Resurrection

Mankind will live forever. Not in this life, but in the akhirah... Depending on how they cross the bridge of this world, some will end up in Heaven, others in Hell.

When the time is right, Israfil (alayhissalam), one of the four great angels, will blow the Sur (the Trumpet), which is made of light. This action will take place twice at different times. With the first blowing of the Sur, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) will destroy all of creation except the Arsh, the Kursi, the Lawh, the Pen, Heaven, and Hell. Allah the Most High says in the Holy Qur’an: “At last, when the Trumpet will be blown with one blast, and the earth and mountains will be lifted up and crushed with one blow, on that Day the Inevitable Event will have come to pass. The sky will then be so torn that it will be frail” (Al-Haqqah, 13-16).

Second Creation

After a certain period of time passes, Allah the Exalted will create the world again. As for when this will happen, Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “There are forty between the two Sur!” The people asked, “Forty days?” to which he replied, “I cannot say!” When they asked, “Forty months?” and “Forty years?” he replied, “I cannot say!” and continued:

“Then Allah will send down water from the sky, and people will grow like grass from the ground. All but one bone in a human decays. That which does not decay is the tailbone called ‘ajbu’z-zanab.’ On the Day of Resurrection, the recreation will be made from it.” (Bukhari; Muslim, and others)

When Israfil blows the second time, people are resurrected and move to gather in the presence of Allah Taala. Allah says, “The Day the Trumpet will be blown, and you will come forth in crowds” (An-Naba, 18).

Stupor and confusion

When people are raised from their graves, they will be left to deal with an unprecedented state of shock, remaining in a near-unconscious stupor for seventy years. They will be unable even to process what has happened or what they have suffered.

Then each angel will drive one person in front of him and lead them towards the place of judgment called mahshar. Meanwhile, the sun will rise, come to rest straight above them, and glare over them with an intense heat. People will be beset on all sides by difficulties and hardships on a level never before known. Some will sweat up to their collarbones, some to their knees, some to their chests, some to their necks, and others up to their ears.

Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“People will sweat so much on the Day of Resurrection that it will go down to a depth of seventy zira in the earth, and it will also accumulate above the earth, so that it will cover their mouths and reach their ears, making them unable to speak.” (Bukhari; Muslim)

Despite all these troubles, some people will be completely unaware of everything. Moreover, a few will be safe from the glowering heat, having been  blessed with a spot of shade on a day when the only shade to be found is under the Throne of Allah.

The Arasat Square

At the command of Allah the Most High, people will gather in the Arasat square. The nonbelievers will come crawling on their faces. In contrast, the Muslims will come, some on mounts and others on foot. In a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, people will be gathered in three classes: those on foot, those on horseback, and those who crawl on their faces.” (Tirmidhi)

After the gathering of people, Allah will call everyone to account for all their good and bad deeds. However, on the Day of Judgment, Allah the Exalted will not look upon some people’s faces and will be angry at them. These people are categorized under three classes according to a hadith narrated by Abu Dharr (radiyallahu anh):

“There are three people whom Allah will not look at on the Day of Resurrection and purify them. For them is a painful torment. These are:

- Those who walk among people with arrogance and show off,

- Those who hold the favors they do over others’ heads,

- Those who add lies to their trade.”

Allah the Most Glorious will reclaim the rights and debts that people owe to others and give them to their rightful owners. This includes animals as well. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“On the Day of Resurrection, you will certainly give the rightful owners their rights. A hornless sheep will be asked for retaliation from a horned sheep, a stone will be asked why it was loaded on another stone, and men will be asked why they wounded others.”

Abu Hurayrah, who narrated this hadith, said: “We also heard: on the Day of Resurrection, a person will be accosted by someone he did not know, and he will be asked: ‘You saw me doing wrong, but you did not forbid me from doing it.’” (Muslim; Tirmidhi)

Then Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) destroys the animals, and the unbelievers who see this say, "If only we had perished like them..."

Like Seeing the Sun or the Full Moon

On that day, Allah will call all creatures to account and command them to stand and be judged directly by Him without any veil or agent. The Noble Companions asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam):

- Will we see our Lord on the Day of Judgment? He replied:

- Do you have any doubt about seeing the sun at noon on a cloudless day?

The Companions said no, and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

- Do you have any doubt about seeing the moon on a cloudless (full moon) night?

When the Companions again said “No!”, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“I swear by the One who holds my soul in His mighty hand that you should have no doubt about seeing your Lord. Just as there is no doubt in seeing the sun and the moon.”

He then continued, “Then a servant will come face to face with his Lord, and his Lord will say to him:

‘Did I not treat you? Did I not make you a master? Did I not give you a wife? Did I not make horses and camels your servants? Did I not allow you to be a chieftain and take a quarter of the war booty?’

The servant will say, ‘Yes, O my Lord!’. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) will say: ‘Did you not think that you would meet me?’ The servant will reply, ‘No!’ Allah Taala will say: ‘Then now I am forgetting you, just as you have forgotten me.

Then the second servant will appear before Allah. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)will say the same things to him, and he will get the same answers. Then He will say the same to the third. This time the servant will say, ‘Yes! O my Lord!’ Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) will say: 'Did you ever think that you would meet me?

The servant will say, ‘O my Lord, I believed in you, your books, and your prophets. I prayed, fasted, and gave alms,’ and he will praise Allah (jalla jalaluhu) as much as he can.

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) will say:

‘Is there anyone who can testify in your favor about this?’ The servant will say, ‘No, there is not!’ Allah Taala will say: “Now a witness will come against you!”

The servant will think to himself, ‘Who is there to testify against me?’ The mouth of the servant will be sealed. His thigh is told to 'Speak!' His thigh, flesh, and bone will speak and report his deeds. This is so that he does not seek an excuse for himself. This is the hypocrite who incurs the wrath of Allah.” (Muslim)

The ummah's reckoning

Allah the Most High will call the ummah of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to account first so that no one is aware of their faults and shortcomings. A believer’s sins will be hidden in the gathering of mahshar just as they are in the world. Narrated from Ibn Umar (radiyallahu anh), the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“The believer will be brought near to his Lord. Allah will send down His protection on him and make him confess his sins. He will ask him: ‘Do you know your such and such sins?’ The believer will say twice: ‘Yes, O my Lord, I know!’ Allah the Exalted will say:

‘By covering them, I did not expose you when you were in the world, and today I forgive them from you!’ Then he will be given a book of good deeds. As for the infidels and hypocrites, they are told in the presence of all creation:

‘They have lied in the name of Allah (thus committing a great injustice). Let it be known to you! Allah's curse is on the wrongdoers.’”

Then, by Allah's command, a wind will blow and take away everyone’s books of deeds and hang them around their necks. Angels will come and take the books from people’s necks and hand the books of Muslims to the right hands of their respective owners. “As for those given their records in their right hand, they will cry, ‘Here! Read my record! I surely knew I would face my reckoning.’ They will be in a life of bliss in an elevated Garden.” (Al-Haqqah, 19-22)

The better the deeds in one’s book, the more his book will shine. This is specified in the following ayah: “Their light will shine ahead of them and on their right. They will say, ‘Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us. For You are truly most capable of everything.’” (Tahrim, 8)

Blackened Faces

On the contrary, the worse the deeds in a person’s book, the darker it becomes. Allah the Most High says in the verse: “On the Day of Judgment, you will see those who lied about Allah with their faces gloomy. Is Hell not a home for the arrogant?” (Al-Zumar, 60)

The infidels will have their books of deeds handed to them from behind their backs (towards their left hands) because their hands will be tied behind their backs at that time. “And as for those given their record in their left hand, they will cry bitterly, ‘I wish I had not been given my record, nor known anything of my reckoning! I wish death was the end!’” (Al-Haqqah, 25-27)

After the books of deeds are distributed in this way, everyone begins to read their deeds. The face of the one who sees nothing but good deeds shines. As for those whose deeds are not good, their faces will be black like their books.

Then the good deeds and sins will be weighed on the scale. The ones whose good deeds are heavy will go to Paradise, and the ones whose sins are heavy will go to Hell. Except for those whom Allah Taala forgives. “We will set up the scales of justice on the Day of Judgment so that no soul will be wronged in the least. And if a deed is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as a Reckoner.” (Al-Anbiya, 47)

The Bridge of Sirat

After the weighing of deeds on the divine scale called Mizanis finished, Allah the Most Glorious will have the bridge of Sirat built over Helland will command all creatures to cross it. The bridge of Sirat is thinner than a strand of hair and sharper than a sword; its height and length are a thousand years. Also, Allah the Exalted narrows or widens the bridge of Sirat according to a person's deeds.

The infidels and sinners will stumble over obstacles and fall from the bridge of Sirat into Hell. As for those who performed good deeds, each one will pass with relative ease in proportion to the merit of their actions. Some will pass in the blink of an eye, some like a bolt of lightning, some on horseback, and some on foot; subsequently, they will go to Heaven.

The fates that akhirah has in store for people are not limited to these. The Qur'an and hadiths have many other descriptions. The conclusion from all of this is that no one can be sure of their fate, that our lives, the capital we have at our disposal while we still draw breath, should be used well for those difficult times, and that we should always ask Allah for a good fate and forgiveness.

We ask our Lord that we are kept on siratu’l-mustaqim, i.e., the straight path by Him. We seek refuge in His mercy against the difficulties of the Hereafter.

Mehmet Fatih Çakır