2. Resurrection - The Second Blast of The Trumpet and Raising of The Dead

When the trumpet is blown for the first time, heaven and earth will be crushed and the whole universe will come to an end. Not a living soul will be left. As stated in the Qur'an: "On the Day the earth is changed into a different earth, and the heavens likewise, mankind shall stand before Allah, the One who conquers all." (Surah Ibrahim: 48) Our Lord says the following about this new environment prepared for the Last Judgment:

This is the point at which people will rise from dead, gather and wait to give an account of their deeds. This is also the place where they will learn where they are heading for. The time has come for people to be raised from the dead and presented to Allah, the al-Qahhar (The Subduer). And then the trumpet will be blown for a second time. Those who denied the hereafter and resurrection in the world will be raised from their graves. This will be something they never expected. The following account of these happenings are given in the Qur'an as follows:

The Emergence of the Dead From their Graves

Allah gives a detailed account of the situations which will take place as the dead rise again by His will. As related in the Qur'an, this great event will occur thus:

—By the time the trumpet is blown for the second time, the dead will be called from the earth. Upon this call, they will rapidly "emerge from their graves with downcast eyes, like swarming locusts." (Surat al-Qamar: 7)

—As if hastening on to a goal, they will follow the inviter who will call them with their necks extended towards him. This call will be dissimilar to any other call hitherto heard:

Those who committed transgressions beyond the limits set by Allah, who did not obey Allah, insisted on their own ways, denied Allah, and remained arrogant, will suddenly become obedient and submit to Him as soon as they are raised from the dead. Without questioning, they will respond to this call. Because the test in this world will be over, they will have no other choice but to conform. Even if they so desired, they could not do otherwise. They could not even harbor such a wish. They will have no power to resist this call. That is why, they will feel deep inside that this is a "pitiless day":

—Thus the unbelievers will run forward. Everyone will display an absolute obedience. That day, the one and only important thing people possess is faith. However, unbelievers are bereft of it. That is why, their hearts are "hollow" as they rush "headlong—heads back, eyes vacant." (Surah Ibrahim: 43)

They will slide towards Allah:

The exclamation "Alas for us!" which is revealed in the verse, is the expression of great panic and disappointment. The unbeliever who witnesses his own resurrection realizes that Allah's apostles who conveyed this message throughout his life had told the truth. He then grasps that he will be subjected to the "eternal torment" with which the unbelievers were threatened. At that moment, he sheds all doubts on the subject and comes to terms with the fact that there is just not anything like "eternal sleep". His disappointment is intensified by his diminishing hopes of salvation from the forthcoming torment.

— During the Day of Resurrection, unbelievers will feel fear, horror and they are desperate. Their general appearance is frightening; their faces are black, dust-covered. What is more, they will be humiliated:

— Allah will raise unbelievers on the Day of Resurrection, blind.

— The white part of the eye will turn to a bluish color. This color of the eye will intensify the frightening and disgusting appearance of unbelievers.

With this terrible and degraded appearance the unbelievers will be distinguished from the believers at first sight. This is the beginning of the end of this group of people who waged war against the verses of Allah and remained arrogant.

There Exists no Friendship, Kinship and Cooperation

On that day, a person will be too occupied to worry about others. He will even abandon his own mother, father, spouse and children. The intensity and inconceivable terror of the Day of Resurrection will make everyone concern himself over his own affairs. Allah describes the Day of Resurrection as follows:

And thus the most precious social bonds that one worshipped in this life will come to a bitter end. The terror of that day will render all close relations and kinship meaningless. The only precious thing remaining will be faith:

Bonds and family ties break down in such a way that people would give their so-called beloved sons, spouses, brothers and even all their relatives in ransom for their own salvation:

This offer for ransom on the Day of Resurrection is actually an indication of the vanity of this life. Some people usually chase after trivial goals; they work for a life time for an admirable job, a beautiful house, for a career or money. However, as related in the Qur'an, in his desperate efforts to be saved, a person will be willing to pay, not just a single woman or a man, but all the women and the men in the world or all possible possessions in the world in ransom for his own personal salvation. However, these are all futile efforts.

The Gathering of People To Give an Account of Their Deeds

Allah states the real meaning of life in the Qur’an thus:

No matter what we do in the course of our lives, we will eventually stand before Allah. The ultimate aim of this life is to be His servant. The most important time, on the other hand, is the Day of Resurrection, when we shall be giving an account of our lives.

Each passing day brings us even closer to that point in time. Each passing hour, minute or even second is a step taken towards death, resurrection and the moment of reckoning. Life, like an hourglass, flows continuously in this direction. There is no way to stop time or to reverse it. All people will be following this path. Allah states in the Qur'an:

There are billions of people on the earth today. Adding this figure to the total number of people who ever lived in the past will give some idea of the crowd that will gather on the Day of Resurrection. All people, from the Prophet Adam (as), the first man on earth, to the last person who will ever live in the world will be there. This horde of human beings will present an amazing picture. Nevertheless, at the same time, it is certain that it will be a fearsome one. The situation of all people in the Presence of Allah is depicted in the Qur'an as follows:

The moment of giving accounts, which unbelievers neglected for a lifetime, while believers zealously prepared for it, has come. A glorious location is created for this great court. As related in the Qur'an, on that day:

Allah, the Lord of the heavens and earth will demand an account of their deeds from His servants. A source of infinite torture is also created for the unbelievers. No one can inflict the type of anguish Allah will give on that day. In the Qur'an Allah states:

If man fails to serve His Creator in the world and to prepare for this great day, then he shall suffer a keen regret. On that day the unbelievers will say "Oh, if only I were dust!" (Surat an-Naba: 40) Yet, this regret will be of no avail. On the contrary, it will become a new source of anguish and add to the torment he will be subjected to in hell.

The Giving out of the Books and Just Balances

Right after the resurrection, the unbelievers become struck with fear and grief. This is because they will give an account of their deeds in the Presence of Allah. All the deeds they engaged in throughout their lives and all their thoughts will be disclosed. No minor detail is forgotten. It is stated in a verse as follows:

When the people are questioned, they will see what they had presented for their eternal life. This is related in the Qur'an as follows:

As mentioned in the Qur'an, unbelievers will receive their books from their left, while believers will receive theirs from their right. The experience of the people of the "right" is described as follows:

Contrary to the happiness and joy of believers, unbelievers will have an acute feeling of malaise and regret. They would like to die, even to disappear. Their desperate mood is indicated in the Qur'an as follows:

Allah reveals the difference between the people of the right and left as follows:

The deeds recorded in the Books are measured by just balances. That day, in the Presence of Allah's justice, everyone will be justly treated:

Every deed engaged in this life, even of a minor nature, is placed in this balance. The indicator of this balance determines whether one will be sent to eternal torment or to eternal bliss and salvation. If the balance is well weighed down with good deeds, the person being judged is sent to paradise. If not, he will be destined for hell. No one, no power can help him but Allah:

Then, all men give their accounts one by one. Here, positions and ranks in the world lose their meanings. A president of a country or an ordinary person are both the same; they receive the same treatment in the Presence of Allah. Here, they are subjected to arduous questioning as to whether or not they served their Creator and obeyed His commands. All sins, wicked deeds, and inner thoughts of an unbeliever are disclosed:

This process is grueling for those who did not live by the laws of Allah but by their own desires or by the distorted values, beliefs and principles of their environment. In the following verses, Allah gives an account of this great day:

No one can deny what he engaged in in the Presence of Allah. All his deeds, good and wicked, are disclosed. Even if he denies anything, there are witnesses to tell the truth. People who witnessed him during the course of his life are also brought to the fore to testify. Allah states in the Qur'an as follows:

In the course of giving accounts, there are other unexpected witnesses awaiting the unbelievers. The senses of hearing and sight as well as human skins are endowed with the faculty of speech by the Will of Allah and testify against them. The betrayal of even one's own organs, which one assumed to belong to oneself for a lifetime, adds to the depression one will suffer on that day. Allah describes this fact in the Qur'an as follows:

Unbelievers bear the great guilt of rebelling against the Creator, Who created them and made living possible for them. That is why, on the Day of Resurrection, they are not allowed to defend themselves. No opportunity is given to them to voice their defense. Humiliated and desperate, they wait for the verdict to be given thus:

That day, the unbeliever feels an inner loathing for his own deeds and his own self. However, Allah's feeling of aversion is more intense. The unbelievers will be addressed thus:

Encountering Allah's wrath, the unbeliever falls into a state of profound hopelessness, sorrow and shame, and wishes he would never rise from the dead. He wishes that death had put an end to his life for all eternity. However death is not an end, but only a beginning. And there is no death other than this. Their state of mind is thus expressed in the Qur'an as follows:

It may be that those who are unbelievers will wish that they had been Muslims. (Surat al-Hijr: 2)

In contrast to the difficulties the unbelievers will experience on that Day, the way believers will give their accounts will be quite easy. After giving their accounts before Allah, the believers will remain in eternal bliss. Allah, the Most Merciful, will forgive their sins, as they have lived by the principles laid down by our Creator. They thus attain paradise, a place filled with Allah's boundless favors and are kept remote from hellfire.

The Desperateness of Unbelievers

On that day, the unbeliever intends to comply with all orders, yet, he fails to do so. That is because, he no longer has any energy to accomplish anything. When he is called upon to prostrate himself, he wants to do so. However, he cannot even succeed in doing this. Just like a person having a bad dream, he wants to scream but cannot. Neither can he move his legs or hands. Fear, terror and despair leave him almost paralyzed. This situation the unbelievers experience is described in the Qur'an thus:

One of the purposes of calling upon the unbeliever to prostrate himself in the hereafter may be to intensify the regret and sorrow he feels at not having complied with the call made when he was in the world, and to remind him that this disobedience, unlikely to be compensated for, will be a source of eternal sorrow and hopelessness.

In the Qur'an we are also informed about how believers and unbelievers will look on that day. The inner joy of believers is seen on their faces; their eyes shine brightly. Unbelievers, on the other hand, realize how they ungratefully and unwisely conducted themselves and start to wait for the torment they will be subjected to. Contrary to the joyful expressions on the faces of believers, disbelievers' faces are dull and gloomy:

Seeing Hell

Allah informs us in Surah Maryam that all people, both believers and unbeliever, will be assembled around hell on their knees:

As we see from the above verses, on the Day of Resurrection, people will be gathered around hell on their knees. Unbelievers and believers alike will all hear the horrible noise and roar of the fire together and witness stunning images. However, believers are saved with Allah's approval after some time and unbelievers are left on their knees. Then, they are cast into the hellfire.

Having a better grasp of Allah's wrath and being grateful to Him can be considered as one of the purposes of the presence of believers among the crowd gathered around hell. A believer witnessing the wrath in hell looks like comprehends how a great favor the faith granted to him is. Because hell is a terrible place, even being saved from torment means bliss for the human being.

Witnessing hell, the believer can make comparisons and thus better appreciate paradise, a place of blessings where he will reside for all eternity. Even in the world, to be saved from pain is a great boon. For instance, someone facing the danger of being frozen on a mountain rejoices at finding an old hut with a fireplace. He perceives this hut almost as if it were a luxury hotel room. For someone who has not eaten anything for days a loaf of bread is a feast. The end of pain is an unsurpassable reason for joy, happiness, peace and gratefulness.

A believer who sees hell at close quarters and is saved from it by Allah, attains this kind of bliss. Moreover, being rewarded with paradise makes believers attain the salvation mentioned in the Qur'an. Having seen the greatest torment in hell, the believer very well understands the value of paradise overflowing with blessings. For the rest of his eternal life, he never forgets what hell looks like and hence takes greater pleasure in paradise.

On the Day of Judgment, people hear the following words of those who recognize believers and unbelievers from their faces:

After Resurrection, it is the time when believers, "the best of creatures", (Surat al-Bayyina:7) and unbelievers, "the worst of creatures", (Surat al-Bayyina: 6) are separated from one another. This day is described in the Qur'an as follows:

In the Surah Qaf, the journey believers and unbelievers take to their real abodes is related as follows: