Az-Zumar (The Groups)

68. And the Trumpet Shall be blown and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth shall swoon away [and die], except him whom Allah wills. Then it shall be blown a second time and they shall suddenly rise up, looking [around].

All men die upon the blowing of the Trumpet; thus, the exception attested in the clause:

“except him whom Allah wills”

makes a reference to Divine Omnipotence. In other words, God Almighty wields absolute sway over the world of existence and when all die, He keeps alive those whom He wills. According to a number of traditions, [Archangels] Jibra’il, Israfil, and Mika’il, and also martyrs are mentioned among those who shall stay alive.¹

The preceding Verses treated of the Day of Resurrection and blessed Verse in question pursues the same question and makes mention of many a characteristic thereof.

It opens with the end of the world, saying:

“And the Trumpet Shall be blown and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth shall swoon away [and die], except him whom Allah wills.”

The Verse proceeds with saying:

“Then it shall be blown a second time and they shall suddenly rise up, looking [around].”

The Verse clearly indicates that a sudden happening shall occur at the end of the world and the beginning of Resurrection. All animate beings immediately die at the end of the world and following an interlude, all human beings shall be suddenly raised and await Reckoning upon Resurrection.

The Holy Qur’an expresses these two incidents as:

“blowing of the Trumpet” serving as an elegant metaphorical expression connoting sudden and simultaneous incidents, since nafkh denotes “blowing” and sur is employed in the sense of trumpet or a hollow horn usually used for setting caravan and or army to get underway or march or making them stop.

It is worthy of note that the two differed in tunes. The expression also connotes the ease of carrying out the task indicating that God Almighty raises all with one single Command likened to blowing of the trumpet used for getting the caravan underway.

It has been repeatedly mentioned above that our words are invented for our limited daily life hence they fail to precisely convey the truths of the metaphysical world upon the end of this world and the beginning of the other world as a consequence of which we have to attend to the existing evidence and use ordinary words in a broader semantic range.

It is worthy of note that diverse expressions are attested in the Holy Qur’an as to the end of this world and the beginning of the world to come.

In this vein, different Verses (more than ten Verses) treat of:

“blowing of the Trumpet.”

In one instance² mention is made of nuqira fi al-naqur which bears the sense of blowing the trumpet and the like:

(“Then when the Trumpet is sounded. Verily, that Day shall be a Hard Day”).

The expression:

qari’a (“rigorous striking”)

is also attested in 101:1-3.

The same theme is also expressed by the word:

sayha (“harsh shout”)

as in 36:49:

“They await only but a single shout which will seize them while they are disputing,”

which treats of the shout heard at the end of the world which takes men unawares.

Verse 53 of Chapter 36 treats of the shout heard on the Day of Resurrection upon hearing which all men shall raise and they shall be brought before the Just Lord:

“It will be but a single shout, so they shall all be brought up before Us.”

The aforesaid Verses indicate that a very harsh shout shall make all the beings of the heavens and the earth die and it shall be the:

“shout of death.”

They shall all come back to life by a very harsh shout by the time of Resurrection and it shall be the:

“shout of life.”

What is precisely the manner of the twain shouts? In what manner do they impress the beings?

Nobody save God Almighty knows the answer to this question. Treating of the Trumpet to be blown by Israfil at the end the world, a number of traditions indicate that all the beings of the heavens die upon blowing the Trumpet and God Almighty issues the Command of his death bidding him to die and he shall die.³

The majority of Qur’anic exegets interpret nafkh fi al-sur as

“blowing the Trumpet,”

as mentioned above. These are delicate expressions concerning the manner of the end of the world and the beginning of Resurrection. The question raised at the close of the Verse concerns the number of blowing the Trumpet.

The majority of exegets maintain that it is blown twice and the blessed Verse in question apparently makes a reference to the same.

Taking into account other Qur’anic instances regarding the same indicates the same, such that the first blowing is termed:

fright (“faza’”); (“And the Day on which the Trumpet will be blown and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will be terrified,”4 )

and the second one:

“death and life,”

referred to in Qur’anic Verses some of which were mentioned above, the former and the latter are termed:

“swooning and dying” (sa’q)

and

“rising up” (qiyam).

It is true that there shall not be more than the twain.

Another Qur’anic evidence may be produced for the matter at hand, namely:

“On the Day the earth and the mountains will shake violently.”

The second earthquake shall occur raising servants as peers.