Tatayur al-Kutub: Difference between revisions

Although the word "tatayur" does not appear in the [[Qur'an]], following some hadiths from [[the Prophet (s)]] and [[Imams (a)]], Quranic exegetes take the term to be derived from the Quran, 17:13-14 according to which, "every man's 'tayir' (bird or fate) we have fastened on his own neck", followed by "read your book (or records)".

* First: the word "ta'ir" (Arabic: طائر) has its root in the word "tayr" (Arabic: طیر) which means bird. Arabs used to fly a bird in order to know whether what they sought to do was good or bad. Later the good and bad actions themselves came to be called "ta'ir".

* Second: according to Abu 'Ubayda, by "ta'ir" Arabs meant fortune. In the verse immediately after the above verse, we read that the same "ta'ir" displays the book of people's actions to them on the [[Day of Resurrection]]. According to some [[hadiths]], this stage of the resurrection is called "tatayur al-kutub" or "tatayr al-suhuf". According to a hadith narrated from [[the Prophet (s)]] by [['A'isha]], there are three stages of the resurrection in which one does not know or remember anyone: mizan (the measurement of one's good and bad actions), tatayur al-kutub or tatayur al-suhuf, and [[sirat]] (the bridge that everyone should pass in the resurrection).

Therefore, divine agents (angels) record one's actions—good and bad—in this world, and they open the record—the book—to the person after the resurrection, at the stage of tatayur al-kutub.

Theologians and [[faqih]]s (Islamic jurisprudents) take it obligatory for a Muslim to believe in 'tatayur al-kutub' as a stage of the resurrection, because it was mentioned in the [[Qur'an]]. Thus faqihs maintain that it is one of the doctrines that should be mentioned to a dead person at the time of [[talqin]].