"Lo!
We it is Who bring the dead to life. We record that which they send
before (them, and their footprints. And all things We have kept in a
clear Register." (36:12)
A
person's deeds during their lifetime and the consequences or affects of
their deeds on the society, their family and descendents will also
continue being recorded after death which will either contribute or
tarnish their final Report on the Day of Resurrection .... depending on
the kind of influence their deeds had on others. It's tightly linked
with ones actions during lifetime. People have a tendency of getting
influenced by one another. Obviously a good person's actions will leave
positive imprints on the people they interacted with during
earthly life e.g. their parents, children, spouses, siblings, extended
family, friends, neighbors etc. A misguided person will likely have a
negative influence on at least some people around them. Therefore, the after-affect of peoples' deeds continue to affect their Record even after their death. Also, if a person committed murder or
robbery or any other crime, the repercussions of such an act can cause a
lot of suffering and trauma to many affected people even after the death of that
criminal. Hence, the continued suffering will continue to add to the
sins of that criminal. In the same way, the after-affects or sacrifices
of a good person's actions will continue to add to their rewards after
their death.
In Verse 36:12 the expression "We record that which they send before (them, and their footprints." quite clearly seems to infer to the consequences of ones deeds on individuals and society they leave behind or those which come later. While
these contemporaries, descendants and later communities are basically responsible for their own souls, a
fraction of the responsibility is carried on the shoulders of their
first ancestors/friends/communities who did not teach them what they should have or intentionally misguided them for the fun of it.
No doubt the Noble Quran has made it clear that every soul bears its own
responsibility and will be answerable only for itself. At the same
time it also clarifies in V.16:25 "That
they may bear their burdens undiminished on the Day of Resurrection,
with somewhat of the burdens of those whom they mislead without
knowledge. Ah! evil is that which they bear!" This Verse connects with Verse 36:12
quoted at the beginning of this article, in that, it again refers that
any person who is responsible for misleading others does become somewhat
responsible for that as well. However, sometimes such mistakes of
misleading others happen inadvertently. Like in the simple example of
parents and children, when parents trust the future adulthood of their
children and cannot imagine them disobeying the basic principles of
Faith in later life, expecting them to learn on their own. But they are
disappointed if that doesn't happen. Of course, the responsibility of
such an oversight would obviously be much smaller compared to the
misguidance of an intentional transgressor. This again brings the
concept of Salvation and Reprobation having various degrees as
elucidated in Verse 3:163.
"There are degrees (of grace and reprobation) with Allah, and Allah is Seer of what they do." (3:163).
There
are some believers who have more good deeds than other believers.
There are also some disbelievers who have more ill deeds than other
disbelievers. Therefore a believer's reward will have varying degrees
and an evil doer's violations will also have different degrees. That's
because the the system of justice with Allah Almighty is most perfect and wrongs
no one. All praise be to Allah, The Almighty, only.
Beautiful reminder!
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