Ан-Намль 27:87–90

وَيَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ‌ فَفَزِعَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ (And [ remember ] the day when the Horn will be blown; so all those in the heavens and the earth will be in panic - 27:87). The word فَزِعَ faza' means being nervous or perplexed. In another verse on the same subject the word فَزِعَ Fazi'a is substituted by صَعِقَ ` Sa’ iqa which means losing consciousness. If both these verses are taken to refer to the first blowing of the Sur (the Horn) then the total sum of the two words would be that, at the time of the blowing of the Sur, everyone will get nervous and perplexed initially, and then will lose consciousness, and ultimately will die. Qatadah and some other Imams of tafsir have taken this verse for the second blowing of the Sur, when all the dead will resurrect. Thus the meaning of the verse would be that all the dead would get up perplexed. Some have interpreted that Sur will be blown thrice. On the first blowing, everyone will get nervous and perplexed, which is called 'the blowing of فَزِعَ faza'. On the second blowing everyone will die, which is 'the blowing of صَعِقَ Sa` aqa. The third blowing will be the blowing for the resurrection, on which all dead will get up. But only two blowings are mentioned in the Qur'an and Sahih ahadith. (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). Ibn Mubarak has quoted Hasan al-Basri (رح) that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that there will be a forty years gap in between the two blowings. (Qurtubi)

إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّهُ (except such as Allah wills - 27:87). This exception is from Faza', which means panic and perplexity. The sense is that there will be people who will not be nervous at all at the time of resurrection. There is a hadith reported by Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that these people would be the martyrs. At the time of second life on resurrection they will not get nervous. (This is a Sahih hadith according to Ibn al-` Arabi - Qurtubi). Sayyidna Said ibn Jubair ؓ has also said that the exception applies to the martyrs, who will assemble around the ` Arsh wearing their swords. Quashiri has observed that prophets are the very first included among them, because they have the status of martyrs also, and their position as prophet is still higher. (Qurtubi)

The following verse will appear later in Surah Az-Zumar:

وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ‌ فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّهُ

For the Trumpet shall be blown and whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth shall swoon, save whom Allah wills - 39:68.

This verse tells us that when the Horn will be blown, all those in the heavens and the earth will get unconscious, and then die. Here also an exception is made, which according to one hadith is meant for six angels, namely Jibra'il, Mik` ail, Israfil, Malakul-Maut and Hamalatul- 'Arsh, who will not die by the blow of Sur. Later, they will also die, as explained in the hadith. Those who have held that Faza' and Sa'aqa both relate to the same blowing, they have taken the exception, here as well, for the special angels, like Surah Az-Zumar. But those who have held that Faza' and Sa'aqa relate to two different blowings, they interpret the exception in the present verse as referring to the martyrs, as explained above.

وَتَرَ‌ى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ‌ مَرَّ‌ السَّحَابِ

And you see the mountains (at present) taking them as fixed, while they will fly like the flight of clouds - 27:88

The word تَرَ‌ى in the beginning of this verse is used in Arabic for both present and future tense. Therefore, it can be translated as "You see" or as "You will see". In the latter case, the verse would be referring to the mountains as they will appear on the Doomsday. The sense in that case will be that the mountains will be uprooted and blown like clouds, which though would appear stationary to the onlookers, but in reality will actually move swiftly. When huge bodies, whose beginning and end is not visible to the eyes, move in any direction, one does not perceive their movement, no matter how swiftly they move. They look like stationary objects, although they are moving. One could experience this while looking at a mass of cloud hanging overhead. One discovers their movement only when they move out so far away that a part of the sky is left bare towards the horizon. Based on this principle, the verse means that the mountains will seem, on the Doomsday, as if they are fixed, but it will be an illusion for an onlooker, because in reality they will be moving. Most of the commentators have interpreted this verse in this manner. The other interpretation is based on regarding the word "tara" as a verb in the present tense and translating it as,"You see" instead of "You will see". In this case, the verse is referring to the present state of the mountains, as they look stationary, and an ordinary onlooker thinks that they will remain fixed forever and will never move from their place, but on the Doomsday they will be floating like clouds. This interpretation is adopted by Maulana Ashraf Thanawi (رح) (and on that basis the verse is translated above as "You see" )

Some scholars have pointed out that different conditions are described in the Qur'an about mountains on the Doomsday. The first condition is that of اِندکاک Indkak and earthquake, which will envelop all the mountains of the world إِذَا دُكَّتِ الْأَرْ‌ضُ دَكًّا (When the earth is ground to powder-89:21) or إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْ‌ضُ زِلْزَالَهَا (When the earth is shaken with a mighty shaking - 99:1). The second condition is that their big rocks will become like carded wool وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ (And the mountains shall be like plucked wool-tufts - 101:5). This will happen at the time when the sky will become like molten copper. Mountain rocks will go up like carded wool, and the skies will come down and meet them in the middle يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ (Upon the day when heaven shall be as molten copper and the mountains shall be as plucked wool-tufts - 70:8-9). In the third condition the carded wool will no more remain a homogeneous body like rocks, but will turn into very fine particles وَبُسَّتِ الْجِبَالُ بَسًّا ﴿5﴾ فَكَانَتْ هَبَاءً مُّنبَثًّا (and the mountains crumbled and become a dust scattered - 56:5-6). In the fourth condition, the fine particles of mountain rocks will get dispersed يَنسِفُهَا رَ‌بِّي نَسْفًا (So, you say, "My Lord will blow them up totally (as dust) - 20:105). In the fifth condition, the fine particles of mountain rocks, which will engulf the land like cloud of dust will be driven up by the winds. This cloud of dust will cover up the whole world, and will appear stationary, although there will be swift movement in it like clouds تَرَ‌ى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ‌ مَرَّ‌ السَّحَابِ (And you see the mountains (at present) taking them as fixed, while they will fly like the flight of clouds - 27:88). Some of these conditions will take place at the first blowing of the Sur, and some after the second blowing, when the world will be made absolutely flat plain. There will be no caves or mountains left in the world, nor will there be any building or tree فَقُلْ يَنسِفُهَا رَ‌بِّي نَسْفًا فَيَذَرُ‌هَا قَاعًا صَفْصَفًا لَّا تَرَ‌ىٰ فِيهَا عِوَجًا وَلَا أَمْتًا (20:105-107). (Qurtubi, Ruh ul-Ma ani)

صُنْعَ اللَّهِ الَّذِي أَتْقَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ

An act of Allah who has perfected every thing. - 27:88

Sun' means skillful act, and 'itqan' means to make perfect and firm. Apparently this sentence is related to all the preceding subjects wherein Allah Ta` ala's omnipotence and marvelous creations are described, where the alteration of day and night is mentioned, and the blowing of Sur and resulting conditions of the Doomsday are related. It is to emphasize that all these situations should not amaze and astonish any one, because their Creator is not a man or an angel having limited knowledge and power, but the Lord of all the worlds. But if this sentence is read as referring only to the adjacent preceding sentence تَرَ‌ى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً (And you see the mountains (at present) taking them as fixed - 27:88) then it would mean that the phenomenon about the mountains, that they look stationary, whereas in reality they are moving, is not something astonishing, because all these happenings are not beyond the power of Allah Ta` ala, who is All Powerful.

مَن جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ خَيْرٌ‌ مِّنْهَا

"Whoever will come with the good deed will have (a reward) better than that" - 27:89

This description relates to the situation that will take place after the Doomsday and the account taking. Here the word hasanah is purported for the kalimah of لا إله إلا اللہ محمد رسول اللہ (as explained by Ibrahim) or it is an expression of sincerity (as interpreted by Qatadah). Some have interpreted this to include complete submission. The sense is that every good deed will be recompensed by a reward better than the deed; but it should be remembered that a person's righteous acts could be considered as righteous only when he fulfills its first condition of having faith in Allah Ta` ala. Then he would get an award better than commensurable to his good deeds. It means that he would be graced with eternal bounties of the Paradise, and would escape from all troubles and torments for good. Some have interpreted that the word "better" means here that the reward of one good deed would be awarded from ten times to seven hundred times more. (Mazhari)

وَهُم مِّن فَزَعٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ آمِنُونَ

and such people will be immune on that day from any panic -27:89.

Word Faza' is purported here for any big calamity or perplexity. Thus the meaning of the sentence is that, while living in this world, every pious person is scared of his fate in the Hereafter, and as a matter of fact, he should be scared in the light of Qur'anic verse إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَ‌بِّهِمْ غَيْرُ‌ مَأْمُونٍ (70:28). The torment of Allah is not something to be forgotten and set aside. It is for this reason that even the prophets, the companions, and saints were always frightened and daunted. But after the account taking on Doomsday those who would bring the hasanah (the good deed contemplated in this verse) with them would be free from all fear and grief, and will live forever in complete tranquility. (Only Allah knows best)