The Extra-ordinary affects of the belief in the Day of Reckoning.

Two of the great actions in education are “Maraqba” contemplation, meditation or observation and “Mahasba” accounting or soul searching. The word “Maraqba” means that a person should contemplate that there is someone watching over him and his deeds at all times and that he knows even the hidden secrets.

Paying attention to this will keep a person always awake that he will be held responsible for every small deed good or bad and each will be accounted for justly. This in turn leads to the realization that a person is not totally free in his actions and should never regard any deed to be insignificant. Since the audit of his deeds will be done very minutely he should also severe but thoughtful in his actions.

These days traffic is controlled in many metropolitan cities through CTV cameras and the traffic police watch over the entire road movement in its head office. They contact their force through wireless about any violator of the rules the person is apprehended, charged and appropriate action is taken.

This surveillance and the fines lead us to accept that there should be regulations not only on the main through fares but also in remote highways.

This human surveillance and accounting which is not above mistakes has such a profound effect then how great will be the effect of God who is aware of all overt and covert deeds? The belief in His everlasting surveillance which will take into account even the minutest of deeds and where no disobedience or intercession will be tolerated will definitely be very great.

It is clear this deed becomes a habit in stages and from habit it leads to perfection and the social realization and God given piety takes root in him.

The very presence of courts for small crimes and punishments and for giving rewards stems from this very philosophy that there should be a peaceful system and the rule of the law and this in turn should educate mankind. The difference is that in human courts the decisions can be rescinded and bribe and favors have become a part of most courts. The complexities of the laws, the excuses, the exceptions and false witnesses become the cause of the criminal escaping justice. Some times the criminals take advantages of the red-tapism and defer their punishments for long periods. But on the Day of Judgment no such lacuna will exist instead as it will be explained later, the rewards and punishments will be based on actuality. Can any one change the curing medicine or the poisonous substance through intercessions, bribes or favors?

The belief in such a court will have a positively profound effect in reforming a person than the ordinary worldly courts of justice.

On the other side the belief in such a court generates the will to sacrifice as explained in verse 96 of Surah Nahl that says:

“What is with you must vanish; what is with God will endure.”

According to this verse this worldly life is finite, unstable and short lived while all that is stored for the hereafter will be stable and ever lasting.

Which intelligent person will reject the great love or the unlimited love in comparison with the few worldly gains?

This is the reason that the belief in resurrection becomes the fountainhead charity, sacrifice and forgiveness.

Thirdly this belief instills bravery, steadfastness and determination in a person. Only those who believe that there is nothing but this worldly are afraid of death. Why should he who believes that the real life is in the hereafter be afraid of death?

How can he who believes martyrdom to be the door to realm of peace, and the way to Paradise and its indescribable bounties be afraid of sacrificing his wealth and life or be cowed by the strength of the enemy?

We find that they showed great valor in the early Islamic wars and even in the imposed Iraq-Iran conflict and overcame the enemy despite his seemingly great strength. The secret is that the belief in resurrection transforms them to another kind of person, a person who is definitely not afraid of death and believes martyrdom to be a great achievement.

In short the more we think about the educating effect of the belief in the Day of Reckoning the more we will be aware of its importance. It is has been repeatedly stressed that this is the reason of this issue being continuously discussed in the Qura’n.

You may comment that whatever we have said is about the interlinking between deed and belief and not behavior and belief but as we have said above those deeds due to repetition become a condition, then a habit and a perfection of behavior.