The Day of Resurrection 1 – The first blast of the trumpet and the dismantling of the universe
Four stages of existence
Before examining the Day of Resurrection, we need to understand where it fits in our timeline of creation. It is the final stage of our journey as human beings. Our life in this world is merely one part of a much longer continuum. There are four main stages of our existence: the creation of the souls before the world began, the blowing of the souls into the wombs of the mother and life on earth, death of the body while the soul remains in the barzakh (unseen realm between worldly life and eternal life), and eternal life in either heaven or hell (or heaven after a term of punishment in hell).
Names of the Final Day
The Day of Resurrection is known in the Qur’an by many names, each showing a different stage of that great event. Yawm al-Qiyamah (the Day of Rising) refers to when all people are brought back to life from their graves and stand before Allah for judgment, while Yawm al-Hashr (the Day of Gathering) describes the moment when all creation, humans, jinn, and even animals, are gathered together on one vast plain to await the verdict. These are part of the same Day: first resurrection, then gathering. The Qur’an also calls it Yawm ad-Din (the Day of Recompense), Yawm al-Hisab (the Day of Reckoning), Yawm al-Fasl (the Day of Separation), Yawm at-Taghabun (the Day of Mutual Loss and Gain), as-Saʿah (the Hour), al-Waqiʿah (the Inevitable Event), and al-Qariʿah (the Striking Calamity). Each name highlights a particular aspect about that Day, and that it will come suddenly, gather all people without exception, and establish perfect justice when every soul is shown the results of what it earned.
When is the Day of Resurrection?
Only Allah knows when the Day of Resurrection will come. Nobody else knows the exact time, not even the angels or the Prophets.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرۡسَىٰهَاۖ قُلۡ إِنَّمَا عِلۡمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّيۖ لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقۡتِهَآ إِلَّا هُوَۚ ثَقُلَتۡ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ لَا تَأۡتِيكُمۡ إِلَّا بَغۡتَةٗۗ يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِيٌّ عَنۡهَاۖ قُلۡ إِنَّمَا عِلۡمُهَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ
They ask you [Prophet] about the Hour, ‘When will it happen?’ Say, ‘My Lord alone has knowledge of it: He alone will reveal when its time will come, a time that is momentous in both the heavens and earth. All too suddenly it will come upon you.’ They ask you about it as if you were eager [to find out]. Say, ‘God alone has knowledge of [when it will come], though most people do not realise it.
(Al Araf 7:187)
Signs before the Day of Resurrection
From the Qur’an and Hadith, we know there will be many indications that the Day of Resurrection is about to come. Some will be small and others very big. These signs remind us that the end of the world is certain. Most of the minor signs have already appeared.
Before the Day of Resurrection
Before the trumpet is blown, the earth is shaken apart and the full horror of the Day of Resurrection is unleashed, Allah will show mercy to the believers by taking away their souls peacefully.
يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ رِيحًا بَارِدَةً مِنْ قِبَلِ الشَّامِ، فَلَا يَبْقَى عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ أَحَدٌ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ إِيمَانٍ إِلَّا قَبَضَتْهُ
Allah will send a cold wind from every direction, and no one on the face of the earth with even the weight of a mustard seed of faith will remain; their souls will be taken gently. (Muslim)
It will take the souls of all true believers. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُرْسِلُ رِيحًا لَيِّنَةً، فَتَقْبِضُ كُلَّ مُؤْمِنٍ، وَلَا يَبْقَى إِلَّا شِرَارُ النَّاسِ، فَعَلَيْهِمْ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ
Allah will send a gentle wind that will take the soul of every believer, leaving only the worst of people, and the Hour will begin upon them.
(Muslim)
This wind will originate from the region of Sham, which includes Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon, and spread across the earth. It will ensure that no believer remains to witness the catastrophic events that follow.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
حَتَّى إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَدْخُلُ فِي الْكَهْفِ، فَتَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ الرِّيحُ فَتَقْبِضُهُ
Even if a believer hides in a cave, the wind will reach him and take his soul.
(Muslim)
After this, only the worst and most corrupt people will remain, those who neither believe in Allah nor remember Him. They will live without any goodness or worship, and it is upon them that the Day of Resurrection will finally begin.
The first blast of the trumpet (Al Soor)
The Day of Judgement will occur on a Friday. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mentioned:
Indeed, the Day of Judgement will occur on a Friday, and every creature listens attentively, fearing the trumpet’s sound. (Bukhari)
The Angel Israfil, whose sole purpose is to blow the trumpet, has been waiting since the creation of the world for the command to blow it. Though the world may exist for billions of years, the fact he is poised with the trumpet, is cautionary for us. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَيْفَ أَنْعَمُ وَقَدْ الْتَقَمَ صَاحِبُ الْقَرْنِ الْقَرْنَ وَحَنَى جَبْهَتَهُ وَأَصْغَى سَمْعَهُ يَنْتَظِرُ أَنْ يُؤْمَرَ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فَيَنْفُخَ قَالَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ فَكَيْفَ نَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ قُولُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ تَوَكَّلْنَا عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّنَا
“How can I be comfortable while the holder of the trumpet is holding it to his lips, his head lowered and waiting for the order to blow it?” The Muslims said, “What should we say, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet said, “Say: Allah is enough for us, and excellent is the Caretaker. We trust in Allah, our Lord.”
(Tirmidhi)
The Day of Resurrection will thus begin with a mighty sound that will shake the entire universe.
Allah says:
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي ٱلصُّورِ نَفۡخَةٞ وَٰحِدَةٞ
وَحُمِلَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَٱلۡجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةٗ وَٰحِدَةٗ
فَيَوۡمَئِذٖ وَقَعَتِ ٱلۡوَاقِعَةُ
Then, when the trumpet will be blown with one blowing, and the earth and the mountains shall be removed from their places and crushed with a single crushing, then, on that Day, the Great Event will happen.
(Al Haqqah 69:13–15)
At that moment, everything that once existed will collapse. The heavens will split apart, weak and torn, and the mountains, which once seemed so strong, will crumble into dust. Allah describes it:
وَٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَهِيَ يَوۡمَئِذٖ وَاهِيَةٞ
وَٱلۡمَلَكُ عَلَىٰٓ أَرۡجَآئِهَاۚ وَيَحۡمِلُ عَرۡشَ رَبِّكَ فَوۡقَهُمۡ يَوۡمَئِذٖ ثَمَٰنِيَةٞ
يَوۡمَئِذٖ تُعۡرَضُونَ لَا تَخۡفَىٰ مِنكُمۡ خَافِيَةٞ
And the heaven will split asunder, for that Day it will be frail and torn apart. And the angels will be on its sides, and eight angels will, that Day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them. That Day, you shall be brought to Judgment; nothing about you will be hidden.
(Al Haqqah 69:16–18)
The first blast of the trumpet will cause every living being to die. Then, after some time known only to Allah, the trumpet will be blown a second time, and everyone will be brought back to life. Allah says:
يَوۡمَ تَرۡجُفُ ٱلرَّاجِفَةُ
تَتۡبَعُهَا ٱلرَّادِفَةُ
On the Day the blast [of the Horn] will convulse [creation], the earth and the mountains will shake violently. The second blowing of the trumpet follows it, and everyone will be raised up.
(Qur’an 79:6–7)
As soon as people rise, their hearts will tremble in fear and shock. Allah describes their state:
قُلُوبٞ يَوۡمَئِذٖ وَاجِفَةٌ
يَقُولُونَ أَءِنَّا لَمَرۡدُودُونَ فِي ٱلۡحَافِرَةِ
Some hearts that Day will shake with fear, their eyes cast down, saying: ‘Shall we really be returned to our former state, even after we have become crumbled bones?’
(Qur’an 79:8–11)
They will hardly believe what is happening until, with a single shout, they find themselves alive again, standing upon the earth after their deaths.
فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجۡرَةٞ وَٰحِدَةٞ
فَإِذَا هُم بِٱلسَّاهِرَةِ
It will be only one cry, and at once they will be standing, looking on.
(An Naziat 79:13–14)
Allah paints the scene in Surah Al-Infitar when the sky splits open and the stars lose their light, everything in creation will seem to fall apart.
إِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ ٱنفَطَرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡكَوَاكِبُ ٱنتَثَرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡقُبُورُ بُعۡثِرَتۡ
عَلِمَتۡ نَفۡسٞ مَّا قَدَّمَتۡ وَأَخَّرَتۡ
When the heaven is cleft asunder, and when the stars have fallen and scattered, and when the seas burst forth, and when the graves are turned upside down, then a person will know what he has sent forward and what he has left behind.
(Infitar 82:1–5)
Even the oceans will overflow or turn to fire, the mountains will vanish, and the wild animals will gather together in panic. Allah says in Surah At-Takwir:
إِذَا ٱلشَّمۡسُ كُوِّرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتۡ
When the sun is wound round and its light is lost, and when the stars fall, and when the mountains are made to pass away, and when the wild beasts are gathered together, and when the seas become blazing fire…
(At Takwir 81:1–6)
The souls will be joined again with their bodies, and even the smallest acts of injustice will be brought to light.
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتۡ
بِأَيِّ ذَنۢبٖ قُتِلَتۡ
When the souls are joined, and when the female infant buried alive shall be questioned, for what sin was she killed?
(At Takwir 81:7–9)
Then, the record of everyone’s deeds, good and bad, will be opened for all to see.
وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ كُشِطَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتۡ
وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَنَّةُ أُزۡلِفَتۡ
عَلِمَتۡ نَفۡسٞ مَّآ أَحۡضَرَتۡ
And when the written pages of deeds are laid open, when the heaven is stripped away, when Hell is kindled, and when Paradise is brought near, then every person will know what he has brought forth of good or evil.
(At Takwir 81:10–14)
Terror, panic and confusion
The Qur’an describes the horror of that Day in many verses. One of the most powerful is in Surat Al Hajj:
يَوۡمَ تَرَوۡنَهَا تَذۡهَلُ كُلُّ مُرۡضِعَةٍ عَمَّآ أَرۡضَعَتۡ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمۡلٍ حَمۡلَهَا وَتَرَى ٱلنَّاسَ سُكَٰرَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَٰرَىٰ وَلَٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ ٱللَّهِ شَدِيدٞ
The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant woman will drop her load, and you shall see mankind as if in a drunken state, though they are not drunk. But the punishment of Allah will be severe.
(Al Hajj 22:2)
This means that the shock and fear will be so great that even a mother, who normally never forgets her baby, will be unable to think of it. People will be trembling, speechless, and confused, as though they have lost their senses, but in reality, it will be out of pure terror.
People will scatter in confusion like moths around a flame, unable to find safety.
يَوۡمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ كَٱلۡفَرَاشِ ٱلۡمَبۡثُوثِ
وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ٱلۡمَنفُوشِ
It is a Day when mankind will be like moths scattered about, and the mountains will be like carded wool.
(Al Qariah 101:4–5)
The Prophet ﷺ said that people will be so worried about their own situation that even close family members will avoid each other. Allah says:
فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلصَّآخَّةُ
يَوۡمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلۡمَرۡءُ مِنۡ أَخِيهِ
وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ
But when there comes the Deafening Blast, on that Day, a man will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his wife, and his children.
(Abasa 80:34–36)
A Day that feels like 50,000 years
Allah tells us that the Day of Resurrection will be very long. He says:
تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمٖ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٖ
The angels and the Spirit (Jibril) will ascend to Him in a Day, the measure of which is fifty thousand years.
(Ma’arij 70:4)
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ reiterated this, but adding that the experience of believers will be different:
يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ مِقْدَارَ نِصْفِ يَوْمٍ مِنْ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ فَيَهُونُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِ كَتَدَلِّي الشَّمْسِ لِلْغُرُوبِ إِلَى أَنْ تَغْرُبَ
The people will stand before the Lord of the worlds for the length of half of a day, which is like fifty thousand years. That day will be made easy for the believer like the sun lowering itself until it has set.
(Musnad Abi Ya’la)
This shows how intense and difficult that Day will be, time will feel extremely slow because of fear, worry, and the weight of what’s happening. Though it will be a day filled with terror, people’s level of fear will vary. For the believers, Allah will make that Day easy.
Those saved from the terror of the Day
The Prophet ﷺ said that for a true believer, this long day will feel as short as the time between praying Dhuhr and Asr.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ يَوْم الْقِيَامَة على الْمُؤمنِينَ كَقدْر مَا بَين الظّهْر وَالْعصر
The Day of Resurrection for the believers will be like the length of time between noon and afternoon prayers.
(al-Firdaws lil-Daylami)
Towards the end of Surat al-Anbiya, Allah Almighty mentions a group of people who believe in Allah, and what is waiting for them in akhirah – they are far from hellfire, so far from it, that they will not hear the sound of its blazing fire.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقَتۡ لَهُم مِّنَّا ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰٓ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ عَنۡهَا مُبۡعَدُونَ
لَا يَسۡمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَاۖ وَهُمۡ فِي مَا ٱشۡتَهَتۡ أَنفُسُهُمۡ خَٰلِدُونَ
لَا يَحۡزُنُهُمُ ٱلۡفَزَعُ ٱلۡأَكۡبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّىٰهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ هَٰذَا يَوۡمُكُمُ ٱلَّذِي كُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ
Surely those for whom We have destined the finest reward will be kept far away from Hell,
not even hearing the slightest hissing from it. And they will delight forever in what their souls desire.
They will not be grieved by the greatest terror, and the angels will meet them, [saying], “This is your Day which you have been promised.
(Anbiya 21:101-103)
Allah Almighty informs us that they won’t be sad. They will not experience the terror and the Great Fear, instead they will be received like VIPS by the angels and told this is the day they were waiting for.
The Supreme Horror ˹of that Day will not disturb them, and the angels will greet them, saying, “This is your Day, which you have been promised.”
The Day of Resurrection Series
The Day of Resurrection 1 – The first blast of the trumpet and the dismantling of the universe
The Day of Resurrection 2 – The second blast of the trumpet and recreation of mankind
The Day of Resurrection 6 – Al Qantara (reconciling hearts and settling disputes). What is Al Araf?
The Day of Resurrection 7 – The end of death and intercession
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