Verses and Translation
وَٱلۡوَزۡنُ يَوۡمَٮِٕذٍ ٱلۡحَقُّۚ فَمَن ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَٲزِينُهُ ۥ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ (٨)
“And the weighing [of deeds] that Day will be the truth. So those whose scales are heavy – it is they who will be the successful.”
Commentary
“And the weighing” of deeds on the Day of Resurrection “will be the true (weighing)” for Allah will not wrong anyone. Allah said in other verse “And We shall set up the Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We to take account.” [Quran; 21:47]
“Surely, Allah wrongs not even the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good (done), He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.” [Quran; 4:40]
When the Balance is fixed on the Day of Judgment, ‘truth’ and weight will be identical. The more truth one has to one’s credit, the more truth one has to one’s credit, the more the weight in one’s scale; and vice versa. One will be judged solely on the basis of this weight. In other words, no consideration other than truth will enter into the calculation. A life of falsehood, however long it lasted, and however full of worldly achievements, will carry no weight at all. Weighed in the Balance, the devotees of falsehood will discover that their life-long deeds do not even weigh so much as a bird’s feather. The same point has been expatiated upon in al-Kahf 18:103-5 : ‘Shall We tell you of those who are greatest losers in respect of their deeds? It is those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they kept believing that they were acquiring good by their deeds. they are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter). So their works are in vain and we shall attach no weight to them on the Day of Judgment.’ [Maududi]
Foundational Attributes
justice, conviction, motivation