An-Naml (The Ant)

87. “And (remind them of) The Day when the Trumpet will be blown and those who are in the heavens and those who are in the earth shall be terrified except him whom Allah pleases, and all shall come to Him in utter humility.”

The destruction of the system of existence, the death of people, and beginning of Hereafter will occur with terrible sound of trumpet, (the Trumpet will be blown).

So, this noble verse, referring to the Resurrection and its preliminary events, announces:

“And (remind them of) The Day when the Trumpet will be blown and those who are in the heavens and those who are in the earth shall be terrified except him whom Allah pleases, and all shall come to Him in utter humility.”

It is understood from the whole verses of the Qur’an that the Trumpet will be blown two or three times. One of them will be at the end of the world and at the threshold of Resurrection, when horror will encompass all. The second time is when, by hearing it, everybody will die. (These two Blasts of Trumpet may be the same).

The third time will be at the time of resurgence and establishment of Hereafter when by the blown of the Trumpet quickening of the dead will occur and all the dead return to begin a new life.

Commentators are divided in the belief that the above verse refers to the first and second Blast or the third Blast. There are some frames of reference both in this verse and the coming verses which involve both of them. Some other commentators believe that it points to all of these Blasts.

But the apparent of the verse shows that it relates to the first Blast that occurs at the end of the world, because the Qur’anic word /faza‘/ which means a fear and horror that fills the whole heart of man is counted of the signs of this Blast; and we know that, in the Blast of Hereafter, fear and horror is because of deeds, reckoning, and retribution, not because of the effect of the Blast.

In other words, the apparent of the Qur’anic term /fa fazi‘a/, mentioned in the verse, indicates that this fear and horror is because of blowing in the Trumpet which belongs to the first Blast, since not only the last Blast does not create any horror, but also it is the cause of life and movement, and if there is any fear at that time it is for the deeds of man himself.

The Arabic word /nafx/ means ‘to blow’, and the word /sur/ means ‘trumpet’. When offering the commentary of Surah Az-Zumar, No. 39, verse 68, we will explain the different ideas of the commentators concerning its purpose.

The holy phrase ‘except him whom Allah pleases’ points to those who are good and pure, irrespective of the angels and the believers who are in the heavens and the earth. As the result of their Faith, they will have a special tranquility, and neither will the first Blast make them terrified, nor the last one.

And also in the next verses we recite:

“Whoever brings good, for him shall be better than it, and they shall be secure from the terror on that Day.”1

The last sentence of the verse under discussion which says:

“All shall come to Him in utter humility”

apparently is general and there is no exception in it, because even the prophets and saints will be humble before Him.

And Surah As-Saffat, No. 37, verses 127-128 which says:

“…therefore they shall most surely be brought up,” “Except the chosen servants of Allah, the purified ones.”,

contain no contradiction with the generality of the verse under discussion, because the abovementioned verse refers to the principle of attendance in gathering-place of resurrection before Allah and secondly refers to the attendance in the scene of reckoning the deeds.