Explanation of As-Saakhah

Explanation of As-Saakhah
Imam Ibn Kathir

Then when there comes as-Saakhah Ibn Abbaas (radiaAllaahu anhuma) said, “As-Saakhah is one of the names of the Day of Judgement that Allah has magnified and warned his servants of.” [Reported in at-Tabari 24:229]

Then when there comes as-Saakhah That day shall man flee from his brother.And from his mother and his father. And from his wife and his children. Every man that Day will have enough to make his careless of others. [Surah Abasa 80:33-37]
Ibn Jareer said, “Perhaps it (as-Saakhah) is a name for the blowing into the Trumpet.” Al-Baghawi said, “As-Saakhah means the thunderous shout of the Day of Judgement. It has been called this because it will deafen the ears. This means that it pierces the ears to such an extent that it almost deafens the ears.”

That Day shall a man flee from his brother. And from his mother and his father. And from his wife and his children.

meaning, he will see them and then flee from them, and seek to get away from them because the horror will be so great and the matter will be so weighty. There is an authentic hadeeth related concerning the intercession that states that every one of the Messengers of firm resolve will be requested to intercede with Allaah on behalf of the creation, but each of them will say, “O myself! O myself! Today I will not ask You (O Allah) concerning anyone but myself.” Even Isa bin Maryam (alayhis-salaam) will say, “I will not ask Him concerning anyone but myself today. I will not even ask (for) Maryam, the woman who gave birth to me.” [Sahih Muslim]
Thus, Allaah says,

“That Day shall a man flee from his brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children.”

Qataadah said, “The most beloved and then the next most beloved, and the closest of kin and then the next closest of kin - due to the terror of that Day.” Allaah said,

“Every man that Day will have enough to make him careless of others.”

meaning, he will be preoccupied in his business and distracted from the affairs of others. Ibn Abee Haatim recorded from Ibn Abbaas (radiallaahu anhuma) that Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said,

“You will be gathered barefoot, naked, walking and uncircumcised.”

So his wife said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Will we look at or see each other’s nakedness?” The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) replied,

“Every man among them on that Day will have enough to make him careless of others” -

or he said: “he will be too busy to look.” [Al-Haakim, also similarly recorded in Al-Bukhari]
Ibn Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhuma) reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said,
“You will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.”
So a woman said, “Will we see or look at each other’s nakedness?” He replied,
“O so-and-so woman! Every man among them on the Day will have enough to make him careless of others.” At-Tirmidhi said, “This hadeeth is Hasan Saheeh.”

Notes:

1. The state of terror a man feels that day will be unlike anything he has felt during the life of this world.
2. A man will see his brother, his mother and his father and others he recognises engulfed in a state of extreme fear, terror and distress. Yet he will be careless of each them to the extent that he will not even supplicate for them.
3. This state of terror will encompass even the Prophets and Messengers of Allah.
4. Mankind will be barefoot, naked, walking and uncircumcised.
5. This state of terror will not be removed until Allaah ta’ala permits intercession by those whom He pleases for those whom He pleases. There is no intercession for the unbelievers.
6. The need to seek refuge in Allaah from His anger and punishment.

What is meant by the blowing of the Trumpet?

What is meant by the blowing of the Trumpet?

al-Qiyaamah al-Kubra by Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar, 33-42; A’laam al-Sunnah al-Manshoorah, 122.

The word “soor” (translated here as trumpet) means a horn, like a trumpet or bugle. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about the Trumpet and he explained it in terms of what the Arabs knew in their own language, as narrated in Sunan al-Tirmidhi (3244) and elsewhere from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: A Bedouin said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what is the Trumpet?’ He said: “A horn that is blown into.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Saheehah, 1080. 

With regard to the one who will blow into it, it is well known that he is Israafeel (peace be upon him). Some of the scholars narrated that there is consensus on this, and it is stated clearly in some ahaadeeth. See Fath al-Baari, 11/368. 

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us that the one who will blow the Trumpet has been ready to do so since Allaah created him, as it is narrated in al-Mustadrak from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The gaze of the one who will blow the Trumpet has been fixed since he was entrusted with it, looking towards the throne, ready (to blow it), in case he will be commanded to do so before he blinks, as if his eyes are two shining stars.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1078. 

The majority of scholars are of the view that the Trumpet will be blown twice: the first time all creatures will swoon and the second time the resurrection will come to pass. This is based on the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allaah wills. Then it will be blown a second time, and behold they will be standing, looking on (waiting)”

[al-Zumar 39:68] 

And it is based on the saheeh ahaadeeth which mention these two blowings and what will follow them. al-Bukhaari (4651) and Muslim (2955) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between the two blowings of the Trumpet there will be forty.” The people said, “O Abu Hurayrah! Forty days?” I said: “I am not sure.” They said, “Forty years?” I said: “I am not sure.” They said, “Forty months?” I said: “I am not sure. Then Allaah will send rain down from the sky and they will grow as herbs grow. There is no part of a man which will not decay except a single bone at the base of the coccyx, from which he will be re-created on the Day of Resurrection.”  

Al-Nawawi said: what is meant by the words of Abu Hurayrah, “I am not sure” is that he could not be certain as to whether what was meant was forty days or years or months; all that he was certain of was that it was forty in general terms. 

In Saheeh Muslim (2940) it is narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “… then the Trumpet will be blown and no one will hear it but he will bend his neck to one side and raise it from the other side. The first one who will hear it will be a man who is busy in setting right the cistern meant for supplying water to the camels. He will swoon and the other people will also swoon. Then Allah will send or He will send down rain which will be like dew and there will grow out of it the bodies of people. Then the trumpet will be blown again, and they will stand up and begin to look around.”  

Some of the scholars said that the trumpet will be blown three times, including the time when it will be blown and all people will be terrified, which will come before the people swoon. … They based this on the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And (remember) the Day on which the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth, will be terrified except him whom Allaah will (exempt). And all shall come to Him, humbled”

[al-Naml 27:87]

 But the fact that swooning is mentioned in one verse and terror is mentioned in another does not mean that they will not happen at the same time when the Trumpet is blown for the first time. Rather they will happen at the same time, so when the Trumpet is blown the people will be terrified, and will swoon as a result and die. 

They also quoted as evidence some ahaadeeth in which it is mentioned that the Trumpet will be blown three times. 

But the hadeeth which they quote as evidence is the lengthy hadeeth about the Trumpet, which is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth, as al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said. And Allaah knows best. See al-Tadhkirah by al-Qurtubi (184); Fath al-Baari, 11/369. 

From the above it may be understood that when Allaah decrees that all living beings should die, He will command the angel to blow the Trumpet, so he will give a mighty blast which will terrify all creatures, as a result of which they will swoon and die. Then they will stay like that for as long as Allaah decrees, which is described as forty without specifying whether that is years, months or days – Allaah knows best how long it is. Their bodies will decay within this period until there is nothing left but the bone from the base of the coccyx, which is a round bone at the base of the spine. Then Allaah will send a cloud that will release rain, and when the water reaches this bone, the body will grow from it like a plant grows and they will be recreated from this bone, just as Allaah created them the first time, for He is able to do all things. Then he will blow the Trumpet to signal the Resurrection, and the souls will return to their bodies and will come forth from their graves and hasten to the place of gathering. We ask Allaah for His mercy and kindness. 

What the Muslim has to do is to prepare for these decisive moments by hastening to do righteous deeds and keeping away from evil things and bad deeds. 

If the one who most feared Allaah said, “How can I be at ease when the one who blows the trumpet has put it to his mouth, bent his forehead and inclined his ear, waiting to see when he will be ordered to blow it?” – as narrated by al-Tirmidhi in al-Sunan, 243, and others, and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah, 1079 – then what about us who are weak and fall short? We ask Allaah to make us among those who will not be grieved by the greatest terror when the angels will meet them (with the greeting), “This is your Day which you were promised.” (cf. al-Anbiya’ 21:103). 

al-Qiyaamah al-Kubra by Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar, 33-42; A’laam al-Sunnah al-Manshoorah, 122.