ALMAHDI, WICKHAM ROAD, FAREHAM, HANTS, PO17 5BU

QIYAMAH

THE JUDGEMENT DAY 

No. 19

NAAMA-E-A’MAAL (SCROLL OF DEEDS) – CON’T

PEOPLE OF THE RIGHT HAND

“Then as for him who is given his record in his right hand, he shall soon have an easy reckoning, and he will return to his folks joyfully. But as for him who is given his record from his back, he will pray for annihilation (death) and he will enter the blaze”. (82:7-12)

In these verses, Allah (SWT) is talking about two types of people who will be given their scroll of deeds: One who will receive their records in the right hand; and the others who will receive it from their back. What is the difference between these two types of people, and why is the differentiation important?

The people who will receive their records in their right hands are those who were righteous and virtuous in this life.  Among them shall also be those who were forgiven for their sins on account of their repentance, or punishment they had already received during lifetime, at the time of death or after death in Barzakh, or for their good deeds, which wiped off their sins.  Such people will easily read their scroll of deeds and then proceed to their families. “And he will return to his folks joyfully”.

What family is Allah (SWT) talking about here? Some Mufassireen state that they are his actual family members (wife and children) who on account of their Imaan had preceded him into Paradise; Some state that it is in reference to his special wife in Paradise; And some state that the family is in reference to Mumineen who will have entered into Paradise before him because Mumineen are considered as relatives in Imaan for each other. Ayatullah Naser Makarem Shirazi in his ‘Payaam-e-Quran’ is of the opinion that family in this verse refers to the actual family of a person i.e. his wife and spouse who may have preceded him into Paradise.

When a child passes in his examinations and gets his report or certificate, how happy does he become? Many at times, he also moves with the report to show his achievements to others. Such will also be the situation of the people who will receive their records in their right hand. Quran states: “As for him who is given his book in the right hand, he will say: ‘Here, take and read my book’”. (69:19) These people have also been referred to as AS-HAABUL-MAYMANA in Suratul-Waqi’ah (56) of the Holy Quran meaning ‘People of the Right hand’.

PEOPLE OF THE BACK 

The second group is of those who will be given the book MIN WARAA-A DHAHRIHI “from their back”.

These are the wretched people.

QUESTION:

If the virtuous will get their records in their right hands then it only makes sense that the wretched are given in their left hands. What does Allah (SWT) mean by MIN WARAA-A DHAHRIHI “from their back”?

In answer to this question, there are two things we should know:

One is that Allah (SWT) has also called this category of people as AS-HAABUL-MASH-AMAH meaning “people of the left hand” in Suratul-Waqi’ah. 

Secondly, Allah (SWT) has says that ‘they shall be given their records from their back’, this, according to Ayatullah Naser Makarem in his ‘Payaam-e-Quran’ could imply one of the following three things:

1.      When they are given their scroll of deeds, they will immediately hide it at the back out of embarrassment that others should not know their predicament.

2.      Or their hands will be tied at the back. Just as they kept the Book of Allah behind them in life, this day they will receive their scroll of deeds from the back.

     3.      Or their heads will be twisted behind and in order to see their scroll of deeds, they will extend their left hands towards the back.

When these people receive their Naama-e-A’maal, they will wish for their annihilation (death) and they will be sent into the blazing fire.

In another place of the Holy Quran, a much more account of their reaction has been mentioned:

WA AMMAA MAN OOTIYA KITAABAHU BISHIMAALIHI, FAYAQOOLU YAA LAYTANEE LAM OOTA KITAABIYAH,

“But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, ‘I wish I had not been given my book’”.

WA LAM ADREE MAA HISAABIYAH,

“Nor had I ever known what my account is”.

YALAYTAHA KAANATIL-QAADHIYAH

“I wish death would have been the end of it all!”.

We pray to Allah (SWT) that he (SWT) should: 

-          Forgive all our sins

-          Give us tawfeeq to do the deeds that wipes off our sins

-          Include us among those who shall be given their scroll of deeds in their right hands

-   Bless us so that we are reunited with our families in Paradise.

mulla@almahdi.org.uk