the followers of Imām Ahmad, although most of them say that they will not be called to account. Other scholars and speculative theologians have also differed over this matter.

“Reckoning” may mean encompassing all their deeds in knowledge, recording them in scrolls, presenting them to the unbelievers, rebuking them for what they have done, and increasing or decreasing their punishment according to the greater or lesser degree of their unbelief. This kind of reckoning is established by agreement.

“Reckoning” may also mean weighing good deeds against evil deeds to determine which outweighs the other. The unbeliever has no good deeds to be weighed against his evil deeds, since all his deeds have been rendered void. His deeds are weighed only to show how light his scales are, not to establish that his good deeds outweigh his evil deeds.

“Reckoning” may also refer to the question of whether Allah Himself speaks to them. The Quran and hadith indicate that Allah speaks to them with rebuke, censure, and humiliation, not with words of nearness, honour, and mercy, although some scholars have denied altogether that He speaks to them.

The three positions concerning the unbelievers’ seeing Allah are:

First: The unbelievers will not see their Lord under any circumstances, whether they openly display their unbelief or conceal it. This is the position of most later scholars, and the general wording of the earlier scholars supports it. It is also the position of the majority of the followers of Imām Ahmad and others.

Second: He will be seen by those who outwardly profess monotheism among the believers and hypocrites of this nation, as well as those remaining from among the People of the Book. This will take place on the plain of the Resurrection; then He will veil Himself from the hypocrites