What is MIZAN (SCALE)?

Mizan literally means a device used for weighing something, weighing device, scale. In Islamic terms, it is a spiritual scale which will be used to weigh one’s good deeds and sins in the Hereafter. Mizan is not a device that just weighs materials. There are also devices for measuring hotness, coldness and speed. Besides being used to weigh materials and some symptoms, Mizan is also used allegorically in law to weigh badness and goodness. Such as scale of law, scale of goodness, scale of truth, scale of reasoning…

Allah the Most Glorious stated in the Qur’an about scales of different types of measurement as in the following:

“And the sky He has uplifted; and He has set the measure, that you exceed not the measure, but observe the measure strictly, and do not fall short of it.” [ar-Rahman, 55:7–9, Qur'an translation by M.Marmaduke Pickthall]

The scale exclusive to weighing good and bad deeds in the Hereafter is real and it will be set up. The weighing of deeds will take place after the distribution of recording books of deeds.

During weighing with Mizan, if a fiendish person has good deeds, they will be given to people who were behaved unfairly by him/her. If he/she does not have good deeds, those people’s sins will be given to him/her. After everyone’s various deeds are weighed, the total of gains and losses will be deducted from the sum total. Allah the Most Glorious tells about this scale to be set up in the Hereafter as follows:

“And We set a just scale for the Day of Resurrection so that no soul is wronged in anything. Though it be of the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and We bring it. And We suffice for reckoners. [al-Anbiya 21:47,Qur'an translation by M.Marmaduke Pickthall]

“The weighing on that day is the true (weighing). As for those whose scale is heavy, they are the successful. And as for those whose scale is light: those are they who lose their souls because they disbelieved Our revelations. [al-A’raf 7:8-9, Qur'an translation by M.Marmaduke Pickthall] 

If a scale is heavy, it is related to the weight of the thing weighed with it. The pan which should weigh heavy is the one in which belief and good deeds are put. The ones whose belief and good deeds weigh heavier on the scale are the ones who will be successful

Accordingly, one must accept the reality of Mizan to weigh people’s deeds. However, it is impossible for human logic to perceive the reality of weighing process and the essence of Mizan in details. This does not mean that the believer has an excuse to deny their existence. 

However, as for those who do not believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment; Allah will not have their deeds weighed anyhow. The process of weighing will be carried out in order to determine the amounts of good deeds and sins of people. Infidels’ good deeds will have gone to waste because they denied Allah and the fact that people will be resurrected after death and that they will be questioned for their lives. Faith is like a bowl keeping and saving good deeds in itself. As an infidel does not have Faith, he/she will have nothing left other than his/her infidelity and sins; therefore, there will be no need to weigh his/her deeds. For this reason, Allah states:

“Say: Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works? They are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight.” (al-Kahf 18:103-105, Qur'an translation by A.Yusuf Ali]

People will be of many kinds as far as the matter of weighing the deeds is concerned.

• Those who will enter the Paradise without reckoning, deeds of such category will not be weighed at all (Sahihain).
• Kuffars (disbelievers), their deeds will have no weight in the scale. Allah Says: "And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did (in this life), and We shall make such deeds as floating dust scattered about."[al-Furqan 25:23, Qur'an translation by A.Yusuf Ali]
  Allah also Says: "…vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight."[al-Kahf 18:105, Qur'an translation by A.Yusuf Ali]
• Those people whose good deeds will surpass the bad deeds thus they will enter the Paradise.
• Those people whose bad deeds will have more weight than the good ones; they will enter the Fire (Hell) and stay there to the extent of their bad deeds. Finally they will go to the Paradise.
• Those people whose deeds will be weighed, and their good deeds will be equal to their bad ones; their destination will be al-A’raf.
  
  

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah's Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

• Download - What is MIZAN (SCALE)?