“And all of his creation will return to him on the Day of Judgment, alone, with no helper from Allah, nor a defense for him, so Allah will decide what he wants to judge, and he will do with him what he wants”. On the Day of Resurrection, one of us will come to stand before Allah, Glory be to Him alone. No money, children, prestige, or authority will benefit him except what he has done of deeds. Subhannahu wa Taala, the Most High, Who says:

[يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ * إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ]

“the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit, * except those who come before Allah with a pure heart ˹will be saved.” [TMQ Ashu-Shu‘ara :88-89]

And on that day we will reap the fruits of what our hands have presented in this world, and we will be held accountable even for the amount of an atom, whether it is good or bad. The obedient will experience paradise and bliss, while the disobedient will see shame and humiliation and dwell in the fire of Hell, Allah forbid

[یَوْمَىِٕذ یَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتاً لِّیُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمْ * فَمَن یَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَیْراً یَرَهُ * وَمَن یَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّة شَرّاً یَرَهُ]

“So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it,* And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” [TMQ Az-Zalzalah:7-8].

This verse makes us reconsider our accounts and be constantly accountable to ourselves, fearing Allah (swt) and that great situation. He (swt) says:

[يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ * يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَى وَمَا هُم بِسُكَارَى وَلَكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ]

“O humanity! Fear your Lord, for the ˹violent˺ quaking at the Hour is surely a dreadful thing. *The Day you see it, every nursing mother will abandon what she is nursing, and every pregnant woman will deliver her burden ˹prematurely˺. And you will see people ˹as if they were˺ drunk, though they will not be drunk; but the torment of Allah is ˹terribly˺ severe.” [TMQ Al-Hajj: 1-2]

This is the fear that must make us turn to Allah (swt) and perform what He has enjoined upon us in terms of obligations and duties, and increase our supererogatory deeds and acts of worship, so that we fill our pages with good deeds and increase the weight of our scales with good deeds

[فَأَمَّا مَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ * فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَاضِيَةٍ * وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ * فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ * وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ * نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ]

“So as for those whose scale is heavy ˹with good deeds˺* they will be in a life of bliss. * And as for those whose scale is light, *their home will be the abyss.*And what will make you realize what that is? * ˹It is˺ a scorching Fire.” [TMQ Al-Qari‘ah:6-11]

And we are now in a blessed month in which there is an opportunity to increase the weight of the scales with righteous deeds, actions that bring us closer to Allah, and acts of worship, such as fasting, obligatory and recommended prayers, charity, reading the Qur’an, dhikr, performing Umrah, upholding ties of kinship, breaking the fast of those who fast, carrying the da’wah and working to honour this Deen. And the predecessors were keen to seize this month and consider it an opportunity for great profit and victory, so it is narrated that if Ramadan ended they would say: “Ramadan is a market that rose and then fell, in which some won, and others lost” Oh Allah, make us among the accepted winners in this blessed month.

On the other hand, this verse strengthens us to endure and persevere upon the religion in a time of estrangement from it, a time when one who clings to his religion is like one who grasps hot coals when there are evils, sins, corruption and causing corruption, and to fight against everyone who speaks the word of truth and the unbelievers fight against the Ummah of Islam. So we stand firm on the path of truth despite all the difficulties, challenges, slanders and ridicule that we are exposed to in this path, seeking the pleasure of Allah the Almighty Alone, because we know that we will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection individually, and He will judge us for what we have presented, and the people of the earth will not benefit us all if we are negligent or disobedient.

This verse prompts us to think about death and what comes after it, and that a day will surely come and our journey in this worldly life will end. Are we ready for that day? And what have we prepared for it? Where will our destiny be? Are we of the doers of good, or of those whose efforts go astray in the life of this world, while they think that they are doing well?!

It is a verse that makes us live between fear and hope, fear of Allah, so we feel His presence watching over us before doing the deed and while doing it, so we fear Him and follow what He commanded, and fear for our fate what it will be, and hope that our Lord will forgive us and have mercy upon us and shade us under His shade on that day when we will stand between His hands as individuals. O Lord, make Paradise our home and our destiny, and help us to remember You, thank you, and worship you well.

Bara’ah Manasrah
(Translated)