Fuṣṣilat

وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَكِنْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيراً مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

وَذَلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنْتُمْ بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

22. And [suppose that] you have not been hiding yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should testify against you, but you thought that Allah knew not much of what you were doing.
23. And that thought of yours which you thought about your Lord, has brought you to destruction; and you have become of those utterly lost.

Bearing witness to deeds committed in this world by bodily organs is indubitable, though sinners neglect the same. Belief in the fact that we are in the presence of God Almighty is the most significant factor leading to human growth and guidance. We may invoke God Almighty to render us succor so that through logical reasoning we may make our beliefs firm and transparent and thereby avoid suspicion as to Divine Omnipotence and Omniscience.

It is worthy of note that the blessed Verse raises an objection against disbelievers that they may not conceal anything since your bodily organs like ears, eyes, and skins bear witness against you on the Day of Resurrection. Furthermore, God Almighty is Omniscient and Omnipotent and such groundless suspicions against God led to their perdition and they have become utter losers. Qur’anic exegets narrate on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas concerning the occasion of revelation of the Verses in question as saying:

“One day I had covered my face in the Ka’ba covering when three persons approached - Safwan from Rabi’a, Umayya, and ‘Abd Allah Thaqafi.

One of them said:

‘May God hear what we say?’

Another one replied:

‘If we speak loudly, He will hear us.’

The other said:

‘If He hears our loud speech, he may hear our whisper.’

I went to the Noble Prophet (S) and quoted their words. Then, the Verse was revealed to remove such baseless suspicions.” ¹⁸

Finally, mention will be made of fair thought toward God Almighty and suspicion against Him. The above Verses clearly indicates that suspicion against God Almighty is so perilous that it may lead to perdition and everlasting torment, instances of which include a group of disbelievers who imagined that God Almighty may neither see their deeds nor may He hear their words and such suspicion caused their utter loss and perdition. Au contraire, entertaining fair thought about God Almighty leads to deliverance in this world and the Hereafter.

According to a Prophetic tradition:

“Entertaining good thought about God is the best of devotions.” ¹⁹

As per another Prophetic tradition:

“Make attempts to entertain fair thought about God, since it is the cost of Paradise.” ²⁰

Imam Sadiq (as) said:

“Entertaining fair thought about God is that you do not set your hopes on anyone else and be solely afraid of your sin.” ²¹

Musa ibn Ja’far, Imam Kasim (as), said:

“The Good of this world and the Hereafter is solely due to believers’ good thought about God and causes them to set their hopes on Him.” ²²

There are many other traditions for which one may consult the related sources. Mention will hereunder be made of witnesses at the Tribunal to be held on the Day of Resurrection. When we say all human beings shall stand the Tribunal in the Hereafter, it may remind one of the tribunals held in this world at which each person produces documents and/or witnesses before judges and following questions and answers the final verdict is issued. However, it has been mentioned many a time that words designate broader and deeper meanings there which at times may defy the understanding of the prisoners of this world and at times it may be impossible to grasp at all.

It is worthy of note that taking into account the Qur’anic allusions and the traditions narrated from the Infallible Imams, we may discover truths which to some extent, uncover the grandeur and profundity of the world to come and demonstrate that the Tribunal to be held on the Day of Resurrection shall be quite extraordinary. For instance, when it is said:

one may assume that our deeds will turn into light and heavy objects weighed on a balance. According to traditions narrated from the Infallible Imams (as), ‘Ali (as) is the standard for assaying deeds. In other words, human deeds and characters will be compared with those of this eminent man in the world of humanity. The more one resembles him, the heavier one weights on the balance. Qur’anic Verses reveal truths concerning the question of testimonies and treat of issues which are not issues at the courts of law in this world but they play significant roles at the Tribunals in the Hereafter. Generally speaking, there are six types of witnesses for the Tribunal.

The Most Sublime in rank is Divine Pure Essence:

It is worthy of note that the same testimony is sufficient for anyone and anything, but Divine Grace and Justice necessitate the presence of other witnesses as well. The Prophet (S) and the trustees:

According to a tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) regarding the Verse in issue quoted in Kafi

“It is revealed about Muhammad’s nation that there will be witnesses for them from amongst us in each and every century and Muhammad (S) is a witness to all of us.” ²⁵

Bodily organs, e.g. tongue, hands, feet, eyes, and ears

The blessed Verses in question indicate that eyes and ears bear witness in the hereafter and a number of traditions designate that all bodily organs in their turn bear witness to their acts.²⁷ Skins also bear witness in the Hereafter. The blessed Verses in question explicitly treat of the issue and further add that sinners will never expect their skins to bear testimony against them, as they address their skins saying:

“Why do you bear testimony against us?”

They reply:

“God Almighty Who makes everything speak has made us speak too.”

Angels will be witnesses then, as reflected in the Holy Qur’an:

The earth that is beneath our feet and we are always its guest enjoying its blessings closely keeps an eye on us. On that Day, it will bear testimony to all our deeds, as it is reflected in the Holy Qur’an:

Time is also among the witnesses, though it is not reflected in the Holy Qur’an, but traditions narrated from the Infallibles (as) bear witness to the same, as it is narrated from Imam ‘Ali (as):

“No day passes for the son of Adam unless it tells him:

‘O son of Adam! I am a new day witnessing to your deeds, say good words and do righteous good deeds in me so that I bear witness to your good words and deeds on the Day of Resurrection.’” ³⁰

It is actually a source of wonder that so many truthful witnesses of that great Tribunal, from space and time to angels, bodily organs, Prophets, saints, and above all, Divine Pure Essence, closely watch our deeds and we are unaware of the same. Belief in the existence of such watching witnesses should suffice to make man tread the Path of Truth, Justice, Purity, and fearing God.