Which Deeds are Heavy
in the Scales?

Speaking the truth, adhering to honesty and justice, fulfilling the rights of others and being their well-wishers, are the deeds heavy on the divine scales.

According to chapter 7 of the Quran: “Truth alone will be of weight that Day. Those whose scales are heavy shall be successful, and those whose good deeds are light in the balances will be the ones who have lost themselves because they wrongfully rejected Our signs.” (7:8-9)

The deeds performed by a person in this world have two aspects to them – the material and the ethical. The material aspect relates to its external form which is visible and is the physical dimension of an act. On the contrary, the ethical aspects relate to the inner existence and are not apparent or visible.

The material aspects of human actions are visible in the form of wealth, property and other material goods. These material things are a source of honour for a person. He gets everything by them. That is why everyone is in hot pursuit of material gain. They work hard to get these things but a person’s efforts bear fruits only in the life of this world. Death separates a person from all these material gains forever. These things are not going to be of any use to anyone after death.

Then we have the ethical aspects of human actions, that is, speaking the truth, adhering to honesty and justice while dealing with others, fulfilling the rights of others and being their well-wishers.

After death people’s actions will be weighed in the divine scale of justice. One who worked only for worldly things will be of no value on that scale, but those who did good deeds in worldly life will find that their actions will weigh heavily in the scales of the Hereafter. The former will be total failures while the latter will be judged successful.