سورة الزمر

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): O servants of Allah! Know that what happens after the grave is harder than the grave itself. There will be a day on which the child grows old and the adult becomes intoxicated and dazed [from the intensity of terror], and pregnant women miscarry, [and such dread overtakes everyone that] every nursing mother forgets the infant she is nursing. (Al-Hajj/2). And beware of a day [of which the Quran says]: of a day that is frowning and severe. (Al-Insan/10). And whose evil and punishment is widespread. (Al-Insan/7). Know that the evil and distress of that day is so pervasive that even the angels, who have no sins, and the wild beasts, and the firm mountains, and the earths which are a place of rest, [all] become distraught from [the severity of] that day, and the sky splits apart and becomes weak and collapses. (Al-Haqqah/16). And it changes and becomes rosy like molten oil. (Ar-Rahman/37). And the mountains, after being solid and firm, become a mirage and take the shape of heaps of soft sand. Allah the Glorified says: وَ نُفِخَ فِی الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ مَنْ فِی الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَنْ شاءَ اللهُ [And the trumpet shall be blown, so all those that are in the heavens and all those that are in the earth shall swoon, except such as Allah please]. So what will be the state of the one who disobeys Him (Allah) with his ear, eye, tongue, hand, foot, private parts and belly, if Allah does not forgive [him] and does not have mercy?!

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Abdullah ibn Salam said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "Tell me, how will Allah resurrect the creatures after their death on the Day of Resurrection?" He said: "O Ibn Salam! First Allah will bring Israfil to life, and he is the first of Allah's servants to be brought to life, and the Sur (trumpet) is in his hand, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic will command him to blow into the Sur." He said: "Tell me, what does Israfil say into the Sur?" He said: "O Ibn Salam! He says: 'O decayed bones, scattered limbs, and fallen hairs, hasten to stand before Allah, the King, the Compeller, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.' Then he blows into the Sur a second time, and this time suddenly they all rise up and stand awaiting [the reckoning and recompense]." He said: "Equivalent to a distance of forty thousand years." He said: "You have spoken the truth, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! How many times does Israfil blow into the Sur [so that people rise and the gathering begins]?" He said: "Six times." He said: "What are those stages?" He said: "In the first stage the people [the dead] are clay, and in the second stage they are shaped, and in the third stage their bodies are set right, and in the fourth stage blood flows in their veins, and in the fifth stage hair grows, and in the sixth stage they rise up; فَإِذا هُمْ قِیامٌ یَنْظُرُونَ [then lo! they shall stand up awaiting]." He said: "You have spoken the truth, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The Sur [trumpet of Israfil] is a great horn which has one head and two ends. Between its lower end, which faces the earth, and its upper end, which faces the heavens, is a distance like the distance between the bottom of the seventh earth and the top of the seventh heaven. In it are openings equal to the number of the spirits of all creatures. The width of its mouth is like the distance between the heaven and the earth, and Israfil (peace be upon him) blows into the Sur three times: one is the blast of terror (nafkhat al-faza'), another is the blast of death (nafkhat al-mawt), and the third is the blast of resurrection... [So when the days of the world come to an end] Allah says to Israfil to blow the blast of terror into the Sur. The sound comes out from the end that faces the earth, and no human, jinn, satan, nor any other possessor of spirit remains on the earth without falling and dying. And the sound comes out from the end that faces the heaven, and no possessor of spirit remains in the heavens without dying... So when no one from Allah's creation remains in the heavens and the earth... Allah the Exalted says: Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and the bearers of the Throne must be brought back to life! So by Allah's permission they are brought back to life. Then Allah commands Israfil (peace be upon him) to take the Sur in his hand. Then He commands that the spirits of the believers enter the Sur, and they come and settle in the Sur. Then Allah orders Israfil to blow into the Sur for the return to life, and the distance between the two blasts is forty years. By means of it, the spirits come out from the openings of the Sur like a swarm of scattered locusts, and what is between the earth and the heaven is filled with spirits. The spirits enter the earth and go towards the bodies, while they are sleeping in the graves like the dead, so every spirit enters its own body through the nostrils. Then by Allah's permission they come to life. The earth splits open above those bodies, as Allah says: يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْداثِ سِراعاً كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلى نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ خاشِعَةً أَبْصارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ذلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كانُوا يُوعَدُونَ [The day on which they shall come forth from their graves in haste, as if they were hastening on to a banner set up, their eyes cast down, disgrace shall overtake them; that is the day which they were threatened with]. (Ma'arij/43-44). And Allah says: ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرى فَإِذا هُمْ قِيامٌ يَنْظُرُونَ [Then it shall be blown again, then lo! they shall stand up awaiting].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) returned to Medina from [the battle of] Tabuk, Amr ibn Ma'di Karib al-Zubaydi [who was one of the notables of the Arabs and among their brave warriors and poets] came to him, and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to him: "O Amr! Accept Islam, so that Allah may make you safe from the great terror." He said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), what is the great terror? I fear nothing." He said: "O Amr! It is not as you suppose and imagine. A single cry and shout will be raised over the people, so that no dead person will remain but that he is brought to life, and no living person will remain but that he dies, except whom Allah wills. Then another cry will be raised over them, and whoever has died will come to life, and all of them will be lined up in ranks [in the arena of the Gathering]. The sky will be split open, the earth will crumble apart, the mountains will collapse upon one another, and the Fire will hurl forth sparks the size of mountains. At that time no living creature will remain but that its heart is torn from its place, and it will remember its sin and be preoccupied with itself, except whom Allah wills. O Amr! What will you do in the face of this great terror? Do you [truly] know [what this great terror means]?" Amr said: "I am hearing a mighty matter." And [with these very words] he became a Muslim and believed in Allah and His Messenger, and a group from his tribe also believed with him, and they returned to their people.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah wills to raise up the created beings, the sky will rain upon the earth for forty mornings, and then the limbs will join together and the flesh will grow upon the bodies. Jibra'il came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and took his hand and brought him out toward al-Baqi'. Jibra'il brought him to a grave and called out to its occupant and said: "Rise, by the permission of Allah." Suddenly a man with white hair and beard raised his head from the grave, wiped the dust from his face, and said: "Praise be to Allah, and Allah is the Greatest." Then Jibra'il said to him: "Return to your place, by the permission of Allah." Then Jibra'il brought the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) to another grave and said: "Rise, by the permission of Allah." Suddenly a man with a blackened face raised his head from the grave and said: "Oh, alas! Oh, woe!" Jibra'il said to him: "Return by the permission of Allah to where you were." Then he said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! The dead will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection in just this manner: the believers will say those words, and these [others] will say what you have seen."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): He was asked, "How long is the interval between the two blasts of the trumpet?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said, "As long as Allah wills." They said, "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Tell us how it is blown." He said, "At the first blast, Allah the Exalted commands Israfil and he descends to the earth with the trumpet. The trumpet has one head on one side and two heads on the other, and between each of these two there is room for all that is in the heavens and the earth. When the angels see Israfil descending to the earth with the trumpet, they say, 'Allah has given the command for the death of the people of the earth and the death of the people of the heavens.' Israfil descends onto the land of Bayt al-Maqdis and faces the Kaaba. When the people of the earth see him, they say, 'Allah has given the command for the death of the people of the earth.' Then Israfil blows into the trumpet, and the sound comes out from the side that is toward the people of the earth, and no living creature remains on the earth but that it swoons and dies. Then Israfil blows into the trumpet and the sound of the trumpet comes out from the side facing the heavens, and no living creature remains in the heavens but that it swoons and all die, except Israfil. Then Allah says to Israfil, 'O Israfil! Die.' And Israfil dies, and in that state what Allah wills remains. Then the heavens, by Allah's command, are thrown into turmoil, and the mountains, by His command, are set in motion, and this is the very word of Allah the Exalted, who said: 'The day when the heaven shall be in violent commotion, and the mountains shall [all] pass away [as they pass].' (Tur/9-10). That is, they are spread out, 'and the earth shall be changed into a different earth.' (Ibrahim/48). That is, into an earth in which no sin has been committed, a barren land upon which there are no mountains and no vegetation, just as He spread it out the first time; and He restores His Throne upon the water just as it was the first time, and He establishes it with His majesty and power. At that moment, Allah the Compeller calls out with a loud voice that is heard throughout the reaches of the heavens and the earths, 'To whom belongs the sovereignty today?' No one answers Him. Then Allah the Compeller Himself answers Himself and says, 'To Allah, the One, the Subduer. I have subdued all creatures and caused them to die. Indeed, I am Allah; there is no god but Me alone, I have no partner and no minister. I created My creation with My own hand, and I caused them to die by My will, and I bring them to life by My power.' Then Allah the Compeller blows a blast into the trumpet, and the sound of the trumpet comes out from the side facing the heavens, and no one remains in the heavens but that he receives life and stands as he was, and the bearers of the Throne return, and Paradise and Hell are brought forth, and the creatures are gathered for the Day of Reckoning."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): In the end times, tribulations will appear like pieces of the dark night. When Allah the Exalted becomes angry with the people of the earth, He commands Israfil to blow into the trumpet the breath of death, and he blows upon the people while they are unaware. At that moment, some of them are in their homelands, some are on a journey, and some are eating — before they have raised the morsel to their mouth, they freeze in place and lose consciousness; and some are speaking with another, and before they have finished their sentence, they give up their soul. All creatures die one after another, and Israfil does not cut off his breath until the springs of the earth, its rivers, its houses, its trees, its mountains and its seas all dry up, and everything collapses together and sinks into the earth. Some of the people freeze where they are, and some fall to the ground — some on their face, some on their back, some on their side, and some on their cheek — and some give up their soul with a morsel in their mouth without finding the chance to swallow it. The chains from which the lamps of the stars are suspended snap apart, and from the severity of the earthquake everything becomes level with the earth. The angels of the seven heavens, the dwellers behind the veils and behind the pavilions, those who stand in rows and those who glorify, the bearers of the Throne and the Footstool (Kursi), the inhabitants of the pavilions of majesty, and the Cherubim (Karubiyyun) all give up their souls, and only Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and the Angel of Death remain. Then Allah the Compeller (al-Jabbar) says: "O Angel of Death! Who remains?" — while He Himself knows better. The Angel of Death submits: "My Master and my Lord! Israfil remains, and Jibra'il remains, and Mika'il remains, and this weak, humble, submissive and lowly servant of Yours, the Angel of Death, remains — whose soul has come to his lips out of fear of what he has witnessed." Allah the Blessed and Exalted says: "Go to Jibra'il and take his soul." The Angel of Death goes to Jibra'il and finds him prostrating and bowing, and says to him: "O wretched one! How heedless you are of what is intended for you! The children of Adam, the people of the world and the earth, the birds, the beasts of prey, the crawling creatures, the dwellers of the heavens, the bearers of the Throne and the Footstool, those of the pavilions, and the inhabitants of Sidrat al-Muntaha — all have died, and Allah has commanded me to take your soul." At that, Jibra'il weeps and, imploring, submits to Allah the Exalted: "O Allah! Make the giving up of the soul easy for me." Then the Angel of Death embraces him and takes his soul, and Jibra'il gives up his soul and falls down. Then Allah the Exalted says: "O Angel of Death! Who remains?" — while He Himself knows better. He submits: "My Master and my Lord! You Yourself know best who remains. Mika'il, Israfil, and this weak servant of Yours the Angel of Death remain." Allah says to him: "Go to Mika'il and take his soul." The Angel of Death goes to Mika'il as Allah the Exalted commanded him, and sees him waiting for rain to fall so that he may distribute it among the clouds according to their measure. So he says to him: "O wretched one! How heedless you are of what is intended for you! No sustenance remains for the children of Adam, nor for the cattle, nor for the beasts of prey, nor for the crawling creatures. The dwellers of the heavens and the earth, the dwellers behind the veils and the pavilions, the bearers of the Throne and the Footstool, the dwellers of the pavilions of majesty, the Cherubim, those who stand in rows and those who glorify — all have died, and Allah has commanded me to take your soul." At that, Mika'il weeps and implores Allah the Exalted, asking Allah to make the giving up of the soul easy for him. Then the Angel of Death takes him in his arms, embraces him, and takes his soul, and Mika'il gives up his soul and falls down. Then Allah the Exalted says: "O Angel of Death! Who remains?" — while He Himself knows better. He submits: "My Master and my Lord! You Yourself know best who remains. Israfil and this weak servant of Yours the Angel of Death remain." Allah the Blessed and Exalted says to him: "Go to Israfil and take his soul." The Angel of Death goes to Israfil as Allah had commanded, and says: "O wretched one! How heedless you are of what you must do! All creatures have died, and Allah has commanded me to take your soul." Israfil says: "Glory be to the One who subdued the servants with death; glory be to the One who alone shall remain, pure and glorified is He." Then he adds: "O Allah! Make the hardship of death easy for me. O Allah! Make the hardship of death easy for me. O Allah! Make the bitterness of death easy for me!" The Angel of Death embraces him and the soul leaves his body, and he falls lifeless upon the ground. Allah asks: "O Angel of Death! Who remains?" — while He Himself knows better. He submits: "My Master and my Lord! You Yourself know best who remains — this weak servant of Yours, the Angel of Death, remains." Allah the Compeller says: "By My majesty and greatness! I shall make you taste what you made My servants taste. Go between Paradise and Hell and die." He goes between Paradise and Hell and lets out such a cry that, had Allah the Blessed and Exalted not already put the creatures to death, they would have given up their souls one after another from the intensity of his cry. Then the Angel of Death dies, and the heavens remain empty of their inhabitants and the celestial spheres remain without any motion, and the earth remains empty of its humans, jinn, birds, crawling creatures, beasts and cattle, and the sovereignty remains for the One, the Subduer, Allah, who created the night and the day. Then no companion is seen and no whisper is felt; the motions have grown still and the sounds have gone silent, and the earth and the heavens have been emptied of their inhabitants. Then Allah the Blessed and Exalted says to the world: "O world! Where are your rivers, where are your trees, where are your dwellers, where are your builders, where are your kings, where are the sons of your kings, where are the tyrants and the sons of the tyrants, where are those who ate My sustenance and wallowed in My blessings and worshipped other than Me — لِمَنِ الْمُلْکُ الْیَوْمَ [To whom belongs the sovereignty this Day]?" No one answers Him. Allah the Exalted says: لِلهِ الْواحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ [To Allah, the One, the Subduer]. Thus the earths and the heavens remain, with no one in them who speaks and no one in them who breathes, for as long as Allah wills of that. It has been said: it remains for forty days, and this is the measure of what is between the two blowings. Then after that, Allah the Exalted sends down from the seventh heaven a sea called the Sea of Life (Bahr al-Hayawan), whose water resembles the seed of men. Our Lord sends it down for forty years, and that water splits open the earth and enters beneath the earth to the decayed bones, and just as crops sprout from rain, the bones sprout from that water. Allah the Exalted said: وَ هُوَ الَّذِی یُرْسِلُ الرِّیاحَ بُشْراً بَیْنَ یَدَیْ رَحْمَتِهِ [And He it is Who sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy] — up to His saying — کَذلِکَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَی [Thus do We bring forth the dead] (al-A'raf/57) — meaning, just as He brought forth vegetation with rain, thus does He bring them forth with the Water of Life. The bones, veins, flesh and hair gather together, and every limb returns to the place it was in in the world, and every hair returns to the form it had in the abode of the world, and the bodies are knit together by the power of Allah, the Majestic, and remain without souls. Then Allah the Compeller says: "Let Israfil be raised." So Israfil rises alive by the power of Allah the Exalted, and Allah the Compeller says to him: "Swallow the trumpet [and place it in your mouth]." The trumpet is a horn of light in which there are holes according to the number of the souls of the servants. At that moment, all the souls gather together and are placed in the trumpet, and Allah the Compeller commands Israfil to stand upon the rock of Bayt al-Maqdis and to call out into the trumpet — while it is in his mouth, he having swallowed it. That rock is the closest thing on earth to the heaven, and this is His saying: وَ اسْتَمِعْ یَوْمَ یُنادِ الْمُنادِ مِنْ مَکانٍ قَرِیبٍ [And listen on the Day when the caller shall call from a near place] (Qaf/41). Israfil, in his first call, says: "O decayed bones, severed flesh, scattered hair and clinging hair! Arise to be presented before the Sovereign, the Judge (al-Dayyan), so that He may recompense you for your deeds." When Israfil calls into the trumpet, the souls come out from the holes of the trumpet and spread between the heaven and the earth like bees; from each hole comes a soul, and no other comes out of that hole. The souls of the believers come out of their holes shining with the light of faith and the light of their righteous deeds, and the souls of the disbelievers come out darkened with the darkness of disbelief. Israfil continues his call, and the souls have spread between the heaven and the earth. Then the souls enter into the bodies, and each soul enters into the body from which it had parted in the abode of the world. The souls creep into the bodies as venom creeps into the one who has been stung, until they return to their bodies as they were in the abode of the world. Then the earth (the grave) splits from the direction of their heads, and فَإِذا هُمْ قِیامٌ یَنْظُرُونَ [then lo! they are standing, looking] at the terrors of the Resurrection and its calamities. Israfil is calling with this call, not cutting off his voice but drawing it out at length, and the creatures follow his voice, while the fires drive the creatures towards the land of the Gathering. When they come out of their graves, with each human comes out the deed which he did in the abode of the world, for the deed of every human accompanies him in his grave. So if the servant was obedient to his Lord and did righteous deeds, his deed was his companion in the world, and it will be his companion when he comes out of his grave on the day of his gathering, comforting him from the terrors and from the anxieties of the Resurrection. When he comes out of his grave, his deed says to him: "O my beloved! None of this is upon you. This is not intended for him who obeyed Allah; rather, it is intended only for him who disobeyed Allah and opposed his Master, and then belied His signs and followed his own desire. You were a servant obedient to your Master, following your Prophet, forsaking your desire, so there is no anxiety or fear upon you today, until you enter Paradise." But if the servant was a sinner and disobedient to the Lord of Majesty and died without repentance or change, then when this wretched, deluded one comes out of his grave, the evil deed which he did in the abode of the world — and which had accompanied him in his grave — comes out with him. When this deluded servant looks at it, he sees it as black and hideous, and he does not pass by any terror, any fire, or any anxiety of the Day of Resurrection except that his evil deed says to him: "O enemy of Allah! All of this is for you, and you are the one intended by it."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Blessed and Exalted sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and sealed with him the line of prophets (peace be upon them), so there is no prophet after him, and He sent down upon him a Book and with it sealed all [heavenly] Books, and no Book will come after it. In the Quran He declared the lawful and the unlawful, and the lawful of the Quran is lawful until the Day of Resurrection, and its unlawful is unlawful until the Day of Resurrection. In it (the Quran) is your religion, and the reports of those who were before you and of those who will come after you ... Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) was asked by his Shia about matters like this, and he said: "Allah the Blessed and Exalted sent down the Quran in seven parts ... and one part of it consists of verses whose wording is madi (past tense) but whose meaning is mustaqbal (future tense) ... As for what is included among those whose wording is past and whose meaning is future: it is Allah's mention of the reports of the Resurrection, the raising, the scattering, and the reckoning — the wording of the report is past, and its meaning is that it will happen later. Like this verse: وَ نُفِخَ فِی الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ مَنْ فِی الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَنْ شاءَ اللهُ ... وَ سِیقَ الَّذِینَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ إِلَی الجَنَّةِ زُمَراً [And the trumpet shall be blown, so all those in the heavens and all those in the earth shall swoon, except such as Allah pleases ... and those who are careful of (their duty to) their Lord shall be conveyed to the Garden in companies] — its wording is past [نُفِخَ, صعق and سیق are all past-tense verbs] and its meaning is future [and it will happen later]."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) — Anas ibn Malik said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) recited this verse: وَ نُفِخَ فِی الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ مَنْ فِی الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَنْ شاءَ اللهُ [And the trumpet shall be blown, so all those that are in the heavens and all those that are in the earth shall swoon, except such as Allah please]. The people said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), who are these individuals whom Allah the Exalted has excepted?" He said, "Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil, and the Angel of Death (Azra'il). When Allah has taken the souls of all creatures, He says, 'O Angel of Death! Who remains?' He says, 'Glory be to You, O my Lord! O Allah, Blessed and Exalted! O my Lord, the Possessor of majesty and honour! Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and the Angel of Death remain.' Allah says, 'Take the soul of Israfil.' So he (the Angel of Death) takes the soul of Israfil. Allah says, 'O Angel of Death! Who remains?' [The Angel of Death] says, 'Glory be to You, O my Lord! O Allah, Blessed and Exalted, O my Lord, the Possessor of majesty and honour! Jibra'il, Mika'il and the Angel of Death remain.' Allah says, 'Take the soul of Mika'il.' He takes the soul of Mika'il, and [Mika'il] falls to the earth like a mighty mountain. Allah says, 'O Angel of Death! Who remains?' He says, 'O my Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted! Jibra'il and the Angel of Death remain.' Allah says, 'O Angel of Death, die!' And he dies. Allah says, 'O Jibra'il (peace be upon him)! Who remains?' He says, 'O my Lord! You are Blessed and Exalted, O Possessor of majesty and honour! Your enduring, everlasting Face [remains], and Jibra'il, the dying, perishing one [remains].' Allah says, 'O Jibra'il! There is no escape from death.' He falls into prostration and flaps his wings and says, 'Glory be to You, O my Lord! O Allah, Blessed and Exalted, O Possessor of majesty and honour!' At that moment Jibra'il (peace be upon him) dies, and he is the last of the creatures of the heavens and the earth to die."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Thuwayr ibn Abi Fakhita said: Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) was asked, "How long is the interval between the two blasts blown into the Trumpet?" He said, "As long as Allah wills." They said, "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Inform us how it is blown." He said, "As for the first blast, Allah the Exalted commands Israfil, and he descends to the earth with the Trumpet. The Trumpet has, on one side, a single mouth, and on the other side, two mouths; and between each of them lies all that is in the heavens and the earth. When the angels see Israfil having descended to the earth with the Trumpet, they say: Allah has given the command for the death of the inhabitants of the earth and the death of the inhabitants of the heavens. Israfil descends onto the ground of Bayt al-Maqdis and faces the Ka'ba. When the inhabitants of the earth see him, they say: 'Allah has given the command for the death of the inhabitants of the earth.' Then Israfil blows into the Trumpet, and the sound of the Trumpet issues from the side that faces the sky, and no living thing remains in the heavens but that it swoons and dies, except Israfil. Allah says to Israfil: 'O Israfil! Die.' And Israfil dies. In that state, whatever Allah wills remains; then the heavens, by Allah's command, shake violently, and the mountains, by His command, are set in motion. This is the word of Allah the Exalted, who said: [This divine punishment is] on the Day the heaven will shake with a [violent] shaking, and the mountains will be uprooted and moved. (Tur/9-10). And the earth is changed into other than this earth. (Ibrahim/48) — that is, into an earth on which no sin is committed and a barren waste in which there is no mountain nor plant, just as He spread it out the first time; and He returns His Throne upon the water as it was the first time, and lays its foundations with His majesty and power. At that moment Allah the Compeller calls out with a loud voice heard throughout the reaches of the heavens and the earths: 'To whom belongs the dominion this day? No one answers Him.' Then Allah the Compeller Himself answers Himself and says: 'To Allah, the One, the All-Subduing — I am the One who has subdued all creatures and their communities, and I am Allah, there is no god but I alone; I have no partner and no minister. I created My creation with My hand, and I put them to death by My will, and I revive them by My power.' Then Allah the Compeller blows a blast into the Trumpet, and the sound issues from the one of the two sides that faces the heavens, and no one remains in the heavens but that they come to life and rise up as they were, and the bearers of the Throne return, and Paradise and Hell are brought forth, and creation is gathered for the reckoning." Thuwayr ibn Abi Fakhita said: At that moment I saw Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) weeping intensely.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hisham ibn al-Hakam said: A heretic (zindiq), among his questions, asked: "Does the soul disintegrate after leaving the body, or does it remain?" He said: "It remains until the trumpet is blown; after that everything is annihilated and passes away — neither sense nor sensed remains. Then everything returns just as Allah originated it, and the interval between these two times is four hundred years during which the creation remains [suspended], and this interval is the time between the two blasts of the trumpet."