69:16 Al-Haaqqa (The Reality)

وأما ما يصنع بالسماء، فإنها تضطرب وتمور وتتشقق ويتغير لونها، وتهي بعد تلك الصلابة والقوة العظيمة، وما ذاك إلا لأمر عظيم أزعجها، وكرب جسيم هائل أوهاها وأضعفها.

أي أنصدعت وتفطرت. وقيل: تنشق لنزول ما فيها من الملائكة; دليله قوله تعالى: "ويوم تشقق السماء بالغمام ونزل الملائكة تنزيلا" [الفرقان: 25] وقد تقدم.

A Mention of the Horrors of the Day of Judgement

Allah informs of the horrors that will take place on the Day of Judgement. The first of these events is the blowing of fright (into the Trumpet), which will be followed by the blowing of destruction when everyone in the heavens and the earth will be struck down except whoever Allah wills. Then, after this will be the blowing of standing before the Lord of all that exists, and the resurrection, and the gathering. And this is that blowing. It is emphasized here that it is one blowing, because the command of Allah cannot be opposed or prevented, and it does not need to be repeated or stressed. Thus, Allah goes on to say,

وَحُمِلَتِ الاٌّرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةً وَحِدَةً

(And the earth and the mountains shall be removed from their places, and crushed with a single crushing.) meaning, they will be stretched out to the extent of the surface (of the earth) and the earth will change into something else other than the earth.

فَيَوْمَئِذٍ وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ

(Then on that Day shall the Event occur.) meaning, the Day of Judgement.

وَانشَقَّتِ السَّمَآءُ فَهِىَ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاهِيَةٌ

(And the heaven will be rent asunder, for that Day it will be frail and torn up.) Ibn Jurayj said, "This is like Allah's statement,

وَفُتِحَتِ السَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتْ أَبْوَباً

(And the heaven shall be opened, it will become as gates.) (78:19) Ibn `Abbas said, "It (the sky) will be torn apart and the Throne will be near it."

وَالْمَلَكُ عَلَى أَرْجَآئِهَآ

(And the angels will be on its sides,) The word Malak here is referring to the species of angels (all of them); meaning the angels collectively will be standing on the sides of the heavens. Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said concerning Allah's statement,

وَالْمَلَكُ عَلَى أَرْجَآئِهَآ

(And the angels will be on its sides,) "This means that they will be standing on what has been ground to powder of the heavens looking at the people of the earth.'

The Children of Adam being presented before Allah

Concerning the statement of Allah,

يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لاَ تَخْفَى مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ

(That Day shall you be brought to Judgement, not a secret of you will be hidden.) meaning, `you will all be presented to the Knower of the secrets and private counsels. He is the One from Whom none of your affairs are hidden. He is the Knower of all things apparent, secret and hidden.' This is the reason that Allah says,

لاَ تَخْفَى مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ

(not a secret of you will be hidden.) Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Musa that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«يُعْرَضُ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ثَلَاثَ عَرْضَاتٍ، فَأَمَّا عَرْضَتَانِ فَجِدَالٌ وَمَعَاذِيرُ، وَأَمَّا الثَّالِثَةُ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ تَطِيرُ الصُّحُفُ فِي الْأَيْدِي فَآخِذٌ بِيَمِينِهِ وَآخِذٌ بِشِمالِه»

(The people will be exhibited three times on the Day of Judgement. The first two presentations will be (their) arguing and offering excuses. During the third presentation the pages (records) will fly into their hands. Some of them will receive the records in their right hands and some will receive them in their left hands.) Ibn Majah and At-Tirmidhi both recorded this Hadith.

and the heaven will be rent asunder — for it will be very frail on that day —

فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ‌ نَفْخَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ (Then, when the Trumpet will be blown for the first time…69:13). Tirmidhi records a Hadith on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ that صور sur 'trumpet' is a horn- like object which will be blown on Doomsday.

نَفْخَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ ('for the first time…69:13). It means that it will be a sudden and a single continuing sound that will last until all die. The texts of Qur'an and Sunnah show that the trumpet will be blown twice on the Day of Judgment. The first trumpet is called nafkhat-us-sa` aq 'the trumpet of swoon', in connection with which the Qur'an says:

فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ

And all those in the heavens and all those in the earth will faint... [ 39:68]

With this trumpet all angels residing in the heavens and all Jinns and human beings and animals residing on earth will become unconscious and fall to the ground. Whilst they are in the state of unconsciousness, they will die. The second trumpet is called nafkhat-ul-ba` th 'trumpet of Resurrection'. The word bath means 'to rise'. With this trumpet all the dead will rise from death and stand up. The Qur'an describes this situation thus:

ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَ‌ىٰ فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنظُرُ‌ونَ

Thereafter, it will be blown once again, and suddenly they will stand up, looking around. [ 39:68]

In other words, then the trumpet will be blown a second time and at once they will be standing upright looking on.

According to some narratives, a third 'trumpet' will also be blown before the two trumpets, which is referred to as nafkhat-ul-faza` ('the trumpet of fright or panic). By a careful analysis of all the narratives and texts, it appears that the first trumpet in its initial stage is nafthat-ul-faza' and in its final stage it will become sa` aq 'the trumpet of swoon or death'. [ Mazhari ]