1. In this court, the judge, the witnesses and the executor of the ruling, as well as the spectators, are all one person. It is that very energy of the conscience which bears witness, judges and then rolls up its sleeves and carries out the ruling.

2. As opposed to the normal courts which are full of chaos and commotion, and sometimes take several yeas to end, the trial of this court is like lightening and does not require a great deal of normal time. Of course, sometimes, in order to prove a document, there is the necessity for time for the crime and the curtains of negligence to be removed from the eyes of the heart, but after presenting the documents, the ruling is immediate and cannot be changed.

3. The ruling of this court is one phase. There is normally not any higher court to turn to.

4. This court does not just give punishments but it also gives rewards to those who know what their duty is.

Thus it is a court in which both the good and the bad are tried and they receive punishment or rewards in accordance with their deeds.

5. The punishments of this court are not in the least bit similar to the punishments of other courts. In the outside, it would appear that there is no prison, no whip, no noose, not fire but sometimes they burn from within and are put in prison in the world in such a way that they prefer death to living in it. It is narrower than a solitary confinement cell in a prison.

At any rate, this court is not like the courts of this world but is similar to the Court of the Day of Judgment.

The greatness of this court is so great that the Quran swears by it and is placed beside the Court of the Day of Judgment. It says,

لا اقسم بیوم القیمه و لا اقسم با لنفس اللوامه ایحسب الانسان الن نجمع عظامه بلی قادرین علی ان نسوی بنانه
القیامه 75/4-1

“By the Resurrection Day and by the self-reproaching soul. Does man think that We cannot assemble his bones? Nay, We are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers.” (75:1-4)

Of course, in spite of all of the conditions of this Court, because it is a court of this world, it does not make us needless of the Court of the Day of Judgment because:

1. The realm of all consciences is not the same and it depends upon the realms of thought and discernment of each individual.

2. It can happen that a skilled, deceitful person can even fool his or her conscience.

3. Sometimes the cry of the conscience of sinners grows so weak that it cannot be heard.

It is because of this that the need for the Court on the Day of Judgment becomes clear.

Think and Answer

1. In reality in how many courts is a person tried?

2. What are the particularities of the first court and what is it called?

3. What particularities does the third court have?

4. What are the particular characteristics of the second court?

5. Describe the merits and weaknesses of the court of the conscience.