The Basic Tenets of Islam: The day of judgment

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It is We Who give life and cause to die and We are their final destination. The Day the earth splits open all around them as they come rushing forth, that is a gathering, easy for Us to accomplish. (Surah Qaf: 43-44) Some people doubt that Allah could raise man from the dead. However, it is Allah Who first created man out of nothing, and therefore, certainly has the power to bring him back to life again. Allah informs us of this fact in the Qur'an: Mankind! If you are in any doubt about the Rising, know that We created you from dust then from a drop of sperm then from a clot of blood then from a lump of flesh, formed yet unformed, so We may make things clear to you. We make whatever We want stay in the womb until a specified time and then We bring you out as children so that you can reach your full maturity. Some of you die and some of you revert to the lowest form of life so that, after having knowledge, they then know nothing at all. And you see the earth dead and barren; then when We send down water onto it it quivers and swells and sprouts with luxuriant plants of every kind. That is because Allah is the Real and gives life to the dead and has power over all things. (Surat al-Hajj: 5-6) To make an example of this re-creation, Allah draws our attention to natural phenomena around us. After rainfall, Allah revives dead, barren soil where nothing could grow so that it becomes productive again. Similarly, bringing man back to life after his death is easy for Allah:

It He is Who sends out the winds, bringing advance news of His mercy, so that when they have lifted up the heavy clouds, We dispatch them to a dead land and send down water to it, by means of which We bring forth all kinds of fruit. In the same way We will bring forth the dead, so that hopefully you will pay heed.

Surat al-A'raf: 57

Everything is easy for Allah. As is related in the following verse, the creation or resurrection of humanity is like that of a single person:

Your creation and ressurection is only like that of a single self. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

Surah Luqman: 28

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT Asking, "When is the Day of Judgment?" (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 12) What you are promised is certainly true-the Judgment will certainly take place! (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 5-6) Allah holds man responsible for his deeds. Every person, who has been tested in this world, will be called to account of his deeds on the Day of Judgment. On that day, he will witness that nothing was kept hidden from Allah, and his every good or evil deed will be disclosed:

The Day when they will issue forth and when not one thing about them will be hidden from Allah.

"To whom does the kingdom belong today? To Allah, the One, the Conqueror! Every self will be repaid today for what it earned. Today there will be no injustice. Allah is swift at reckoning."

Surah Ghafir: 16-17

Man does not always receive the punishment he deserves in this world. Allah grants a time to some, though He informs us that He will pay them in full for all their evil deeds in the hereafter. This being the case, it is unwise that those who commit illicit acts should assume they have evaded punishment, simply because they have escaped the law and thus were not punished in this world. On the Day of Judgment, they will see that man can keep nothing hidden from Allah. By His name "al Hafiz" (He Who preserves all things in detail), Allah knows man's every deed and commands His angels keep their record. Allah informs us of this fact in the Qur'an:

When the two Receivers receive (him), seated on the right hand and on the left, He uttered no word but there is with him an observer ready. (Surah Qaf: 17-18) Allah, Who knows all things down to their minutest details, Who witnesses every moment of a man's life, whether he utters a word aloud or keeps it in his heart, will judge man justly on the Day of Reckoning, when the attribute of Allah's justice will be fully known:

We will set up the Just Balance on the Day of Resurrection and no self will be wronged in any way. Even if it is no more than the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, We will produce it. We are sufficient as a Reckoner.

Surat al-Anbiya': 47

Allah, the Just, is infinitely merciful and kind towards His servants. Allah promises that he who does a good deed will receive ten like it, while he who does evil will be awarded only with what he deserves:

Those who produce a good action will receive ten like it. But those who produce a bad action will only be repaid with its equivalent and they will not be wronged.

Surat al-An'am: 160

At the time of reckoning, people will be led to either paradise or hell, depending on the side from which they receive their books:

As for him who is given his Book in his right hand, he will be given an easy reckoning and return to his family joyfully. But as for him who is given his Book behind his back, he will cry out for destruction but will be roasted in a Searing Blaze. He used to be joyful in his family. He thought that he was never going to return. But in fact his Lord was always watching him!

Surat al-Inshiqaq: 7-15