Our Records Are Inside Us

Our Records Are Inside Us
Death & Purgatory

There are three stages of judgment on the Doomsday:

The first stage is the stage of the records. Many verses in the Holy Qur’an talk about the records that contain every deed of people; they are so accurate and complete that they will amaze and frighten people:

﴾And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! What a Book this is! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account of it!" They will find all that they did, place before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.﴿‌ (Al-Kahf: 49)

The book of records has special characteristics; it shows to people their deeds in a way that it feels like they have just done it. More than that, it brings all the deeds to people at once that they have done in a lifetime; ﴾On the Day when every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done, and all the evil it has done, it will wish there were a great distance between it and its evil. But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself. And Allah is full of kindness to those that serve Him.﴿‌ (Al ‘Imran: 30)

The deeds are directly brought to the people, according to the above mentioned verse, and this is not a right interpretation to think that it is the result of our deeds that is shown to us. Muslim scholars believe in the visualization of the deeds.

It is also physically possible for a material deed to turn into power and energy.

The judgments we make in this world could never be as accurate as God’s judgments in the world after. In this incomplete world and with our limited knowledge we could at most make 3D movies, which one needs to watch to the end to find out about the stories and about their messages.

But in the world after, God shows us films about our own deeds. The film is made of what we had done and has been recorded in our memory. The only thing we need to do is to recall those information by looking at the film.

This is why, contrary to the trials in this world, one can never deny what he or she is accused of in the world after, as God says in Qur’an, ﴾Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck: On the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll, which he will see spread open.﴿‌ (Al-Isra’: 13)

This means that people carry their good and evil deeds inside them, and when they are shown what they have done, they are unable to deny them;

﴾(It will be said to him:) Read thine (own) record: Sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an account against thee.﴿ (Al-Isra’: 14)

There are some evil deeds that need to be revealed by God in order for sinners to be punished for committing them. God will reveal the deeds for everyone so that the sinner is disgraced. But in other cases, one’s secret is kept.

* Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi