Allah's Blessings Can Never Be Truly Repaid

This is clarified by His saying:
“Then you will be asked that Day about the pleasures you enjoyed."[1] This verse shows that the servants will be asked about the pleasures they enjoyed in this world:  did they show gratitude for them or not?  Anyone   who  is required   to  display  gratitude   for  every favour such  as good  health,  sound  senses,  good  livelihood,   and, moreover,  will be thoroughly   examined,   should  know  that  all of his deeds  taken  together   cannot   repay  even  some  of  these  favours. Hence that person would be deserving of punishment.

Khara'iti,  Kitab al-Shukr,  records   on  the  authority   of  (Abdullah ibn 'Amr that  the  Prophet   (Peace be upon him)    said,  "The   servant  will be  summoned  on  the  Day  of Judgment   and  he will stand  before  Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.   He will say to His Angels, 'Look at the deeds of My servant and the favours I bestowed upon him.' They will look  and  say, 'They   do  not  even  amount   to  one  of  Your favours granted   him.' Then   He will say, 'Look        to his evil deeds and good deeds.'  They  will look  and  find them the  same  whereupon  He  will say, 'Servant   of  Mine,  I have  accepted  your  good deeds and forgiven  you your evil. My favours, I have gifted you."[2]

Tabarani   records   on  the  authority   of  ibn  'Umar   (radiy Alldhu (anhuma)  that  the Prophet  (Peace be upon him)   said,  "A person  will be brought  on the Day of Judgment   with such deeds  that would  burden  a moun­ tain  were  they  to  be  placed   on  it! Then   just  one  favour   from amongst   the  favours  of Allah would  be displayed  and  would  almost  extinguish   all those  deeds  were  Allah not to distend  them  through   His  mercy."[3]

Ibn  Abi  al-Dunya   records   on  the  authority   of  Anas  that  the Prophet    (Peace be upon him)  said,  "On the  Day  of Judgment,    blessings  will be brought   forward  as well as good  deeds  and  bad  deeds. Allah will say to  just  one  of  His  blessings,  'Take  your  due  from  his good deeds,'  and  it will take  all his good  deeds." [4]

He also records that Wahb ibn Munabbih said, 'A servant worshipped Allah for fifty years. Allah inspired him with the words, "I have forgiven you."  The servant asked, "Lord, what have you to forgive, I have committed   no sin!" Thereupon   Allah ordered a vein in his neck to throb painfully such that he could not pray or sleep. After a while it was cured and an angel came to him, and to him he complained about the vein. The angel said to him, "Your Lord, Mighty and Magnificent says: your worship for the last fifty years equates to the soothing of that vein."'[5]

Hakim records on the authority of Jabir that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Jibril said, ‘A servant worshipped Allah on the top of a mountain, in the middle of an ocean, for five hundred years. Then he asked his Lord to let him die in the state of prostration.  We used to pass by him each time we would descend and ascend and we would find written in the (pre-eternal knowledge) that he would be resurrected on the Day of Judgment and would stand before Allah, Mighty and Magnificent. The Lord would say, 'Enter My servant into Paradise by virtue of My mercy.' The servant will say, 'My Lord, rather by virtue of my deeds!' This will hap­ pen three times, then Allah will say to His angels, 'Weigh my favours against his deeds,' and they will find that the blessing of sight alone takes up all the deeds he did during his five hundred years of worship, with the other bodily blessings still remaining. He will say, ‘Enter My servant into the Fire!' He will be dragged towards the Fire and will cry out, ‘Enter me into Paradise by virtue of Your mercy! Enter me into Paradise by virtue of Your mercy!' Thereupon he shall enter Paradise." Jibril went on to say, "Muhammad, things only happen by the mercy of Allah." [6]

Whoever understands all of what has preceded will realise that his deeds, even if they are great, are not sufficient to merit his success and entry into Paradise or salvation from the Fire in and of themselves.[7] As such, he will no longer overly rely on his deeds or be impressed by them, even if they be great and wonderful.  If this is the case of great and many deeds, what then would one think of the paltry deeds of the many? Such a person should ponder his deficiency in worship and devote himself to penitence and repentance!