Mustard Seed

"And We set a just balance for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul is wronged in aught. Though it be of the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We bring it. And We suffice for reckoners." Qur'an 21:47

We wondered about this Quranic passage and then began to think about the reason why a Mustard seed was mentioned. A Mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds it measures about 3mm. Look at the size of this seed and then think about the person who has done the smallest amount of good and how this will be brought forward for him.

We remember the hadith of the card or 'Bitaka' when a man will come on the day of judgement with scrolls of bad deeds as far as the eye could see and he is scared of being thrown into hell because of his wrong actions.

وقال الإمام أحمد: حدثنا إبراهيم بن إسحاق الطالقاني، حدثنا ابن المبارك عن ليث بن سعد عن عامر بن يحيى عن أبي عبد الرحمن الحبلي قال: سمعت عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص يقول: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم " إن الله عز وجل يستخلص رجلاً من أمتي على رؤوس الخلائق يوم القيامة، فينشر عليه تسعة وتسعين سجلاً، كل سجل مد البصر، ثم يقول: أتنكر من هذا شئياً؟ أظلمتك كتبتي الحافظون؟ قال: لا يارب، قال: أفلك عذر أو حسنة؟ قال: فيبهت الرجل فيقول: لا يا رب، فيقول: بلى إن لك عندنا حسنة واحدة، لا ظلم عليك اليوم، فتخرج له بطاقة فيها: أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، وأشهد أن محمداً رسول الله، فيقول: أحضروه، فيقول: يا رب ما هذه البطاقة مع هذه السجلات؟ فيقول: إنك لا تظلم، قال: فتوضع السجلات في كفة، والبطاقة في كفة، قال: فطاشت السجلات، وثقلت البطاقة، قال: ولا يثقل شيء مع بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم "

Imam Ahmed narrates (from the above chain) from Abdullah ibn Umair ibn Al-'Aas who heard the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, "Allah (mighty and majestic) will infer a man from my nation from the heads of creation on the day of judgement. Ninety nine scrolls will be shown to him; each scroll will extent as far as the eyesight. He asks, "Do you reject anything? Has the record of my angels oppressed you?" He replies, "No, Oh Lord." He asks, "Do you have an excuse or good deed?" He went pale and said, "No, Oh Lord." He said, "You have with us one good action and there is no oppression for you today." A card was brought forward with 'I testify that there is no diety except Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah' (recorded on it). "Bring it forward." He says, "Oh Lord, this card against all these scrolls?" He states, "You will not be oppressed." The scrolls are placed onto one scale and the card on the other; the scrolls are outweighted by the heaviness of the card. He said, "Nothing can outweight; what contains 'in the name of Allah; the most merciful; the most compassiate."

Also narrated by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Layth ibn Sa'ad.

We can learn much from this hadith most important of all is to have hope that Allah (mighty and majestic) can forgive and that belief matters more than action but action will slow you down - if it's not righteous!

Look how small a piece of card is to a scroll that is so long that your eyes cannot see it's end and there is not just one scroll there are ninety nine scrolls, and this little card outweights all that.

So do not fear doing small good actions that nobody knows about because no matter how small it is, it will be brought forward. Know that Allah (mighty and majestic) does not oppress us but we oppress ourselves because of the wrong we do.

"Whoever does the smallest amount of good will see it." The Earthquake 99:7

Luqman the wise gave the following advice to his son:

"O' my son, if it should be but the weight of one grain of mustard-seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth, God shall bring it forth; surely God is All-subtle, All-aware." (Luqman 31:16)

Sheikh Abdulqadir was known to have said that the world is the plantation of the afterlife meaning that we must use the world to plant our good deeds that we will harvest on the day of judgement.

The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us what Heaven's kingdom is like." He said to them, "It's like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but when it falls on prepared soil, it produces a large plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."
Thomas 20

Mustard seeds are the small seeds of the various mustard plants. The seeds are about 3 mm in diameter, and may be colored yellowish white to black.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mustard.png

I remember reading a book about that cursed a man who did not see the point in doing small good actions. The quote was something like this: how strange is the man who sees no good in doing small good actions. Even if it is small now it does not mean that the reward for it is small because for believers the reward is forever. So is this small?

The smallest amount of good has an everlasting reward...

"The likeness of those who expend their wealth in the way of God is as the likeness of a grain of corn that sprouts seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. So God multiplies unto whom He will; God is All-embracing, All-knowing." (The Heffer 2:261)