Al-Haqqah 69:13–18

فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ‌ نَفْخَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ (Then, when the Trumpet will be blown for the first time…69:13). Tirmidhi records a Hadith on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ that صور sur 'trumpet' is a horn- like object which will be blown on Doomsday.

نَفْخَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ ('for the first time…69:13). It means that it will be a sudden and a single continuing sound that will last until all die. The texts of Qur'an and Sunnah show that the trumpet will be blown twice on the Day of Judgment. The first trumpet is called nafkhat-us-sa` aq 'the trumpet of swoon', in connection with which the Qur'an says:

فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ

And all those in the heavens and all those in the earth will faint... [ 39:68]

With this trumpet all angels residing in the heavens and all Jinns and human beings and animals residing on earth will become unconscious and fall to the ground. Whilst they are in the state of unconsciousness, they will die. The second trumpet is called nafkhat-ul-ba` th 'trumpet of Resurrection'. The word bath means 'to rise'. With this trumpet all the dead will rise from death and stand up. The Qur'an describes this situation thus:

ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَ‌ىٰ فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنظُرُ‌ونَ

Thereafter, it will be blown once again, and suddenly they will stand up, looking around. [ 39:68]

In other words, then the trumpet will be blown a second time and at once they will be standing upright looking on.

According to some narratives, a third 'trumpet' will also be blown before the two trumpets, which is referred to as nafkhat-ul-faza` ('the trumpet of fright or panic). By a careful analysis of all the narratives and texts, it appears that the first trumpet in its initial stage is nafthat-ul-faza' and in its final stage it will become sa` aq 'the trumpet of swoon or death'. [ Mazhari ]

وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْ‌شَ رَ‌بِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَانِيَةٌ (...And on that Day, the Throne of your Lord will be carried above them by eight [ angels ]....69:17). In other words, on the Day of Judgment, eight angels will bear the Throne of the Rahman above their heads. According to some of the Prophetic narratives, before the Judgment Day this task will be carried out by four angels. On the Judgment Day, four more angels will be added to carry out the task.

As to what is the Throne of the Rahman, what is its reality, its form and shape, how the angels carry it - are transcendental matters and are all beyond human intellect. Allah is beyond time, space and matter, and therefore we are not permitted to pursue these matters pertaining to Him to determine its exact meaning. The noble Companions, their pupils and the righteous elders took the attitude that they simply believed in all transcendental matters and never questioned about them. Whatever Allah means by them is the Truth. Their nature and reality are unknown.

يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَ‌ضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ (On that day, you will be brought forward in a way that no secret of yours will remain secret...69:18). In other words, on the Day of Judgment people will be exposed - no concealed act they did will stay concealed. Nothing is concealed from Divine knowledge and sight even today. The Plain of Gathering has been particularly mentioned in this connection probably because the entire ground will be levelled out as a plain surface. There will be no caves nor mountains, no buildings nor houses nor barriers of any trees. These are the things behind which people normally hide in the mortal world. On the Day of Judgment, none of these things will be available and there will be no possibility of hiding.