AN EASY ACCOUNTING
After the believers' souls are taken gently by
angels comes the moment of accounting, when all
human beings will come before our Lord's Presence
with all that they have done.
The course of events begun on the Day of Rising
will continue with the resurrection of everyone
who has ever lived with a new body and their gathering
around the flames of Hell. Later, all of the witnesses
will be brought in, each person's book of deeds
will be opened, and everyone will account for
what he or she did in the world. After this, all
believers will be saved from the flames of Hell
by Allah's mercy and taken to Paradise. The Qur'an
describes the end of the world and the believers'
state on that day in some detail.
The end of the world begins with the first blow
of the trumpet. The world and the universe will
be destroyed forever, mountains will break into
pieces, the seas will boil, and the sky will be
destroyed…
With the second blow, human beings will be resurrected
and gather in one place to account for their actions.
Everything they did, no matter how small, will
be revealed to witnesses and to the one giving
the account. This moment will bring a deadening
shame to unbelievers, but joy and excitement to
believers, for the Qur'an refers to that day as
the "Day when Allah will
not disgrace the Prophet and those who had faith
along with him" (Surat at-Tahrim, 8)
Allah promises: "We will
certainly help Our Messengers and those who believe
both in the life of this world and on the Day
the witnesses appear," (Surah Ghafir, 51)
On the last day, sincere believers will receive
the book of their worldly deeds on their "right
side." Their accounting will be easy,
as the Qur'an says, and they will be considered
worthy enough to enter Paradise.
As for him who is given
his Book in his right hand, he will say: "Here,
come and read my Book!" (Surat al-Haqqa, 19-22)
Believers, who are to receive what our Lord
has promised, are excited and happy on "the
Day of Timeless Eternity" (Surah Qaf, 34),
and their state is described as follows:
As for him who is given
his Book in his right hand, he will be given an
easy reckoning and return to his family joyfully.
(Surat al-Inshiqaq: 7-9)
When they have given their account, believers
experience the joy of being saved. One verse says:
"Enter them [Gardens and Springs] in peace, in
complete security!" (Surat al-Hijr, 46)
This is also described in another verse:
O self at rest and at peace, return to your
Lord, well-pleasing and well-pleased! Enter among
My servants! Enter My Paradise. (Surat al-Fajr,
27-30)
By then, Allah has forgiven the sins of those
servants upon whom He has mercy, transformed their
wrong actions into good, and given them permission
to enter Paradise. These servants say:
..."If my people only knew
how my Lord has forgiven me and placed me among
the honored ones!" (Surah Ya sin, 26-27)
In another verse, Allah announces this good
news to the people of Paradise:
This is the Day when the sincerity
of the sincere will benefit them. They will have
Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining
in them timelessly, for ever and ever. (Surat
al-Ma'ida, 119)
My servants, you will feel no
fear today; you will know no sorrow. (Surat az-Zukhruf,
68)
In another verse, Allah
informs us that "Paradise will be brought up close
to the righteous, not far away" (Surah Qaf, 31)
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