اليَومَ نَختِمُ عَلىٰ أَفواهِهِم وَتُكَلِّمُنا أَيديهِم وَتَشهَدُ أَرجُلُهُم بِما كانوا يَكسِبونَ
Today We shall seal their mouths, and their hands shall speak to Us, and their feet shall bear witness concerning what they used to earn.’
EXEGESIS
Nakhtimu (we shall seal) is a first-person plural imperfect verb from the verb khatama (he sealed), has a spectrum of meanings, including to seal, stamp, imprint, and impress. It is also used to indicate an end of a thing, such as life, or recitation of the Quran till the end.
Besides that, it is used as a metaphor to indicate the seal of the heart, such as blocking someone’s heart or mind and making them lose the ability to understand. When it is used as an act of God, it indicates the consequences of one’s actions that bar them from realising the truth and make them remain in the darkness of ignorance.
Tukallimu (will be speaking) indicates that the hands will speak directly to God in that realm. What means of communication will be used therein is unknown; however, kalām signifies the utterance of words or sentences. The hands have been associated in this verse with speaking, and the feet with testifying.
Tashhadu (will bear witness) can open a broader interpretation of the probabilities for the type of testimony of the feet; thus, it may be in speech like the hands or in some other way.
EXPOSITION
We know that what we call the Day of Judgement is a long period of time, maybe thousands of years, with several stations and stages. People are given a chance to talk and argue their cases in many of those stations. There are witnesses of different rank who bear witness at different levels. These include the angels, the messengers, the books of records, etc. Of course, God is aware of the inner reality of all deeds, so the testimonies of the witnesses in the court of God are not for His information; instead, they are to make individuals aware of the reality of their deeds.
However, despite all proof and evidence, some may still remain in denial. We cannot fully fathom the extent of human freedom and behaviour based on their personal judgement in that realm. Due to their freedom and personal justification, some people for whom lying and denial have become their intrinsic nature continue lying in the presence of God as they used to do in this world.
This verse indicates that at some stage God will take away the ability of the deniers to speak; hence, they would not be able to reject the witnesses. Perhaps God wants to emphasise that it is not out of any natural disorder or sickness that they cannot speak, but He has sealed and taken away their ability to speak.
The hands and feet would testify against the criminals for whatever sinful actions they were using them for. Mentioning the hands and feet are just examples of the bodily organs. The tongue, the eye, the ear, and the skin have also been mentioned as the testifying witnesses, On the day when witness shall be given against them by their tongues, their hands, and their feet concerning what they used to do (24:24); When they come to it, their hearing will bear witness against them and their sight and their skins concerning what they used to do. They will say to their skins: ‘Why did you bear witness against us?’ They will say: ‘We were given speech by Allah, who gave speech to all things’ (41:20-21).
Certainly, such a testimony of the body parts is exclusive to the criminals and does not include the believers because either they will be sinless, or their sins were forgiven by way of their repentance in this world; thus, testimony would not be required against them.
There are several probabilities as to how the body parts would speak. The first is that God would create awareness and the ability to speak in each single body part. Hence, they would reveal their testimony with truth. The one who gave the ability to the tongue to speak and the awareness to the brain could give such abilities to other body parts. The other probability is that these parts would not be given the awareness and the ability to speak; however, the speech will appear from them by God’s command and permission. The third probability is that the body parts keep traces of whatever they did in this world which were coded in them or the atmosphere surrounding the person. On that day, everything will be revealed; all these preserved traces of deeds will be revealed to be used to testify the truth. However, the first probability is more suitable to the context.
As noted in 24:24 the tongue is also mentioned as one of the limbs which will testify. However, it should be noted that the tongue here would testify as an independent agent, not as the means of speech of the criminal. The tongue would say things that the owner of the tongue would not mean to say. After all, this speech is different from our speech in this world for which we use tongues. It is a type of communication yet unknown to us.
One final point that needs to be considered is the humiliation involved in such testimony. Allah, who is the concealer (sattār), would expose them on that day in a humiliating manner. Of course, all humans will be exposed to Allah, but not all of them will be humiliated in the way that their skins, hands, ears, eyes, and hearts will speak against them. It is very humiliating when someone tries to conceal something, yet their limbs speak against them. So why are they in such a humiliating position? The reason may be that they will remain in utter defiance until the last point, even after all the witnesses have testified against them.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- Imam al-Bāqir (a) said: ‘The limbs of a believer would not testify against him, but the limbs of the one on whom God’s punishment has become inevitable would testify against him. As for the believer, his book of deeds will be given in his right hand, as God has said, then whoever is given his book in his right hand will read it, and they will not be wronged so much as a single date-thread [17:71].’
- Imam Ali (a), in one of his sermons describing the terror of the Day of Resurrection, has said: ‘God will seal the mouths, so it will not speak. Instead, the hands would speak, the feet would testify, and the skins would be vocal about what they did. Thus, it will not conceal any words of testimony from God.’
- Imam Ali (a) said: ‘Know, O servants of God, that you have those who observe you from yourself, eyes from your limbs, and truthful record-keepers who preserve your deeds and the numbers of your breaths. Neither the intense darkness of the night can conceal you from them, nor can a lofty closed door hide you from them.’
- Imam Ali (a): ‘Surely, nothing is concealed from God, the glorified, of whatever people do in their nights or days, He is all aware of it, His knowledge encompasses it. Your body parts are His witnesses, your limbs are His army [against you], your inner conscious are His eyes, and your privacies are open to Him.’
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
[1] Mizan, 17/103-105.
[2] Amthal, 14/224.
[3] Nur, 3/195; Mizan, 17/103-105.
[4] Nur, 4/391; Mizan, 17/103-105.
[5] Nahj, sermon 157.
[6] Nahj, sermon 199.
[7] Ecclesiastes 12:14.