Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz Amma - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (287)

Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz AmmaIbn al-'Uthaymin

is not treated in this manner. Rather, he will be publicly denounced before all witnesses: “These are the ones who lied against their Lord. Surely Allah’s curse is upon the wrongdoers” [Hūd: 18].

His words, “so that they may be shown their deeds,” contain a possessive construction, and such a construction denotes generality. The apparent meaning is that they will see all their deeds, minor and major, and this is indeed so—except whatever Allah has already forgiven on account of good deeds, supplication, or the like, for that will be erased. Allah Most High says, “Indeed, good deeds erase evil deeds. This is a reminder for those who take heed” [Hūd: 114]. A person will therefore see his deeds, both few and many, until the matter becomes perfectly clear to him. His record will be handed to him, and it will be said, “Read your record. Today your own soul is sufficient to call you to account” [al-Isrā': 64].

For this reason, a person must not undertake anything that displeases Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—for he knows that it will be recorded against him and that he will be called to account for it. “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” The word “whoever” is conditional and conveys generality; that is, any person who does an atom’s weight of anything will see it, whether good or evil. “An atom’s weight” means the weight of an atom. What is meant here by an “atom,” as is well known, is one of the smallest ants. It does not mean the atom as conventionally understood today, as some have claimed, because the atom in its modern sense was not known at that time, and Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—only addresses people in terms they understand. The atom was mentioned because it was proverbial for minuteness, as Allah Most High says, “Indeed, Allah does not wrong even as much as an atom’s weight; and if it is a good deed, He multiplies it” [al-Nisā': 40]. It is well known that anyone who performs a deed even smaller than an atom’s weight will find it. But because the atom was proverbial for minuteness, Allah Most High said, “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it.”

His words—Exalted is He—“an atom’s weight” indicate that deeds themselves are what will be weighed. Scholars have differed concerning this issue:

لا يعامل هذه المعاملة بل ينادى على رؤوس الأشهاد ﴿هؤلاء الذين كذبوا على ربهم ألا لعنة الله على الظالمين﴾ [هود: ١٨] . وقوله: ﴿ليروا أعمالهم﴾ هذا مضاف والمضاف يقتضي العموم وظاهره أنهم يرون الأعمال الصغير والكبير وهو كذلك، إلا ما غفره الله من قبل بحسنات، أو دعاء أو ما أشبه ذلك فهذا يمحى كما قال الله تعالى ﴿إن الحسنات يذهبن السيئات ذلك ذكرى للذاكرين﴾ [هود: ١١٤] . فيرى الإنسان عمله، يرى عمله القليل والكثير حتى يتبين له الأمر جليًّا ويعطى كتابه ويقال: ﴿اقرأ كتابك كفى بنفسك اليوم عليك حسيباً﴾ [الإسراء: ٦٤] . ولهذا يجب على الإنسان أن لا يقدم على شيء لا يرضي الله ﷿؛ لأنه يعلم أنه مكتوب عليه، وأنه سوف يحاسب عليه. ﴿فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيراً يره. ومن يعمل مثقال ذرة شًّرا يره﴾ ﴿من﴾ شرطية تفيد العموم، يعني: أي إنسان يعمل مثقال ذرة فإنه سيراه، سواء من الخير، أو من الشر ﴿مثقال ذرة﴾ يعني وزن ذرة، والمراد بالذرة: صغار النمل كما هو معروف، وليس المراد بالذرة: الذرة المتعارف عليها اليوم كما ادعاه بعضهم، لأن هذه الذرة المتعارف عليها اليوم ليست معروفة في ذلك الوقت، والله ﷿ لا يخاطب الناس إلا بما يفهمون، وإنما ذكر الذرة لأنها مضرب المثل في القلة، كما قال الله تعالى: ﴿إن الله لا يظلم مثقال ذرة وإن تك حسنة يضاعفها﴾ [النساء: ٤٠] . ومن المعلوم أن من عمل ولو أدنى من الذرة فإنه سوف يجده، لكن لما كانت الذرة مضرب المثل في القلة قال الله تعالى ﴿فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيراً يره﴾ . وقوله ﵎: ﴿مثقال ذرة﴾ يفيد أن الذي يوزن هو الأعمال، وهذه المسألة اختلف فيها أهل العلم: