The Meaning of the Hadith: "Whoever is questioned about his account will be punished"

Question : The questioner asks: How can we reconcile the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that "whoever is questioned about his account will be punished" with your statement just now that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says to His believing servant: "You disobeyed Me in this world, and now I will cover it up for you in the Hereafter"?

Answer : Yes, there is no difficulty in this, because "questioning" means being held accountable by being asked about the blessings that Allah gave him. For the meaning of an account that involves questioning is that just as you take, you give. However, the account of Allah for the believing servant on the Day of Resurrection is not of this nature. Rather, it is purely a favor from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. If He brings up his sins and he acknowledges and admits to them, He says: "I covered it up for you in this world, and today I forgive it for you." The word "questioned" indicates this, because questioning involves back-and-forth discussion, searching for the fine details and the major ones. This does not apply to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Rather, Allah the Exalted makes the account for the believer based on favor and kindness, not on questioning and strict justice.