Al-Saffat (The Arrangers in Rank): Verse 19

Know that when the Almighty established in the preceding verse what indicates the possibility of Resurrection and the Hour, He followed it up with what points to the occurrence of the Resurrection. In these verses, He mentions some details of the states of the Resurrection. In this verse, He mentions types of those states.

The first state is His saying: {فإنما هي زجرة واحدة فإذا هم} (Then it will be but a single blast, and behold, they will be...). There are several discussions regarding this:

The phrase {فإنما هي} (Then it will be but...) is the response to an implied conditional clause. The meaning is: If that is the case, then it will be nothing but a single blast.

The pronoun in {فإنما هي} (Then it will be but...) is a pronoun based on the condition of explanation (shartiyyat al-tafsir). The meaning is: The Resurrection itself is but a single blast.

Linguistically, al-zajrah means the loud cry used to drive away, like the cry used to drive camels or cattle when they are being restrained. It has become commonly used to mean a shout, even if it does not carry the meaning of driving away, as in this verse.

I suggest that it is not far-fetched to say that this shout is called a zajrah because it drives away the dead from their slumber in the graves and compels them to rise from the graves and attend the place of Resurrection.

Knowing this, we say that what is intended by this zajrah is what God mentioned in His saying: {ثم نفخ فيه أخرى فإذا هم قيام ينظرون} (Then it will be blown into it again, and behold, they will stand up looking on) (Az-Zumar: 68). By the first blast, they die, and by the second blast, they are revived and stand up.

Here are some questions:

First Question: What is the benefit of this shout?

The people at that hour are dead, as the blast serves as the cause for their life, meaning it precedes the attainment of their life. Thus, this shout occurs while creation is dead, making it useless and frivolous. Frivolity is not permissible in God's actions.

The Answer: Our companions (Ash'arites) say that God does what He wills. As for the Mu'tazilites, Al-Qadi mentioned two views:

1. It serves as a sign for the angels.
2. Its benefit is terrifying and frightening.

Second Question: Does this shout have an effect on the return of life?

The Answer: No. The evidence is that the first shout resulted in death, and the second resulted in life. This indicates that the shout has no effect on death or life; rather, the Creator of death and life is God Almighty, as He says: {الذى خلق الموت والحياة} (He Who created death and life) (Al-Mulk: 2).

Third Question: Is this shout the voice of the angels, or does God create it ab initio (from nothing)?

The Answer: Both are possible. However, it is narrated that God commands Israfil to call out: "O crumbling bones, worn-out skins, and scattered parts, gather by the permission of God!"

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The fourth term mentioned in this verse is His saying: {فإذا هم ينظرون} (and behold, they will be looking on). It is possible that it means they look at what is happening to them, or that they look at one another, or that it means they look at the Resurrection which they used to deny.

Among the events of the Resurrection that God informed us about is that after rising from the graves, they will say: {وقالوا ياويلنا هذا يوم الدين} (And they will say, "Oh, woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense!").

Al-Zajjaj said: Al-Wayl (Woe) is a word uttered by the speaker at the time of ruin. The intent is that when they witness the Resurrection, they will say: {هذا يوم الدين} (This is the Day of Recompense), meaning the Day of Judgment.

The intent is that God mentioned in many verses of the Qur'an that we see in the world the doer of good and the doer of evil, the disobedient and the friend, the heretic, and we see that they have not received the recompense befitting them in this world. Therefore, affirming the Resurrection is necessary: {ليجزى الذين أساءوا بما عملوا ويجزى الذين أحسنوا بالحسنى} (That He may recompense those who do evil for what they have done, and recompense those who do good with the best) (An-Najm: 31).

In summary, this indicates that recompense only occurs after death. Even though the disbelievers heard this strong proof, they denied and rebelled. Then, when God revives them on the Day of Resurrection, upon witnessing it, they will recall that Day and say: {هذا يوم الدين} (This is the Day of Recompense), meaning the Day of Judgment about which God mentioned numerous proofs in the Qur'an, yet we disbelieved them.

This is analogous to someone who is warned about something but pays no attention to it, and then confronts it directly; he might say, "This is the day of that specific incident." The same applies here.

There is another possibility: God said in Surah Al-Fatiha: {مالك يوم الدين} (Master of the Day of Recompense) (Al-Fatiha: 4). He clarified that on that Day, there is no master except God. Thus, their saying {هذا يوم الدين} (This is the Day of Recompense) is an indication that this is the Day where no judgment belongs to anyone except God, and they mention it due to the intense fear that has seized their hearts.

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There are two discussions concerning this:

First: Attribution of Speech

It has been debated whether this is part of the disbelievers' speech or if their speech ended at His saying: {هذا يوم الدين}. If so, then {هذا يوم الفصل} (This is the Day of Decision) is the speech of others. Some held the first view, claiming that {هذا يوم الفصل الذي كنتم به تكذبون} is speech from some of them to others.

The majority hold the second view and support it with two arguments:

1. The phrase {كنتم به تكذبون} (you used to deny it) is addressed to all disbelievers, so the speaker of this statement must be someone other than the disbelievers themselves.
2. The phrase {احشروا الذين ظلموا وأزواجهم} (Gather those who did wrong, and their spouses...) (As-Saffat: 22) is connected to {هذا يوم الفصل الذي كنتم به تكذبون}. Since {احشروا الذين ظلموا} is the speech of others (not the disbelievers), then {هذا يوم الفصل الذي كنتم به تكذبون} must also be the speech of others.

Under this interpretation, {هذا يوم الدين} is the speech of the disbelievers, and {هذا يوم الفصل} is the speech of the angels in response to them.

The reason this is a response to them is that those disbelievers believed themselves to be correct in denying the call of the Prophets (peace be upon them) and correct in their corrupt beliefs. They said: {هذا يوم الدين} (This is the Day of Recompense), meaning, "This is the Day when the recompense for our obedience and our good deeds will reach us."

The angels say to them: On this Day, outward appearances are not considered. For on this Day, the true recompense is separated from the apparent recompense, and true acts of obedience are distinguished from acts of obedience coupled with hypocrisy (riya') and showing off. In this manner, this statement becomes an answer from the angels to what the disbelievers mentioned.

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Then the Almighty said: