What Is the Relationship Between the Scale on the Day of Judgment and Acquiring a Sound Heart?
How much importance do you place on your spiritual health?
Is there a single scale by which we can evaluate the soundness of our heart and soul?
What is the Scale on the Day of Judgment, and what criteria are used to evaluate the soundness of our hearts and souls?
In our worldly life, most of us undergo medical checkup at least once a year; for example, we monitor our weight, evaluate hormone levels, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and other bodily elements to ensure they remain within the normal and standard range. This is because we care about our physical health. Our body is the primary tool we rely on for life in this world. If it becomes ill or impaired, all of our plans for growth and progress are disrupted, and we are also deprived of many pleasures in life. We understand this reality, so we strive to keep our body healthy.
However, in the Hereafter, the tool by which we live is no longer this material body. Rather, it is the heart or the soul—and preserving its soundness and health is far more important than safeguarding the body. Our lifespan in this world is ultimately no more than eighty to one hundred years. Even if we are born with a sick or defected body, the day will inevitably come when this body is laid to rest in the dirt, and its pains and sufferings are forgotten.
But what about the soul?
How long does the soul live? A thousand years? A million years? A billion years?
None of these! The soul endures as long as God Himself. There is no death for the soul. Therefore, if a person enters the Hereafter with a sick heart and soul, they will have no choice but to endure the agonizing pain of a treatment whose duration is unknown—it may take thousands or even millions of years.
Just as physical health in this world is evaluated by specific standards and scales, the soundness of the heart and soul in the Hereafter is also evaluated by a defined scale. Our heart is our only asset in the Hereafter; thus, it is essential for us to be aware of the divine scales by which our hearts will be evaluated —so that we may adhere to them in this life. When we know these scales, we will avoid engaging in excess or neglect, and all our decisions, relationships, thoughts, and behaviors will be directed towards the Hereafter. But what is the Scale on the Day of Judgment?
The Scale on the Day of Judgment Is the Truth
What is evaluated in the Hereafter is not our age, gender, academic degrees, or the quantity of our acts of worship. Rather, it is our heart and soul that are placed on the scale of the Day of Judgment. As we previously mentioned, the outcome of all our actions—whether good or bad—ultimately impacts the heart and forms its final structure. Our heart is then born into the Hereafter in one of the six types of birth—whether healthy, deformed, sick, and so on.
This is where the importance of understanding the scale on the Day of Judgement becomes clear. As long as we are unfamiliar with the scale on the Day of Judgement—unaware of which actions are compatible with the living conditions of the Hereafter and Heaven—we cannot properly align ourselves with them. Consequently, we may perform actions that appear outwardly good or sacred, yet are in fact incompatible with the living conditions of the Hereafter and Heaven, and may ultimately work to our detriment. For example, some individuals are firmly committed to attending religious ceremonies under all circumstances—such as gatherings for reciting Ziyarah Ashura, Friday prayer, or visiting the shrines of the Prophet Muhammad’s Household (Peace be upon them). They assume that participating in these practices will earn them divine reward in the Hereafter. Yet it may be that, at the very same time, their family are in urgent need of their presence at home. In such a case, tending to the needs of one’s family takes precedence and must not be sacrificed for recommended (Mustahabb) acts of worship. However, only those who know the scales and can discern true priorities will understand this. Possessing knowledge and information without knowing the Scale on the Day of Judgment will not only fail to guide us to our eternal destination—it may corrupt our hearts and lead us astray from the straight path.
According to the Holy Quran, the Scale on the Day of Judgment is the truth (Haqq) [1]. This means that what is weighed on the Scale of the Day of Judgment is the extent of truth present within our heart and soul. A heart that enters Barzakh devoid of truth is like an infant born with a deformed body. In contrast, a heart filled with the truth will experience a sound and healthy birth and enjoy a wholesome and fulfilling life in the Hereafter [2]. We have already discussed the nature of the truth and its manifestations in detail, and we noted that the highest and most perfect examples of the truth are Allah, the Quran, and the Infallibles (Peace be upon them). For a reminder, you can refer back to that section.
But how can we identify whether our heart and soul are filled with the truth or not? How can we understand, in this very world and before death, whether our heart is aligned with the truth?
Knowing the Scales of the Truth to Acquire a Sound Heart
According to the law of proportion, the relationship between the world and the Hereafter is similar to the relationship between the mother’s womb and the world. Just as the condition of a newborn at birth reveals how healthy the mother’s pregnancy was, our birth into the Hereafter reflects how deeply our heart and soul were connected to the truth. In the world, being aligned with the truth means that the newborn’s body is in compatibility with the living conditions of life in the world; similarly, in the Hereafter, having a healthy birth and a sound heart signifies that we are aligned with the truth. According to Quranic verses and the narrations of the Infallibles (Peace be upon them), there are fifty stations on the Day of Judgment. At each of these stations, one of our deeds will be evaluated and its degree of alignment with the truth will be measured.
Every deed has its own specific scale and sub-scales. For instance, prayer has a set of scales that determine its validity—such as those outlined in the treatise on practical laws and rulings. Beyond the conditions of validity, there are other scales that determine whether the prayer is accepted. If these are not fulfilled, the prayer—although valid—may still not be accepted. One such condition is kind and respectful behavior toward one’s family. As it is mentioned in narrations that the prayer of one who mistreats their family will not be accepted [3].
Another very important station on the Day of Judgment is the one where the heart and actions of each person are evaluated in relation to the Imam of their Time (Peace be upon him). For us, this station pertains to our relationship with Imam Mahdi (May God hasten his reappearance). There, each of us—as his children—will be questioned: Did we fulfill our responsibilities toward him during our lifetime? Did we shape our lifestyle in a way that contributed to removing the obstacles to his reappearance? The same kind of evaluation applies to all other deeds as well.
The extent to which one’s heart is filled with the truth can be recognized by observing their inner state—such as the level of joy, peace, and beneficence (Rahmaniyyat) they carry within. For example, someone who easily loses their temper or constantly worries about worldly matters clearly has light scales; their heart has not been sufficiently filled with the truth. This is similar to someone with a calcium deficiency whose bones are more susceptible to fractures.
God, the Almighty, has outlined the minimum required scales for acquiring a sound heart in Surah Al-Asr. Each of these scales includes various sub-scales, such as pure intention, righteous deeds, good character, refraining from sin, a deep connection with the Quran and prayer, financial and physical engagement in God’s cause (Jihad), and more. These are the scales and sub-scales we need to align our lifestyle with.
In this article, we discussed the Scale on the Day of Judgment, the necessity of aligning ourselves with it to acquire a sound heart and have a healthy birth into the Hereafter. We also identified some of the key scales and sub-scales. What other scales are you familiar with? We would be delighted to hear your valuable thoughts.
References
[1]. Quran, 7:8
[2]. Quran, 101:6-7
[3]. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “If a man has a wife who harasses him, God will neither accept her ritual prayer (salat) nor any of her good deeds — until she has pleased him — even if she fasts and prays at all times, emancipates slaves, and gives away her wealth in charity for the sake of God. She will be the first to enter the Fire.” Then he said: “And the husband has the same burden and chastisement if he is a harasser and unjust [in his behavior towards his wife]. Shaykh al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasa’il al-Shi’a.