Will the meezaan on the Day of Resurrection have a pointer?

The meezaan (balance) which will weigh people’s deeds on the Day of Resurrection is proven in the Qur’aan and mutawaatir Sunnah. With regard to its description, it is proven that it will have two pans, in which good deeds and bad deeds will be placed, as it says in the well-known hadeeth about the one with the piece of paper. Some scholars said that the meezaan will have a pointer, and there is a report concerning that from Ibn ‘Abbaas and al-Hasan al-Basri, but there is no saheeh, marfoo‘ hadeeth concerning that. 

Shaykh Saalih ibn ‘Abd al-Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) said: It is narrated in the Sunnah that the meezaan will have two pans, one in which bad deeds will be placed and one in which good deeds will be placed; the one whose pan of good deeds weighs more heavily will have attained success and will enter Paradise, and the one whose pan of bad deeds weighs more heavily will be subject to that which Allah warned him of. 

Some of the scholars said that part of the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah is that the meezaan will have two pans and a pointer. 

The idea of the meezaan having a pointer was mentioned by Ibn Qudaamah in al-Lam‘ah and by others, but there is no clear evidence for this, or I have not come across any clear evidence for it. Rather they based this idea on the fact that the pointer will indicate which pan is heavier, so they looked at the apparent meaning of the words and took that as proof that it has a pointer, but the matter requires more research.

End quote from Sharh al-‘Aqeedah at-Tahhaawiyyah

The wording of Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) referred to appears in Lam‘at al-I‘tiqaad, where he says: The meezaan has two pans and a pointer, and deeds are weighed in it. “Then, those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, – these, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are those who lose their ownselves, in Hell will they abide.” [al-Mu’minoon 23:102, 103]. End quote. 

Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ibn ‘Abd al-Muhsin al-‘Abbaas (may Allah preserve him) said: Al-meezaan: part of believing in the Last Day is believing in the meezaan that will be set up on the Day of Resurrection: “And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners.” [al-Anbiya’ 21:47]. So deeds, records and people will be weighed. It is a real meezaan which has two pans. In one pan good deeds will be placed and in the other bad deeds will be placed. That is referred to the hadeeth of the piece of paper, which mentions the two pans, as it says: “The piece of paper will be placed in one pan and the scrolls in the other.” In some reports it says: “It has a pointer and two pans.” This was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) and was quoted by Abu’sh-Shaykh via al-Kalbi. It was also narrated from al-Hasan. However, there is no mention of the pointer in any marfoo‘ hadeeth, but the hadeeths that speak of the meezaan are mutawaatir. And the Qur’aan is filled with references to the meezaan, which is a meezaan that can weigh the smallest amounts:

“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.

And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.”

[az-Zilzaal :7-8]. 

End quote from al-Tuhfah as-Saniyyah Sharh Qaseedat Ibn Abi Dawood al-Haa’i 

And Allah knows best.