92
A man came and sat in front of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have two slaves who lie to me, deceive me, and disobey me, and I scold them and hit them. So, what is my case because of them?”
He said: “The extent to which they betrayed you, disobeyed you, and lied to you will be measured against how much you punish them. If your punishing them is equal to their sins, then the two will be the same, nothing for you and nothing against you. But if your punishment exceeds their sins, some of your rewards will be taken from you and given to them.” So, the man left and began weeping and crying aloud.
Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do you not read in the Book of Allah: {We will place the scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in the least. Even if a deed is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. Sufficient are We as Reckoners.} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 47]?”
The man said: “By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I see nothing better for myself and them than me parting with them. Bear witness that they are all free.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; Sahīh (authentic)]
Indeed, if people were to know the purpose of their creation, they would not be heedless and indifferent.
Rather, they would be concerned with nothing but pleasing their Lord.
Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah will resurrect people and call out with a voice that will be heard by those distant as well as those near saying: ‘I am the King, I am the Recompenser. None of the people of Hellfire should enter Hellfire while being entitled to some right with anyone of the people of Paradise until I take it from him in retribution; and none of the people of Paradise should enter Paradise while anyone of the people of Hellfire is entitled to some right with him until I take it from him in retribution, even if it were a slap on the face.’” [Narrated by Ahmad; Sahīh (authentic)]
Our Lord, Exalted be He, rose over the Throne above all His dominion. The entire creation, including kings and tyrants and all beings, is subject to His power and authority and all faces are submissive and humble to Him. Our forelocks are in His Hand, and so are all the matters and affairs and the dominion of the universe. There is no true judge, lord, or god but Him.
Our Lord is the Recompenser. He will take His servants to account and recompense, and judge them on the Day of Resurrection. In the Qur’an, He says: {Master of the Day of Judgment.} [Surat al-Fātihah: 4] {We will place the scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in the least. Even if a deed is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. Sufficient are We as Reckoners.} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 47]
He who finds good therein should praise Allah, and he who finds otherwise should blame none but himself. {On the Day when every soul will find itself faced with whatever good it has done, and whatever evil it has done – it will wish that there were a great distance between it and its evil. And Allah warns you of Himself, and Allah is All-Kind to His slaves.} [Surat Ᾱl ‘Imrān: 30]
Allah, the Just Lord, inflicts retribution upon the wrongful on behalf of the wronged and upon the master on behalf of the slave, and the same holds true for animals as well. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “All creatures will be gathered on the Day of Judgment - animals, birds, and everything - and Allah’s justice will reach such an extent that He will take the right of the hornless animals from the horned ones.” [Narrated by Al-Hākim in Al-Mustadrak; Sahīh (authentic)] Another wording reads: “And even the right of an atom from another atom.” [Narrated by Ahmad; Sahīh (authentic)]
If you know that you will meet your Lord, the Recompenser, on the Day of Judgment; that Allah does not wrong anyone even for the weight of an atom; that the relationship among people is based upon competition while it is based on tolerance between Allah and His servants; and that the reckoning will be conducted on the basis of good and bad deeds, then how could you give away your good deeds and take from the bad deeds of others, despite your knowledge that you will surely be held accountable?!
So, be smart and hold yourself accountable before you are brought to account. As the saying goes: “A wise person would hold himself accountable and prepare for what comes after death; and a helpless person would follow his vain desires and then engage in wishful thinking about Allah.”
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them): “Do you know who the bankrupt is?” They said: “The bankrupt among us is the one who has neither money nor property.” Thereupon, he said: “The bankrupt in my Ummah is the one who will come on the Day of Judgment with prayer, fasting, and Zakah, but since he hurled abuse at others, accused others of committing adultery without evidence, unlawfully consumed the wealth of others, shed the blood of others, and beat others, his good deeds will be credited to the accounts of others, and if his good deeds fall short to clear his account, others’ sins will be cast on him and he will be thrown in Hellfire.” [Narrated by Muslim]
‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Hold yourselves accountable before you are brought to account and weigh your deeds before they are weighed on your behalf. Indeed, the reckoning tomorrow will be easier for you if you hold yourselves accountable today, and be prepared for the great gathering.” {On that day, you will be brought forth [before Allah], and none of your secrets will remain hidden.} [Surat al-Hāqqah: 18]
Remember when you will come to Allah alone, as the scales of judgment will be in place,
and the veils will be lifted and all sins will be exposed.
Remember also the statement of Abu al-Dardā’ (may Allah be pleased with him): “Righteousness does not go to waste, sins are not forgotten, the Recompenser does not sleep. So, be as you wish to be; you will reap what you sow.”
If you suffer injustice and oppression, rejoice and derive hope and comfort from Allah’s name “Ad-Dayyān”.
By Allah, oppression has evil consequences, and oppressors are those who do wrong.
To the Recompenser we shall return, and there all disputes will be settled.
O Allah, the Recompenser, we implore You to bestow Your forgiveness and mercy upon us the Day we will be resurrected and gathered for reckoning.