He will say, “I am the One most entitled to settle your debt today.” Thereupon his good deeds will outweigh his bad deeds, and he will be ordered to enter Paradise. (1)

It is firmly established in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, on the authority of Abū Dharr, that the Prophet ﷺ said regarding the man about whom Allah will say: “Expose to him his minor sins and leave aside his major ones.” He will then be asked, “Do you deny any of this?” and he will reply, “No,” all the while fearing that his major sins may now be shown to him. Allah will say, “We have exchanged every misdeed of yours for a good deed.” The man will exclaim, “My Lord, I committed other sins that I do not see here!” At that, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed until his molars were visible. (2)

As mentioned earlier in the narration of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar concerning the private audience, Allah will draw the servant close on the Day of Resurrection, place His veil over him, and make him acknowledge his sins. When the servant thinks he is doomed, Allah will say, “I concealed them for you in worldly life, and today I forgive them for you,” and the record of his good deeds will be placed in his right hand. (3)

Ibn Abī al-Dunyā related: Hārūn ibn ‘Abd Allah told us; Siyyār ibn Ḥātim told us; Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān told us; Abū ʿImrān al-Jawnī told us, from Abū Hurayrah, who said:

Allah will draw the servant close on the Day of Resurrection, lay His covering over him so that no creature can see him, and within that concealment hand him his book. Allah will say, “Read your record, O son of Adam.” As he comes upon a good deed, his face will whiten and his heart will rejoice. Allah will ask, “Do you recognize it, My servant?” He will reply, “Yes, my Lord, I recognize it.” Allah will say, “I have accepted it from you.” The man will then fall in prostration. Allah will say, “Raise your head and continue reading your book.”

When he reaches a sin, it will grieve him; his face will darken, his heart will tremble, his limbs will quake, and a shame before his Lord will seize him that no one else can know. Allah will ask, “Do you acknowledge it, My servant?” He will reply, “Yes, my Lord, I acknowledge it.” Allah—glorified be He—will say, “I have forgiven it for you.” He will fall in prostration again, and Allah—exalted is He—will say, “Raise your head.” Thus he proceeds: a good deed is accepted, a sin is forgiven, and a prostration follows each one. The whole of creation sees nothing of him except those prostrations, until they call out to one another: “Glad tidings to this servant who never disobeyed Allah at all!”—unaware of what has passed between him and Allah of matters laid bare only to him.

Ibn Abī al-Dunyā also said: Abū Yāsir, ʿAmmār ibn Naṣr, told us; al-Walīd ibn Muslim told us; ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀtika—or someone else—reported:

Whoever is given his record in his right hand will receive a scroll whose inner side holds his sins and whose outer side shows his good deeds. He will be told, “Read your book,” and he will read what lies inside it, grieved by what it contains of sins. When he reaches the end, he finds written: “These are your sins, which I concealed from you in the world and have forgiven for you today.” Those present—i.e., the assembled throngs—will then envy him for what they read on the outside of his scroll of good deeds and will say, “This man has truly prospered!” Then he will be ordered to have the record turned over,