One who dies upon faith receives his book in his right hand
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Fatwa number ( 1759 ):
Q: The questioner says that he found Ibn Hazm stating: "The believers take their books in their right hands, the disbelievers take their books in their left hands, and the believers who are people of major sins take their books from behind their backs." So clarify this for us.
A: The position of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that one who dies upon faith receives his book in his right hand, even if he is a perpetrator of major sins. And that one who dies upon disbelief, may Allah protect us from it, receives his book in his left hand from behind his back. By doing so, he represents the state of the one who is in pain and distressed, hating what he is receiving, but he must receive it. This is what the texts indicate, for they do not mention regarding the receiving of the book anything other than a believer, even if it is general faith, and a disbeliever, even if the type of his disbelief differs or its degree varies. And the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Inshiqaq 84:10-11] these verses... are regarding the disbeliever whose disbelief takes him out of the religion of Islam, due to Allah's report about him that he does not believe in the Hereafter in His saying at the end of these verses: [Al-Inshiqaq 84:14] meaning: he returns to his Lord for the Reckoning
and the recompense. There is no contradiction between Allah the Exalted's report about the disbeliever once that he is given his book from behind his back, and another time that he is given his book in his left hand, because it is possible to reconcile them by his taking his book of deeds in his left hand from behind his back, as mentioned previously. So one of the verses is explaining the limb that receives the scroll of deeds, and the other is explaining the manner and state of receiving it. And what you mentioned regarding Ibn Hazm about the taking of the books of deeds of the believers who commit major sins from behind their backs, your transmission from him is correct; but his statement, may Allah have mercy on him, in that matter is not correct, for what was mentioned previously. So the correct is what was mentioned previously, which is the position of the people of the Sunnah . And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: The questioner says that he found Ibn Hazm stating: "The believers take their books in their right hands, the disbelievers take their books in their left hands, and the believers who are people of major sins take their books from behind their backs." So clarify this for us.
A: The position of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that one who dies upon faith receives his book in his right hand, even if he is a perpetrator of major sins. And that one who dies upon disbelief, may Allah protect us from it, receives his book in his left hand from behind his back. By doing so, he represents the state of the one who is in pain and distressed, hating what he is receiving, but he must receive it. This is what the texts indicate, for they do not mention regarding the receiving of the book anything other than a believer, even if it is general faith, and a disbeliever, even if the type of his disbelief differs or its degree varies. And the saying of Allah the Exalted:
(10) But as for he who is given his record behind his back, (11) He will cry out for destruction
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ (10) فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًاIndeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allah].
إِنَّهُ ظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ يَحُورَand the recompense. There is no contradiction between Allah the Exalted's report about the disbeliever once that he is given his book from behind his back, and another time that he is given his book in his left hand, because it is possible to reconcile them by his taking his book of deeds in his left hand from behind his back, as mentioned previously. So one of the verses is explaining the limb that receives the scroll of deeds, and the other is explaining the manner and state of receiving it. And what you mentioned regarding Ibn Hazm about the taking of the books of deeds of the believers who commit major sins from behind their backs, your transmission from him is correct; but his statement, may Allah have mercy on him, in that matter is not correct, for what was mentioned previously. So the correct is what was mentioned previously, which is the position of the people of the Sunnah . And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.