سُوْرَةُ النَّمْلِ
Surah An-Naml (27) — Ayah 87
وَيَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَفَزِعَ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَكُلٌّ أَتَوْهُ دَٰخِرِينَ ﴿87﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) the Day on which the Trumpet will be blown - and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth, will be terrified except him whom Allâh will (exempt). And all shall come to Him, humbled.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَيَوْمَ
wayawma
And (the) Day
يُنفَخُ
yunfakhu
will be blown
فِى
fī
[in]
ٱلصُّورِ
l-ṣūri
the trumpet
فَفَزِعَ
fafaziʿa
and will be terrified
مَن
man
whoever
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ
l-samāwāti
the heavens
وَمَن
waman
and whoever
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
إِلَّا
illā
except
مَن
man
whom
شَآءَ
shāa
Allah wills
ٱللَّهُ ۚ
l-lahu
Allah wills
وَكُلٌّ
wakullun
And all
أَتَوْهُ
atawhu
(will) come to Him
دَٰخِرِينَ
dākhirīna
humbled
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 87) ➊ For the explanation of {وَ يَوْمَ يُنْفَخُ فِي الصُّوْرِ:’’ الصُّوْرِ ‘‘}, see Surah Al-An'am (73). In the previous verse (83), the resurrection of specific disbelievers was mentioned; now the resurrection of all creation is mentioned, so that no one thinks that only the disbelievers will be resurrected.
➋ { فَفَزِعَ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ :} Some commentators have mentioned three trumpet blasts: the blast of terror, the blast of swooning, and the blast of resurrection. However, the correct view is that the blast of terror and the blast of swooning are the same, because after both, { ’’ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘ } occurs. The Arabic word *sa'q* refers to both unconsciousness and death. The initial state caused by the first blowing of the trumpet is terror and panic, which will ultimately lead to the destruction and annihilation of everything. Then, after a long interval, the duration of which only Allah knows, the trumpet will be blown again, and all people will be resurrected and presented before Allah. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَا بَيْنَ النَّفْخَتَيْنِ أَرْبَعُوْنَ، قَالَ أَرْبَعُوْنَ يَوْمًا؟ قَالَ أَبَيْتُ، قَالَ أَرْبَعُوْنَ شَهْرًا؟ قَالَ أَبَيْتُ، قَالَ أَرْبَعُوْنَ سَنَةً؟ قَالَ أَبَيْتُ، قَالَ ثُمَّ يُنْزِلُ اللّٰهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيَنْبُتُوْنَ كَمَا يَنْبُتُ الْبَقْلُ، لَيْسَ مِنَ الْإِنْسَانِ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا يَبْلٰی، إِلَّا عَظْمًا وَاحِدًا وَهُوَ عَجْبُ الذَّنَبِ، وَمِنْهُ يُرَكَّبُ الْخَلْقُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ] [ بخاري، التفیسر، باب : «یوم ینفخ فی الصور فتأتون أفواجا » : ۴۹۳۵ ] "There will be an interval of forty between the two trumpet blasts." People asked, "(Abu Hurairah!) Forty days?" He said, "I do not say that." They said, "Forty months?" He said, "I do not say that." They said, "Forty years?" He said, "I do not say that." And he narrated: "Then Allah will send down rain from the sky, and people will grow like vegetation grows. There will be nothing of man that does not decay except one bone, which is the tailbone. From it, the creation will be reassembled on the Day of Resurrection."
➌ { اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ:} That is, when the trumpet is blown, whoever is in the heavens and the earth will be terrified. In Surah Az-Zumar it is said: «{ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ }» [ الزمر : ۶۸ ] "Whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills." That is, whoever is present in the heavens and the earth will become unconscious, will perish, except whom Allah wills. Who are these people meant? Some commentators said that it refers to the prophets, some said the martyrs, some said the angels, and some said the houris, but the specification of {’’ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is not established by any authentic hadith, so it is better to leave this matter to Allah, for He knows best who are the fortunate ones who will neither be terrified nor become unconscious or perish at the time of this blast. Because it is narrated from Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلنَّاسُ يَصْعَقُوْنَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُوْنُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُّفِيْقُ، فَإِذَا أَنَا بِمُوْسٰی آخِذٌ بِقَائِمَةٍ مِنْ قَوَائِمِ الْعَرْشِ فَلَا أَدْرِيْ أَفَاقَ قَبْلِيْ أَمْ جُوْزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّوْرِ؟ ] [ بخاري، أحادیث الأنبیاء، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : « و واعدنا موسٰی …» : ۳۳۹۸ ] "People will become unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to regain consciousness. Suddenly, I will see Musa (peace be upon him) holding one of the pillars of the Throne. So I do not know whether he regained consciousness before me or he was compensated for the unconsciousness he experienced at Tur." So when the leader of creation (peace and blessings be upon him) (who also attained the honor of martyrdom due to poisoning) is not exempt from this swooning, how can this be said about other martyrs or prophets and righteous people? Therefore, it is better to say that Allah will protect whomever He wills from this terror and swooning.
➍ In this {’’ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} too, the perfect power of Allah will be manifested, that at the time of the terrifying sound of the trumpet, by which jinn, humans, angels, the heavens and the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the mountains—everything—will perish, but Allah will ensure that whomever He wills will not be affected by terror or annihilation at that time.
➎ In the meaning of { وَ كُلٌّ اَتَوْهُ دٰخِرِيْنَ: ’’ دَخَرَ ‘‘}, humility, humiliation, and insignificance are all found, that is, all creation will present itself before Allah in a state of helplessness and insignificance, as He said: «{ اِنْ كُلُّ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ اِلَّاۤ اٰتِي الرَّحْمٰنِ عَبْدًا }» [ مریم : ۹۳ ] "Whoever is in the heavens and the earth will come to the Most Merciful as a servant."
➋ { فَفَزِعَ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ :} Some commentators have mentioned three trumpet blasts: the blast of terror, the blast of swooning, and the blast of resurrection. However, the correct view is that the blast of terror and the blast of swooning are the same, because after both, { ’’ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘ } occurs. The Arabic word *sa'q* refers to both unconsciousness and death. The initial state caused by the first blowing of the trumpet is terror and panic, which will ultimately lead to the destruction and annihilation of everything. Then, after a long interval, the duration of which only Allah knows, the trumpet will be blown again, and all people will be resurrected and presented before Allah. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَا بَيْنَ النَّفْخَتَيْنِ أَرْبَعُوْنَ، قَالَ أَرْبَعُوْنَ يَوْمًا؟ قَالَ أَبَيْتُ، قَالَ أَرْبَعُوْنَ شَهْرًا؟ قَالَ أَبَيْتُ، قَالَ أَرْبَعُوْنَ سَنَةً؟ قَالَ أَبَيْتُ، قَالَ ثُمَّ يُنْزِلُ اللّٰهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيَنْبُتُوْنَ كَمَا يَنْبُتُ الْبَقْلُ، لَيْسَ مِنَ الْإِنْسَانِ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا يَبْلٰی، إِلَّا عَظْمًا وَاحِدًا وَهُوَ عَجْبُ الذَّنَبِ، وَمِنْهُ يُرَكَّبُ الْخَلْقُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ] [ بخاري، التفیسر، باب : «یوم ینفخ فی الصور فتأتون أفواجا » : ۴۹۳۵ ] "There will be an interval of forty between the two trumpet blasts." People asked, "(Abu Hurairah!) Forty days?" He said, "I do not say that." They said, "Forty months?" He said, "I do not say that." They said, "Forty years?" He said, "I do not say that." And he narrated: "Then Allah will send down rain from the sky, and people will grow like vegetation grows. There will be nothing of man that does not decay except one bone, which is the tailbone. From it, the creation will be reassembled on the Day of Resurrection."
➌ { اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ:} That is, when the trumpet is blown, whoever is in the heavens and the earth will be terrified. In Surah Az-Zumar it is said: «{ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ }» [ الزمر : ۶۸ ] "Whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills." That is, whoever is present in the heavens and the earth will become unconscious, will perish, except whom Allah wills. Who are these people meant? Some commentators said that it refers to the prophets, some said the martyrs, some said the angels, and some said the houris, but the specification of {’’ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is not established by any authentic hadith, so it is better to leave this matter to Allah, for He knows best who are the fortunate ones who will neither be terrified nor become unconscious or perish at the time of this blast. Because it is narrated from Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلنَّاسُ يَصْعَقُوْنَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُوْنُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُّفِيْقُ، فَإِذَا أَنَا بِمُوْسٰی آخِذٌ بِقَائِمَةٍ مِنْ قَوَائِمِ الْعَرْشِ فَلَا أَدْرِيْ أَفَاقَ قَبْلِيْ أَمْ جُوْزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّوْرِ؟ ] [ بخاري، أحادیث الأنبیاء، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : « و واعدنا موسٰی …» : ۳۳۹۸ ] "People will become unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to regain consciousness. Suddenly, I will see Musa (peace be upon him) holding one of the pillars of the Throne. So I do not know whether he regained consciousness before me or he was compensated for the unconsciousness he experienced at Tur." So when the leader of creation (peace and blessings be upon him) (who also attained the honor of martyrdom due to poisoning) is not exempt from this swooning, how can this be said about other martyrs or prophets and righteous people? Therefore, it is better to say that Allah will protect whomever He wills from this terror and swooning.
➍ In this {’’ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} too, the perfect power of Allah will be manifested, that at the time of the terrifying sound of the trumpet, by which jinn, humans, angels, the heavens and the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the mountains—everything—will perish, but Allah will ensure that whomever He wills will not be affected by terror or annihilation at that time.
➎ In the meaning of { وَ كُلٌّ اَتَوْهُ دٰخِرِيْنَ: ’’ دَخَرَ ‘‘}, humility, humiliation, and insignificance are all found, that is, all creation will present itself before Allah in a state of helplessness and insignificance, as He said: «{ اِنْ كُلُّ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ اِلَّاۤ اٰتِي الرَّحْمٰنِ عَبْدًا }» [ مریم : ۹۳ ] "Whoever is in the heavens and the earth will come to the Most Merciful as a servant."
