17:14 Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

ويقال له: { اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا } وهذا من أعظم العدل والإنصاف أن يقال للعبد: حاسب نفسك ليعرف بما عليه من الحق الموجب للعقاب.

ولهذا قال تعالى "اقرأ كتابك كفى بنفسك اليوم عليك حسيبا" أي إنك تعلم أنك لم تظلم ولم يكتب عليك إلا ما عملت لأنك ذكرت جميع ما كان منك ولا ينسى أحد شيئا مما كان منه وكل أحد يقرأ كتابه من كاتب وأمي وقوله "ألزمناه طائره في عنقه" إنما ذكر العنق لأنه عضو من الأعضاء لا نظير له في الجسد ومن ألزم بشيء فيه فلا محيد له عنه كما قال الشاعر: اذهب بها اذهب بها طوقتها طوق الحمام قال قتادة عن جابر بن عبدالله عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال "لا عدوى ولا طيرة وكل إنسان ألزمناه طائره في عنقه" كذا رواه ابن جرير وقد رواه الإمام عبد بن حميد في مسنده متصلا فقال: حدثنا الحسن بن موسى حدثنا ابن لهيعة عن أبي الزبير عن جابر قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول "طير كل عبد في عنقه". وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا علي بن إسحاق حدثنا عبدالله حدثنا ابن لهيعة حدثني يزيد أن أبا الخير حدثه أنه سمع عقبة بن عامر رضي الله عنه يحدث عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "ليس من عمل يوم إلا وهو يختم عليه فإذا مرض المؤمن قالت الملائكة يا ربنا عبدك فلان قد حبسته فيقول الرب جل جلاله اختموا له على مثل عمله حتى يبرأ أو يموت" إسناده جيد قوي ولم يخرجوه وقال معمر عن قتادة "ألزمناه طائره في عنقه" قال عمله "ونخرج له يوم القيامة" قال نخرج ذلك العمل "كتابا يلقاه منشورا" قال معمر وتلا الحسن البصري "عن اليمين وعن الشمال قعيد" يا ابن آدم بسطت لك صحيفتك وكل بك ملكان كريمان أحدهما عن يمينك والآخر عن شمالك فأما الذي عن يمينك فيحفظ حسناتك وأما الذي عن شمالك فيحفظ سيئاتك فاعمل ما شئت أقلل أو أكثر حتى إذا مت طويت صحيفتك فجعلت في عنقك معك في قبرك حتى نخرج يوم القيامة كتابا تلقاه منشورا اقرأ كتابك الآية فقد عدل والله من جعلك حسيب نفسك هذا من أحسن كلام الحسن رحمه الله.

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 it will be said to him ‘Read your book! This day your soul suffices as your own reckoner’.

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)

Read thy book! Thy soul suffices thee today as a reckoner against thee. “Read your book and see your own deeds.” If you deny one letter of it, that very bodily member from which that deed went forth will testify against you, as God says: “On the day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet bear witness against them concerning what they were doing” [24:24]. This is why He says, “Thy soul suffices thee today as a reckoner against thee,” that is, as a witness of what came from you against you. It has been said that the books are two: One is written by the angel against the servant, and that is his words and deeds; the other is written by the Real against Himself, and that is His pardon and mercy toward the servant. If the beginningless solicitude takes the servant by the hand, His reckoning with him will be from the book of His own mercy, not the book of the servant's deeds. This is just like what has come in the traditions: When the servant's book is placed in his hands, it is said, “Read thy book!” The servant looks into the book and sees written on the first page, “In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.” He says, “Lord God, first dis-charge for me the account for this one line and issue its decree for me.” God says, “My servant! I have taken account of it and I have forgiven you through My bounty and mercy. In the Beginningless, I wrote mercy for you and said about Myself, 'Forgiver of sins and Accepter of repentance' [40:3].” Thy soul suffices thee today as a reckoner against thee. ʿUmar KhaṬṬāb said, “Take an account- ing of yourselves before you are brought to account, weigh your deeds before they are weighed, and prepare for the Greatest Exposure.” Anyone who is aware of the Tribunal of Wrongdoing and the calling to account at the resurrection, who has found a whiff of the recognition of the states and terrors of that day, should know that whatever was his companion during his days-little and much, spots and specks-its talk will be asked from him tomorrow and he will be called to account for it. Hence today he should lift the veil of heedlessness away from his road and keep his deeds and words straight in keeping with the yardstick of the Shariah.