Belief in the Weighing of Deeds: In the Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
Sayyidah Juwairiyah رضي الله عنها reports:
The Prophet ﷺ passed by me early in the morning while I was sitting on the prayer mat. He came back around forenoon and I was still sitting there. He said: “Have you been sitting here since I left you?” She said: “Yes.” He said: “After I left you, I recited four phrases three times. If these words were weighed against all that you have recited today, they would outweigh them.” Then he repeated this three times and said:
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ، عَدَدَ خَلْقِهِ، وَرِضَا نَفْسِهِ، وَزِنَةَ عَرْشِهِ، وَمِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِهِ
(Glory be to Allah and all praise is for Him, as numerous as His creation, as much as pleases Him, as heavy as His Throne, and as vast as the ink of His words.)
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2726)
How can tasbīḥ (glorification) be described as equivalent to the weight of the Throne? Does tasbīḥ have weight?
❖ Answer:
According to the unanimous creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah, on the Day of Judgment, deeds will be weighed in the Balance (Mīzān). This is proven by the Qur’an, mutawātir aḥādīth, and the consensus of the Ummah.
Saying Subḥānallāh is also a deed, and Allah ﷻ has the power to give weight to these deeds even though they are not material in form. Nothing is beyond His power.
❖ Scholarly Explanation
◈ Imām Ibn Abī al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله (d. 792H) said:
ملحد و معاند کا یہ قول ناقابل التفات ہے کہ اعمال اعراض ہیں، ان کا وزن نہیں ہو سکتا، وزن تو جسم والی اشیاء کا ہوتا ہے! اللہ تعالیٰ اعراض کو اجسام میں تبدیل کر دے گا۔ پس ثابت ہوا کہ اعمال، عامل اور صحیفوں کا وزن ہوگا، یہ بھی ثابت ہوا کہ ترازو کے دو پلڑے ہوں گے، اس کے ماورا کیا کیفیات ہیں؟ یہ اللہ ہی بہتر جانتا ہے۔ ہمارے ذمے تو غیب پر ایمان لانا ہے، جیسا کہ نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے ہمیں خبر دی ہے، اس میں نہ زیادتی کی جائے اور نہ کمی۔ کتنے بدبخت ہیں وہ لوگ، جو قیامت کے دن عدل کا ترازو قائم ہونے کا انکار صرف اس وجہ سے کرتے ہیں کہ اس کی حکمت پوشیدہ ہے۔ … اگر اعمال کے وزن میں یہی حکمت ہو کہ اللہ تعالیٰ تمام بندوں کے لیے عدل و انصاف کو ظاہر کرے گا، تو اللہ تعالیٰ سے بڑھ کر کس کے پاس یہ وجہ ہو سکتی ہے؟
(شرح الطحاويّة, p. 419)
Thus, deeds, the doers, and their records will all be given weight. The Balance will indeed have two pans, but its reality and full nature are from the unseen, known only to Allah.
Conclusion:Tasbīḥ and other deeds will have real weight on the Day of Judgment by Allah’s will. Their measure is not metaphorical but actual, manifesting Allah’s perfect justice. Believing in the Mīzān (Balance) and the weighing of deeds is part of the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah.
