Events of the Day of Resurrection and the Beginning of Creation

Al-Miqdad told that he heard God's messenger say, "On the day of resurrection the sun will come near created beings till it is about a mile. from them, and mankind will sweat according to what they have done, the sweat reaching the ankles of some, the knees of others, the waists of others, while some will have their mouths covered by the sweat," and God's messenger pointed his hand at his mouth. Muslim transmitted it.

Aba Sa`id al-Khudri reported the Prophet as saying that God most high will call Adam and he will reply, "At Thy service and at Thy pleasure, in Whose hands is all good." God will tell him to bring out those who are to go to hell, and when he asks what this consists of, he will be told that it is nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand. Then young children will become grey-haired, pregnant women will give birth, and mankind will appear drunk although they will not be really so; but God's punishment is severe. On being asked which of them that one would be God's messenger replied, "Be of good cheer, for there is one of you to every thousand of Gog and Magog." He then said, "By Him in whose hand my soul is, I hope you may be a quarter of the inhabitants of paradise," and when they cried, "God is most great," he said, "I hope you may be a third of the inhabitants of paradise." Again, they cried, "God is most great," and he said, " I hope you may be half the inhabitants of paradise." Yet again, they cried, "God is most great," and he said, "Among mankind you are just like a black hair in the skin of a white bull, or like a white hair in the skin of a black bull." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He told that he heard God's messenger say, "Our Lord will uncover His leg[*] and every believing man and woman will fall in prostration before Him. Those who prostrated themselves in the world from hypocrisy and show will remain, but when they proceed to prostrate themselves, their backs will become a single piece." *Cf. Quran, 48:42. The reference is either to the beginning of terrors, or to the end of all mystery. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

"We shall not assign them any weight on the day of resurrection." **Quran; 18:105. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Aba Huraira-told that God's messenger recited this verse, "On that day it will, tell its news," [*] and asked whether they knew what its news would be. On their replying that God and His messenger knew best he said, " Its news will be that it will tell what every man and woman did when they were on it, saying they did such and such a thing on such and such a day. This will be its news."*Quran; 99:4, the reference being to the earth. Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih gharib tradition.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "Everyone who dies will repent." He was asked the nature of their repentance and replied, "If one did what was good, he will repent of not having done more, and if one did evil, he will repent of not having restrained himself." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "Mankind will be assembled on the day of resurrection in three classes, one walking, one riding and one on their faces." "He was asked how people could walk on their faces and replied, "He who caused them to walk on their feet has power to make them walk on their faces. They will guard themselves by their faces from every acclivity and from thorns." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

`When the sun is obscured[1] `When the sky shall be split open[2] and `When the sky shall be rent asunder.'"[3] 1. Quran, 81 2. Quran, 823. Quran, 84 Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Dharr said that the truthful one whose word is believed told him that mankind would be assembled in three groups, one riding with food and clothing, one being dragged on their faces by the angels who assemble them to hell, and one walking and running. God will cast a calamity on riding-beasts so that none will remain, with the result that a man who has a garden will be ready to give it for a saddled shecamel, but will be unable to get one. Nasa'i transmitted it.

`A'isha reported the Prophet as saying, "Everyone who is taken to account on the day of resurrection will perish." She asked if God does not say, "He will made subject to an easy reckoning," * and he replied, "That is merely the review, but those who are closely examined in the reckoning will perish." *Quran; 84:8 This is here explained as a general review and not a detailed examination.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

'Adi b. Hatim reported God's messenger as saying, "There is not one of you to whom his Lord will not speak-without an interpreter between them and with no veil which conceals Him. He will look to his right and see only the deeds he had previously done, he will look to his left and see only the deeds he had previously done, and he will look in front of him and see nothing but hell before his face. So, protect yourselves from hell, even if it should be with half a date." **i.e., by giving even such a small amount as sadaqa.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn `Umar reported God's messenger as telling that God will bring the believer near, place His wing over him, cover him, and say, "Are you aware of such and such a sin? Are you aware of such and such a sin?" He will reply, "Yes, my Lord," and this will continue till He makes him acknowledge his sins and he feels within himself that he has perished. God will then say, "I concealed them for you in the world and I forgive you them to-day." He will then be given the record of his good deeds. But the infidels and hypocrites will have themselves proclaimed in presence of all creatures, "These are they who lied against their Lord. God's curse be upon the evildoers!"(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Musa reported God's messenger as saying that when the day of resurrection comes God will hand a Jew or a Christian to every Muslim and say, "This is your means of release from hell." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Said reported God's messenger as saying, "On the day of resurrection Noah will be brought and asked if he proclaimed the message, and when he replies, `Yes, my Lord,' his people will be asked whether he conveyed the message to them. They will say no warner came to them, so he will be asked who his witnesses are and will reply that they are Muhammad and his people." God's messenger said, "You will then be brought and testify that he did convey the message." He then recited, "Thus We have made you an intermediate people that you may be witnesses to mankind, and the messenger may be a witness to you." * *Quran; 2:143Bukhari transmitted it.

Once when we were with God's messenger he laughed and asked if we knew why he was laughing. On our replying that God and His messenger knew best he told us that in the conversation a man will hold with his Lord he will say, "My Lord, didst Thou not grant me protection from oppression?" and when He replies that He certainly did he will say, "I allow only a witness of my own kind concerning me." He will reply, "You are sufficient to-day as a witness to yourself as are also the noble ones who keep records. His mouth will then be sealed and the members of his body will be told to speak. They will tell about his deeds, and when he is allowed to speak he will say, "May you perish and be cursed! You are the ones in whose defence I was pleading." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira told that some people asked God's messenger whether they would see their Lord on the day of resurrection, and he asked them if they disagreed with one another about seeing the sun at noon when it was not clouded. When they replied that they did not he asked them whether they disagreed with one another about seeing the moon on the night when it is full and unclouded. They replied that they did not, and he said, "By Him in whose hand my soul is, your disagreement with one another about seeing your Lord will just be like your disagreement about seeing one of these two." He then told that He would meet a man and say, "So and so, did I not honour you, make you a lord, give you a wife, make horses and camels subject to you, and did I not let you be a chief and take a quarter of the spoil?" and he will reply that that is so. He will ask if he thought he would meet Him, and when he replies tha t he did not He will say, "Well, I have forgotten you as you forgot Me.' He will meet another, about whom he mentioned something similar. He will then meet a third, and when he says the same kind of thing to him, he will reply, "My Lord, I believed in Thee, Thy Book, Thy messengers, I prayed, fasted and gave sadaqa," and he will praise himself for his good actions as much as he can. He will reply, "Stay here, then. Now We shall raise up a witness concerning you," whereupon he will wonder within himself who it is who will testify concerning him. His mouth will be sealed and his thigh will be told to speak, then his thigh, his flesh and his bones will speak about what he has done. That man makes excuses for himself, but that one is the hypocrite and that is the one with whom God is displeased. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Umama a told that he heard God's messenger say, "My Lord has promised me to bring into paradise seventy thousand of my people without any reckoning or punishment, each thousand accompanied by seventy thousand and three handfuls[*] added by my Lord." *A figure of speech to indicate an unspecified additional number.Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Al-Hasan quoted Abu Huraira who reported God's messenger as saying, "On the day of resurrection mankind will be reviewed three times, the first two consisting of disputing and excuses, but at the third the records of men's deeds will go quickly into their hands, some getting them in their right hands and some in their left." Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, but Tirmidhi said this tradition is not sound, as al-Hasan did not hear anything from Abu Huraira and some have transmitted it on al-Hasan's authority quoting Abu Musa as his authority.

`Abdullah b. `Amr reported God's messenger as saying that on the day of resurrection God will separate a man belonging to his people in presence of all creatures and spread ninety-nine scrolls over him, each scroll extending as far as the eye can see, then say, "Do you object to anything in this? Have my scribes who keep note wronged you?" He will reply, "No, my Lord." He will ask him if he has any excuse; and when he tells his Lord that he has none, He will say, "On the contrary you have with Us a good deed, and you will not be wronged to-day." A document will then be brought out containing, "I testify that there is no god but God, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger," and He will say, "Come to be weighed." He will ask his Lord what this document along with these scrolls is. and He will reply, "You will not be wronged." The scrolls will then be put in one side of the scale and the document in the other, and the scrolls will become light and the document heavy, for nothing can compare in weight with God's name. Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

`A'isha told that she thought of hell and wept, and when God's messenger asked what was making her weep she replied, "I thought of hell and wept. Will you remember your family on the day of resurrection?" God's messenger said, "There are three places where no one will remember anyone, at the scale until one knows whether his weight is light or heavy; at [the examination of] the book when command is given to take and read God's record until he knows whether his book will come into his right hand, or into his left behind his back; * and at the Path when it is placed across Jahannam."*Cf. Quran; 84:7, 10. Abu Dawud transmitted it.