The scrolls and the handing of the record

الصحف وأخذ الكتاب

The scrolls are spread on the Day and fly into their owners' hands: who is given his record in his right has an easy reckoning and a joyful return; who is given it in his left or behind his back has a hard reckoning and a burning end 1 2.

Depth

At a glance

CreedAfterlife and eschatology

Overview

The scrolls are the records of deeds kept by the noble scribes; on the Day they are spread and every soul is handed its record 1.

In the texts

The Qur'an names the ways the record is taken: in the right hand, an easy reckoning and a joyful return the surat al-Inshiqaq verses; in the left or behind the back, a cry of ruin and a blaze what follows; and 'read your record — your soul suffices today as reckoner over you' the record-reading verse 1. In the hadith the believer first denies what is in his record, then admits it 2.

People and things also explored

Al-barzakh· The Basin (al-Hawd) of the Prophet on the Day of Resurrection· The Reckoning· The major signs of the Hour· The rivers of Paradise· The causes that remove punishment for sins· The Throne-Bearers· The endings of deeds (khawatim)

Sources

  1. Tafsir Ibn Kathir
  2. Sahih al-Bukhari
  • Sahih Muslim
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The scrolls and the handing of the record”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/suhuf-al-amal/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-12.

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Related

Al-barzakh

The barrier between this world and the next in which souls remain until the day they are raised; in it are the grave's bliss and its punishment as the texts report.