The Day of Judgment
The most important day we will experience is a day that is not in our present life, but in the Hereafter: the Day of Judgment. Belief in this day is often mentioned in the Qur'an as the foundation of religion itself and almost equated with belief in Allah in the form: "... who believes in Allah and the Last Day..." Our entire existence is directed towards this day, and whoever is successful on this day will experience eternal happiness. But whoever is among the losers on this day will experience eternal torment, for the Fire, whose fuel is stones and people, is only a metaphor.
Every soul will taste death, and you will be given your reward in full on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever is kept away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise will have succeeded. And the life of this world is nothing but a deceitful enjoyment.
(Ali Imran 185)
O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones...
(At-Tahrim 6)
This day will be a terrifying event for all, so terrifying that even an innocent little child will get grey hair:
How can you, if you disbelieve, protect yourselves from a Day that will make children grey-haired?
(Al-Muzzammil 17)
There will be unimaginable fear and terror! The day itself is called "the greatest terror." It begins with the entire universe collapsing and nothing remaining alive except Allah.
When the sun is wrapped up, and when the stars fall, and when the mountains are set in motion, and when the pregnant camels are neglected, and when the wild beasts are gathered, and when the seas become a flaming fire, and when the souls are paired...
(At-Takwir 1-7)
Then the angels will be resurrected first. The first person to be resurrected is the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. People will be gathered on the plain of Masyar. Every person will be naked and will only have space for their feet. But no one will pay attention to the nakedness of others, because everyone will be preoccupied with themselves and have unimaginable fear, knowing that now the course for eternity will be set. The mother will forget her child, the disbeliever will wish they were dust:
Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will see what his hands have put forth, and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, would that I were dust!"
(An-Naba 40)
And do not think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare in horror. Racing ahead, with heads raised up, their gaze does not return to them, and their hearts are empty.
(Ibrahim 42-43)
It is the day of truth, on which all deeds will be examined and judged in the light of truth. That is why the eyes stare in horror: they cannot blink, so as not to miss the smallest part of the truth. The punishment for injustice will be so great that people would give everything to buy themselves free from the punishment, even their own children.
And if every soul that wronged possessed everything on earth, it would try to ransom itself with it. And they will feel remorse when they see the punishment (coming upon them). And it will be judged between them in justice, and they will not be wronged.
(Yunus 54)
But those who feared this day already on earth and therefore led a pious life will be at peace. However, those who did not fear this day and mocked it, thus being disbelievers or sinners, will then fear this day.
If those who wronged possessed everything on earth and the like of it with it, they would surely ransom themselves with it from the terrible punishment on the Day of Resurrection. But there will appear to them from Allah that which they had not expected. And the evils of what they earned will become clear to them, and that which they used to mock will encompass them.
(Zumar 47-48)
The entire creation is directed towards this day: the meeting of the creatures with their Creator. Every creature, including animals and Jinn, will appear before Allah and Allah will judge between them. Whoever has wronged another will have to compensate them now, in the form of good deeds whose reward goes to the other, or, if they have no more good deeds to their credit, in the form of sins whose punishment they must now bear. Books will be brought forth in which all deeds have been recorded.
And when the Horn is blown with one blast, and the earth and the mountains are lifted and crushed with one blow, on that Day, the Event will occur. And the heaven will split, for on that Day it will be fragile. And the angels will be at its edges, and eight (angels) will carry the Throne of your Lord above them on that Day. On that Day you will be presented (before Allah) - none of your secrets will be hidden. Then as for he who is given his book in his right hand, he will say, "Here, read my book! Indeed, I was certain that I would meet my account." So he will be in a pleasant life in a lofty Paradise, whose fruits are near. "Eat and drink with satisfaction for what you put forth in the days past." But as for he who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, would that I had not been given my book! And had not known what my account is! Oh, would that death had made an end of me! My wealth has not availed me. My power has gone from me." "Seize him and bind him, then put him in the Hellfire. Then put him in a chain whose length is seventy cubits. Indeed, he did not believe in Allah, the Most Great, and did not encourage the feeding of the poor. So he has no friend here today, and no food except from the discharge of wounds, which only sinners eat."
(Al-Haqqa 13-37)
The Last Day has many names, including the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Gathering, the Hour or the Moment, the Day of Judgment, the Day of Reckoning (of deeds), the Day of Truth, or the Day of Regret. It is 50,000 years long! That means, our life in this world compared to the Day of Judgment alone is only about two minutes long. The time of our life compared to the Hereafter, i.e., eternity, is about 75 years divided by infinity = Zero! It is this reality that we must keep in mind when we ask: "If God is good, how can He allow all this suffering and injustice on earth?" All the suffering, but also all the pleasure one can experience here, has no significance compared to the Hereafter! And not only in the temporal dimension. Joy and sorrow in the Hereafter are also far beyond our imagination: one moment in Paradise makes one forget all the torments on earth; one moment in Hell, on the other hand, makes one forget all the pleasures ever experienced on earth.
And listen on the Day when the caller will call from a near place (to the Day of Judgment). The Day when they will hear the shout in truth - that will be the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, We alone give life and cause death, and to Us is the return. On the Day when the earth splits and releases them (the dead), rushing forth, then a gathering will take place, (which is) very easy for Us.
(Qaf 41-44)
On this day, the sun will be close above the gathered people and will scourge them with terrible heat. Depending on their deeds, people will stand in sweat up to their ankles, some up to their hips, some up to their necks, some will be completely submerged. Others, however, will be shaded under the Throne of Allah: a just ruler; a man who spent his youth in piety; someone who shed tears in solitude when remembering Allah; someone whose heart was attached to mosques; two people who met and parted only for Allah's sake; someone whom a beautiful and influential woman tried to seduce and who said: "I fear Allah"; someone who gave charity so secretly that his left hand did not know what his right hand gave; someone who forgave others their financial debts; someone who helped others in need; someone who concealed the faults of others; someone who defended his brother in his absence when he was spoken ill of; those who practiced justice; someone who fought for the cause of Allah or kept watch in Jihad; someone who controlled his anger and avoided revenge, even though he was able to exercise it; those who called the call to prayer, and others. A special status is of course given to the martyr, who gave his life sincerely for the cause of Allah: he will not even experience this day and will enter Paradise directly. We ask Allah to choose us as martyrs!
Rasulallah s.a.w. will recognize his Ummah by the signs of their ablution, as these places emit light.
(This,) which has been revealed to you, as to those before you: 'If you associate partners with Allah, your work will surely be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers.'
(Az-Zumar 65)
And We will turn to the deeds they have done and make them like scattered dust.
(Al-Furqan 23)
But those who disbelieve - their deeds are like a mirage in a desert: the thirsty one thinks it is water, until when he reaches it, he finds it is nothing. But he finds Allah near him, who will settle his account; and Allah is swift in reckoning.
(An-Nur 39)
A disbeliever will find their good deeds, but they will be worthless, only like a mirage or like dust that the wind blows away. This is exactly what will happen to deeds that do not meet two criteria: They are done without Ikhlas (sincerity), i.e., they were not done solely for and because of Allah, but for example to gain the approval of others (Riya); and they do not follow the example of the Prophet s.a.w.
Say, "Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in respect of their deeds? Those whose effort in the worldly life went astray while they thought they were doing well."
(Al-Kahf 103-104)
People will be questioned about their deeds. The questions that will be asked include:
- • Did one accept the truth (i.e., Islam)?
- • Did one perform the prayers and how did one perform them?
- • How did one use one's time and health?
- • To what extent did one act upon one's knowledge?
- • How did one earn one's money and what did one spend it on?
- • Was one grateful for all the pleasures that Allah had given one in this world?
- • Did one keep one's promises and agreements?
- • How did one use one's senses, for good or bad things?
To judge the deeds, they will first be enumerated. Witnesses will be called. The body of the person will begin to speak! The eyes will testify to what they saw; the mouth, what it said or ate; the hand, what it did; the legs, where they went, and so on. Other people, the angels, the animals, and the earth itself will also be called as witnesses and questioned.
When the earth is shaken with its violent shaking, and the earth brings out its burdens, and man says, "What is with it?" On that Day, it will tell its stories, as your Lord has inspired it. On that Day, people will come forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds. Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
(Al-Zalzala)
He asks, "When is the Day of Resurrection?" Then, when the eye is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon are joined together. On that Day, man will say, "Where is the escape?" No! There is no refuge! (Only) with your Lord on that Day is the destination. Man will be informed on that Day of what he sent ahead and what he left behind.
(Al-Qiyama 6-12)
Nothing will remain hidden, not the smallest grain of injustice, unless Allah has mercy on someone and will say: "I have covered your sins on earth, I cover them also on this day!" To attain this mercy, one should cover the sins of other people in this world, i.e., not talk about them and let third parties know about them. Note that only sins that do not concern others can be covered, i.e., only those that concern oneself and Allah. If other people are affected, i.e., one has wronged others, this must be judged.
Al-Qari'a! What is Al-Qari'a? And what will make you know what Al-Qari'a is? On a Day when people will be like scattered moths, and the mountains will be like fluffy wool, then as for he whose scales are heavy, he will enjoy a pleasant life. But as for he whose scales are light, his destination will be the Hawiya. And what will make you know what the (Hawiya) is? (It is) a blazing Fire.
(Al-Qari'a)
The scales will be set up and the deeds will be weighed. Whoever then has more good deeds than bad will, inshaAllah, enter Paradise, with Allah in His grace counting good deeds ten to seven hundred times over, while sins are counted only once.
The following sins have punishments already on the Day of Judgment:
- Whoever did not pay Zakat (charity) will find their wealth, on which they did not pay Zakat, in the form of a snake that coils around them and crushes them. But not only that: the wealth will be heated in the Hellfire and hung around their neck as a collar. Camels and other livestock, on whose possession Zakat was not paid, will bite and trample their owner.
- Arrogance is one of the greatest sins. One follows in the footsteps of Satan, who was expelled from Paradise because of his arrogance and cursed. On the Day of Judgment, those with arrogance will be resurrected in the form of small ants. Other people will step on them without even noticing them.
- Allah will not speak to the following people: those who concealed the truth, i.e., the truth and knowledge of Islam (to gain advantages in this world); those who used Allah's name to gain people's trust or an advantage, e.g., in the form "I swear by Allah"; those who wore their garments below their ankles due to arrogance; those who constantly reminded people of the favors they had done for them; those who withheld water from a traveler, although they had enough themselves; an old man who committed adultery; a king who lied; a poor man who was arrogant; someone who was cold and disobedient to his parents; a woman who imitated men (widespread today); a man who felt no jealousy when his wife committed adultery.
- Those with the most wealth will be the lowest, unless they give generously from their wealth.
- Every traitor will be given a flag by which people will recognize them. The greatest traitors will carry the greatest flags, these are above all unjust leaders.
- A thief (specifically those who steal war booty) will carry what they stole on their shoulders on the Day of Judgment (so if they stole a camel, they will have to carry it then).
- Someone who illegally acquires land will be swallowed to the depth of seven earths, i.e., crushed by this weight.
- Those with "two faces," i.e., those who speak to one with a friendly face but then speak ill of them in front of others. The "two-faced" will have a tongue of fire.
- Whoever seeks a leadership position and obtains it, and then closes themselves off from the poor and needy, Allah will close Himself off from them on the Day of Judgment.
- Someone who begs, although they have enough, will be resurrected without flesh on their face.
- Someone who claims to have dreamed something specific, although they did not dream it.
- Someone who eavesdropped on private conversations / spied will have molten copper poured into their ears.
On the Day of Judgment, people are extremely exhausted and tired, so that in the end they get the idea to ask the prophets for intercession, so that they may ask for the judgment to finally begin, even if it should end with the Hellfire afterwards. So they first go to the Prophet Adam and tell him that he was the first person whom Allah created with His own hands, and ask him if he could intercede. But Adam will say that he is not suitable for this because he violated Allah's command and ate from the forbidden fruit. They should rather go to Noah. But Noah will say that he prayed for the destruction of his people and therefore could not intercede; the people should go to Ibrahim (Abraham). He, however, will say that he lied when the idolaters asked him who destroyed the idol statues, and therefore could not intercede; they should go to Moses. But Moses will remind the people that he had killed a man, and therefore could not intercede. Finally, the people come to Jesus, who does not list any sin that he committed, but still refers the people to Muhammad s.a.w.
Muhammad s.a.w., the seal of the prophets, whose sins in this world have been forgiven, will hurry to the Throne of Allah and prostrate himself there. Then he will praise Allah with words that have never been heard before and that are inspired by Allah, whereupon Allah will say: "O Muhammad, raise your head! Ask, and your request will be granted! Intercede, and your intercession will be granted!" Muhammad s.a.w. will say "Ummati, Ummati" (i.e., my community)! This will then be the moment when the books are handed out and the people are judged.
It is important to note that in Islam there is no "original sin"! We are not responsible for what Adam did, nor can anyone atone for our sins and take them upon themselves like Jesus in Christianity. We are only responsible for what we ourselves have done, and no one can help us.
And what will make you know what the Day of Judgment is? Again, what will make you know what the Day of Judgment is? On that Day, no soul will be able to do anything for another soul; and the command on that Day belongs (entirely) to Allah.
(Al-Infitar 17-19)
Never would the Messiah disdain to be a servant of Allah, nor would the angels near (to Allah). And whoever disdains His worship and is arrogant - He will gather them all to Himself. But those who believe and do righteous deeds - He will give them their full reward and more from His bounty. But those who disdain and are arrogant - He will punish them with a painful punishment. And they will not find for themselves besides Allah any protector or helper.
(An-Nisa 172-173)
The books will be thrown down from a height. At the moment the book is thrown, the hair turns grey because of the fear that everyone has: Does the book land in the left or the right hand?
All people will follow what they followed in this world. An idol worshipper will follow the idol they worshipped, and with it go to Hell. Someone who worshipped the sun or the moon will follow them and go to Hell. Those who worshipped Jesus will follow the cross and with it go to Hell. Last of all, those who worshipped only Allah will remain. Allah will meet them in a form they recognize and they will follow Allah. The bridge (As-Siraat) will be laid over Hell, and Muhammad s.a.w. will be the first to cross the bridge.
Depending on their deeds, people will cross the bridge either like lightning, hurry across, walk, or crawl. The hypocrites will remain mixed with the Muslims until this time and hide among them. But when they want to cross the bridge, they have no light and cannot see their way, which is why they fall:
On the Day when you will see the believing men and the believing women, while their light runs before them and on their right, (it will be said): "Good news for you today! Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein you will abide eternally. That is the great attainment." On the Day when the hypocrites and the hypocritical women will say to those who believe, "Wait for us so that we may borrow from your light." It will be said, "Go back and seek light." Then a wall will be erected between them with a gate in it. Within it is mercy, and outside it is punishment. They will call out to them, "Were we not with you?" They will say, "Yes, but you tempted yourselves and waited and doubted, and the wishes deluded you until the command of Allah came. And the deceiver deceived you about Allah." So today no ransom will be accepted from you or from those who disbelieved. Your refuge is the Fire; it is your protector. And wretched is the destination!
(Al-Hadid 12-15)
We ask that Allah enables us to do good deeds and protects us from evil deeds, so that on the Day of Judgment our book is given to us in our right hand and we are admitted to gardens whose pleasures are indescribable, and that we are spared from a place whose horror and torment are unimaginable!
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