Weighty Actions

The Disaster! What is the Disaster?

Would that you knew what the Disaster is!

On that day men shall become like scattered moths and the mountains like tufts of carded wool.

Then he whose scales are heavy shall dwell in bliss; but he whose scales are light, the Abyss shall be his home.

If only you knew what this is like!

It is a scorching fire.

(The Quran 101:1-11)

The Doomsday earthquake will rend everything asunder. All the footholds which human beings clung to will be demolished. Nothing will escape its impact. Afterwards a new world will be brought into existence where the truth will be given its full weight. Everything else will pale in comparison. In this world people’s likes and dislikes prevail. Things are valued according to people’s preferences. But the world of the Hereafter is God’s world. There those things will be given importance which are important in the eyes of God alone; all else will become valueless.

Actions in this world derive their value from appearances. In the Hereafter the value of all actions will be determined in respect of their reality. The more sincere people’s actions are, the more these will be judged important. Actions devoid of sincerity will lose all importance in the world of the Hereafter, however much these may have appeared important to the people in this world, who judge values by appearances.

In the present world such actions are adjudged important as make concessions to worldly considerations, remain in conformity with current trends and assume importance in the context of the social tradition of the time. Those who can bow to all these considerations acquire great position and honour in this world.

The state of affairs in the Hereafter will be totally different. There, it is the principled life which will be given weightage. There, those actions which have been in accordance with the highest of standards will have value set upon them. There, all importance will be given to those actions which have lasting merit, and not to those actions which were performed keeping temporary considerations in view.

In this world falsehood too may appear to carry weight, but in the Hereafter, nothing will carry weight except the Truth.