Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:108

"On that day, they will follow the Caller..."

He attributed "the day" to the time of the leveling of the mountains in His saying: {On that day}, meaning: the day when they were leveled. It is also permissible for it to be a substitute after a substitute for the Day of Resurrection.

"The Caller" refers to the one calling to the Gathering. It is said: He is Israfil, standing upon a rock in Jerusalem, calling the people. They will come from every direction toward his voice, not deviating.

{No crookedness in him}: Meaning, no one called will deviate from him; rather, they will proceed straight toward him without swerving, following his voice.

{So you will not hear except a whisper}: Meaning, voices are lowered due to the intensity of terror and are hushed. A "whisper" (hams) is a faint sound. From this comes the term "whispered letters" (al-huruf al-mahmusa). It is also said: It is derived from the hams of camels, which is the sound of their hooves when they walk. Meaning: You will hear nothing but the thud of feet and their movement toward the Gathering.

{Except [the one] whom the Most Merciful has permitted}: The word "whom" (man) can be nominative or accusative.

• Nominative: As a substitute for "intercession," with the omission of the genitive construction (idafa), meaning: "Intercession will not avail, except the intercession of one whom the Most Merciful has permitted."
• Accusative: As the object of the verb.

The meaning of {permitted him} and {is pleased with his word} is: He permitted the intercessor and was pleased with his word for his sake. This "lam" (in lahu) is like the "lam" in the Almighty’s saying: "And those who disbelieved said to those who believed, 'If it had been [any] good, they would not have preceded us to it'" (Al-Ahqaf: 11).

{He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not encompass Him in knowledge.}