In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Allah Almighty says
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَىٰهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّى ۖ لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ ثَقُلَتْ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً ۗ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِىٌّ عَنْهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٨٧
They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival? Say, "Its knowledge is only with my Lord. None will reveal its time except Him. It lays heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except unexpectedly." They ask you as if you are familiar with it. Say, "Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most of the people do not know." (187)
The Hour of Resurrection will be a terrifying, overwhelming event. Allah Almighty says:
وَيَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَفَزِعَ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَكُلٌّ أَتَوْهُ دَٰخِرِينَ ﴿٨٧[Qur'an, al-Naml 27:87]
And [warn of] the Day the trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will be terrified except whom Allah wills. And all will come to Him humbled. (87)
Everything that takes place just before the trumpet sounds is no different from the day before. Earth is revolving at the same pace, the Sun is illuminating our planet, life goes on, and many people continue to live according to their habitual routines without wondering why and by whom they were created and what end they will meet. People will be thinking about the meal to be served that night, focusing on an upcoming business meeting, shopping, or sleeping, and many will be denying Allah's existence when they hear this sound. Everything will begin and end in one instant.
Their bodies, which people think of as strong and brag about, will be unexpectedly gripped by death from all sides. Their only concern will be for survival. Out of sheer terror, people will cease to care about the things that they so valued, craved, and took risks for while alive.
All of this fear, terror, and shock results from their living in ignorance. The Day's unbearable hardship will never cease to pursue the unbelievers. Each unfolding event will increase their panic and terror, and each passing moment will bring fresh suffering and peril. The awesome events they encounter will demonstrate Allah's Majesty, Whom they had denied until then. Humanity, who will be utterly weak and helpless in the face of this power, will be able to do nothing but feel remorse, helplessness, and fear. As the seconds pass, their realization of the frightening punishment that Allah has prepared for them in the Hereafter will only increase. During these frightening minutes, they will encounter only a fraction of the suffering awaiting them. The Qur'an recounts this fear in some detail.
Allah tells people that although they passionately cling to the worldly life, their passion will not benefit them in the Hereafter. All of the things that they value, hold dear, and take risks for will bring nothing but loss if they were not done to win Allah's good pleasure. Every worldly attraction has been created as a test for humanity. The true life is in the Hereafter as the Qur'an reveals:
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ مِنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْبَنِينَ وَٱلْقَنَـٰطِيرِ ٱلْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ ٱلذَّهَبِ وَٱلْفِضَّةِ وَٱلْخَيْلِ ٱلْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ وَٱلْحَرْثِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥ حُسْنُ ٱلْمَـَٔابِ ﴿١٤[Qur'an, Ale‘Imran 3:14]
Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return. (14)
People desperately desire the worldly attractions mentioned in the verses, and can spend their entire lives pursuing them. The Qur'an says the following about the worldly life:
ٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ ٱلْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًّۭا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَـٰمًا ۖ وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضْوَٰنٌ ۚ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ ﴿٢٠[Qur'an, al-Hadid, 57:20]
Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion. (20)
For some, one of life's biggest ambitions is to show off one's wealth, sons and daughters, and other valuables. One of the most highly prized possessions is children. This is true for all societies and is pointed out specifically in the Qur'an. The desire to have children is learned at a young age. Children are simultaneously a cause for unnecessary competition between people as well as a source of reassurance for their future.
Another ambition is the craving for property and wealth. As we know, people's aims, plans and efforts center around these ambitions. The craving for money and wealth clouds people's vision, moral values lose their importance, and materialism becomes the defining factor for their character. The Qur'an's morality, together with its commands and prohibitions, lose their precedence; amassing wealth becomes a goal itself, and personal gain becomes preeminent in relationships.
On the Day of Judgment, however, everything will be reversed. People will forget all about what they used to value, for now they will realize that the objects of their desires have no more meaning. Their values will alter in moments, for wealth and children will have no value and parental emotions will lose their meaning. In the face of this Day's terror, they will forget their most loved people: their children. No one will remember his or her children, much less inquiring about their well-being. In every way, this will be a very hard Day for the unbelievers.
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ ﴿٨﴾ وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ ﴿٩﴾ وَلَا يَسْـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا ﴿١٠[Qur'an, al-Ma‘arij 70:8-14]
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍۭ بِبَنِيهِ ﴿١١﴾ وَصَـٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ ﴿١٢﴾ وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِى تُـْٔوِيهِ ﴿١٣﴾ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ﴿١٤
On the Day the sky will be like murky oil, (8) And the mountains will be like wool, (9) And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend, (10) They will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children (11) And his wife and his brother (12) And his nearest kindred who shelter him (13) And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him. (14)
وَيَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ بِٱلْغَمَـٰمِ وَنُزِّلَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ تَنزِيلًا ﴿٢٥﴾ ٱلْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ۚ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَسِيرًۭا ﴿٢٦[Qur'an, al-Furqan, 25:25-26]
And [mention] the Day when the heaven will split open with [emerging] clouds, and the angels will be sent down in successive descent. (25) True sovereignty, that Day, is for the Most Merciful. And it will be upon the disbelievers a difficult Day. (26)
Families will desert infants, and people will be confused as to what to do. The fear will strike so suddenly and forcefully that pregnant women will miscarry and mothers will forget about their breast-feeding children:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ ٱلسَّاعَةِ شَىْءٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١﴾ يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّآ أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى ٱلنَّاسَ سُكَـٰرَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَـٰرَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ ٱللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ ﴿٢[Qur'an, Al-Hajj 22:1-2]
O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the [final] Hour is a terrible thing. (1) On the Day you see it every nursing mother will be distracted from that [child] she was nursing, and every pregnant woman will abort her pregnancy, and you will see the people [appearing] intoxicated while they are not intoxicated; but the punishment of Allah is severe. (2)
All people who rejected the appeals to believe and so became oblivious to their only true friend and creator, Allah, will want to avoid one another. They will be so preoccupied with themselves, that friendship, lineage, and family bonds will cease to exist:
يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ ﴿٣٤﴾ وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ ﴿٣٥﴾ وَصَـٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَبَنِيهِ ﴿٣٦﴾ لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ ﴿٣٧(Qur'an, Abasa 80:34-37)
On the Day a man will flee from his brother (34) And his mother and his father (35) And his wife and his children, (36) For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him. (37)
Despite the terror of the Day of Judgment, the believer will be ecstatic, just as the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) related from his Lord:
Allah says, "By My Glory and Majesty, I will not give My slave two securities and two terrors. If he feels secure from Me in the world, I will instill fear in him on the Day when I gather My slaves together; and if he fears Me in the world, I will make him feel safe on the Day when I gather My slaves together."
أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿٦٢﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٦٣﴾ لَهُمُ ٱلْبُشْرَىٰ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿٦٤(Qur'an, Yunus 10:62-64)
Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve (62) Those who believed and were fearing Allah (63) For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is what is the great attainment. (64)
When all humans ever created are gathered to stand naked and uncircumcised on a great plain under the ferocious scorching heat of the Sun, an elite group of pious men and women will be shaded under the Throne of Allah. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) foretold just who these fortunate souls will be, on that Day when no other shade will avail:
-- a just ruler who did not abuse his power, but established divinely revealed justice among people
-- a young man who grew up worshiping his Lord and controlled his desires in order to remain chaste
-- those who hearts were attached to the mosques, longing to return every time they left them
-- two persons who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah
-- those who were tempted by seductively beautiful women, but their fear of Allah stopped them from sinning
-- the one who spent in charity sincerely for Allah’s sake, keeping their charity secret (to such an extent) that the left hand does not know what the right has given
-- the one who remembers Allah in solitude and wept out of Allah’s fear
Specific acts of worship will also keep people safe on that day, namely:
-- efforts in this world to relieve the woes of the distressed, to help the needy, and to overlook the mistakes of others will relieve people’s own distress on Judgment Day.
-- leniency shown to the indebted.
-- the just who are fair to their families and matters entrusted to them.
-- controlling anger.
-- whoever calls to prayer.
-- growing old while in a state of Islam.
-- performing ritual ablution (wudu’) regularly and properly.
-- those who fight alongside Isa (alayhissalaam) against the Dajjal and his army.
-- martyrdom
Allah will bring the believer close to Him, shelter him, cover him, and ask him about his sins. After acknowledging his sins he will believe he is doomed, but Allah will say:
"I concealed it for you in the world, and I forgive it for you this Day."
He will be rebuked for his shortcomings, but will then be handed his record of good deeds in his right hand.
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ ﴿٧﴾ فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًۭا ﴿٨[Qur'an, Al-Inshiqaq 84:7-8]
Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand, (7) He will be judged with an easy account (8)
Happy to look at his record, he will announce his joy.
وْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ ﴿١٨﴾ فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَيَقُولُ هَآؤُمُ ٱقْرَءُوا۟ كِتَـٰبِيَهْ ﴿١٩﴾ إِنِّى ظَنَنتُ أَنِّى مُلَـٰقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ ﴿٢٠﴾ فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ ﴿٢١﴾ فِى جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ ﴿٢٢﴾ قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌ ﴿٢٣﴾ كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ هَنِيٓـًٔۢا بِمَآ أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَيَّامِ ٱلْخَالِيَةِ ﴿٢٤﴾[Qur'an Al-Haqqah 69:19-24]
So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, "Here, read my record! (19) Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account." (20) So he will be in a pleasant life - (21) In an elevated garden, (22) Its [fruit] to be picked hanging near. (23) [They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth in the days past." (24)
The record of good deeds will then be weighed, literally, to determine whether it outweighs the person’s record of bad deeds, and so that reward or punishment be meted out accordingly.
وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَـٰسِبِينَ ﴿٤٧[Qur'an, Al-Anbiya 21:47]
And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant. (47)
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٧[Qur'an, Az-Zalzala 99:7]
So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, (7)
"The heaviest thing that will be placed in a person’s Scale on the Day of Judgment [after the testimony of Faith] is good manners, and Allah hates the obscene, immoral person." [Tirmidhi]
The believers will quench their thirst from a special reservoir dedicated to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Whoever drinks from it shall never experience thirst again. Its beauty, immenseness, and sweet, fine taste have been described in detail by the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).
The believers in Islam – both the sinful amongst them and the pious – as well as the hypocrites will be left in the great plain after the unbelievers are driven to Hell. A long bridge traversing the Hellfire and engulfed in darkness will separate them from Paradise. The faithful will take strength and comfort in their swift crossing over the roaring fires of Hell and in the ‘light’ that Allah will place in front of them, guiding them to their eternal home:
يَوْمَ تَرَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ يَسْعَىٰ نُورُهُم بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـٰنِهِم بُشْرَىٰكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ جَنَّـٰتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿١٢[Qur'an, Al-Hadid 57:12]
On the Day you see the believing men and believing women, their light proceeding before them and on their right, [it will be said], "Your good tidings today are [of] gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein you will abide eternally." That is what is the great attainment. (12)
Finally, after crossing the bridge, the faithful will be purified before they are entered into Paradise. All scores between believers will be settled so that no one man nurses a grudge against another.
May Allah shade us on the Day when there would be no shade other than His Throne’s Shade and may Allah grant us the highest Paradise without reckoning. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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