Tafsir of An-Naml 27:87

(And the Day the Trumpet will be blown): It is either conjoined to "the Day We shall gather" (Yawma nahshuru), governed by the same verb that governs it, or it is in the accusative case as a substitute for a hidden verb conjoined to that governing verb. As for the Sur (Trumpet), according to what is in al-Tadhkirah, it is a horn made of light. Al-Bukhari mentions from Mujahid that it is like a buq (horn/trumpet). Al-Tirmidhi narrates from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As that he said: A Bedouin came to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and asked, "What is the Sur?" He replied: "A horn into which one blows." The well-known view is that the one in charge of the Trumpet is Israfil, peace be upon him.

Al-Qurtubi mentioned that the nations are in consensus on this, and it is something already created today. Al-Tirmidhi reported—and graded it hasan—from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that he said: "How can I be at ease when the blower of the Trumpet has already put the horn to his lips and listened, waiting for when he will be commanded to blow?" This felt heavy upon the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "Say: Hasbunallahu wa ni‘mal-wakil (Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs)." It is also narrated from Abu Hurayrah in a marfu‘ (elevated) hadith: "The blower of the Trumpet has not blinked since he was assigned to it, prepared, facing the Throne, fearing that he might be commanded to sound the Blast before his gaze returns to him, as if his eyes were two shining stars." It has also come from Abu Hurayrah in a marfu‘ hadith that the width of the circle within it is like the width of the heavens and the earth. This is something to be believed in, while delegating the how of its nature to the All-Knower of the Unseen.

It has been said: al-Sur (with a quiescent waw) is in the sense of al-suwar (with a damma on the sad and a fatha on the waw), which is the plural of surah (form/image). Abu ‘Ubaydah holds this view, though the discussion regarding both interpretations concerns its literal reality. It has also been said that the statement contains an allegorical representation (isti‘arah tamthiliyyah), likening the state of the dead rising from their graves to the place of gathering, when they are called to rise, to the state of an army for whom a trumpet is blown and who march to a specific place assigned to them. The first view is that of the majority, and it is the one relied upon, because His saying, "Then it will be blown into again," is apparent that al-Sur is not the plural of surah; otherwise, He would have said "into it" (fiha) instead of "into him/it" (fihi). Resorting to an interpretation that makes the statement a form of allegory is clearly a denial of the Trumpet being a reality, which contradicts what the authentic (sahih) hadiths have stated. Abu al-Haytham said, as reported by al-Qurtubi in his Tafsir: "Whoever denies that the Trumpet is a horn is like one who denies the Throne (‘Arsh), the Bridge (Sirat), and the Balance (Mizan) and seeks interpretations for them."

This blowing—it is said: what is meant is the second blowing. This is the view held by the author of al-‘Unwan and chosen by the scholar Abu al-Su‘ud. He said: "What the context of the noble composition requires—and that context is that—is that what is meant by the 'terror' (faza‘) in His saying, 'And those who are in the heavens and those who are on the earth will be seized with terror,' is the terror and awe—necessary and innate—that overcomes everyone at the time of Resurrection and Rising, due to witnessing the terrifying events that break the norms in the souls and the horizons." He then said: "It is said: What is meant by the blowing is the first blowing, and the terror is that which follows it in the form of death due to the intensity of the horror, as in His saying, 'And the Trumpet will be blown, and those who are in the heavens and those who are on the earth will fall down dead (seized by the blast).'" Thus, its effect is restricted to those who were alive when it occurred, excluding those from the nations who had died before that. It is also said: What is meant by the blowing is the blowing of terror which occurs before the blowing of the blast (sa‘q) intended by His saying, "These await only one blast, for which there will be no delay." He criticized both views with what is mentioned in his Tafsir.

The scholar al-Tibi said: The truth is that what is meant by His saying, "And the Trumpet will be blown, and they will be seized with terror," is the first blowing, and His saying following it, "And all will come to Him," is an indication of the second blowing. Know that they disagreed on the number of blowings. It is said: Three. The blowing of the blast mentioned in His saying, "And the Trumpet will be blown, and those who are in the heavens and those who are on the earth will fall down dead," and the blowing of the Resurrection mentioned in His saying, "And the Trumpet will be blown, and at once they will rise from their graves to their Lord, hastening," and the blowing of terror mentioned in the verse here. This is the choice of Ibn al-‘Arabi.

It is said: Two. The blowing of terror is the blowing of the blast, because the two matters—terror in the sense of fear, and the blast in the sense of death—are both necessary consequences of it. Al-Qurtubi said: "The Sunnah, such as the hadith of Muslim from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As—which is long—among which is the deletion: 'Then it will be blown into the Trumpet; the first to hear it will be a man tending his water-trough, and he will fall down dead, then the people will fall down dead. Then it will be blown into again, and at once they will be standing, looking on'—indicates that the blowing is twice, not three times, and this is the correct view. The blowing of terror is the blowing of the blast itself, due to the unity of the exception in their two verses."

This was critiqued in the treatise titled Sharh al-‘Ashr fi Ma‘shar al-Hashr, attributed to Ibn al-Kamal, that there is no indication in the hadith that there is not a third blowing; at most, it is that the rest of the hadiths arriving in this sequence are silent about it, and it does not necessitate its non-existence. Likewise, there is no indication in the unity of the exception in the two verses that what is mentioned in both is one blowing, and this is apparent. He then said: "The correct view, in my opinion, is what is in the first view, that the blowing of terror is not the blowing of the blast, because the hadith of the two Sahihs—'Do not prefer me over the prophets, for the people will fall down dead on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to recover; and there I will be with Musa, peace be upon him, holding onto a pillar of the Throne. I do not know if he recovered before me or if he was exempted due to the blast of the Mount'—is explicit that the sa‘q (fainting) is on the Day of Resurrection and that there is no death in it; so it is terror without death." Whoever says there are three blowings: the blowing of terror, then the blowing of the blast (which is death), then the blowing of the resurrection, has hit the mark in distinguishing between the blowing of terror and the blowing of the blast, although he did not hit the mark in his claim that the blowing of terror is before the blowing of the blast. How can it be, when the aforementioned hadith of the two Sahihs indicated the universality of the ruling of the blowing of terror to the prophets (peace be upon them) who died before the blowing of the blast (i.e., death)?

Al-Qadi ‘Iyad said: "The blowing of terror is after the Resurrection, when the heavens and earth split." It appears that the blowings are three, or rather four: the blowing by which Allah causes all creation to die, as stated in the hadith, and at that moment He, glory be to Him, calls out: "To whom does the kingdom belong today?" and His saying, "Everything will perish except His Face," calls out to that. And the blowing of the Resurrection, as His saying states: "And the Trumpet will be blown, and at once they will rise from their graves to their Lord, hastening." And the blowing of the blast, which is the blowing of terror itself—you have heard their two verses. And the blowing of recovery, as He said after mentioning the blowing of the blast: "Then it will be blown into again, and at once they will be standing, looking on." You have known what is in the claim that the blowing of the blast is the blowing of terror itself. So contemplate. End.

Some critiqued him, saying that it follows from the view of the difference between the blowing of terror and the blowing of the blast that the blowings would be five, and we have not heard anyone claim that. Also, it involves the assertion that the blowing of the blast is after the blowing of the Resurrection, which is rejected by his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying: "I am the first from whom the earth will split. I will lift my head and see Musa hanging onto a pillar of the pillars of the Throne. I do not know if he recovered before me or if he was of those whom Allah exempted." The splitting of the earth from him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is undoubtedly after the blowing of the Resurrection. When he follows that with the raising of his head (peace and blessings be upon him) and the surprise that Musa (peace be upon him) is hanging onto a pillar of the pillars of the Throne, where is the blowing of the blast? It is not hidden that the five blowings—which no one has heard of—is the prevailing probability, and the acceptance of what he mentioned second depends on the soundness of the report he mentioned. Perhaps the one who claims what preceded is behind the prohibition.

It is said: The most apparent view is that the blowings are three: The first is the blowing of the blast in the sense of death, as is one of its two meanings indicated by His saying, "And the Trumpet will be blown, and those who are in the heavens and those who are on the earth will fall down dead." The second is the blowing of the Resurrection indicated by His saying: "Then it will be blown into again, and at once they will be standing, looking on," and His saying: "And the Trumpet will be blown, and at once they will rise from their graves to their Lord, hastening." The third is the blowing of terror indicated by what is here. And it is, according to what you heard from al-Qadi ‘Iyad, after the Resurrection when the heavens and earth split.

Its root, as al-Raghib said, is the contraction and aversion that overcomes a person from a frightening thing. What is meant by it is intense terror. Perhaps the sa‘q mentioned in the hadith of the two Sahihs is a fainting that results from it without an intermediary, and from the blowing with an intermediary. It has been explicitly stated in al-Asas regarding this meaning for it: It is said, a man is su‘iqa (struck with a blast) if he faints from a loud crash or a severe sound that he hears. That it is in the sense of fainting is indicated by his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, "And I will be the first to recover," because recovery is only from fainting, not from death. He did not express it here with sa‘q intending the fainting mentioned in the hadith, lest it be imagined that the meaning of death is intended by it, because it is devoid here of the context that is in the hadith and because of its pairing with what is appropriate for that.

Sometimes the well-known view is chosen, that the blowing is two. What feels like an addition is answered: The first blowing is the blowing of the blast in the sense of death in a terrifying state; by it, those who are in the heavens and the earth who are alive shortly before that die, except whom Allah wills. This is indicated by the verse, "And the Trumpet will be blown, and those in the heavens... will fall down dead." The second blowing is the blowing of the Resurrection indicated by the verse, "Then it will be blown into again, and at once they will be standing, looking on." Between them, in the well-known view, is forty years. In the two Sahihs from Abu Hurayrah as a marfu‘ report: "Forty," without mentioning the distinction. It was said: Forty days? He said: I refuse. It was said: Forty months? He said: I refuse. It was said: Forty years? He said: I refuse. The blowing of terror, in the sense of dread and fear, is this blowing itself. The aspect of this is that the Trumpet is blown for the Resurrection, so the creation is resurrected and spread out; then, when they realize the Day of Resurrection and witness the traces of the greatness of Allah, they fear and dread, except whom Allah wills. The terror is made to follow the blowing with the letter fa to indicate the shortness of the interval for the speed of their realization and witnessing of what was mentioned.

The genitive construction (idafah) in our saying "the blowing of the Resurrection" and our saying "the blowing of terror" is from the addition of the cause to the effect, except that the causality of the blowing for the Resurrection is without an intermediary, and its causality for terror is by an intermediary. The hadith of the two Sahihs—"Do not prefer me over the prophets, for the people will fall down dead on the Day of Resurrection," etc.—contains nothing but the proof of the blast in the sense of fainting, as the mention of recovery for the people on the Day of Resurrection guides to, and it has no exposition of a blowing that results in that. Yes, the expression of sa‘q according to what they mentioned in its meaning requires that there be a crash or a loud sound that whoever hears it hears, so he faints, but it does not specify the blowing, as it is permissible that this is from a sound occurring from the splitting of the heavens that takes place after the Resurrection and the terror of the Day of Resurrection and what they witnessed of its horrors.

Some prevented it from requiring that, due to the possibility that it is meant to be fainting due to the occurrence of a great affair of the affairs of the Day of Resurrection other than the blowing. It is said: It is one of the branches of the blowing for the Resurrection, which is that it is blown, so the creatures are resurrected, and they realize what they realize and witness what they witness, so they fear and faint, except whom Allah wills. The hadith of the two Sahihs does not reject that, and the need for recovery for another blowing is in the realm of prohibition. It is said: In clarifying the unity of the blowing of the Resurrection and the blowing of terror, that what is meant by terror is the response and hastening to rise to the Lord of the worlds. The verses have explicitly stated the hastening of the people at the time of Resurrection, so He said: "And the Trumpet will be blown, and at once they will rise from their graves to their Lord, hastening," and He said: "Emerging from the graves as if they were rushing to a goal." Its distance is not hidden, and the need for directing the exception after it requires artificiality, so the primary view is that the unity be directed by what preceded. So contemplate.

The use of the past tense form despite the conjunction—meaning yunfakh (is blown)—being in the present tense is to signify the certainty of the occurrence, as in His saying, "He will lead his people on the Day of Resurrection," after His saying, "He will go before his people." The reason for delaying the explanation of the conditions occurring at the beginning of this blowing from the explanation of what happens later from the gathering of the deniers has already been discussed, so remember that—what is in the covenant of eternity. "Except whom Allah wills" is a connected exception, as is apparent from the "who" (man), and the object of the will is omitted; i.e., except whom Allah wills that he does not fear. What is meant by that, according to what has been said, is those who brought a good deed, due to His saying about them: "And they will be safe from terror on that Day." It was critiqued that the terror in that verse is not the terror meant by His saying, "will be seized with terror," etc., and we will mention that, if Allah wills.

Those who interpreted the blowing here as the first blowing, which is for the blast—i.e., death—differed in designating them (the exempt). It is said: They are Jibril, Mika'il, Israfil, and ‘Azra'il. This is narrated from Muqatil and al-Suddi. Al-Dahhak said: They are the youths, the hur al-‘in, the keepers of Paradise, and the carriers of the Throne. Some reported these two views regarding what is meant by the exception on the assumption that the blowing is intended as the second blowing and the terror as fear and dread. It was objected against them that the carriers of the Throne are not from the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, because the heavens are inside the Footstool (Kursi), and their proportion to it is like a ring in a wilderness, and the proportion of the Footstool to the Throne is like this proportion also; so how can its carriers be in the heavens? Likewise the youths, the hur, and the keepers of Paradise, because these are all in Paradise, and all the Gardens are above the heavens and below the Throne, as His saying, "The roof of Paradise is the Throne of the Most Merciful," clarifies. So those among them who are the youths, the hur, and the keepers cannot be rightly excluded from those who are in the heavens and the earth.

As for Jibril and those with him of the near-stationed angels, peace be upon them, they are of those who are ranged and glorify around the Throne. If the Throne is above the heavens, it is not possible for the ranging to be around it within the heavens. It was answered that it is permissible that what is meant by the heavens is what encompasses the Throne, the Footstool, and others of the celestial bodies, for it is more appropriate for the context. It has become common to use "who is in the heavens and the earth" when intending encompassing and inclusion. It is said: There is no obstacle to limiting it to the seven heavens and committing to the exception, on the two mentioned views, being disconnected. It is not hidden what is in that. Some counted among those excepted Musa, peace be upon him. You know that it can hardly be correct unless terror is intended as the Day of Resurrection after the second blowing. As for if what is intended is what occurs in this world at the time of the first blowing, then no. Moreover, counting him, peace be upon him, among those who will not faint on the Day of Resurrection after his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying in the aforementioned hadith of the two Sahihs—"I do not know if he recovered before me or if he was exempted due to the blast of the Mount"—requires an authentic report arriving after that.

Abu Hurayrah narrated from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that they are the martyrs who are provided for at their Lord. Al-Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi graded it authentic, as al-Qurtubi said, and by this he refuted those who claimed that no authentic report had arrived in their designation. Ibn Jubayr went to this, and its wording is: "They are the martyrs, holding their swords around the Throne." The Halimi went to it too, and said: It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both. Then he weakened the other views. Many interpreters mentioned it, although some of them mentioned it in the interpretation of "except whom Allah wills" in the verse of the blast, and others mentioned it in its interpretation in the verse of terror. So contemplate.

(And all): i.e., every one of those who fear, resurrected at the time of the blowing, (will come to Him): i.e., they will attend the standing place before the Lord of Majesty, glorious is His majesty, for questioning, answering, discussion, and reckoning. It is said: i.e., they will return to His command and be obedient. The plural pronoun is according to the meaning of "all" (kull). Qatadah read: Atahu (He came to him), a past verb predicated to the pronoun of "all" based on its wording.

Most of the seven readers read Atuhu as a noun (meaning: they are those who came to Him).

(Humbled): i.e., abased. Al-Hasan and al-A‘mash read: Dakharin without an alif. On both readings, it is in the accusative case as a state (hal) from the pronoun of "all," and His saying, glory be to Him...