Mizan
Definition
Al-Mizan — the divine scale on which deeds are weighed on the Day of Judgment — is one of the central images of Islamic eschatology, and al-Ghazali treats it with his characteristic combination of precision and spiritual urgency. The weighing is not metaphorical: deeds will be given a real weight, and the entire economy of the afterlife will be determined by which side of the scale is heavier. Al-Ghazali notes that some acts whose outward form seems small — a kind word, a moment of genuine tafakkur, a single act of ikhlas — may weigh more on that scale than years of outward religious performance, because God weighs the inner quality of the act, not merely its outward quantity.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Mizan.
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"wearing a cloak fastened with a pin on his chest, Gabriel descended and conveyed greetings from his Lord. This hadith was transmitted by Ibn Hibban and Al-'Aqeeli in "Ad-Du'afa," and Al-Dhahabi labeled it as fabricated in "Al-Mizan." Those with obedience and whose actions combine both are to be treated on three levels, giving each trait its share of hatred, love, avoidance, attention, companionship, or cutting ties, and all of their actions."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
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"It mentions: "I have been preferred over people by four characteristics: generosity, courage... The narrators of this hadith are reliable, although the author of Al-Mizan called it "baseless". In the Sahihayn [Bukhari and Muslim], it is reported that "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the most generous of people," and this is agreed upon in the narration from Ibn Abbas, which has been previously mentioned in the section on zakat."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 20: The Book of the Prophetic Character
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"It is recorded by Abu Ahmad ibn Hibban in al-Thawab, and in it, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Kardam was unknown to Abu Hatim, and the compiler of al-Mizan [al-Dhahabi] said he was neither a fabricator nor unknown. The hadith that "Allah inscribed upon Himself: 'My mercy prevails over My wrath' before creating the creation," is agreed upon from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah and mentioned previously."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 33: Fear and Hope
Appears in
1 book in the library
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