Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:108

"On that day they shall follow the caller..."

The Almighty’s saying, "On that day," refers to the day when the mountains are leveled. This is an instance of adding a general term to a specific one, where "the day" is added to the time of leveling; thus, it is not necessary for it to be a prepositional phrase of time ( ظرف), although there is no objection to it according to those who define time as a renewing entity by which another renewing entity is measured. It has been said that this is an addition of a named entity to its name, similar to what is said regarding "the month of Ramadan." It acts as a prepositional phrase for His saying, "they shall follow the caller." It is also said to be a substitute (badal) for the "Day of Resurrection," in which case its governing agent is the same as the one governing that [Day]. However, this involves a significant separation and the loss of the connection between "they shall follow" and what precedes it. Based on this, the saying of the Almighty, "And they ask you..." etc., would be a digressive interruption, and what follows it would be a new beginning.

The pronoun in "they shall follow" refers to the people. By "the caller" is meant the caller of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, to the place of gathering—namely, Israfil, peace be upon him. He will place the Trumpet (Sur) to his mouth and summon the people at the second blowing, standing upon a rock in Jerusalem, saying: "O you worn-out bones, torn skins, and scattered flesh! Come forth to the presentation before the Most Merciful." They will then hasten from every direction toward his voice. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi that he said: "Allah, the Exalted, will gather the people on the Day of Resurrection in darkness. The heaven will be folded, the stars will scatter, and the sun and moon will vanish. A caller will call out, and the people will follow the voice, heading toward it. That is the meaning of the Almighty's saying, 'On that day they shall follow the caller...'" Ali ibn Isa said: "The caller here is the Messenger who used to call them to Allah, the Exalted and Majestic." The first [interpretation] is more correct.

"No crookedness for him"—that is, for the caller—meaning that no one summoned deviates from him, and no one turns away from him. This is like saying, "There is no disobedience for him," meaning he is not disobeyed; or "no injustice for him," meaning he does not commit injustice. Its origin is that the attachment of an action to its object is as fixed as it is to its agent. It is said that it means: "There is no crookedness in his call," so he does not incline toward some people and not others, but rather he causes all of them to hear. This has been related from Abu Muslim.

It is also said that it is a transposition, meaning "there is no crookedness for them away from him"; rather, they come toward him, accepting and following his voice without deviation. This is related from al-Juba'i, though it is not significant. The sentence is in the position of a state (hal) for the caller, or it is a new beginning, as Abu al-Baqa said. It is also said that the pronoun "him" (in lahu) refers to the verbal noun, and the sentence is in the position of an adjective for it, meaning "a following with no crookedness in it," i.e., "straight." Ibn Atiyyah said: "It is possible that the meaning is that there is no doubt in it, and its occurrence does not contradict its report."

"And voices shall be humbled before the Most Merciful"—that is, they shall become soft and low out of awe for the Almighty and the intensity of the terror of that scene. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: "They shall be stilled." Humility (khushu') is used metaphorically here. It is also said that it is not metaphorical, and the speech is based on the omission of a genitive (a possessor), meaning "the owners of the voices." This is not well-founded.

"So you shall not hear"—a direct address to anyone capable of hearing—"except a whisper"—that is, a soft, low sound, as Abu Ubaydah said. From Mujahid: "It is the soft sound of speech." This is supported by the reading of Ubayy: "So they shall not speak except a whisper." From Ibn Abbas: "It is the movement of the lips without sound." This was considered unlikely, as that is something seen, not heard. In another narration from him, it is the thumping of feet, which is also narrated from Ikrimah, Ibn Jubayr, and al-Hasan; al-Farra and al-Zajjaj chose this view. From this is the poet's saying: 'And they walk with us with a hushed step.' It is mentioned that a lion is called al-hamus (the whisperer) due to the softness of its tread. Thus, the meaning is: their voices were stilled and their words ceased, so nothing was heard from them except the thumping of their feet as they were brought to the place of gathering.