Each responsible for own deeds except with retribution
8-10-2015 | IslamWeb
Question:
AslamualakumThere is a veres im conffused about, please can you explain itin surah 35:18 it says that "no sould will carry the burden of another", how do we realte this to backbiting. IF somone backbites, the man gets some of his the others sin. Also when you cross the sirat, i heard that you will take the sins of all those who you oppressed or done stuff to. Please reply back soon
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The verse means that no one bears the sins of another person unless he was in any way complicit in committing them. No one is held accountable for another person's misdeeds; Allaah The Exalted says (what means): {And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.} [Quran 6:164]
Moreover, Allaah The Exalted says (what means): {Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses.* And [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [his obligations] – * That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another * And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives * And that his effort is going to be seen – * Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense.} [Quran 53:36-41]
At-Tabari, 
said in his commentary on the verse that reads (what means): { … and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another}: “It means that no one will bear the sins of others nor will one be held accountable for them. In this verse, Allaah The Exalted informs His slaves that everyone will only answer for his own actions and no one will be held accountable for another person's actions … As-Suddi commented on the verse as follows: It means that no one will be held accountable for the misdeeds of another person.” [Tafseer At-Tabari]
Al-Qurtubi commented on the verse as follows: “It means that no soul will bear the burdens of another; no one will be punished for the sin of another person. Each person will be held accountable for his own misdeeds and be punished for them.”
Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer, “It is an announcement of the reality on the Day of Judgment concerning Allaah's repayment, judgment and justice – that the souls are only repaid by their acts – good for good and evil for evil. No person will bear the burden of anyone else, as part of Allaah's justice. In another verse, Allaah The Exalted says (what means): {And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And if a heavily laden soul calls [another] to [carry some of] its load, nothing of it will be carried, even if he should be a close relative.} [Quran 35:18] And He also says (what means): {He will neither fear injustice nor deprivation.} [Quran 20:112] Scholars of Tafseer said, no person will be wronged by bearing the evil deeds of another person, nor will his own good deeds be decreased.”
The fact that transgressors will receive the bad deeds of people they wronged or slandered is a matter of retribution in favor of the people they wronged, in so far as judgment will be in their favor, so they will either give their good deeds or take their bad deeds. So it is an exception to the general rule. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in his interpretation of the verse:
“It means, a person will not bear the burdens or sins of others on the Day of Judgment, with one exception: if this person introduced a bad and sinful practice, he bears the sins of whoever follows his example and commits such a sinful practice until the Day of Judgment … Allaah The Exalted says (what means): {And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.} [Quran 53:39] This means that a person will be bound by his own record of deeds; he will not be repaid except for his own good deeds. He does not receive the consequences of others just as he does not bear the sins of others. There is one exception – namely, retribution against transgressors and oppressors. A person answers only for his own actions; he receives the reward for his good deeds and is punished for his sins only. Allaah The Exalted says (what means): {Every person, for what he earned, is retained.} [Quran 52:21] He also says (what means): {Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained.} [Quran 74:38] On the Day of Judgment, one's good deeds are not to be taken from him and he will not bear the sins of others except with retribution against transgressors and oppressors. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “He who has done any wrong or act of injustice against his brother's honor or anything else, let him ask his forgiveness today before the time when he has neither a dinar nor a dirham. If he has done good deeds, a portion equal to his wrong doings will be deducted from them; but if he has no good deeds, he will be made to bear the evil deeds of the one he wronged in the same proportion.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]."
Allaah Knows best.