The Muslim’s reckoning will be much shorter than the kaafir’s

Praise be to Allah.

Without a doubt, because Allah says about the Day of Resurrection (interpretation of the meaning): “The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty), belonging to the Most Beneficent (Allah), and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers.” [al-Furqaan 25:26]. The fact that the kaafirs will be singled out for hardship on the Day of Resurrection indicates that it will be easy for the believers.

The words (interpretation of the meaning), “Truly, that Day will be a hard Day, far from easy for the disbelievers.” [al-Muddaththir 74:9-10] also indicate that it will be easy, not difficult, for the believers. This is also indicated by the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “Hastening towards the caller, the disbelievers will say, ‘This is a hard Day.’” [al-Qamar 54:8]. This means that the Day of Resurrection will be long for the kuffaar and short for the Muslims.

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has mentioned in His Book the length of time the reckoning will take on the Day of Resurrection. He said (interpretation of the meaning): “Those who have earned the Garden [Paradise] on that day will be better in their home and happier in their place of noonday rest” [al-Furqaan 25:24 – Pickthall’s translation]. This aayah indicates that the reckoning will be completed in half a day, because al-maqeel (translated as “noonday rest”) refers to a siesta or rest from the heat of mid-day.

Among those who said that the reckoning will be completed in half a day are Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn Mas’ood, ‘Ikrimah and Ibn Jubayr, because this is what is indicated by this aayah, as was reported by Ibn Katheer and others.

(Daf’ Ayhaam al-Idtiraab by al-Shanqeeti, p. 172).

Another clear indication that the reckoning of the believer on the Day of Resurrection will be easy is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah who reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “For the believers, the (length of) the Day of Resurrection will be like the time between Zuhr and ‘Asr.”

(Reported by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 8193).

And Allah knows best.