning, they are stopped with the scale (mizan) of those they have wronged; they have mountains of good deeds due to the actions they committed in this world. However, at the place where they are stopped, they are questioned about how they cared for their family, how they fulfilled rights and obligations, and from where they earned and spent their wealth. Such a detailed accounting is made that injustices they committed in this world are loaded upon them, and all their good deeds are taken away to compensate for those injustices. If no good deeds remain, the sins of the oppressed are charged to them. Therefore, true salvation lies in being able to go to the hereafter debt-free and cleansed of any debts owed to others.