Surah Al-Qaari'a (101) — Ayah 6

The word "mawazin" is the plural of "mizan", meaning scales. What is meant are the pans of the scales. For details, see the exegesis of Surah Al-A'raf (8, 9). After this, the deeds will be weighed. By {’’ مَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِيْنُهٗ ‘‘} (one whose scales are heavy) is meant the pans of good deeds.

6. 1. Mawazin is the plural of mizan. It means the scale in which the records of deeds will be weighed. As mentioned in (وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَىِٕذِۨ الْحَقُّ ۚ فَمَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِيْنُهٗ فَاُولٰۗىِٕكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُوْنَ ۝) 7. Al-A'raf:8), (اُولٰۗىِٕكَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا بِاٰيٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَلِقَاۗىِٕهٖ فَحَبِطَتْ اَعْمَالُهُمْ فَلَا نُقِيْمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيٰمَةِ وَزْنًا 15۔) 18. Al-Kahf:15), and (وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِيْنَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَـيْــــــًٔا ۭ وَ اِنْ كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ اَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۭ وَكَفٰى بِنَا حٰسِـبِيْنَ 47؀) 21. Al-Anbiya:47) as well. Some say that here it is not mizan, but the plural of mawzun, meaning such deeds that have significance and special weight with Allah (Fath al-Qadir), but the first meaning is more likely and authentic. The meaning is that those whose good deeds are more, at the time of weighing deeds, the pan of their good deeds will become heavier.

Then as for him whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy [5],

[5] The Different Meanings of Mawazin and the Forms of the Scales of Deeds: In this verse, after the second blowing of the trumpet, a scene from the Plain of Resurrection is being presented, where the deeds of people will be weighed. The singular of مَوَازِیْنُ is mawzun as well as mizan, and the plural of both is mawazin. In this regard, there are two meanings of this verse. One is that only mawzun, or things that have weight, will be weighed. And in the sight of Allah, the only things that have weight or value are righteous deeds, and having faith is the foremost condition for them. Because even the good deeds of disbelievers will not be weighed. As stated in Surah Al-Kahf, verse number 105: ﴿فَلَا نُقِيْمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيٰمَةِ وَزْنًا﴾ meaning, We will not weigh their deeds at all. The second meaning is that mizan means scale as well, and it also means the weight or load that is placed in one of the pans of the scale, and each of the two pans of the scale. In this regard, the meaning will be that the person whose pan of good deeds becomes weighty or heavy, such people will be considered successful, and on that day they will be in ample comfort and ease. It should be clear that two things have a profound effect on the weight of deeds. One is with what intention a person performed that deed, and the second is how much sincerity and pure seeking of Allah’s pleasure is present in it. For example, take prayer. A hypocrite also performs prayer, and so does a believer. But there can be as much difference between the weight of their seemingly identical deeds as between the earth and the sky. Or, for example, one person, purely for the sake of Allah’s pleasure and with sincere intention, feeds a poor person. Another does the same, but wants to extract some forced labor from the poor person, or does it so that people talk about his charity towards the poor—so there will be a great difference in the weight of these seemingly identical deeds. Since Allah is aware of people’s intentions and all that is in their hearts, the weighing of deeds will be based on utmost justice.