سورة غافر

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The mim is the kingdom and sovereignty of Allah on the Day of Resurrection, when there is no owner besides Him. Allah says: لِمَنِ الْمُلْکُ الْیَوْمَ [To whom belongs the kingdom this day?]. Thereupon the souls of His prophets (peace be upon them), His messengers and His proofs speak up and say: لِلَّهِ الْواحِدِ الْقَهَّار [To Allah, the One, the Subduer].

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Thuwayr ibn Abi Fakhita narrated from Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) that a person asked him about the interval between the two blasts of the trumpet — how long is it? He said: "As long as Allah wills." It was said to him (peace be upon him): "Inform me about it." He said: "Allah the Exalted commands Israfil to descend to the world, and with him is a trumpet. The trumpet has one head and two sides. The distance between each of its two sides is like the distance from the heaven to the earth. So when the angels see Israfil, that he has come to the world and the trumpet is with him, they say: Allah has given permission for the death of the people of the earth and the heaven. So Israfil descends in Bayt al-Muqaddas and turns his face toward the Ka'ba. When the people of the earth see him they say: Allah has given him permission for the death of the people of the earth. Then he blows into the trumpet the blast of death. So the sound comes out from the side that faces the earth, and no possessor of a soul remains upon the earth except that he dies. The sound comes out from the side that faces the heaven, and no possessor of a soul remains in the heaven except that he dies. Allah says: 'O Angel of Death, die by My permission!' So the Angel of Death dies. And this period lasts as long as Allah wills."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah takes the souls of the people of the earth, He then pauses for as long as the time of the creation of created beings and all the time that has passed until that moment, and indeed several times that. Then He takes the soul of the Angel of Death as well, and pauses for as long as the time of the creation of created beings and all the time that has passed until that moment, and indeed several times that. Then He says: "لِمَنِ الْمُلْکُ الْیَوْمَ [To whom belongs the kingdom this day]?" Allah will answer Himself: "لِلَّهِ الْواحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ [To Allah, the One, the Subduer]; so where are the tyrants? Where are those who, along with Me, used to call upon another god? Where are the arrogant and the like of them?" Then He revives the created beings again.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): [Ibn Salam said:] "Tell me! What does Allah do with the heavens whose inhabitants have died?" He said: "He rolls them up like the rolling of a scroll of documents, and He says: 'Where are the kings, where are the sons of kings, where are the tyrants and the sons of tyrants?' No one answers. He says: 'لِمَنِ الْمُلْکُ الْیَوْمَ [To whom belongs the kingdom this day]?' No one answers, and He Himself says to Himself: 'الْمُلْکُ لِلهِ الْواحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ [The kingdom belongs to Allah, the One, the Subduer]; today every soul is recompensed for what it has earned; today there is no injustice, for indeed Allah is swift in reckoning.'"

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Then Allah the Exalted commands Israfil to blow into the Trumpet the blast of death. So the sound goes out from the side that faces the earth, and no human, jinn, satan, or any other creature possessing a soul remains upon the earth without dying. Then the sound goes out from the side that faces the sky, and no possessor of a soul remains in the heavens without dying. Here Allah makes an exception and says: إِلَّا مَنْ شاءَ اللهُ [Except whom Allah wills], and they are: Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and Izra'il. These are the ones who by Allah's will remained alive. Allah the Exalted says: "O Angel of Death, who has remained of My creatures?" He replies: "O Allah, You are the Living who does not die; four angels remain, of whom I am one." Then Allah commands him to take the souls of those three, and he takes them. Allah says: "O Angel of Death, who is left?" He replies: "Your weak and lowly servant, the Angel of Death." Allah says: "O Angel of Death, die, by My permission!" So the Angel of Death dies, and at the moment his soul leaves him he gives such a cry that had human beings been alive and heard his cry, all of them would have perished. The Angel of Death says: "Had I known that in taking the souls of the children of Adam (peace be upon him) there was this much bitterness and severity and anguish, indeed I would have shown compassion and kindness in taking the souls of the believers." When not one of Allah's creation remains in the heavens or on the earth, Allah the Compeller — great is His majesty — calls out: "O world, where are the kings and the sons of kings? Where are the tyrants and oppressors and their offspring? What has become of those who possessed the whole world? Where have those gone who ate My provision and did not take out My right from their wealth?" He says: لِمَنِ الْمُلْکُ الْیَوْمَ [To whom belongs the kingdom this day?]. There is not one to answer. So the sacred Essence of the Truth, the Exalted, Himself answers His own question and says: لِلهِ الْواحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ [To Allah, the One, the Subduer].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is only Allah the Glorified who will remain after the perishing of the world, and nothing else will be with Him, just as He was before the world was created; so too He will remain after its perishing. And when the world perishes, time, place, moment and era will have no meaning; hours, appointed terms, seconds and years will have passed away and become nothing. There will be nothing except the One, the Subduer — the very Allah to whom all matters return. The universe, just as it had no power of its own at the beginning of its creation, likewise at the time of its perishing and annihilation will have no power to resist; for had it any power to resist, its remaining and endurance would have continued.