The Sermon's Title: My Scale Heavy
Themes of the Sermon:
1- Belief in the Scale on the Day of Resurrection
2- What Will Be Weighed?
3- How to Make Your Scale Heavy on the Day of Resurrection
All praise belongs to Allah, with Whom is the finest destination. He forgives every repentant, oft-returning servant, and rewards the doer of good with a magnificent reward. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah grant him abundant peace and blessings.
To proceed: Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, with true mindfulness and piety, and remain conscious of Him in secret and in public.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
“O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].” [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 102].
Servants of Allah:
When the Prophet ﷺ went to his bed at night, he would say: “In the name of Allah, I lay down my side. O Allah, forgive my sin, drive away my devil, free me from my pledges, make heavy my scale, and place me in the highest assembly.” Reported by aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī.
These are blessed supplications that the Prophet ﷺ would pray to his Lord with every night before sleeping. Our sermon today is about one specific request from them, which is his saying: “and make heavy my scale.”
Indeed, the Day of Resurrection is a day of immense terrors. However, it will ultimately have a beautiful outcome and destination for the people of faith and righteous deeds. Among its greatest terrors is the Scale (al-Mīzān).
It is a real, physical scale that has two pans. It is magnificent in its size, and none knows its true greatness and vastness except Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The Scale will be set up on the Day of Resurrection. If the heavens and the earth were to be weighed in it, it would accommodate them. The angels will say, 'O Lord, who is this for?' Allah the Almighty will say, 'For whomever I will among My creation.' The angels will then say, 'Glory be to You! We have not worshipped You as You truly deserve to be worshipped.” Reported by al-Ḥākim.
Belief in the Scale is a mandatory part of belief in the Last Day, and those who deny it are people of deviation and misguidance.
It was narrated by Ibn Ḥibbān from the ḥadīth of Gabriel (peace be upon him) when he asked the Prophet ﷺ, saying: "O Muḥammad, what is faith (Īmān)?" The Prophet ﷺ replied: “That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and that you believe in Paradise, the Hellfire, and the Scale, and that you believe in the Resurrection after death, and that you believe in the divine decree (Qadar), both its good and its bad.” Gabriel asked, "If I do that, am I a believer?" The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Yes.”
In this Scale, the deeds of the servants and their scrolls of deeds will be weighed. Among the people, there will be the successful whose scales are heavy, and among them will be the losers whose scales are light. Allah the Almighty said:
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَلَا أَنْسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ * فَمَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ * وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فِي جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ
“So when the Horn is blown, no relationship will there be among them that Day, nor will they ask about one another. And those whose scales are heavy - it is they who are the successful. But those whose scales are light - those are the ones who have lost their souls, [abiding] in Hell eternally.” [Sūrat al-Muʾminūn: 101-103].
It is a weighing done with absolute truth and justice, so no soul will be wronged in the least. Whoever does an atom's weight of good will find it multiplied out of Allah's mercy and favor, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will find it just as it is, as a fair and just recompense. Allah the Almighty said:
وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا وَإِنْ كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَى بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ
“And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.” [Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ: 47].
And He, Glory be to Him, said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ وَإِنْ تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَاعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِنْ لَدُنْهُ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
“Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom's weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.” [Sūrat an-Nisāʾ: 40].
The servant whose pan of bad deeds outweighs their good deeds has not been wronged by Allah; rather, they are the ones who wronged themselves. Allah's system of reward is filled with the utmost favor and mercy: a good deed is rewarded tenfold up to many times more, while a bad deed is counted only as one, and He pardons and forgives.
Did our Prophet ﷺ not inform us of what he narrated from his Blessed and Exalted Lord, who said: “Indeed, Allah has recorded the good deeds and the bad deeds, then He explained that: whosoever intends to do a good deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Him as a complete good deed; and if he intends it and does it, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, records it with Him as ten good deeds up to seven hundred times, or even many times more. And if he intends to do a bad deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Him as a complete good deed; and if he intends it and does it, Allah records it as a single bad deed.” In another narration, it adds: “And no one perishes with Allah except he who is truly ruined.” Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
Our Lord is ash-Shakūr (The Most Appreciative); He rewards a small deed with a massive reward, due to your sincerity to Allah and your following of His Messenger ﷺ.
A single date that you give in charity from wholesome wealth, purely for the sake of Allah, will be incredibly grand in your scale.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever gives charity equal to the value of a date from wholesome earnings—and Allah accepts nothing but what is wholesome—Allah accepts it with His right hand, then fosters it for its giver, just as one of you rears his foal, until it becomes like a mountain.” Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
You might be asking now: How can I make my scale heavy on the Day of Resurrection?
Know, O servant of Allah, that the servant's scale becomes heavy first and foremost by the mercy and favor of Allah, for all good comes from Him and returns to Him. This will be the testimony of the people of Paradise to their Kind and Merciful Lord, as they praise their Lord while in the meadows of Paradise, saying: "Did Allah not make our scales heavy?!"
One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited this verse:
لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ
“For them who have done good is the best reward and extra.” [Sūrat Yūnus: 26].
And he said: “When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, and the people of the Hellfire enter the Hellfire, a caller will announce: 'O people of Paradise! Indeed, you have a promise with Allah that He wishes to fulfill for you.' They will say, 'And what is it? Did Allah not make our scales heavy, brighten our faces, admit us into Paradise, and save us from the Hellfire?' He said: Then the veil will be lifted, and they will look at Him. By Allah, Allah has never given them anything dearer to them than looking at Him—meaning at Himself—nor anything more comforting to their eyes.” Reported by Ibn Mājah.
So it is no wonder that among the supplications of the Prophet ﷺ—as mentioned before—was: “and make heavy my scale.”
Furthermore, know that the greatest thing to make a servant's scale heavy is their faith in their Lord. This faith might be the weight of an atom for some people, while for others, it is like mountains—to the point that a single servant can hold greater weight with Allah than an entire nation.
One day, ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿūd was harvesting tooth-sticks from a tree. He had very thin shins, and the wind began to blow him around, causing the people to laugh at him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked: “What are you laughing at?” They replied, "O Prophet of Allah, at the thinness of his shins!" He said: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, they are definitely heavier in the Scale than Mount Uḥud.” Reported by Aḥmad.
It is faith, and its greatest foundation is the statement of monotheism (Tawḥīd), which is heavier than the seven heavens and the earth. It is your acknowledgment that Allah alone is the True God Who alone deserves worship, submission, and devotion, and that every god taken by creation besides Him is false.
Noah (peace be upon him) advised his son with it, saying: “I command you with 'Lā ilāha illā Allah' (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah). For indeed, if the seven heavens and the seven earths were placed on one pan of the scale, and 'Lā ilāha illā Allah' was placed on the other, 'Lā ilāha illā Allah' would outweigh them.” Reported by Aḥmad.
Look at the man who was sincere in his monotheism toward his Lord and did not associate anything with Him—how Allah made his scale heavy through the statement of Tawḥīd.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah will save a man from my nation before all of creation on the Day of Resurrection. Ninety-nine scrolls [of bad deeds] will be spread out for him, each scroll stretching as far as the eye can see. Then Allah will say, 'Do you deny anything of this? Have My recording angels wronged you?' He will reply, 'No, my Lord!' Allah will ask, 'Do you have any excuse?' He will reply, 'No, my Lord.' Allah will say, 'Nay, indeed you have a good deed with Us, and there will be no injustice against you today.' Then a card will be brought out, upon which is written: 'I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger.' Allah will say, 'Bring forth your weight.' The man will say, 'O Lord, what is this card compared to these huge scrolls?' Allah will say, 'You will not be wronged!' Then the scrolls will be placed on one pan and the card on the other. The scrolls will go up light, and the card will outweigh them heavily; for nothing can outweigh the Name of Allah.” Reported by at-Tirmidhī.
As for the disbeliever, they hold no weight with Allah because they have no faith, so their deeds are like scattered dust.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “A huge, fat man will come on the Day of Resurrection, yet he will not weigh as much to Allah as the wing of a mosquito.” And he said: “Recite if you wish:
فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا
“So We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any weight.” [Sūrat al-Kahf: 105]. Reported by al-Bukhārī.
It is faith that differentiates deeds. You might see two deeds that look exactly the same outwardly, yet the difference between the reality of one and the other is as vast as the distance between the heaven and the earth.
Did the Prophet ﷺ not say: “A single dirham surpassed one hundred thousand dirhams.” The people asked, "How so?" He said: “A man had only two dirhams, so he gave one of them in charity. Meanwhile, another man went to his vast wealth, took one hundred thousand dirhams from it, and gave it in charity.” Reported by an-Nasāʾī.
Look at how a single dirham surpassed one hundred thousand dirhams with Allah! This is because the one who gave a single dirham gave half of everything he owned. Consider how profound his faith and certainty in his Lord must have been, and how he strove against his own soul to prefer Allah above all else. The other man gave one hundred thousand—which is great, yes—but he did not have to put forth the same level of self-sacrifice and preference as the first.
This is the secret that made Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq the foremost among the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the greatest in virtue: the faith that was deeply rooted in his heart like mountains.
ʿUmar al-Fārūq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If the faith of Abū Bakr were weighed against the faith of all the people of the earth, his faith would outweigh theirs.” Reported by Aḥmad.
Furthermore, know that among the greatest things with which Allah makes a servant's scale heavy on the Day of Resurrection is good character.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is nothing heavier in the Scale than good character.” Reported by Abū Dāwūd.
Justice, kindness, loyalty, fulfilling promises, truthfulness, trustworthiness, selflessness, generosity, forgiveness, tolerance, gentleness, easygoingness, chivalry, and humility—every good character trait that Islam calls for, if you adopt it and treat people with it, Allah will make your scale heavy with it on the Day of Resurrection.
In addition, a Muslim is eager to perform every deed for which Allah multiplies the reward in order to weigh down their scale, and among the greatest and easiest of these actions is the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah the Almighty.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Al-Ḥamdu lillāh (All praise belongs to Allah) fills the Scale, and Subḥān Allah (Glory be to Allah) and Al-Ḥamdu lillāh fill what is between the heavens and the earth.” Reported by Muslim.
He ﷺ also said: “There are five things—how heavy they are in the Scale! Lā ilāha illā Allah (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), Subḥān Allah (Glory be to Allah), Al-Ḥamdu lillāh (All praise belongs to Allah), and a righteous child who dies and their parents seek Allah's reward for their loss.” Reported by Aḥmad.
Therefore, remember Allah abundantly, especially by saying: “Subḥān Allahi wa bi-ḥamdihi, Subḥān Allahil-ʿAẓīm” (Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him, Glory be to Allah the Most Supreme). For these two phrases—as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us—are: “light on the tongue, heavy in the Scale, and beloved to the Most Merciful.” Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
May Allah bless me and you through the Great Qur'an, and benefit me and you through the verses and wise reminders it contains. I seek Allah's forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness; indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
The Second Sermon:
All praise belongs to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and those who follow him. To proceed:
Glad tidings to a servant who guides people to good, so that their good deeds are added to his scale of rewards. And woe to a servant who guides people to evil, so that their sins are added to his scale of bad deeds.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the rewards of those who follow him, without that detracting from their rewards in the slightest. And whoever calls to misguidance will bear a sin similar to the sins of those who follow him, without that detracting from their sins in the slightest.” Reported by Muslim.
So be eager, O servant of Allah, to leave a beautiful impact that remains after your death, so that your reward never cuts off.
O Allah, forgive our sins, free us from our pledges, make heavy our scales, and place us in the highest assembly.
O Allah, aid us and do not aid others against us; grant us victory and do not grant victory over us; plan for us and do not plan against us; and grant us victory over those who transgress against us.
O Allah, grant us safety in our homelands, rectify our leaders and those in authority over us, and place our leadership under the care of those who fear You, remain mindful of You, and seek Your pleasure.
O Allah, be with our oppressed brothers and sisters in Gaza and everywhere, and decree for them a near victory and relief.
Servants of Allah: Remember Allah with much remembrance, and glorify Him morning and afternoon. And our final call is: All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
