Today Is The Day Of Action And There Is No Reckoning — While Tomorrow Is The Day Of Reckoning But There Would Be No(Opportunity For) Action:
Whoever chooses to Follow the right path, Follows it but For his good; and whoever goes astray, goes but astray to his loss; and no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another’s burden. (Al-Israa‘ 17:15)
This verse tells us that in the Final Judgment:
(1) We are accountable For our actions.
(2) No injustice will be done to anyone.
Truly, right now, you live the day of action with no accounting therein, and very soon you will live the day of accounting with no action therein. This life — the life of this world, this transitory, temporary life that we lead, that is a life where we have to perform actions.
There is no accountability, so to speak — Obviously, we do believe that there is some level of reckoning of our actions in this world. But the ultimate accounting, the ultimate judgment of our actions will be in the world to come.
Today, this day of our life where we are alive, but we are breathing, where we are acting as we wish to act, in which we do what we want to do.
And therefore, if we are trying to save For our Future as we like to save money in this, you know, in our time that we are young, we try to save For our retirement, For our old age, and that we can hopefully benefit from that money when we retire.
Similarly, we should be saving our good actions For the world to come, that yes, we may receive some residual reward From our good actions in this world.
But ultimately, the good actions that you and I perform, the good actions that we do to other human beings, to the animal kingdom, and ultimately our responsibility to our Creator, the true accounting, the true reward will be in the world to come on the Day of Judgment ad far beyond that.
And so let us take this world, this life, this temporary, Fleeting life that we lead as a time of action or positive change within ourselves, within our Family, within our community,within our society.
Prophet Muhammad(saw) described the manner of questioning on the Day of Judgment thus: “Allah will talk to everyone directly, without a translator. The person will look to his right, and will not see anything but his deeds.
Then the person will look to his Front and will see nothing but the Hellfire Facing him. So protect yourself From Hellfire even with the charity of half a date”. (Al-Bukhari)
Al-Bukhari reported: that Ali ibn Abi Talib(May Allah be pleased with him) said, “Set out with the world at your back and the Hereafter at your Front. Each of them has their children. Be children of the Hereafter and not children of the world, For today is For action and not reckoning, while tomorrow is For reckoning and not action.” (Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 8/89)
Let us, then hopefully reap the rewards of all of our good actions in the world to come. When our Creator judges us and we are given our tidings of walking into paradise with our good actions in the company of the Prophet(saw) and the noble Family of the Prophet Muhammad(May God's peace and blessings be upon all of them).
So, the point is that — if we misuse the authority that Allah(swt) has given us in this worldly life and if we are not able to repent in this worldly life, then we will not be able to escape From Allah’s punishment on the Day of Resurrection.
Only our Good deeds will benefit us on the Day of Resurrection because it is the Day of Justice and Punishment.
May Allah(swt) grant us the ability to beautify our Hereafter while living in this world. (Ameen).
JazakAllah (May Allah Reward You [with] Goodness)For Reading.