The instrument for measuring deeds is not necessarily the...

The instrument for measuring deeds is not necessarily the ordinary weighing which is done with two scales, but it can be by any means of weighing, as a tradition says: "Amir-al-Mo'mineen and other Imams from his descendents (as) are the scales by which our deeds are measured.” [^2] A tradition from Imam Sadiq (as) denotes that when he was asked about the meaning of /mizan/ he answered: “The scales and Justice are the same.” [^3] Thus, with the existence of Allah's saints and /or the divine laws of justice by which the deeds of Man are compared, will be weighed and valued due to their similarity and adaptability to them.

By the way, the term /mawazin/, in its plural form, shows that the saints of Allah and the divine laws are individually separate scales of measurement, otherwise, the variety of the form and kind of Man's attributes and deeds demand different means of measurement. Raqib cites in Mufradat: "In the Holy Qur’an /mizan/ is sometimes used in the singular and sometimes in the plural form; the former refers to the One Who reckons, the Lord, and the latter refers to those who are reckoned…