Introduction: The weight of deeds and the scale is one of the unseen matters that cannot be understood by reason. For this reason, rationalists often deny it and refuse to accept it. The Jahmiyyah sect is among the groups that deny the weight of deeds and the scale. In this part of the study, we will consider this issue and discuss the views and reasoning of two groups: Ahl-Sunnah wa-al Jama’ah, and the Jahmiyyah.
The Issue of the Scale and the Weight of Deeds
The weight of deeds is one of the fundamental issues on the Day of Judgment. This issue is mentioned in many verses of the Quran and in Prophetic hadiths, and great scholars have written extensively about it. On the Day of Judgment, the deeds of the servants will be weighed to determine the position of each individual and to ascertain their status based on their deeds.
Allama Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, stated about the weight of deeds: “The deeds of a pious believer are weighed to show his virtue and status, just as the deeds of an infidel are weighed to reveal his disgrace and humiliation.”
Therefore, the weight of deeds plays a fundamental role in determining the rank of a hardworking Muslim who is dedicated to worshiping Allah day and night and has avoided many sins. The weight of deeds also reveals the disgrace of an infidel who has neither religion nor knowledge of Allah.
This issue has long been a matter of dispute between Ahl-Sunnah wa-al Jama’ah on one side, and other sects on the other. Each group has presented different reasons to prove or refute this issue. In the following sections, we will consider the Jahmiyyah viewpoint and their reasoning and then respond to their claims.
The Jahmiyyah Viewpoint
Although there are no independent works explicitly expressing the Jahmiyyah views, many scholars and researchers have quoted their beliefs.
The author of the book Al-Tanbiyah wa’l-Rad ‘Ala Ahl al-Ahwa’ wa’l-Bidda’ writes: “A group of Jahmiyyah have denied the existence of the balance and believe that Allah Almighty does not have a balance with which to weigh the deeds and morals of His servants.”
Imam Baghdadi also notes in his book Usul al-Din: “The fifteenth issue of the principles of religion is the statement of the proof of the pool, the bridge of the path, the balance, and the questioning of the two angels in the grave, but the Jahmiyyah group has denied these matters.”
The Jahmiyyah believe that Allah Almighty will not set up a material balance on the Day of Judgment to weigh the deeds of His servants, despite many verses indicating the existence of a balance on that day.
The Arguments of the Jahmiyyah
Most of the arguments of the Jahmiyyah, like those of the Mu’tazila, are rational in nature. They assert that Allah Almighty is All-Knowing and aware of all the secrets of the hearts. According to them, Allah does not need to weigh deeds because He is privy to the quantity of everything before, during, and after each state.
Some also believe that Jahm ibn Safwan interpreted the scale as a metaphor for justice and relied on the sayings of earlier scholars to support this interpretation.
The View of the Ahl-Sunnah wa-al Jama’ah
Scholars of the Ahl-Sunnah wa-al Jama’ah affirm that the deeds of the servants will indeed be weighed on the Day of Judgment. This view is unanimously accepted among them, and numerous texts from the Quran and Prophetic hadiths support its correctness.
Allama Nasafi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in his book of beliefs: “The scale is the truth.”
Allama Tahawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states: “We believe in the scale. The scale measures the deeds of the believers, both good and evil, obedience and disobedience.”
Allama Bayzawi, may Allah have mercy on him, also notes: “The Ahl-Sunnah wa-al Jama’ah believe that the scale is the truth and that the deeds of the servants will be weighed on the Day of Judgment according to the will of Allah Almighty.”
By admin2
