Scenes from the Day of Resurrection: And The Book Will Be Put in Place

Published in June 7, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

 God mentions this expression twice in the Quran: "And the book will be put in place..." (18:49) "...and the book will be put in place..." (39:69). On the Day of Judgment, there will be two books as follows.

1- There are two types of Books of Deeds for all humanity as follows.

1/1: There is the collective Book of Deeds for every community, nation, Umma, or society.

1/2: There is an individual Book of Deeds for each soul, containing its recorded deeds, thoughts, words, and stances.

2- God's Last Book, the Quran, is the basis of measuring/weighing the deeds of each soul; the Quran (like God's previous Scriptures) is the Criterion to measure how each soul has (not) applied God's commands. God says the following about the Quran: "And it is with Us, in the Mother of the Book, sublime and wise." (43:4); we provide more details about that topic in the points below.

Firstly: the Book of Deeds:

1- All deeds of all human souls are recorded by angels, and upon Resurrection on the Last Day, each soul will read its Book of Deeds as its guide to indicate its fate for eternity, either in Hell or in Paradise: "It is We who revive the dead; and We write down what they have forwarded, and their traces. We have tallied all things in a Clear Record." (36:12).

2- Upon Resurrection, deeds of the soul will be measured/weighed by the atom: "On that Day, the people will emerge in droves, to be shown their works. Whoever has done an atom's weight of good will see it. And whoever has done an atom's weight of evil will see it." (99:6-8).

3- Sinners on the Last Day will feel the utter shame and disgrace and extreme fear as they read their Book of Deeds filled with sins, disobedience, and evildoing; God says the following in the Quran: "On the Day when every soul finds all the good it has done presented. And as for the evil it has done, it will wish there were a great distance between them. God warns you of Himself. God is Kind towards the servants." (3:30).

4- Upon being gathered and made to stand in a row before the Dominant Lord God, all deeds of all souls will be exposed in the Book of Deeds: "On that Day you will be exposed, and no secret of yours will remain hidden." (69:18).

5- All souls will be made to stand in a row before the Dominant Lord God: "They will be presented before your Lord in a row. "You have come to Us as We created you the first time. Although you claimed We would not set a meeting for you."" (18:48).

6- Sinners will be mightily surprised by the fact that their Book of Deeds never miss even a single act of evil/sin committed by them: "And the book will be placed, and you will see the sinners fearful of its contents. And they will say, "Woe to us! What is with this book that leaves nothing, small or big, but it has enumerated it?" They will find everything they had done present. Your Lord does not wrong anyone." (18:49).

7- Each human community will be brought before the Dominant Mighty Lord God to read its collective Book of Deeds: "You will see every community on its knees; every community will be called to its Book: "Today you are being repaid for what you used to do. This Book of Ours speaks about you in truth. We have been transcribing what you have been doing."" (45:28-29); this does NOT contradict the fact that each soul will receive its individual Book of Deeds which will be a copy taken from the collective Book of Deeds of one's society; i.e., how one has interacted within one's society/community in public and in private.  

8- The above point is asserted further in these verses: "On the Day when We call every people with their leader. Whoever is given his record in his right hand - these will read their record, and they will not be wronged one bit. But whoever is blind in this, he will be blind in the Hereafter, and further astray from the Way." (17:71-72).

9- Each soul will receive its Book of Deeds on the Last Day; their deeds on earth 'flew' (i.e., they were copied in) to such books; they will see if they have chosen guidance or misguidance as per their own free will: "For every person We have attached his bird/fate to his neck. And on the Day of Resurrection, We will bring out for him a book which he will find spread open. "Read your book; today there will be none but yourself to call you to account." Whoever is guided - is guided for his own good. And whoever goes astray - goes astray to his detriment. No burdened soul carries the burdens of another, nor do We ever punish until We have sent a messenger." (17:13-15).

10- On the Last Day, those receiving their Books of Deeds by their right hands are the winners; those receiving their Books of Deeds by their left hand behind their backs are the losers. God says the following in the Quran; see 69:19-37.

11- Once each soul receives its Book of Deeds, its judgment begins; God says the following in the Quran: "As for him who is given his book in his right hand. He will have an easy judgment. And will return to his family delighted. But as for him who is given his book behind his back. He will call for death. And will enter the Hell-fire." (84:7-12).

Secondly: the Divine Book of the Scales:

 This means weighing one's Book of Deeds in one side of the Scales, and the other side of the Scales contains the Quran as the Criterion of judgment. 

1- Human beings use scales of two sides in acts of purchase/selling to weigh goods/merchandise using one standard unit of measurement (e.g., kilos or pounds) in one given country. Likewise, on the Last Day, the only Criterion or unit of measurement of people's deeds is One and the same: God's Word/Book: the Quran. 

2- Within the Scales of the Day of Judgment, there is no room for injustice at all; the Scales are based on Justice and the Truth: "We will set up the Scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will suffer the least injustice. And even if it be the weight of a mustard-seed, We will bring it up. Sufficient are We as the Judge." (21:47).

3- One's Book of Deeds will be put on one side of the Scales; the Quran (God's Book given to humanity for guidance) will be put on the other side of the Scales; this is why the Quran, God's Word, is described as the Balance; this applies to the Divine Scriptures granted to all prophets/messengers as these Scripture aim at making people uphold justice: "We sent Our messengers with the clear proofs, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that humanity may uphold justice..." (57:25). The Quran is the Last Message/Warning from God to humanity before the end of days: "It is God who revealed the Book with the Truth and the Balance. And what will make you realize that perhaps the Hour is near?" (42:17).

4- Hence, it is One Last Day and One Book as the One Criterion/unit of measurement in the Scales; God has given each of His prophets/messengers one Scripture/Book; Muhammad was no exception to this rule; he was given the Quran and nothing else alongside with it; he was given no Sunna hadiths at all. Hence, each Umma/nation/community will be judged as per the Scripture (i.e., the Divine Book) given to its prophet/messenger; it will be put on one side of the Scales to measure deeds of each soul within such a nation.   

5- The result is that those whose Scales are light because of lack of good deeds will be among the losers on the Last Day; the winners are the pious, sincere believers who have performed many good deeds to make their Scales heavy: "Those whose Scales are heavy - those are the successful. But those whose Scales are light - those are they who have lost their souls; in Hell they will dwell forever." (23:102-103); "As for he whose Scales are heavy. He will be in a pleasant life. But as for he whose Scales are light.  His home is the Abyss.  Do you know what it is? A Raging Fire." (101:6-11).

6- God says the following in the Quran: "The Scales on that Day will be just. Those whose weights are heavy - it is they who are the successful. But as for those whose weights are light - it is they who have lost their souls, because they used to unjustly deny Our Verses." (7:8-9); this means that God's Divine Book of the Truth, the Quran, is the unit of measure or Criterion on the other side of the Scales. The successful ones are the pious monotheists who have performed many good deeds to make their Scales heavy. Those who have denied the Quran will be the losers on the Last Day. 

7- The Day of Judgment begins by putting the Divine Book in place and God's prophets/messengers and witnesses will be brought forward to be judged first and then to bear testimony as witnesses against their peoples/contemporaries; this will be followed by the judgment of the nations; i.e., all human souls of every generation: "And the earth will shine with the Light of its Lord; and the Book will be put in place; and the prophets and the witnesses will be brought in; and Judgment will be passed among them equitably, and they will not be wronged. And every soul will be fully compensated for what it had done. He is well aware of what they do." (39:69-70).

8- Thus, the mission of God's prophets/messengers and witnesses does NOT end by their being judged; they will bear testimony as witnesses against their peoples/contemporaries.

8/1: God has said the following to Muhammad: "Then how will it be, when We bring a witness from every community, and We bring you as a witness against these?" (4:41); this means that on the Last Day, he will be a witness bearing testimony against his contemporaries, including his foes: "You will die, and they will die. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be quarrelling before your Lord." (39:30-31); he will disown them for abandoning the Quran: "And the messenger will say, "My Lord, my people have abandoned this Quran." Likewise, to every prophet We assign enemies from among the criminals. But your Lord suffices as a Guide and Supporter." (25:30-31); likewise, Jesus will disown those who deified him along with his mother: "And God will say, "O Jesus son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as gods rather than Allah?'" He will say, "Glory be to You! It is not for me to say what I have no right to. Had I said it, You would have known it. You know what is in my soul, and I do not know what is in your soul. You are the Knower of the hidden. I only told them what You commanded me: that you shall worship God, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I was among them; but when You took me to Yourself, you became the Watcher over them - You are Witness over everything. If You torment them, they are Your servants; but if You forgive them, You are the Mighty and Wise." God will say, "This is a Day when the truthful ones will benefit from their truthfulness." They will have Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will remain forever. God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is the great attainment." (5:116-119).

8/2: We read these verses about witnesses bearing testimony against their contemporaries, especially high-rank wealthy clergymen, on the Last Day: "Who does graver injustice than he who fabricates lies about God? These will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, "These are they who lied about their Lord." Indeed, the curse of God is upon the unjust ones. Those who hinder others from the Path of God, and seek to make it crooked; and regarding the Hereafter, they are in denial. These will not escape on earth, and they have no allies besides God. The torment will be doubled for them. They have failed to hear, and they have failed to see. Those are the ones who lost their souls, and what they had invented has strayed away from them. Without a doubt, in the Hereafter, they will be the biggest losers." (11:18-22).

8/3: We read these verses about God's victory given to His prophets/messengers, and also to witnesses bearing testimony against their contemporaries, on the Last Day: "Most surely We will support Our messengers and those who believe, in this life, and on the Day the witnesses arise. The Day when their excuses will not profit the wrongdoers, and the curse will be upon them, and they will have the Home of Misery." (40:51-52).

9- Let us be reminded by the fact that the Muhammadans undermine and cast doubt on the Quran by their claims/accusations that it is vague and never clear enough or never covering everything in religion; they claim that the Quran needs their books of hadiths, fiqh, and interpretation to be 'rightly' understood! Nothing could be further from the truth. The Lord God tells us beforehand that Muhammad on the Last Day will be a witness bearing testimony against those Quran-haters who deny the fact that the Quran is a Clear Book that contains all things related to God's Religion: "On the Day when We raise in every community a witness against them, from among them, and bring you as a witness against these. We have revealed to you the Book, as an explanation of all things, and guidance, and mercy and good news for those who submit." (16:89). As always, God says nothing but the Absolute Truth.