17:13 Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

وهذا إخبار عن كمال عدله أن كل إنسان يلزمه طائره في عنقه، أي: ما عمل من خير وشر يجعله الله ملازما له لا يتعداه إلى غيره، فلا يحاسب بعمل غيره ولا يحاسب غيره بعمله.{ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنْشُورًا } فيه ما عمله من الخير والشر حاضرا صغيره وكبيره

يقول تعالى بعد ذكر الزمان وذكر ما يقع فيه من أعمال بني آدم "وكل إنسان ألزمناه طائره في عنقه" وطائره هو ما طار عنه من عمله كما قال ابن عباس ومجاهد وغيرهما من خير وشر ويلزم به ويجازى عليه "فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيرا يره ومن يعمل مثقال ذرة شرا يره" وقال تعالى "عن اليمين وعن الشمال قعيد ما يلفظ من قول إلا لديه رقيب عتيد" وقال "وإن عليكم لحافظين كراما كاتبين يعلمون ما تفعلون" وقال "إنما تجزون ما كنتم تعملون" وقال "من يعمل سوءا يجز به" والمقصود أن عمل ابن آدم محفوظ عليه قليله وكثيره ويكتب عليه ليلا ونهارا صباحا ومساء. وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا قتيبة حدثنا ابن لهيعة عن أبى الزبير عن جابر سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول " لطائر كل إنسان في عنقه" قال ابن لهيعة يعني الطيرة وهذا القول من ابن لهيعة في تفسير هذا الحديث غريب جدا والله أعلم. وقوله "ونخرج له يوم القيامة كتابا يلقاه منشورا" أي نجمع له عمله كله في كتاب يعطاه يوم القيامة إما بيمينه إن كان سعيدا أو بشماله إن كان شقيا منشورا أي مفتوحا يقرؤه هو وغيره فيه جميع عمله من أول عمره إلى آخره "ينبأ الإنسان يومئذ بما قدم وأخر بل الإنسان على نفسه بصيرة ولو ألقى معاذيره".

Every Person will have the Book of his Deeds with Him

After mentioning time, and the deeds of the son of Adam that take place therein, Allah says:

وَكُلَّ إِنْسَـنٍ أَلْزَمْنَـهُ طَـئِرَهُ فِى عُنُقِهِ

(And We have fastened every man's Ta'irah (deeds) to his neck,) The word Ta'irah (lit. something that flies) refers to man's deeds which fly from him, as Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others said. It includes both good deeds and bad deeds, he will be forced to acknowledge them and will be rewarded or punished accordingly.

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ - وَمَن يَعْـمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ

(So whosoever does good equal to the weight of a speck of dust shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of a speck of dust shall see it.) (99:7-8). Allah says:

إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ - مَّا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلاَّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ

((Remember) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions). Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).) (50:17-18)

وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَـفِظِينَ - كِرَاماً كَـتِبِينَ - يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ

(But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch you, Kiraman (Honorable) Katibin - writing down (your deeds), they know all that you do.) (82:10-12)

إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(You are only being requited for what you used to do.) 52:16

مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ

(whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof.) 4:123 The meaning is that the deeds of the sons of Adam are preserved, whether they are great or small, and they are recorded night and day, morning and evening.

وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَـهُ مَنْشُوراً

(and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him a Book which he will find wide open.) meaning, `We will collect all of his deeds for him in a Book which will be given to him on the Day of Resurrection, either in his right hand, if he is one of the blessed, or in his left hand if he is one of the wretched.'

مَنْشُوراً

(wide open) means, it will be open for him and others to read all of his deeds, from the beginning of his life until the end.

يُنَبَّأُ الإِنسَـنُ يَوْمَئِذِ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ - بَلِ الإِنسَـنُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌ - وَلَوْ أَلْقَى مَعَاذِيرَهُ

(On that Day man will be informed of what (deeds) he sent forward, and what (deeds) he left behind. Nay! Man will be a witness against himself, though he may put forth his excuses.) (75:13-15) Allah says:

اقْرَأْ كَتَـبَكَ كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا

((It will be said to him): "Read your Book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day.") meaning, you have not been treated unjustly and nothing has been recorded against you except what you have done, because you remember everything that you have done, and no one will forget anything that he did. Everyone will be able to read his Book, whether he is literate or illiterate.

أَلْزَمْنَـهُ طَـئِرَهُ فِى عُنُقِهِ

(And We have fastened every man's Ta'irah (deeds) to his neck,) The neck is mentioned because it is a part of the body that has no counterpart, and when one is restrained by it, he has no escape. Ma`mar narrated from Qatadah, "His deeds,

وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ

(and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him) We shall bring forth those deeds."

كِتَابًا يَلْقَـهُ مَنْشُوراً

(a Book which he will find wide open.) Ma`mar said: Al-Hasan recited,

عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ

(one sitting on the right and one on the left. ) 50:17 And he said; "O son of Adam, your Book has been opened for you, and two noble angels have been entrusted to accompany you, one on your right and one on your left. The one who is on your right records your good deeds, and the one who is on your left records your bad deeds. `So do whatever you want, a lot or a little, until you die, then I will fold up your Book and tie it to your neck with you in your grave. Then when you come out on the Day of Resurrection, you will find the Book wide open, so read your Book.' By Allah, the One Who makes you accountable for your own deeds is being perfectly just." These are some of the best words Al-Hasan ever spoke, may Allah have mercy on him.

And We have attached every person’s omen — his deeds — for him to carry upon his neck — this site is singled out for mention because fastening something to it is much more severe; Mujāhid b. Jabr al-Makkī said ‘There is not a child born but it has a leaf around its neck in which it is decreed that the child will be either fortunate or damned’ — and We shall bring forth for him on the Day of Resurrection a book in which his deeds are recorded and which he will find wide open yalqāhu manshūran both are adjectival qualifications of kitāban ‘a book’.

The sense of the book of deeds tied to the neck

It means that one's book of deed stays with the doer no matter where or in whatever condition one is. What he or she does continues to get recorded there. When death comes, the 'book' is closed and set aside safely. After that, when comes the Last Day, the Day of Judgment, this book of deeds will be placed in everyone's hand in order that he would himself read it and also decide himself whether he is deserving of reward or deserving of punishment. It has been reported from Qatadah (رح) that it will be a day when even an illiterate person will be able to read his book of deeds. On this occasion, al-lsbahani has reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Umamah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, when the book of deeds belonging to people will be given in their hand, someone will notice that some of his good deeds were not recorded there. He will tell his Lord about the particular deeds missing from there. His Lord will tell him that He had erased those deeds for he used to speak ill of people on their backs. (Mazhari)

And every man, We have fastened his omen to his neck. And We shall bring forth for him, on the Day of Resurrection, a book he will meet wide open. What is appropriate for each person was fastened to his neck and written out for him in the Begin- ningless. One had the crown of felicity placed on his head, the tree of his hope filled with fruit, the bounties brought out, the night of separation taken away, the day of union brought forth. By the decree of wretchedness another had the blanket of ill fortune pulled over his head and he was wounded by the sword of deprivation and fastened down with the spikes of rejection. Yes, this ap- portioning happened in the Beginningless; nothing will be increased and nothing decreased. What can be done, for the Greatest Judge wanted it this way. The poor Adamite who has no awareness of his own Beginningless, and who sits heedless of his own Endless! Between what was and what will be, he has been taken by the sleep of heedlessness. He will awake from the sleep of heedless- ness on the day when he is handed the book of his deeds. And We shall bring forth for him, on the Day of Resurrection, a book he will meet wide open, a book whose pen is his tongue, whose ink is his saliva, whose paper is his bodily parts and joints, and which he himself has dictated from beginning to end. The angels are the scribes and the wit-nesses against him, and not one letter will be added or subtracted. It will be said to him,