Skip to: Site menu | Main content

About

We believe that a true and comprehensive understanding of Islam would not be possible without careful recognition of the Prophetic Tradition and the Prophet's Household. And Allah is the Source of Strength.
 

Qayamah: THE Hour Of THE Trumpet

Everything that starts, must also end, like a written piece of literature, a book, a movie, sports tournaments and careers. Atheistically speaking, every matter, every material is disintegrating and will finally cease to exist. Be it radioactive particles, created infrastructure, architectural marvels or human life, they meet their end in their own ways.

When no man managed to live for ever, when no civilization left their footprint eternally except its ruins, when the processed food and medicine expire, when radio-active matter decays into nothingness; it is clear to those who understand that even the week ends.

How is it possible, that our material universe in which we live in is eternal and will not meet its end, which is against the very laws which govern it? Interestingly, and you may search a couple of key words on the internet for your own knowledge base, the people of science have predicted through theories how the universe will meet its end. Some of these theories based on scientific findings inter alia are:

Big things have been theorized as stated above. Similar big things have also been prophesized by many and a similar concept exists in almost all religions. However, The Big Hour, the hour, has been promised by the one who was the truthful (SAW). This is what the believers know as the Qayamah, which is divided into three parts; the destruction of this universe, the rising of the dead or resurrection, and the judgment.

We all should realize that although we do not testify our belief in Qayamah in the kalimah, belief in the Qayamah is absolutely necessary and is termed as one of the pillars of faith:

It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but
righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and
the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin
and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the
emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the
performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and
affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these
are they who guard (against evil).
Quran [2:177]

Why is this belief necessary? For starters, because it is what the reality is. And as stated in our article "Suffering of the Muslim Ummah; Disobedience to Rasool (SAW)', 

Fire will burn as it is Haqq. In your opinion, if fire cools down, it will not change the haqq. You will burn yourself due to your own faith and opinion about the fire. It is better to align your opinions about everything, with the Haqq. The magic however is, that the power to align your opinion with the haqq can only be given to you by Allah himself. So be a man and pray to Allah to give you this authority, for this alone will be your key to success.
Suffering of the Muslim Ummah; Disobedience to Rasool (SAW), www.sdol.org

Qayamat is haqq. It will occur. You and i may not believe so, and in doing that, we are only under the impression that the fire cools down. Therefore, belief in Qayamat is a prerequisite for a believer. It should also be noted that beliefs are reflected through actions.

The adulterers, the tyrants, the thieves, the murderers, the back biters, the jealous, the gamblers, the abusers, the drunkards, the bribers, the unfaithful, the ungrateful, the impatient may claim to believe in the qayamat, but they definitely do not believe in the qayamat with the haqq it owes, for if they did, they wouldn't belong to this list would they.

Accountability before an absolute authority is full of absolute fear and this fear is nothing what any man has ever experienced in his life, no matter what the circumstances be. This accountability is a  part of the justice of Allah's kingdom. However, this is also the stick, and we all know what the carrot is.

The second reason to believe in the Qayamat with the haqq with which one must believe in it, is that this belief would translate into actions and eventually transform us in this world such, and convert our actions such, that we would rather kill ourselves before daring to cross the limits defined by Allah and his apostle (SAW).

So how much time do we still have remaining and when will Qayamat come? The very much anticipated 2012 when the Mayan calender ends and something cosmic happens? Or in 2032 terminator style? The truth is, no one except Allah knows. None of the truthful ones, the Prophet (SAW) or any one from his blessed progeny (AS) gave an exact time;

They ask you about the hour, when will be its taking place? Say: The knowledge
of it is only with my Lord; none but He shall manifest it at its time; it will be momentous
in the heavens and the earth; it will not come on you but of a sudden. They ask you as if
you were solicitous about it. Say: Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most people do
not know.
Quran [7:187]

Rasool (SAW) and the imams (inheritors of the Prophet's (SAW) wisdom, bravery, nobility and knowledge) from his progeny or Aal on who we all send our durood upon  had the knowledge of the unseen, but only as much as Allah willed them to have, because it ultimately belongs to Allah alone. One such thing is the time of the hour, and knowledge of the time of its taking place was not even disclosed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself. Therefore, any hadith or prophecy stating a given time for the hour or qayamah is only a blatant lie. No soothsayer, no predictor of the future, no fortune teller can predict it.

Although the knowledge of the hour is with Allah only, the sequence of events leading to the hour have been discussed in the Quran (which cannot be doubted), and in the hadith (which may be challenged).

Allah has set up some signs before the day of Qayamah:

They do not wait aught but that the angels should come to them, or that your Lord
should come, or that some of the signs of your Lord should come. On the day when some
of the signs of your Lord shall come, its faith shall not profit a soul which did not believe before, or earn good through its faith. Say: Wait; we too are waiting.
Quran [6:158]

The Quran has explicitly mentioned three events which will mark the very nearness to Qayamat.

Nay, they (disbelievers) are in doubt, they sport. Therefore keep waiting for the day when the heaven shall bring an evident smoke, That shall overtake men; this is a painful punishment. Our Lord! remove from us the punishment; surely we are believers. How shall they be reminded, and there came to them an Messenger making clear (the truth), Yet they turned their backs on him and said: One taught (by others), a madman.  Surely We will remove the punishment a little, (but) you will surely return (to evil). On the day when We will seize (them) with the most violent seizing; surely We will inflict retribution.
Quran [44:9-16]

Smoke from the heaven! It maybe in a form of asteroid strike or in a way we might never have imagined. But if you live to see that day (May Allah protect us all), then know what the Quran has already said about it. Worry only if you were one of the doubters.

The second sign (rise of the beast):

And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), we shall produce from the earth a beast to (face) them: He will speak to them, for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Signs.
Quran [27:82]

Interesting facts about this beast have been given in the ahadith and the various tafaseer, The exact nature of this beast is yet to be seen when the event actually happens, however it is clear that this beast or creature may have supernatural abilities by the will of God and will prove to be a tribulation for the disbelievers. 

The third, in no specific order, the invasion of Gog and Magog:

And it is binding on a town which We destroy that they shall not return. Even when Gog and Magog are let loose and they shall break forth from every elevated place. And the true promise (Qayamah) shall draw nigh, then lo! the eyes of those who disbelieved shall be fixedly open: O woe to us! surely we were in a state of heedlessness as to this; nay, we were unjust.
Quran [21:95-97]

The tribes of Yajuj and Majuj are to invade the globe. Yet again, many interesting hadith and tafaseer can be found related to them. What is clear is that it will be a time or great tribulation and manslaughter. According to some theologians, the invasion of the Mongols was the invasion of Yajuj and Majuj. They came from high lands, they rasnacked Baghdad and the Khans killed huge number of people. It is estimated that Russian population dropped by 0.5 million and the Persian by 2 million after the invasion of the mongols. Although the location of the Mongols, the bloodshed and the Fitnah might match with the prophetic traditions related to Gog and Magog, certain descriptions do not add up. Is the invasion of Gog and Magog yet to be seen? Highly likely.

In addition to these Quranic verses, there are some ahadith worth a visit.

In a Tradition related in Muslim, by Huzaifah bin Asid Ghifari, the Holy Prophet said, "Resurrection will not take place until ten signs appear:
(1) The smoke. (2) Dajjal. (3) Daabat-ul-Ard. (The beast) (4) rising of the sun from the west. (5) coming down of Jesus, son of Mary. (6) sudden attack of Gog and Magog. (7-9) three land slides-one in the east, the second in the west and the third in Arabia. (10) the flare up of a great fire from Yaman which will drive the people to the Plain of Resurrection.

In another Tradition the Holy Prophet stated that after the swoop of Gog and Magog, Resurrection will. be so near that it may take place at any moment just as a pregnant woman might deliver the child at any moment, in the day or night, after her term has expired. But the reference to the appearance of Gog and Magog in the Qur'an and Hadith does not indicate that they will swoop on mankind jointly; it may be that they will clash against each other near the time of Resurrection and their mutual conflict might result in a universal
catastrophe and destruction.
Tafheem Al Quran. By Abul Aala Maududi, Tafseer of Surah 21 Verse 96

Furthermore, Prophet (SAW) has also informed mankind regarding the coming of Imam Mahdi (AS).

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If only one day of this time (world) remained, Allah would raise up a man from my family who would fill this earth with justice as it has been filled with oppression.
Sunan Abu Dawud Book 36, Number 4270

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatimah. Abdullah ibn Ja'far said: I heard AbulMalih praising Ali ibn Nufayl and describing his good qualities.
Sunan Abu Dawud Book 36, Number 4271

The Prophet (SAW) has also foretold about the coming of 30 Dajjals:

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Last Hour will not come before there come forth thirty liar Dajjals (fraudulents) lying on Allah and His Apostle.
Sunan Abu Dawud,Book 37, Number 4320

Scholars have interpreted Dajjals to be individuals, fitnahs, tyrants and even political systems and movements.

Ahadith regarding turmoil are also found:

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: (When) the time would draw close to the Last Hour, knowledge would be snatched away, turmoil would be rampant, miserliness would be put (in the hearts of the people) and there would be much bloodshed. They said: What is al-harj? Thereupon he said: It is bloodshed.
Sahih Muslim, Book 034, Number 6458

Hudhaifa b. al-Yaman reported: By Allah, I have the best knowledge amongst people about every turmoil which is going to appear in the period intervening me and the Last Hour; and it is not for the fact that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) told me something confidentially pertaining to it and he did not tell anybody else about it, but it is because of the fact that I was present in the assembly in which he had been describing the turmoil. and he especially made a mention of three turmoils which would not spare anything and amongst these there would be turmoils like storms in the hot season. Some of them would be violent and some of them would be comparatively mild. Hudhaifa said: All (who were present) except I have gone (to the next world).
Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6908

What is this? We haven't even reached the actual hour itself, and the misery and tribulations are already upon us? Does man even have any idea as to what the hour itself will be like?

Before we move onto the hour, we should recollect as to what the chain of events maybe like in no specific order.

And then what happens? The trumpet is blown.

And on the day when the trumpet shall be blown, then those who are in the
heavens and those who are in the earth shall be terrified except such as Allah please, and
all shall come to him abased. And you see the mountains, you think them to be solid, and they shall pass away as the passing away of the cloud-- the handiwork of Allah Who has made every thing thoroughly; surely He is Aware of what you do.
Quran [27:87-88]

The sur, or the trumpet will be blown by the arch-angel, Israfil, by the command of Allah. It is obvious that when the trumpet is blown, the Earth will still be sustaining life, albeit, only the most wretched would inhabit it according to some traditionalists, such as Ibne Kathir;

Then Allah will send a cool wind from the direction of Syria, and no one will be left on the face of the earth who has even a speck of goodness or faith in his heart, but it will take him. Even if he entered into the heart of a mountain, the wind would follow him and seize him...... Then the most evil of people will remain, and they will be as nimble as birds and will be more temperamental than wild beasts. They will not recognize anything good or denounce anything evil....... Then the Sur (Trumpet) will be blown, and no one will hear it but he will tilt his head to hear the sound.
Tafir Ibne Kathir, Tafseer of Surah 27 Verse 87

When the trumpet will be blown for the first time, unimaginable terror will reign over all of the creations of Allah in the heavens and on the earth, except those as Allah pleases. According to the Ahlulbayt, these exceptions will be the martyrs. The Prophet (SAW) has also said that he who has the desire, the strength and the opportunity to sin and exceed the limits of Allah, but does not do so due to fear of Allah will be rewarded with the martyrs. I have also read the saying of one of the Imams (AS), that they who fear Allah do not fear anything else. By similar analogy, it is safe to assume that those who truly fear Allah with the haqq owed to his fear, shall be safe from the terror of the trumpet.

Terror is something what man can neither feel, nor imagine without experiencing it himself, therefore we have no clue what this terror would be like. Remember how we all give examples of a mother's love, that she can tolerate everything and sacrifice everything, her life, honor, property, for the welfare of her child? Compare this essence of motherhood with the promised fear and terror.

O people! guard against (the punishment from) your Lord; surely the violence (earthquake) of the hour is a grievous thing. On the day when you shall see it, every woman giving suck shall quit in confusion what she suckled, and every pregnant woman shall lay down her burden, and you shall see men intoxicated, and they shall not be intoxicated but the chastisement of Allah will be severe.
Quran [22:1-2]

The violence will be so grievous that a nursing mother will forget about her child and worry about her own self. Mankind will be intoxicated, confused, and the severity of the hour will overwhelm their senses. The arabic word Zalzalati implies that there will also be an earthquake, the likes of which mankind has neither experienced, nor imagined in their wildest nightmares or Hollywood flicks.

Just to give a scientific insight on the trumpet; sound is a form of energy. There are two parameters of notice; one, the amplitude or loudness, in decibels, and secondly, the frequency in hertz (or oscillation per second).

How loud does a noise have to be to kill? Let's see. The threshold of ear pain is around 130 to 140 decibels, roughly equivalent to a jet engine at a range in the tens of meters. Eardrum rupture occurs around 160 decibels (conventional sound) to 185 decibels (nonperiodic blast pressure). Lung rupture and presumably embolism due to air blast occur at 200 decibels. German physicist Jürgen Altmann, who has written about the physiological effects of high-intensity sound, tells me the threshold for suffocation or embolism following lung rupture is 2.6 to 11 times atmospheric pressure, depending on pulse duration. The point is, instant death requires a noise that's pretty damn loud.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2298/can-a-noise-be-loud-enough-to-kill-you

The amplitude or loudness of the sound can do alot of damage. However, the frequency has its own role and "maybe" linked with the intoxication of mankind as per the Quran.

To a degree, it is useful that we have a reduced sensitivity to the lower frequency range as it relieves us of being annoyed by low frequency sounds within and around us. Subsonic sounds generally act on the inner ear, the position-sensing organ, and significant levels may cause disorientation, seasickness, digestive disorders, troubled sight and dizziness. Frequencies of between 1 and 8Hz can correspond to resonant frequencies within the body itself, 8Hz being thought to cause circulatory resonance phenomena, overloading the heart or bursting blood vessels. 7Hz also seems particularly unpleasant as it has been shown to cause tiredness, headache and nausea. It is suggested that 7 Hz corresponds to the median frequency of the brain's 'alpha' waves.
http://www.epanorama.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4895

If sound reaches the resonant frequency of a specific material, it will shake itself to bits. Earthquakes anyone?

The trumpet of Israfil will not be pleasant music. What is more terrifying is that it will not be blown once. According to the theologians, the trumpet will be blown thrice. The first will cause fear and destruction, the second will make all beings in the heavens and on the earth, unconscious, yet again, with exceptions as Allah wills and pleases.

And the trumpet shall be blown, so all those that are in the heavens and all those
that are in the earth shall swoon, except such as Allah please; then it shall be blown again, then lo! they shall stand up awaiting. And the earth shall beam with the light of its Lord, and the Book shall be laid down, and the prophets and the witnesses shall be brought up, and judgment shall be given between them with justice, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.
Quran [39:68-69]

According to some traditions, the angel of death shall also die by the command of Allah. It is then when only Allah, the eternal and the ever living shall question as to whose is the kingdom this day.

On the blow of the final trumpet, mankind shall rise again, awaiting their accountability. This will happen in a place, a transformed earth.

And the day on which We will cause the mountains to pass away and you will see
the earth a levelled plain and We will gather them and leave not any one of them behind.
Quran [18:47]

On the day when the earth and the mountains shall quake and the mountains shall
become (as) heaps of sand let loose
Quran [73:14]

And what will make you comprehend what the terrible calamity is? The day on which men shall be as scattered moths, And the mountains shall be as loosened wool.
Quran [101:3-5]

When the heaven becomes cleft asunder, And when the stars become dispersed, And when the seas are made to flow forth, And when the graves are laid open, Every soul shall know what it has sent before and held back
Quran [82:1-5]

When the sun is covered, And when the stars darken, And when the mountains are made to pass away, And when the camels are left untended, And when the wild animals are made to go forth, And when the seas are set on fire, And when souls are united, And when the female infant buried alive is asked For what sin she was killed, And when the books are spread, And when the heaven has its covering removed, And when the hell is kindled up, And when the garden is brought nigh, Every soul shall (then) know what it has prepared
Quran [81:1-14]

On the day when the heaven shall be as molten copper, And the mountains shall be as tufts of wool
Quran [70:8-9]

It is clear that the place of resurrection will be a transformed earth. Apparently, the gravitational pull of the sun, the stars and the planets will cease to exist, causing havoc. The oceans will burn, the mountains disintegrate like cotton, the sky will change its color continuously (according to Abul Aala Maududi's interpretation of molten copper) and the earth will end up flat.

It will mark the start of the day, which would conclude on the purpose of the creation's creation. And this day will create confusions for the doubters.

And at the time when the hour shall come, the guilty shall swear (that) they did
not tarry but an hour; thus are they ever turned away.
Quran [30:55]

The tribulations of the day will be so severe, stressful and will preoccupy everyone with themselves such that even the hair on children shall turn grey on account of the sorrow and the stress.

 How, then, will you guard yourselves, if you disbelieve, on the day which shall
make children grey-headed?
Quran [73:17]

We will retain our memories, and we will remember our family and friends, however, we will be so preoccupied with ourselves that we will not even bother about our loved ones. The guilty from amongst us and the jinns will be overwhelmed with worry for their own sake that they will not care about any their personal ties and would be willing to sacrifice even their nearest, wives, children, brothers, in order to redeem themselves from the chastisement.

So when the trumpet is blown, there shall be no ties of relationship between them on that day, nor shall they ask of each other.
Quran [23:101]

And friend shall not ask of friend (Though) they shall be made to see each other. The guilty one would fain redeem himself from the chastisement of that day by (sacrificing) his children, And his wife and his brother And the nearest of his kinsfolk who gave him shelter, And all those that are in the earth, (wishing) then (that) this might deliver him.
Quran [70:10-14]

Thus the process of accountability will start. As it is not the focal point of this paper, i will only touch parts of this accountability:

The Prophet (SAW) was sent as bearer of good news. But in the same verses, we are also reminded that he (SAW) was also sent as a warner.

Surely We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and a warner; and there is not a people but a warner has gone among them.
Quran [35:24]

The good news is for the patient, the doers of good, the believers (Surah Al Asr), that there is an end to this world as we know it. This is good news because the believers realize that their belief, goodness and patience is worth the tribulations and trials of this world.

The warning is for the guilty, the heedless, the arrogant, the liars and spreaders of fitnah, that there is an end to this world as we know it. This is a warning because the guilty must mend their ways or face their destinies which have already been promised in the book brought by Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Imam Hussain (AS), son of the Imam of Pious (Ali ibne Abu Talib (AS)) and grandson of the prophet of prophets (Rasool (SAW)) himself, agreed to watch his children stay hungry and thirsty for three days, agreed to remain thirsty in the heat of kerbala for 3 days, agreed to allow his sons, brothers, nephews and friends be martyred brutally infront of him, agreed to accept the future of his wives, sisters and daughters under the Syrian army, and agreed to lay down his own life. Was his sacrifice worth it? In his (AS) wisdom, the Imam (AS) knew what was awaiting them, and what was awaiting his cursed adversaries.

Now that we are trying to comprehend the fear and the calamity of the hour and the chain of events which will precede and follow it, we may realize that what Imam Hussain (AS) did at Kerbala was very hard, but it was worth it. Kerbala proved that the message, the warning and the good news are true;

Maybe, it was the evidence that Muhammad (SAW) was not a liar, but a truthful Prophet of Allah, and what ever He (SAW) said and did, was a divine order, and not a move for personal and family power. Yes, Kerbala is the evidence, that the message of Muhammad (SAW) was true. If Muhammad (SAW) had lied, and in reality, there was no God, no hereafter, then all that would matter was this world. If there is nothing after death, then my efforts will only be to gather the treasures of this world so that i can enjoy this life. Imam Hussain's gesture, of sacrificing his sons and brothers for an unseen world proved the existence of that unseen world, for if Muhammad (SAW) was a fraud (god forbid), and prophethood was only a drama to gain worldly power, then his son Hussain (AS) would have known about the propaganda of his grandfather and would have joined the caliph rather than giving utmost importance to the message of Rasool (SAW).
www.sdol.org - Kerbala; A Heavy Illation

This article had a beginning, and it meets its end here. Endings are a hard thing for one reason: they have a lasting impact. A bad ending can ruin the feeling generated by and the essence of a well written piece. We all will meet our end. As Imam Zainul Abideen (AS), the leader of the worshippers, used to pray, may our end (death) come from the doors of repentance; for we have neither the strength, nor the courage to face the calamity, which follows THE hour of THE trumpet.

[ Back to top ]

Feel free to email your comments/replies to this article at author@sdol.org or post a message at our Forum, no registration Required.