The Qiyamah Traditions: Ahadith on the Day of Judgement
XX. Abu Sa`id al‑Khudri (ra) says the Prophet (saws) said: “How can I rest in peace when Israfil is ready with the Sur (Trumpet) in hand, with his ears in all attention, and face bowed down in anticipation – waiting for the order to blow into the Sur.” The people asked him: ‘What do you advise us do, O Apostle of God?’ He said: ‘Say: `Allah is sufficient for us – an excellent Trustee.’”1
~ Tirmidhi
Notes:
1. See the Arabic version of the hadith for the du`a in Arabic. It is actually from the Qur’an, verse 173, Aal‑`Imran.
XXI. Ibn `Umar (ra) says the Prophet (saws) said: “He who wishes to see the Day of Resurrection with his very eyes may read the three chapters starting: ‘Idhas‑Shamsu Kuwwirat,’‘Idhas‑Sama’un Fatarat,’ and ‘Idhas‑Sama’un Shaqqat.’”2
~ Ahmed, Tirmidhi
Notes:
2. For readers’ interest, we reproduce below Chapter 81 of the Qur’an. The translation is A. J. Arberry’s. The reader should make a point to read the other two.
Idhas‑Shamsu Kuwwirat:“The Darkening”
When the sun shall be darkened,
When the stars shall be thrown down,
When the mountains shall be set moving,
When the pregnant camels shall be neglected,
When the savage beasts shall be mustered,
When the seas shall be set boiling,
When the souls shall be coupled,
When the buried infant shall be asked for what sin she was slain,
When the scrolls shall be unrolled, when heaven be stripped off,
When Hell shall be set blazing,
When Paradise shall be brought nigh,
Then shall a soul know what it has produced.
No, I swear by the slinkers,
The runners, the sinkers,
By the night swarming,
By the dawn sighing,
Truly,this the word of a noble Messenger!
Having power, with the Lord of the Throne secure,
Obeyed, moreover trusty.
Your companion is not possessed;
He truly saw him (Jibra’il: ed.) on the horizon;
He is not niggardly of the Unseen.
And it is not the word of an accursed Satan;
Where then are you going?
It is naught but a Reminder
Unto all beings
For whosoever of you who would go straight;
but will you shall not, unless God wills,
The Lord of all Beings.
XXII. Abu Sa`id al‑Khudri (ra) reports that he went to the Prophet (saws) and said: “Tell me about him who will have the strength to stand before his Lord (on the Day of Judgement) – those about whom Allah (swt) has said in the Qur’an, ‘The Day when the people will stand before the Lord of the Worlds.’ The Prophet answered: ‘It will be shortened for the (true) believer so that it will be equal to the time he takes to do his obligatory prayers.’”3
~ Bayhaqi
Notes:
3. That is, although it will be a very long day for the sinners, who will have to wait for a tremendously long period before the reckoning will begin, for those who led a pious life, the day will be shortened to the length of time they used to take to do their obligatory prayer: i.e., a few minutes.
XXIII. And Jabir (ra) reports the Prophet (saws) as having said: “Every man will be resurrected on what he died.”4
~ Muslim
Notes:
4. That is, on the faith on which he died. In other words, what is being demanded is consistency and sincerity, and not just the adoption of religion as a fad in youth or burst of religious emotions at a certain period in life.
