سورة الحجر

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ [The day of the appointed time] is the day when the Trumpet is blown once, and Iblis dies in the interval between the first blowing [at which all creatures die] and the second blowing [at which all creatures will be brought back to life again].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): From Abd al-Karim ibn Amr al-Khath'ami, who said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) saying: "Iblis said [to Allah]: أَنْظِرْنِی إِلی یَوْمِ یُبْعَثُونَ [Grant me respite till the day they are resurrected]; but Allah refused [to accept] this request of his and said: فَإِنَّکَ مِنَ المُنْظَرِینَ* إِلی یَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ المَعْلُومِ [So indeed you are of those granted respite, till the day of the appointed time]. When the appointed and known day arrives, Iblis, may Allah's curse be upon him, will appear together with all his followers from the time Allah created Adam (peace be upon him) up to the appointed known day, and this is the last return which Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) makes." So I said: "Does Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) have several returns?" He said: "Yes! Many, many returns; and there is no Imam in any age but the righteous and the wicked of his time return with him, so that Allah may give the believer victory over the disbeliever. When the appointed known day arrives, Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) returns with his companions, and Iblis returns with his companions, and their appointed meeting place is in a land of the lands of the Euphrates called 'al-Rawha', close to your Kufa. They will fight such a battle the like of which has not been fought since Allah created the worlds. It is as if I see the companions of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) having retreated a hundred paces backwards, and as if I see them with some of their feet having sunk into the Euphrates. At that moment, Allah the Almighty, the Mighty and Majestic, and the angels descend in a shade of clouds, and the matter is decided, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) stands facing him with something luminous in his hands. When Iblis looks at it, he turns back and retreats. His companions then say to him: 'Where do you wish to go? You were on the verge of victory!' إِنِّی أَری ما لا تَرَوْنَ [Indeed I see what you do not see] (Anfal/48); إِنِّی أَخافُ اللهَ رَبَّ الْعالَمِینَ [Indeed I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds] (Hashr/16). At that moment the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) reaches him and strikes him with a spear between his two shoulders, as a result of which Iblis and all his followers perish. After that, only Allah the Mighty and Majestic is worshipped and nothing is associated with Him; and Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) rules for forty-four thousand years, to the point that one man from the Shi'a of Ali (peace be upon him) will father a thousand male children from his own loins. At that time two gardens near the mosque of Kufa and its surroundings will appear by the will of Allah."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Ishaq ibn Ammar said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the appointed time that Allah the Exalted has granted Iblis as a respite, which He has mentioned in His Book, saying: فَإِنَّکَ مِنَ الْمُنْظَرِینَ* إِلی یَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ [So indeed you are among those granted respite, till the day of the time made known]. The Imam said: "That appointed time is the day of the rising of al-Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble relief); when Allah raises him up, he will be in the Mosque of Kufa, and Iblis will come and, kneeling on his two knees, will say: 'Woe unto me from this day!' On that day, al-Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble relief) will seize the forelock of Iblis and strike off his neck. That day is the appointed day and time, and the end of the life of Iblis."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): یَوْمُ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ [The day of the time made known] is the day on which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) will slaughter him upon the rock that is in Bayt al-Maqdis.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): In the Tafsir [attributed to] Imam Askari (peace be upon him) it is reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! Remember Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his household in your calamities and hardships, so that Allah may aid the angels [appointed over] you against the satans who seek to harm you. For with each of you there is an angel on the right who records his good deeds and an angel on the left who records his bad deeds, and with him are two satans from Iblis who lead him astray. Whenever those two satans whisper into his heart and he remembers Allah and says: لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ الْعَلِیِّ الْعَظِیمِ وَ صَلَّی اللهُ عَلَی مُحَمَّد وَ آلِهِ [There is no power and no strength except by Allah, the Most High, the Most Great, and may Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and his family], those two satans are bound. Then they go to Iblis and complain, saying: 'His matter has overwhelmed us; aid us with rebellious satans.' Iblis continues to reinforce them until at last he supports them with a thousand rebellious satans, and they all set out toward that person. Whenever they set upon him and he remembers Allah and sends blessings upon Muhammad and his pure household, they find no way or opening to him, and they say to Iblis: 'No one but you is a match for him; you yourself must go with your legions and overcome and mislead him.' So Iblis and his legions set out toward him. Allah the Exalted says to the angels: 'This is Iblis, who has set out with his army against such-and-such a servant of Mine, male or female; go and fight him!' So, facing every accursed satan, a hundred thousand angels advance into battle, while the angels are upon horses of fire, and in their hands are swords and spears of fire, and they have bows, arrows and knives of fire, and all their weapons are of fire. They continue to drive out the satans and slay them with those weapons, and they take Iblis captive and lay those weapons upon him. Iblis pleads: 'My Lord! Your promise, Your promise — You have granted me respite إِلَی یَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ [till the Day of the appointed time]!' Allah the Exalted says to the angels: 'I promised him that I would not put him to death [until the appointed Day]; I did not promise that I would not set weapons, torment and pains upon him. Strike him with your weapons and take revenge on him, for [however much you strike] I will not kill him [so that he may suffer more torment].' The angels then leave him disabled with many wounds and then release him. He continues to weep over himself and his slain children, and there is no balm for his wounds except hearing the sounds of the disbelief of the polytheists. So if this believing person remains steadfast upon the obedience of Allah, His remembrance and blessings upon Muhammad and his family, those wounds remain upon the body of Iblis; and if the servant turns away from this state and plunges into disobedience of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and into sins, the wounds of Iblis heal and he gains power over that servant, until at last he places a bridle on him, saddles his back and rides him. Then he dismounts and puts one of his satans upon his back and says to his companions: 'Do you not remember what we suffered at his hands? Now he has been humbled and made obedient to us, so that this satan rides upon him!'" Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "If you wish to keep the eye of Iblis constantly weeping and his wounds painful, then be constant in the obedience of Allah, His remembrance and sending blessings upon Muhammad and his family; and if you let go of that, you will become captives whose backs some of the rebellious satans will ride."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Yahya ibn al-Ala al-Razi: A man came into the presence of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) and said: "May I be your ransom! Inform me about the meaning of this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic ... addressed to Iblis, [where He said]: فَإِنَّکَ مِنَ الْمُنْظَرِینَ إِلی یَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ [So indeed you are of those given respite, till the day of the time made known]; and likewise, inform me why it has been made obligatory upon people to come to visit the Ka'bah." The Imam (peace be upon him) turned to him and said: "No one has ever asked me such a question before you! When Allah the Mighty and Majestic said to the angels: 'Indeed I am placing on the earth a successor' (Baqarah/30), the angels cried out at this news and said: 'O Lord! If You must certainly appoint a successor for Yourself on the earth, then appoint someone from among us for this task, who will worship You among Your creatures.' Allah replied to them: 'Indeed I know realities that you do not know' (Baqarah/30). The angels supposed that Allah had become angry with them through this reply; consequently they took refuge at the Divine Throne and began to circumambulate it. Allah the Mighty and Majestic then commanded them to circumambulate a house made of marble, whose roof was of red ruby and whose pillars were of chrysolite (zabarjad), which seventy thousand angels enter every day, and after that إِلی یَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ [till the day of the time made known] they will not enter it [again]." [Then] the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "And the day of the appointed time is the day when the Trumpet is blown once, and Iblis will die between the first blowing [when all creatures die] and the second blowing [when all creatures come back to life]. As for Nun; it is a river in Paradise whose water is whiter than snow and sweeter than honey. Allah the Exalted says to this water: 'Be ink,' and it immediately becomes ink. Then He plants a tree with His hand [the Imam (peace be upon him), in order to remove the doubt that arose for the group of the Mushabbihah (anthropomorphists), immediately said: what is meant by 'hand' is power and might, not that meaning which is in the imagination of the group of the Mushabbihah]. After that, He says to the tree: 'Be a pen.' And following that, He commands the pen: 'Write.' The tree, which has been turned into a pen, says: 'What shall I write?' Allah, whose greatness is exalted, says: 'Write what will occur until the Day of Resurrection.' So the pen, by Allah's command, writes down all events, and concludes it with the blowing of the Trumpet and the destruction of Iblis. Then Allah the Exalted says to it: إِلَی یَوْمَ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُوم [Till the day of the time made known] — indeed, do not speak and do not utter a word."