Ramadan Lecture Series 1445 A.H.
Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi
Lecture Three
Wednesday, 3 Ramadan 1445 A.H. (13 March 2024 A.D.)
The Day of Resurrection
The Stage of Gathering, Dispersal, and Reckoning
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.
O Allah! Confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
O Allah! Guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the Hearing, the Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Yesterday, we spoke about the first stage of the Day of Resurrection that starts with the first blast, the first cry, with which the world will be destroyed, the heavens will be reformed, the heavens and the earth will be reshaped, and all beings on the face of the earth will perish. {‘Everyone upon it will perish’}.
Continuing our discussion on the resurrection and the second stage (the stage of rising from the dead on the Day of Resurrection), we are going to seek the guidance of some blessed verses. It is clear that when the Day of Resurrection (the Hour, the Inevitable Reality, the Striking Event, the Inevitable Event, the Supreme Calamity) takes place, all humans, with all their potentials and capabilities, will be utterly helpless from preventing it and unable to protect the earth from it. That is because, in that situation, they will be in a state of complete surrender, astonishment, and panic, filled with extreme fear and amazement in the face of those great changes and immense horrors, no matter what humans possess, even in this era when they are studying options to confront anything that comes to the earth through certain capabilities, nuclear missiles, etc, as there are celestial bodies that are expected to collide with the earth, causing destructive impact on the planet. However, the matter of the Hour, the matter of the Day of Resurrection, is tremendously significant and vast. It encompasses the heavens, the earth, the sun, and the moon. Therefore, humans will not be able to do anything to stop or prevent the Day of Resurrection and its tremendous, immense horrors.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘Rather, it will come to them unexpectedly and bewilder them, and they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be reprieved’}. {'It will come to them unexpectedly'}: It will come at an entirely unexpected time. It will also come with its immense, tremendous, terrifying, very destructive horrors. As a result, they are unable to prevent it. Their state at that time is one of fear and panic: {‘Man will say on that day, “Where is the escape?”’}. Thus, they are unable to do anything, and their inevitable fate in the first blast is destruction.
Indeed, those horrors are extremely terrifying, beyond the imagination of any human: Humans cannot imagine its horrors. Humans are usually in a state of weakness, helplessness, astonishment, and fear during events of partial destruction, such as earthquakes in a specific city or country, when a very strong earthquake occurs, severe hurricanes, strong winds, or any partial, limited disasters that are nothing in comparison to the horrors of the Day of Resurrection, which encompass the entire earth. It all happens in one stage, encompassing the earth all at once, without moving from one area to another, or from one country to another, or from one mountain to another. Instead, it occurs in a single moment, a single blow, and a single blast.
In the Holy Quran, Allah (Glory be to Him) illustrates the state of horror, fear, and panic humans will experience, saying, {‘O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the Hour is a terrible thing’}. Indeed, it is something great and immense. An earthquake that strikes one city or country makes people in extreme fear, helplessness, anxiety, and unrest, let alone an earthquake that destroys the entire earth, demolishing not only cities, villages, and dwellings but also mountains. {‘On the day you see it, every nursing mother will be distracted from that child she was nursing, and every pregnant woman will abort her pregnancy, and you will see the people intoxicated while they are not intoxicated; but the punishment of Allah is severe’}. It is an incredibly terrifying horror that leads to this extent of astonishment and fear: {'And every pregnant woman will abort her pregnancy'} due to the intensity of fear. However, all creatures will instantly die.
{'The day when the earth will be changed into a different earth and the heavens as well.'}
After the first blast, the destruction of this world, the destruction of the heavens and the earth, and the reshaping of the heavens and the earth—as Allah (Glory be to Him) has said, {' the day when the earth will be changed into a different earth and the heavens as well'}—the earth will be changed, as all its features change. Currently, when we see it in satellite images, what we see is a beautiful blue planet, with a vast percentage of it covered by water (the water of oceans and seas), and a portion of its land covered by forests, in addition to the snow in the polars. All these features will vanish and come to an end. There will be no seas, mountains, cities, villages, valleys, highlands, or anything at all. The earth will transform into a single plain, devoid of any low or high places, without any vegetation, water, seas, or anything. It undergoes a complete change for a new purpose, and so do the heavens. {‘And they will come out before Allah, the One, the Prevailing’}—that is after the earth has changed to fulfil the new purpose and role: to become the ground of reckoning.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘The trumpet will be blown and all those in the heavens and all those on the earth will fall dead'}: This is the first blast. {‘Then it will be blown again and they will rise up at once, looking on ’}—this is on the Day of Rising. The second blast is the blast and cry of the Rising with which Allah brings back the creatures in the earth to life for the reckoning and recompense.
On the Day of Rising, the state of being brought back to life described in this blessed verse happens with incredible speed: in a single moment, a single cry, a single blast, all creatures will rise together, starting with Adam to the last human born from the progeny of Adam. All humans will rise at the same time. {‘They will rise up at once.’} they emerge from the earth, as the earth splits open for them, as mentioned in the blessed verse, {‘On the day the earth breaks away from them rapidly; that is a gathering easy for Us’}. Glory be to Allah the Powerful, the Subduer, Who has power over all things! In one moment, He resurrects all people, getting them out of the dust of earth, so they all rise at once, at the same time; they all get gathered.
On that day, which is the first day of eternal life, humans will be brought back to life and begin their second life, since they have spent their first life in this world, which is followed the break of death perceived as a very short break: {' as if they had not remained but an hour of the day, they will know each other'}. It was as if it lasted for an hour, some of a day, an evening, or a morning. The duration of their stay in the world becomes as if it were an hour; the time they spent on the earth from the moment they died until the Day of Resurrection seems like an hour: {'And on the day the Hour will arrive, the wicked will swear that they did not stay more than an hour'}. Some imagine it to be as short as an evening or a morning, while others think about it to be a day or some of a day. The majority will estimate that {'You only stayed there ten '}. They imagine it could be ten days or ten nights.
On that day (the Day of Resurrection), which is the first day of eternal life, humans will be resurrected. Allah will design and reconstruct their creation for eternal life. In the first life and the first phase of human existence in this world, we are created for a temporary life with a stated term. Therefore, humans grow older as they continue their march of life, transitioning from childhood to youth, then to middle age, and finally to old age. They weaken and wither; their senses decline, and their bodies weaken, moving from weakness to strength and back to weakness until death falls on them. As for Allah's formation and recreation of humans on the Day of Resurrection, He creates and forms them, even in the structure of their bodies, for eternal life that has no end, no withering, and no weakness. So even the recreation of humans is based on this.
On the Day of Rising, in the face of the horrors that commence with the first blast and what humans will encounter on the Day of Resurrection—all of that highlights the significance of that day, which will be preceded by the reordering of the entire heavens and earth, a reshaping of this world. There will be tremendously terrible events. All of these events and the cosmic changes clearly indicate that there is a new, important, significant, and extremely serious plan. This matter is not a game; it is that day: {'the Day of Judgement'}—as is repeatedly named in the Holy Quran. It is a day in which there is no joking, no flattery, no bribery, and it is impossible for a person to offer a ransom for himself to be redeemed with a specific ransom he presents or through selling or money. Even if the entire earth were filled with gold, it would be impossible for a person to ransom himself on that day, the Day of Judgement.
The Day of Resurrection and the gathering of all creatures on the ground of gathering for reckoning!
The gathering on the Day of Rising is a gathering for reckoning and recompense. On that day, when all humans, all creatures, billions of humans from the beginning of human existence on the earth until its end gather on the ground of reckoning, it is not a gathering for celebrations or festivals but for reckoning, for a decisive matter. A person cannot be redeemed on that day through repentance; the time for repentance has ended. Nor can he seek that through making apologies or benefit from or gain anyone's sympathy. Neither crying nor regret, remorse, or anything will avail him. On the Day of Judgement, every individual is preoccupied with himself: {'Every man that day will have concern enough to make him heedless '}.
Everyone will be gathered without exception, in a single blast and a single cry. No one can be absent or refuse to attend, and Allah (Glory be to Him) never forgets anyone: {'And the trumpet will be blown; and at once from the graves to their Lord they will hasten. They will say, "O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place? This is what the Compassionate had promised, and the messengers told the truth." It will be no more than a single cry, and at once they are all brought present before Us'}. They will come out and be gathered in their extremely huge numbers, billions of humans, in a single moment: {'They will emerge from the graves as if they were locusts spreading'}. No person will be absent from that scene. Every human will be present: {'Yet they will all be brought before Us'}; {'And in no time they will all be arraigned before Us'}; {'And We will gather all , leaving none behind'}. So Allah will never forget anyone. There is no one who can refrain from attending; attendance is mandatory.
All of them, with their vast numbers and multitudes, will come and gather on the resurrection ground. From the moment when Allah resurrects them and they rise therein—{'They will rise up at once, looking on '}—everyone will be in a state of complete submission to Allah (Glory be to Him) and in complete compliance with all the arrangements and procedures that come on the Day of Resurrection, for the purpose of the reckoning stage and thereafter the stage of recompense. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'There is none in the heavens or the earth who will not return to the Compassionate in full submission'}. Everyone will come as a slave to Allah; there will be no one in a position of authority and command. Everyone there is a slave obedient to Allah, completely surrendered to Him, the Almighty.
{'Indeed, He fully knows them and has counted them precisely. And each of them will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone'}. Every person will come and see himself alone, with no supporters, with no one standing with him. No one can offer him anything or provide him with protection or support on the gathering ground. Everyone will think that the Day of Resurrection, with all its horrors, is revolving around him, as if it were directed towards him alone. There will be no scattering and loss of accountability files, or preoccupation with the multitude of people to the extent that this person or that one will be forgotten. Indeed, everyone will feel as if all the events of the Day of Resurrection were revolving around him, as if he were the primary target of the process of resurrection, reckoning, and recompense. He will see himself enjoying no protection whatsoever granted by any party or individuals.
The process of resurrection will then begin: After being resurrected, they will rise and be brought together, as the process of gathering will begin. They will move according to the arrangements and the procedures on the reckoning ground. The terror in those moments when a person sees himself on the ground of the Day of Resurrection—at that moment, one will imagine that the break that preceded that moment was a short break, as if he slept and woke up in the morning to find himself in that world. It is indeed close, really close, not as distant as one may think.
In fact, all the terrors, preceding the gathering for reckoning, pale in comparison to the state that a person experiences at that moment, especially for the loser, the wretched one who did not prepare for that day by seeking good deeds for the sake of the Hereafter. For him, the reckoning, along with the gathering for the reckoning, its ultimate terror, psychological pressure, panic, anxiety, regret, and remorse, are greater than the first blast by which the heavens and earth were destroyed. Indeed, it is an immensely frightening terror, an incredibly dreadful state of regret and remorse, anxiety, and distress that a person experiences within himself.
However, everyone submits to the arrangements of reckoning, without any chaos, despite their vast numbers—billions of humans. Even though all humans have been gathered, there is no chaos or resistance. Everyone is in a state of complete obedience and total submission. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'That day, they will follow the caller'}. The caller comes to organise them and guide them to the directions they have to go into on the ground of the earth. So they submit without any hesitation or resistance.
{'That day, they will follow the caller no deviation therefrom, and voices will be stilled before the Compassionate, so you will not hear except a whisper'}. That is because the awe of that day is extremely great, beyond what we can imagine; therefore, despite their immense numbers, they move and submit without noise. There is no noise, no disturbance, and no loud speech. When someone speaks to another, he only whispers in a very low voice: {'And voices will be stilled before the Most Merciful, so you will not hear except a whisper'}.
{'Racing ahead towards the caller'}—they are in a state of obedience, submission, and humbleness, and they move according to the instructions they receive or hear. {'The disbelievers will say, "This is a difficult day"'}. They whisper to each other. All the losers and those who rejected Allah's guidance and denied His teachings will realise the enormity of the loss they are in at that time.
Despite their extremely vast numbers and the fact that the majority of humans will be headed towards Jahannam (We seek refuge in Allah), they will be unable to engage in any rebellion or defiant actions to avoid and protect themselves from the reckoning. Allah (Glory be to Him) will say to them, {'This is the Day of Judgement; We have assembled you and the former peoples. So if you have a plot, then use it against Me'}. They cannot do anything at all. The angels will come in massive numbers. The number of humans will be nothing in comparison with the number of angels. In addition, a state of complete helplessness and absolute submission will dominate the reality of humans, their souls, and their condition. The preparations for the reckoning will begin both at the individual level and the collective level.
The terrifying situation: The process of reckoning and the distribution of records!
At the stage of reckoning, the justice of Allah manifests to people. That is because it was possible for Allah (Glory be to Him) after the process of rising on the Day of Resurrection to direct people, those who are destined for Jannah to Jannah directly, and those who are destined for the Fire to the Fire directly, without any reckoning. So why will there be a reckoning?
Through the reckoning, the justice of Allah (Glory be to Him) manifests to people. It also becomes evident to the perished and the losers the evil of their deeds and the horrific consequences of their evil deeds. A person reaches a complete conviction that he bears the responsibility for his destruction, that he is the cause of that, that he has no argument against Allah, that there is no fault on His part (Glory be to Him), and that he is the one who brought himself to this state and caused his eternal loss, permanent destruction and terrible misery (May Allah forbid). In the process of reckoning, a person reaches complete conviction as his deeds, positions, consequences, and the resulting effects are revealed to him. He comes to a full acknowledgement and absolute conviction that he is the cause of his destruction and loss.
Also, through the reckoning, the triumph of the pious becomes evident. They become aware of the greatness and importance of their deeds in leading to their salvation. It becomes clear to them the goodness of their deeds, their positivity, and their tremendous, virtuous outcomes and positive effects. Thus, they feel pleasure, reassurance, and triumph. They also feel that they have succeeded, and at the same time, the justice of Allah is manifested to them, as nothing of their efforts and deeds has been overlooked, not even the weight of a tiny particle.
Through the process of gathering and reckoning, it will become evident to human beings that nothing benefits them except their deeds if they are good deeds, and they will realise that their destiny depends on their deeds, which will be seen during the reckoning, as Allah (Glory be to Him) has said, {'And that man can have nothing but what he strives for. And that his effort is going to be seen. Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense'}, and as He said, {'So, whoever does a particle's weight of good will see it. And whoever does a particle's weight of evil will see it'}. One will see his deeds: {'And that his effort is going to be seen.'} He will be watching them in the precise manner in which they were recorded, as well as the consequences and effects of his deeds. All of this becomes clear to him.
During the presentation to the reckoning, after human beings are organised for the process of reckoning, no one can hide himself, nor can he conceal any of his deeds. There is no concealment of any aspect of a person's deeds: {'That day, you will be exhibited ; not hidden among you is anything concealed'}. The files of humans are ready, so there is no need for investigation to review or verify what a person has done: {'Then on that day none will be asked about his sin among men or jinn'}. The files are fully prepared, and the matter is determined, known, and clear. People will be presented with the records of their deeds: {'And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, , "You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time'}.
When the records of deeds (also called the books of deeds) are put forth, as Allah says, {'and when the records of deeds are spread open'}, that will be a terrifying moment for humans. {'And the book will be placed , and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is with this book that does not leave anything, small or big, unlisted?"'}. All deeds are recorded, many of which a person may have forgotten or did not consider important because human estimations are often wrong in many matters. They imagine that a certain deed is simple and its effects are ordinary, but on the Day of Resurrection, it becomes clear to them that it was a dangerous deed with severe effects, consequences, and results for them. Some deeds leave lasting effects and consequences even after a person's death. In fact, the effects of some people's deeds extend to future generations, and they are added to their record of deeds. {'Verily, We shall give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before and that which they leave behind'}. The effects of deeds and their consequences are a very serious matter.
Congratulations for receiving the book of deeds in the right hand, O ally of Allah!
The angels of Allah on the ground of reckoning distribute the books of deeds. The process of distribution itself, and the process of receiving, can also serve as a sign of misery or a sign of success. The human who is one of those successful, believing, and Allah-conscious individuals who move through life based on responding to Allah and performing good deeds, receives his book in his right hand—he takes his book with his right hand. This in itself is a sign of success. In fact, the believing, Allah-conscious person keeps receiving glad tidings from the moment of his resurrection: {'The angels descend upon them, “Do not fear, nor grieve. Rather, rejoice in the good news of Jannah, which you have been promised”'}. So his receiving of the book in his right hand is a sign of his success. And that is why Allah says, {'And as for those who are given their record from behind their backs, they will cry for destruction, and will burn in the blazing Fire'}. Things are made easy for them even in the process of reckoning. Even the process of reckoning itself will be pleasant for them. Such a person will review his deeds and realise that nothing of his good deeds has gone unrecorded. It becomes clear to him how greatly positive and of tremendous outcomes his deeds are. Sometimes, even when it comes to good deeds, a person may not fully comprehend the importance of certain deeds, their level of impact, the consequential results, and the immense reward that Allah has ordained for them; however, he has oriented himself towards practically responding to Allah without attaching the matter to his personal estimations, which he realises may not always be accurate. In fact, if he had relied on such estimations, he would have missed out many important deeds! So he will gain a deeper understanding of the significance of those deeds and recognise their tremendous outcomes and the immense reward he has attained through them. He feels content and reassured as he observes those good deeds and reviews them. It is possible that the person may have even forgotten some of the deeds, and then he sees them as great good deeds with an immense reward. He feels content. In the stage of reckoning and after the reckoning, as mentioned in the blessed verse, {'And he will turn to his people, rejoicing!'}.
The joy of a person who is mindful of Allah, who responds to Allah, and who adheres to the guidance of Allah, the one who has directed his life journey based on following the guidance of Allah and responding to Him, is an immensely great joy at that moment when he sees the record of his deeds. He sees his deeds and feels reassured and at ease. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'As for he who is given his book in his right hand, he will say, "Here, take my book and read it"'}. This state of joy, reassurance, and immense happiness is beyond our imagination, beyond what we can conceive. He sees that what he has observed of his deeds are great glad tidings. He will say to others, {'Here, take my book and read it.'} That is because he is in a state of reassurance. These are deeds that brighten his face, deeds that bring him immense joy, deeds that lead to his salvation, success, and triumph. He knows what Allah has promised in terms of immense reward for those deeds.
{'Surely, I knew I would meet my reckoning'}. This means that in the worldly life, he used to take accountability for his deeds into consideration. In other words, he realised that he would be held accountable. Therefore, he strived to avoid evil deeds, hastened to repent sincerely from any slip-ups, focused on good deeds, and directed himself to Allah based on His teachings and instructions. He hastened to perform deeds that please Allah (Glory be to Him). Being aware and mindful of the reckoning and seeking firm belief in the reckoning are all essential matters that help a person to hold himself accountable in this worldly life, to self-reflect before the Day of Resurrection. As mentioned in the Prophet's hadith: 'Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account.' Thus, that makes one hold himself accountable in this worldly life. {'He will be in a pleasant life'}.
Receiving the book of deeds in the left hand, what an extremely dreadful predicament!
As for the other state, the dangerous state that is a sign of misery, it is when a person is given his book of deeds from behind his back and receives it in his left hand. This is a sign of misery and a tremendously dreadful state. That is why Allah says, {'And as for those who are given their book from behind their backs, they will cry for destruction, and will burn in the blazing Fire'}. {'And as for he who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, "I wish I had not been given my book, nor known anything of my reckoning!"'}. It is a state of extreme regret. He sees the severe consequences and harmful outcomes of his deeds, as many are the deeds he used to belittle and take lightly. Whenever he sees one of his evil deeds (whether it has to do with transgressing Allah's prohibitions or neglecting His commands, instructions, and teachings), he feels regret, and his fear increases. He realises the enormity of his loss and finds himself in an incredibly terrifying dilemma with no way out. It is an extremely terrifying state. Therefore, he worries, as he sees that all his deeds have been recorded, and nothing is left out: {'And they will say, "What is with this book that does not leave anything, small or big, unlisted?"'}. Thus, it is a state of intense remorse, deep regret, to this extent: {'I wish I had not been given my book, nor known anything of my reckoning!'} He hates himself! He abhors himself! He then becomes aware of the evil and the harm he has done. The severity of his deeds becomes apparent to him, for in this worldly life, a person may underestimate many of his actions and fail to comprehend the seriousness, consequences, and resulting evils of many actions. Sometimes he fails to give himself adequate reflection on important matters, issues, and events. Rather, he takes them lightly! {'I wish it were the end'}. His regret is extremely intense, a tremendous remorse, and there is no escape for him. One cannot say, 'There has been a mistake. You have made an error in my name. This is not my record. These scenes are not scenes of my deeds.' He cannot make such claims, because there is no mistake whatsoever. The process is precisely accurate.
In that tremendously dreadful state, nothing can avail the person, no matter how much he regrets. {'If only I had put forth something for my life'}. He says that with great regret, intense pain, and deep sorrow, but all in vain.
{'Oh, how sorry I am, for having neglected my duty to Allah and that I was among the mockers'}. He experiences regret, remorse, and severe self-torment, but this regret, remorse, and severe torment will not benefit him at all. He will continue to regret and suffer, which is a prelude to a more severe self-torment, along with the comprehensive torment in Jahannam (We seek refuge in Allah).
There is no opportunity for the person. No one can offer him anything or save him, as no one possesses anything to save him or can do anything about him. In fact, there is no room for anyone to offer anything. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'And fear a day when no soul shall avail another'}. {'When no soul shall avail another'}—no one can offer you any help there or benefit you in any way. {'Nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be taken from it'}. No ransom can save you. {'Nor will they be aided'}. They cannot resort to resistance and unite on the ground of gathering to defend themselves. Rather, they all will be in a state of total surrender and powerlessness.
{'O you who have believed, spend from that which We have provided for you before there comes a day in which there is no exchange'}. You cannot sell anything on that day. In this worldly life, you may resort to selling something from your wealth if an affliction or calamity befalls you. So you may benefit from that wealth by warding off that or facing that calamity. But on that day, there is nothing of the sort. {'… before there comes a day in which there is no exchange and no friendship and no intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers'}. No one bears anything of your burden or alleviates any of your sins: {'And if a sin-burdened soul cries for help with its burden, none of it will be carried, even by a close relative'}. Not even your closest relative, not even a mother would do that for her child, or a child for his father, or any close relative of yours, no matter how kind you were to them in this worldly life, if your deeds were in vain and you were among the losers on the Day of Resurrection, no one can do anything for you or lighten your burden.
Whoever takes the path of misguidance, destruction, and loss—whether by following those who are misleading ones, those who are doomed to loss and perdition, or those who are evil companions—will not benefit from that in any way on that day. {'And if a sin-burdened soul cries for help with its burden, none of it will be carried, even by a close relative.'}
{'It is the day when a soul will not possess for another soul a thing}—no one will sympathise with you, no one will show sympathy towards you at that time—{and the command, that day, is with Allah'}. Every person will be busy with himself: {'But when there comes the Deafening Blast, On the day a man will flee from his brother, his mother and his father, And his wife and his children. Every man that day will have concern enough to make him heedless '}. This is at the individual level, each person's file is ready and their deeds are recorded, for Allah (the Almighty), though He is the Observer of His servants, has appointed some of His angels to constantly monitor and document every action of humans in this worldly life. {'And indeed, over you are keepers. Noble and recording, they know whatever you do'}. {'… with the two receivers receiving, seated on the right and on the left. Not a word does a person utter without having an observer ready '}. All those files have been prepared and presented on the ground of reckoning.
The reckoning at the level of nations and groups
The reckoning will also take place at the collective level of nations and groups that were united in the same position, direction, or cause. In all matters, in everything people differed in, there will be a reckoning. {'The day We will call forth every people with their leader'}—every group of people who were united in the same cause, direction, or position will come with their leader. {'And you will see every nation kneeling . Every nation will be called to its record , "Today you will be recompensed for what you used to do"'}. In the collective reckoning, the importance of the right direction and the right, correct position will be evident—the positivity of the right direction in this world, which is in accordance with the teachings and guidance of Allah.
In the collective reckoning, judgement will be passed on collective issues, as there are issues at the collective level, as well as at the personal level. Major issues come forth with their weight, with their importance on the ground of reckoning and the ground of recompense. At that time, a person will come among those who were with him in this world in those matters.
Then the great victory is manifested for the messengers and prophets of Allah, and for the believers who followed in their footsteps, adhered to their guidance, and directed themselves towards the right path based on the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him). And for the oppressed, the retribution against the oppressors is also manifested. Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Surely, We will make victorious our messengers and those who attained faith in this worldly life and on the day when the witnesses will stand forth, the day when excuses will not benefit the unjust. And they will have the curse, and they will have the worst home'}. In that moment of reckoning, this will be evident. Also, the outcomes of the reckoning will reveal the seriousness of deeds, positions, and their consequences in a very alarming way!
Allah willing, in the next lecture, we will continue the discussion on the stage of reckoning and the transition to the abode of recompense, where the people destined for Jannah will go to Jannah and the people destined for the Fire will go to the Fire.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah! Have mercy on our virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are the Hearer of Prayer!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.