What Tips The Scale of Bad Actions

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Be very careful about what comes out of our tongues. We may think that saying "uff" to our parents is something insignificant but it is something very heavy that outweighs the mountains of the world.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

A slave may utter a word that he deems harmless that may result in his falling the depth of seventy years into Hellfire.

(Tirmidhi)

Imam Qurtubi, in his book Al-Tadhkirah, told us a story about a man who will come on the Day of Judgment with his bad deeds and good deeds. When they are put on the Scale and weighed, they turned out to be equal. So, it is undecided whether he goes to Paradise or Hell. Allah will say to him that he is neither from the people of Paradise nor Hellfire. Then one of the angels will bring a piece of paper with the word "uff", which he had uttered to his parent in his life in this world that he didn't repent for, and then it is placed on his scale of bad actions. This causes the scale of his bad deeds to tip. He will then be ordered to be taken to the Hellfire but he will ask to go back to the place of reckoning. Allah then says, "Bring him back." When he is brought back to the place of reckoning, Allah says to him, "O you who have disrespected your parents, what is it that you are requesting to be returned here for?" The man says, "O My Lord, I have seen that I have to go to Hellfire because I was disrespectful to my father, and I see that my father is also being led to the Hellfire. I see that my good actions are not benefiting me. So please take my good actions and put them on the scale of my father to see if that will save him." Allah is pleased with this action, and says, "You were disrespectful to your father in the dunya (worldly life) and you have done birr (righteousness) to your father in the akhirah (next life), so take the hand of your father and both of you go to Paradise."

May Allah protect us from disobedience, and help us to obey Him and do birr to our parents. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam