Living The Quran
From Issue: 977 [Read full issue]
Record of Accounts
Al-Haqqah (The Inevitable Truth) Sura 69: Verses 19-24
"He who is given his record in his right hand will say, 'Come you all! Read this my record, I certainly knew that one day I would have to face my account.' He will be in a happy state of life, in a lofty garden, with its fruits within easy reach. 'Eat and drink to your heart's content as a reward for what you have done in days gone by.'"
Taking one's record with one's right or left hand, or behind one's back may be a statement expressing a material fact, or it may be an idiomatic expression following standard rules of Arabic as it refers to the good direction as the right and the evil one as the left or the back. Whichever may be the case, the meaning remains the same. What we see here is a person who is given his record and realizes that he has won. The hardship of the day is gone, and he moves along, overjoyed, among the great multitude. In his overwhelming delight, he says that he never thought that he would be spared. He expected to have to account for his deeds, and that means suffering.
The details of blessings made ready for such people are then announced for all. The account given here of these blessings includes some aspects of material comfort. This suited the state of those addressed by the Quran at the time. They were still newcomers to Islam; it had not yet given its distinctive hue to their feelings, nor had they had the chance to appreciate luxuries higher than any material comfort. Yet this type of blessing can satisfy the needs of many people across many generations.
Compiled From:
"In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 17, pp. 224-226