12.1.1. Definition of al-mizan (the balance) in linguistic terms
In linguistic terms, the word al-mizan refers to the equipment with which things are weighed. The plural form is mawazin.

12.1.2. Definition of al-mizan (the balance) in Islamic terminology
In Islamic terminology, the word al-mizan refers to a real balance, with a pointer and two pans, in which people’s deeds, good and bad, will be weighed in the place where judgement will be passed. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, has told us about it in the Holy Qur’an in general terms, and the prophetic Sunnah tells us details about it.

12.2. Evidence for the balance
12.2.1. Evidence for the balance from the Holy Qur’an
i. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "The weighing of deeds on that day will be true and just. Those whose good deeds weigh heavily in the balance will be the successful ones. And those whose good deeds weigh lightly in the balance are the ones who will lose their own souls, because they wrongfully rejected Our revelations." (al-A‘raf 7:8-9) Al-Sam‘ani said, “Regarding the words The weighing of deeds on that day will be true and just, Mujahid said: What is meant is that the judgement on that Day will be based on truth and justice. Most of the commentators are of the view that what is meant is that the weighing will be done with the well-known balance, and it is real and true.”

ii. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "We will set up scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. Even if a deed is the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it forth, and sufficient are We as Reckoners." (al-Anbiya’ 21:47) Ibn Kathir said, “The words We will set up scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least mean: We will set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection. The majority of scholars are of the view that there will be only one balance; the word appears in the plural because so many deeds will be weighed in it.”

iii. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "They are the ones who reject the signs of their Lord and deny the Meeting with Him. Their deeds will come to nothing and on the Day of Resurrection, We will not give them any weight." (al-Kahf 18:105) Ibn Jarir said, “Here Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says that the people described will be the greatest losers in terms of deeds, those who rejected the evidence and proof of their Lord and denied the meeting with Him. Their deeds will come to nothing that is, their deeds will be rendered worthless, so there will be no reward for them that could benefit the doers in the hereafter; rather they will be faced with punishment and lengthy disgrace, and on the Day of Resurrection, We will not give them any weight. In other words, their deeds will not weigh heavily in the balance, because what weighs heavily in the balance is only righteous deeds, and these people have no righteous deeds to their credit that could weigh heavily in the balance.

12.2.2. Evidence for the balance in the prophetic Sunnah
i. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Two words that are beloved to the Most Merciful, light on the tongue and heavy in the balance: ‘Subhan Allah wa bi hamdih, subhan Allah il-‘azim (Glory and praise be to Allah, glory to be Allah the Almighty).’” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

ii. Abu Malik al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Purification is half of faith and ‘al-hamdu Lillah (praise be to Allah)’ fills the balance.” (Muslim) Ibn Daqiq al-‘Eid said, “The words ‘“al-hamdu Lillah (praise be to Allah)” fills the balance’ mean: because of the great reward which will fill the balance of the one who praises Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, … There are many corroborating texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah which speak of the weighing of deeds and how the balance may be heavy or light.”

iii. Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “There is nothing that will weigh more heavily in the Balance on the Day of Resurrection than a good attitude, and Allah hates the foul-mouthed, rude person.” (Abu Dawud, Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi; sahih)

The Muslims believe in the balance, and no one differed concerning it of those whose views carry any weight among the Muslims

i. Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj said, “Ahl al-Sunnah are unanimously agreed on belief in the balance, and that people’s deeds will be weighed on the Day of Resurrection, and that the balance has a pointer and two pans which will move according to the deeds placed in them. The Mu‘tazilites denied the balance and said that it is a metaphor for justice; thus they went against the Qur’an and Sunnah.”

ii. Ibn Battah said, “The muhaddithin, the scholars, the ascetics and the devoted worshippers in all regions are agreed that belief in that the balance is obligatory.”

iii. Ibn Battal said, “Ahl al-Sunnah are unanimously agreed on belief in the balance, and that people’s deeds will be weighed on the Day of Resurrection, the balance has a pointer and two pans, and deeds will take the shape of things that can be weighed.”

Scholarly views regarding the balance:

i. Abu Hanifah said, “The balance is true, because Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), 'We will set up scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection.'" (al-Anbiya’ 21:47)

ii. Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said, “Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah believe in ten things; whoever believes in all of them is truly a follower of the Sunnah, and whoever omits any of them has forsaken the Sunnah: affirmation of the divine decree, giving precedence to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (over the rest of the Sahabah), the cistern, intercession, the balance, the sirat, the fact that faith consists of words and deeds, the fact that the Qur’an is the word of Allah, the punishment of the grave, and the resurrection on the Day of Resurrection.”

iii. Zuhayr ibn ‘Abbad said, “Each of the shaykhs whom I met – Malik, Sufyan, Fudayl, ‘Isa ibn Yunus, Ibn al-Mubarak and Waki‘ ibn al-Jarrah said that the balance is true.”

iv. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, “The basic principles according to Ahl al-Sunnah in our view include: … Belief in the balance, as it says in the hadith: ‘A person will be weighed on the Day of Resurrection and he will not weigh as much as a gnat’s wing.’ (Al-Bukhari, Muslim). And people’s deeds will be weighed, as it says in the report. We believe in that and affirm it, and we turn away from those who reject it, and we do not argue with them.”

12.3. The characteristics of the balance
The majority of scholars say that the balance has two physical, visible pans, and it has a pointer that is also physical and visible. The image is that of a classic scale of justice in which the two pans are equal or one pan weighs more heavily than the other.

i. Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari said, “The people differed regarding the balance. Those who follow the correct view believe that it has a pointer and two pans; good deeds will be placed in one pan and bad deeds will be placed in the other. The person whose good deeds outweigh his bad deeds will enter Paradise, and the person whose bad deeds outweigh his good deeds will enter Hell. For the one whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal, Allah will bestow His grace upon him and admit him to Paradise.”

ii. Al-Baghawi said, “Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, will set up a balance which has a pointer and two pans.”

iii. Ibn Qudamah said, “The balance has two pans and a pointer; it will weigh deeds, and then those whose good deeds weigh heavily in the balance will be the successful ones. And those whose good deeds weigh lightly in the balance are the ones who will lose their own souls; in hell they will abide forever."

12.4. Will there be one balance or many balances?
Al-Safarini said, “The more correct and the more well-known view is that there will be one balance for all nations and all deeds… Some of the scholars said that the reason why it is mentioned in the plural form in the verse is because of the great number of those whose deeds will be weighed; this is a sound understanding. And Allah is the source of strength.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “The scholars differed as to whether it will be one balance or many. Some of them said that there will be many balances, commensurate with the number of nations, individuals or deeds, because it only appears in the plural form in the Qur’an. Other scholars said that it is one balance, because it is mentioned in the singular in the hadith. As for the plural form in the Qur’an, that is because of the large number of those whose deeds will be weighed. Both are possible, and Allah knows best.”

12.5. What will be weighed in the balance
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Two words that are beloved to the Most Merciful, light on the tongue and heavy in the balance: ‘Subhan Allah wa bi hamdih, subhan Allah il-‘azim (Glory and praise be to Allah, glory to be Allah the Almighty).” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “There is nothing that weighs more heavily in the Balance than a good attitude.” (Abu Dawud, Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi; sahih)

Ibn Daqiq al-Eid said, “There are many texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah which indicate that deeds will be weighed.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, is able to give deeds and intangible things a physical shape, for He is able to do all things… The balance on the Day of Resurrection is something real and tangible, with which deeds will be weighed. Those whose good deeds weigh heavily will be the successful ones, and those whose good deeds weigh lightly will be the ones who lose their own souls.”

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Allah will summon a man from my ummah before all of creation on the Day of Resurrection, and ninety-nine scrolls will be spread out for him, each one extending as far as the eye can see. Allah will say: ‘Do you deny anything of this? Have My recording scribes been unfair to you?’ He will say: ‘No, O Lord.’ Then Allah will say: ‘Do you have any excuse?’ He will say: ‘No, O Lord.’ Allah will say: ‘Indeed, you have good deeds recorded with Us, and you will not be treated unjustly this Day.’ Then a piece of paper will be brought out on which is written Ash-hadu an la ilaha ill-Allah wa anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluhu (I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and the Muhammad is His slave and Messenger).’ Allah will say: ‘Bring the weight of your scrolls.’ The man will say: ‘O Lord, what is this piece of paper compared with these scrolls?’ Allah will say: ‘You will not be treated unjustly.’ Then the scrolls will be placed in one pan of the balance and the piece of paper in the other. The scrolls will fly up (i.e., be light) and the piece of paper will weigh heavily, for nothing can outweigh the name of Allah.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ahmad; sahih)

Al-Qurtubi said, “The correct view is that what makes the balance weigh heavily or lightly is the deeds that are written in the records… The records are something tangible, and Allah will make the outweighing of one pan by the other an indication that the individual has a lot of deeds which will cause him to enter either Paradise or Hell.”

Al-Safarini said, “There was a difference of opinion as to what will be weighed. It was said that the individual will be weighed with his deeds, or that the deeds themselves will be weighed. The truth is what we mentioned above, that what will be weighed is the records of deeds. That view was regarded as correct by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, al-Qurtubi and others. It was also regarded as correct by Shaykh Mar‘i in his book al-Bahjah, and it was the view favoured by the majority of commentators.”

Al-Baydawi said, “The majority are of the view that the records of deeds will be weighed in a balance with a pointer and two pans, at which the people will be looking, so as to show that the reckoning in based on justice and so as to leave no room for excuses. Allah will ask them about their deeds, and their tongues will admit them and their physical faculties will testify to their deeds. This is supported by the report which says that a man will be brought to the balance and ninety-nine scrolls will be spread out for him, each of which extends as far as the eye can see. Then a piece of paper on which the twin testimony of faith is written will be brought. The records will be placed in one pan and the piece of paper in the other, then the pan with the records will fly up and the pan with the piece of paper will weigh heavily.”

Ibn Kathir said, “Regarding what will be placed in the balance on the Day of Resurrection, it was said that it will be people’s deeds, even if they are intangible, but Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, will turn them into something tangible on the Day of Resurrection.”

Al-Baghawi said, "Narrating from Ibn ‘Abbas, as it was narrated in al-Sahih that al-Baqarah and Al ‘Imran will come on the Day of Resurrection like two clouds or canopies, or like two dense flocks of birds… According to the hadith of al-Bara’ which speaks of the questioning in the grave, 'A good-looking young man with a pleasant fragrance will come to the believer and he will say: “Who are you?” He will say: “I am your righteous deeds.”’ And he mentioned the opposite in the case of the disbeliever and hypocrite.'" (Ahmad, al-Hakim, al-Bayhaqi; sahih)

And it was said that the record of deeds will be weighed, as is mentioned in the hadith about the piece of paper, regarding the man who will be brought, and ninety-nine scrolls will be placed in one pan, each one extending as far as the eye can see, then that piece of paper on which is written ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ will be brought, and he will say: ‘O Lord, what is this piece of paper in comparison to these scrolls?’ And Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, will say: ‘You will not be wronged.’ Then that piece of paper will be placed in the other pan of the balance. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, ‘The scrolls will fly up (i.e., be light) and the piece of paper will weigh heavily.’ Al-Tirmidhi narrated a similar report and classed it as sahih. And it was said that the doer of the deeds will be weighed, as in the hadith, ‘A huge fat man will come on the Day of Resurrection, but he will weigh no more than a gnat’s wing before Allah.’ Then he recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning), 'And on the Day of Resurrection, We will not give them any weight.' (al-Kahf 18:105) And regarding the virtues of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Are you surprised at the thinness of his legs? By the One in Whose hand is my soul, they will weigh more heavily in the balance than Uhud.’ (Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, al-Tabarani; sahih)

We can reconcile between these reports by noting that all of that is correct; sometimes deeds will be weighed, sometimes the places where they happened will be weighed, and sometimes the doer of the deeds will be weighed. And Allah knows best.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “What will be weighed is people’s deeds, because of the apparent meaning of the verse 'We will set up scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. Even if a deed is the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it forth, and sufficient are We as Reckoners.' (al-Anbiya’ 21:47), quoted above, and the hadith, 'Two words that are beloved to the Most Merciful, light on the tongue and heavy in the balance: ‘Subhan Allah wa bi hamdih, subhan Allah il-‘azim (Glory and praise be to Allah, glory to be Allah the Almighty.’ (Al-Bukhari, Muslim) that follows it. And it was said that what will be weighed is the records of deeds, because of the hadith about the one with the piece of paper. Or it was said that the doer himself will be weighed, because of the hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, ‘A huge fat man will come on the Day of Resurrection, but he will weigh no more than a gnat’s wing before Allah. Recite, 'And on the Day of Resurrection, We will not give them any weight.'" (al-Kahf 18:105)

Some of the scholars reconciled between these texts by noting that all of them will be weighed, or that in reality the weighing will be for the records of deeds, and because they will be so heavy or light according to the deeds written in them, it will be as if the weighing is for the deeds. As for weighing the doer of the deeds, what is meant is weighing his dignity and honour. This is a good way of reconciling between them. And Allah knows best.”

12.6. Will the weighing of deeds and so on be done for everyone?
Al-Qurtubi said, “The balance is real, but the weighing will not be done for everyone, based on the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), 'O Muhammad, admit to Paradise those of your ummah who will not be brought to account…' (Al-Bukhari, Muslim) And Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says, 'The wicked will be known by their marks, and will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.' (al-Rahman 55:41) Rather it will be for those who remain in the place of gathering, the believers whose righteous deeds are mixed with bad deeds. It may also apply to the disbelievers on the basis of what we have noted above and will note below.”

Ibn Kathir said, commenting on the words of al-Qurtubi, “There are mutawatir reports which speak of the seventy thousand who will be admitted to Paradise without being brought to account, but that would mean that their deeds will not be weighed, but that is not necessarily so. And Allah knows best. The deeds of the martyrs may also be weighed, even though their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, in order to honour them and highlight their virtue before all people, and so as to demonstrate that they are blessed and saved from the Fire, even though they will not be brought to account.

As for the disbelievers, their deeds will be weighed, even though they do not have any good deeds to their credit that could benefit them by being weighed against their disbelief, for their good deeds – no matter how many they may have of them – cannot be weighed against their disbelief and will not benefit them. Rather they will be weighed in order to demonstrate that they are doomed and by way of rebuking and shaming them before all people.”